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What exactly is a Thunderbird?


barnesdesign

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For fun I am going to be making a new logo for a team called the Thunderbirds. Many of the logos I can think of with that are "Thunderbirds" either have the same phoenix-looking bird with the head to one side and wings raised, or look like the Seattle Thunderbirds, totem-pole-esque design. I'm guessing the "Thunder" desriptor in the name is mostly like "Rivercats" or "Ice dogs"....but what type of bird is commonly associated with a Thunderbird...an eagle? a hawk? What do you guys think?

Thanks for your input :)

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it just really depends man, i mean dont do a woodpecker or anything, but maybe look into the region that you would be putting the team in. the totem pole-esque design is because its in the Pacific Northwest with tons of native american tradition.

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it just really depends man, i mean dont do a woodpecker or anything, but maybe look into the region that you would be putting the team in. the totem pole-esque design is because its in the Pacific Northwest with tons of native american tradition.

I agree here. I think the actual thunderbird name goes back to American Indian mythology/religion, in which they worshiped the bird. But I see ur point, as well, as of late I usually see the thunderbird depicted as a "phoenix-esque" looking creature. In my opinion i would call that more of a FIREbird as a opposed to a thunderbird, but i guess its up for interpretation. But my vote is on the totem (American Indian-ish) design.

Honestly, youre the artist, YOU design it the way YOU want it to look, just my POV.

Good luck and hope we can see the final result!!!

~UJ

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Right on guys, thanks for your replies. Yeah I figured the name was a little native american in origin. The logo is actually for my elementary school (like I said, just for fun :))...I just figured I wanted a fun logo to make in my free time...

So anyways thanks for all the ideas, it gets the juices flowing. :)

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The Thunderbird is a mythical creature common to Native American religion. Its name comes from that supposition that the beating of its enormous wings causes thunder and stirs the wind. The Lakota name for the Thunderbird is "Wakinyan", a word formed from "kinyan", meaning "winged", and "wakan", "sacred". The Kwakiutl called him "Hohoq," and the Nootka called him "Kw-Uhnx-Wa." It is described as being two canoe-lengths from wingtip to wingtip, and it creates storms as it flies- clouds are pulled together by its wingbeats, the sound of thunder is its wings clapping, sheet lightning is the light flashing from its eyes when it blinks, and individual lightning bolts are glowing snakes that it carries with it. In masks, it is depicted as many-colored, with two curling horns, and sometimes with teeth within its beak.

Depending on the people telling the story, the Thunderbird is either a singular entity, or a species. In both cases, it is intelligent, powerful, and wrathful. All agree that you should go out of your way to keep from getting them angry.

The singular Thunderbird (as the Nootka believed) was said to reside on the top of a mountain, and was the servant of the Great Spirit. The Thunderbird only flew about to carry messages from one spirit to another.

The plural thunderbirds (as the Kwakiutl and Cowichan tribes believed) could take on human form by tilting back their beak as if it was only a mask, and by removing their feathers as if it was a feather-covered blanket. There are stories of thunderbirds in human form marrying into human families, who still trace their lineage to this. Families of thunderbirds who kept to themselves, but wore human form, lived along the northern tip of Vancouver Island- other tribes soon forgot the nature of one of these thunderbird families, and when one tribe tried to take them as slaves, the thunderbirds put on their feather blankets and transformed to take vengeance upon their foolish captors.

Hope that helps

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In cryptozoological terms, a thunderbird is a giant vulture-esque bird..not a very nice tip o' the hat to Native American lore, but..whatever.

Now, if I had talent..what I would do is make a shillouette of like a bird like an eagle, with lightning, like..not little zigzags, but the real thing coming out of it's "fingertips".

MouthoftheSouth.jpg

I don't speak for democrats, democrats don't speak for me.

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Oh man, I was just getting down the page, smiling to myself about those puppet people, thinking, this'll be a funny post.

And there he is Stampy beats me to the punch once again.

Oh well,

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That's the Thunderbirds.

i've gto a few old videos of the Thunderbirds at ome if you want them, i cna't watch them cos we have since got rid of the VCR and got a DVD player

i remeber the crocodile episode in the lake.....i used to think those people were real, lol

twitter.com/thebrainofMatt

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Yeah, I beleive it has native origins behind it. Infact the UBC Thunderbirds football team (University Of British Columbia) has a Thunderbird head on their helmets that resembles the top of a totem pole.

UBC_BC.gif

logo_ubc.gif

And here's an actual totem pole:

totem_pole_2_opt.jpg

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