Garuda

Garuda is a fantastic creature in Hindu mythology, half man and half eagle. In some stories he is said to be the Sun in the form of a bird. He is king of the birds, and the devourer of serpents and all evil things. It is upon the back of Garuda that the God Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi ride across the skies. The Garuda is also found in the important Hindu epic, the Ramayana, in which it bears the name Jatayu. It was Jatayu who sacrificed himself to save beautiful Sita. Garuda has the beak, wings and feet of an eagle, and the body, head, arms and legs of a man.

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