The stork was the sacred bird of the goddess Hera, the protector of nursing mothers. This might be one of the origins of the widespread European folk tradition according to which the storks bring babies to new parents. The legend was popularised by Hans Christian Andersen in one of his tales. It seems that the bird’s large size, the purity of its white plumage, and its ability to fly in high altitudes (somewhat between heaven and earth) contributed to its selection as the bird to bring the babies. Another ancient legend claims that embryos float in the waters of a cosmic ocean and storks discover them as they search for fish.