Starling
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Starling is the name of a good old carriage horse owned by Jonathan Strange. He seems to be a very reliable, quiet beast, or so Mrs Strange believes. When her husband wonders aloud whether she will be able to travel about the country lanes in deep December paying all the visits she eagerly plans, Mrs Strange is perfectly confident: "..Starling is a very steady horse. It takes a great deal of snow and ice to frighten Starling. He is not easily daunted[43]."
Coincidentally, it was also the opinion of Jonathan Strange that 'Starling' was the meaning of a by-name given to John Uskglass in Faerie when he was a boy[47]. It is impossible now to know on what grounds Strange based this speculation. No-one has yet produced a reliable Sidhe-English dictionary, and though the language is believed by some to be linked to ancient Celtic tongues, they are of little assistance here. It is unfortunately true that their words for "starling", "wren" and "magician" are all confusingly connected, and scholars have yet to disentangle them. See here.
Coincidentally, it was also the opinion of Jonathan Strange that 'Starling' was the meaning of a by-name given to John Uskglass in Faerie when he was a boy[47]. It is impossible now to know on what grounds Strange based this speculation. No-one has yet produced a reliable Sidhe-English dictionary, and though the language is believed by some to be linked to ancient Celtic tongues, they are of little assistance here. It is unfortunately true that their words for "starling", "wren" and "magician" are all confusingly connected, and scholars have yet to disentangle them. See here.