The liver bird is the symbol of the city of Liverpool, and has featured on its coat of arms since 1797. Its name is of course intertwined with the name of the city: “liver” comes from the old English “lifer”, meaning “thick or muddy water.” The liver bird is a mythical chimera, half-cormorant, half-eagle, holding a branch of gorse in its beak. In Latin, this leaf is known as planta genista, in homage to the Plantagenet dynasty – the English royal family whose origins could be traced back to the French soils of Anjou and Normandy. The family sat on the English throne from 1154 - 1485, when Richard III was killed in combat. Under Plantagenet rule, England had been transformed. Today, the bird can be seen atop the two towers of the Royal Liver Building, on the banks of the Mersey on the Liverpool docksides. Legend holds that the two liver birds are a couple. The female looks out over the Irish Sea to protect the city’s sailors, while the male watches over the city and the women and children who remain there. Should the couple ever face one another, then decide to mate and fly away, the city of Liverpool will be no more.
“God save the Queen!” piped up one of the four workers as he raised his cap.
“What’s going on now?”
“The Queen’s given birth to her third child. Another boy. You believe that? First time an heir’s been born to a sitting monarch in over a hundred years.”
“Aye, that’s incredible that is. Never thought Elizabeth would leave us such a strong line.”
Liverpool’s bird united all the city’s inhabitants, but especially its football supporters. In 1955, it appeared on the club’s badge. On the shirts, the bird was depicted in red on a white oval background, worn over the players’ breasts. In the 1960s, the club made headlines thanks to the influence of manager Bill Shankly, who decked his players out in their now-famous red jerseys. It was at this time that the fans began singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, making it one of the most stirring chants in all of sports:
When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm
There's a golden sky...
“D’you read the paper this mornin’?”
“Nah, why? What’re they saying?”
“Man City just signed that kid Denis Law as a striker. He’s only twenty. 55,000 pound they paid for ‘im. New record.”
“Kid ain’t a Scouser, is he?”
“Nah, from Huddersfield. Some little village.”
“If he was from here he’d play for Liverpool.”
“Aye, course he would.”
The four workers set the statue on top of the weathervane on the Liverpool Post and Echo office building. They handled it with care. She was fragile, and the wind blew hard in Liverpool. One of the men tightened the bolts that would hold the bird’s wings in place. She had to stand proud atop the building, where passers-by could admire her. But they had to be careful to ensure the liver bird would not fly away. That would mean the end of the world, and bring St. John’s revelations down upon them.
“Have you heard about this band called The Beatles?” asked the second man.
“Beetles? Like the insect?”
“Or those cars they make in Germany?”
“No, they’re a band. Merseyside lads. Everyone’s talking about them. They’re heading off to Hamburg for a tour.”
“Rock and roll music, is it?”
“Yeah, good style like. This kid called John Lennon, and I forget the other founder’s name. Then there’s another one on the guitar, and a drummer. They’ve a whole new sound, people say.”
“Paul something, innit?”
“Paul McCartney, that’s it!”
“Right lads, the bird’s all ready. Let’s hope she doesn’t fly away, eh?”
Alan Alfredo Geday