I had a dream last year that an enormous falcon gave me a ride on its back. It told me things, most of which I can’t now remember. And then it raked me on my leg. When I awoke, I had marks on my right thigh, exactly where the bird raked me in my dream. I knew somehow the species the falcon belonged to was a real species, and I looked for months, on and off, trying to find a photo that looked like the bird in my dream.
I found it today:
Gerfalkon, one of the largest falcon species in the world.
For more information: http://animalia-life.com/birds/gyrfalcon.html
I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me, after all I do worship Freyja of the falcon cloak. I’d imagine feathers from a bird like this would be eminently suitable.