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Eagle Dreams: Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia
Mongolia is a vast country located between Siberia and China, and little-known to outsiders. As Mongolia had long been under Soviet rule, it was inaccessible to Westerners. That was until 1990, when Stephen J. Bodio began planning his trip.
As a boy, Bodio was always fascinated with nature. When he saw an image in National Geographic of a Kazakh nomad, dressed in a long coat and wearing a fur hat, holding a huge eagle on his fist, his life was changed from then on. When Mongolia became independent in 1990, Bodio knew that his dream to see the eagle hunters from the picture in National Geographic< so many years ago was soon to become a reality.
In Eagle Dreams, readers follow Bodio on his long-awaited trip to Mongolia, where he spent months with the people and birds of his dreams. He is finally able to visit the birth place of falconry and observe the traditions that have survived intact through the ages. Not only does he get to witness things most people will never be able to, but he’s also able to give life to his dreams and the people, landscapes, and animals of Mongolia that have become part of his soul.
As a boy, Bodio was always fascinated with nature. When he saw an image in National Geographic of a Kazakh nomad, dressed in a long coat and wearing a fur hat, holding a huge eagle on his fist, his life was changed from then on. When Mongolia became independent in 1990, Bodio knew that his dream to see the eagle hunters from the picture in National Geographic< so many years ago was soon to become a reality.
In Eagle Dreams, readers follow Bodio on his long-awaited trip to Mongolia, where he spent months with the people and birds of his dreams. He is finally able to visit the birth place of falconry and observe the traditions that have survived intact through the ages. Not only does he get to witness things most people will never be able to, but he’s also able to give life to his dreams and the people, landscapes, and animals of Mongolia that have become part of his soul.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 27, 2021
Feb 26, 1215pm ~~ Review asap.
Feb 26, 1030pm ~~ Eagle Dreams is the fourth title I have read from my personal challenge list about Mongolia. It was written by a man who is a falconer, a writer, and a thinker. But he offers some unusual advice in his Author's Note before the actual text of the book:
"If you want straight narrative, I'd suggest you skip forward to Part II."
I noticed that some reviewers agreed with Bodio, but I have to say that skipping the first section will leave a vacant space in your mind about this book. For me, it was very important to read the back story of why the author was so captivated all of his life with birds of prey, how he learned to work with them, how his life eventually got him to Mongolia. It is a gradual exposure that helps the reader understand the author's feelings when he is finally actually in the country and able to see in real life what he has previously seen only in still pictures and choppy videos.
But even the best dream can have elements of nightmare. During the two trips the author describes in this book, he faced a bout of possible pneumonia, arthritis pains from the rough roads, a dodgy tummy from new foods and too much vodka, an idiot of a photographer who never grasped that some things truly were more important than The Shot, and the beginnings of the organized tourism industry.
I know that tourism can be a major economic asset in many countries, but it pains me to think of people performing their traditions for the camera rather than living them. In an epilogue Bodio addresses this topic by giving some blunt tips for would-be tourists. When I read this epilogue early this morning I misunderstood one section and thought the author expected Mongolia to adjust to the tourist rather than having the tourist adjust to Mongolia.
In going back over the pages now I see I was wrong. By plugging the tour guide services of three of his friends, the author is promoting a more authentic experience for the person who is not afraid to leave the soft modern world behind at least for a few days. I still do not believe that tourism is the solution to every problem the way some civic leaders seem to think, but I suppose it can be of some use now and then.
Oh, one thing that I thought was cool was the description Bodio wrote of how it feels to ride a Bactrian camel, the two-humped type native to Mongolia. On his second trip, when his friends had their business a bit more organized, a camel ride around the camp was on the agenda during a day of photo ops and sampling activities planned for future guests. Here is how Bodio described it:
"The hardest parts are at the beginning and the end of the ride, because of the rocking motion the beasts make when kneeling to allow you to get on and off; riding a two-humped camel is ridiculously comfortable, like driving a sofa with airbags fore and aft."
Okay, I admit that sounds like fun. Where do I sign up?!
Feb 26, 1030pm ~~ Eagle Dreams is the fourth title I have read from my personal challenge list about Mongolia. It was written by a man who is a falconer, a writer, and a thinker. But he offers some unusual advice in his Author's Note before the actual text of the book:
"If you want straight narrative, I'd suggest you skip forward to Part II."
I noticed that some reviewers agreed with Bodio, but I have to say that skipping the first section will leave a vacant space in your mind about this book. For me, it was very important to read the back story of why the author was so captivated all of his life with birds of prey, how he learned to work with them, how his life eventually got him to Mongolia. It is a gradual exposure that helps the reader understand the author's feelings when he is finally actually in the country and able to see in real life what he has previously seen only in still pictures and choppy videos.
But even the best dream can have elements of nightmare. During the two trips the author describes in this book, he faced a bout of possible pneumonia, arthritis pains from the rough roads, a dodgy tummy from new foods and too much vodka, an idiot of a photographer who never grasped that some things truly were more important than The Shot, and the beginnings of the organized tourism industry.
I know that tourism can be a major economic asset in many countries, but it pains me to think of people performing their traditions for the camera rather than living them. In an epilogue Bodio addresses this topic by giving some blunt tips for would-be tourists. When I read this epilogue early this morning I misunderstood one section and thought the author expected Mongolia to adjust to the tourist rather than having the tourist adjust to Mongolia.
In going back over the pages now I see I was wrong. By plugging the tour guide services of three of his friends, the author is promoting a more authentic experience for the person who is not afraid to leave the soft modern world behind at least for a few days. I still do not believe that tourism is the solution to every problem the way some civic leaders seem to think, but I suppose it can be of some use now and then.
Oh, one thing that I thought was cool was the description Bodio wrote of how it feels to ride a Bactrian camel, the two-humped type native to Mongolia. On his second trip, when his friends had their business a bit more organized, a camel ride around the camp was on the agenda during a day of photo ops and sampling activities planned for future guests. Here is how Bodio described it:
"The hardest parts are at the beginning and the end of the ride, because of the rocking motion the beasts make when kneeling to allow you to get on and off; riding a two-humped camel is ridiculously comfortable, like driving a sofa with airbags fore and aft."
Okay, I admit that sounds like fun. Where do I sign up?!
December 6, 2013
This is my kind of travel book! WARNING: This book contains no romantic sentiment, orientalist stereotyping, or self promotion by the author.
Bodio respects the intelligence of his audience, there is no condescension here. Reading this book, chapter by chapter, is akin to sitting with kindred souls around the campfire in the evenings, listening to a series of tales. I didn't want the book to end and rationed myself to one chapter an evening! Bodio draws us into his experience with solid writing, gritty honesty, and an exciting topic.
I'm interested in falconry and those who still hunt this way, from the saddle with bird on wrist. While not a hunter myself, the interaction of horse, bird and human required for this practice intrigues me, as well as the nomadic lifestyle and historical aspects of falconry. The author, Stephen J. Bodio, is a life long falconer and like many of us, was inspired when quite young by articles and images in National Geographic magazine.
When Mongolia became independent of Soviet rule in 1990. Bodio made a life long fantasy into reality and journeyed to Mongolia.
Written in an almost conversational, unpretentious tone and the honesty between these covers. If you are a hunter or ride, there is much of interest here. Bodio's style and content is observant and interesting enough that this book is good reading for anybody interested in travel, the nomadic lifestyle, and tribal life in today's world.
I'll ride with Bodio anytime!
Bodio respects the intelligence of his audience, there is no condescension here. Reading this book, chapter by chapter, is akin to sitting with kindred souls around the campfire in the evenings, listening to a series of tales. I didn't want the book to end and rationed myself to one chapter an evening! Bodio draws us into his experience with solid writing, gritty honesty, and an exciting topic.
I'm interested in falconry and those who still hunt this way, from the saddle with bird on wrist. While not a hunter myself, the interaction of horse, bird and human required for this practice intrigues me, as well as the nomadic lifestyle and historical aspects of falconry. The author, Stephen J. Bodio, is a life long falconer and like many of us, was inspired when quite young by articles and images in National Geographic magazine.
When Mongolia became independent of Soviet rule in 1990. Bodio made a life long fantasy into reality and journeyed to Mongolia.
Written in an almost conversational, unpretentious tone and the honesty between these covers. If you are a hunter or ride, there is much of interest here. Bodio's style and content is observant and interesting enough that this book is good reading for anybody interested in travel, the nomadic lifestyle, and tribal life in today's world.
I'll ride with Bodio anytime!
September 16, 2010
I came close to putting this one down at first. Bodio actually notes in the preface that "...you might want to skip to Section Two." I would advise it. Section One, the "prelude," is pretty self-indulgent and scattered. However, once Section Two (in Mongolia) starts up, Bodio's writing is completely different. Fast-paced, vividly descriptive, and passionate about his subject. There were places where unnecessary personal digressions were inserted, but overall it was an enjoyable quick read and a chance to learn about a fascinating culture in a far-off land.
November 14, 2007
Think of nomadic shepherds - horsemen, using eagles to hunt wolves. It still happens in Mongolia. American adventurer/writer/falconer Stephen Bodio provides an engaging account of his trip, eager to revisit something he caught a glimpse of in a photograph years before. Take my word, you'll be wanting to book your trip to Mongolia by the time you put the book down.
February 12, 2012
The subtitle of thus book mis-lead me: "Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia". I was under the impression that the subject of the book would be the compilation of stories, myths, or legends.
It was rather the innocent noble pursuit of a childhood dream that got terribly twisted. The author was captivated in boyhood by a photo of a Kazakh nomad in exotic dress with an eagle on his fist. He vowed to travel to Mongolia to see this first hand. A romantic dream I well understand.
The author does travel to Mongolia and this book is the result. Such a disappointment. The author with several local guides and a filmmaker set off late in the season to see and capture on film nomads hunting with eagles.
It seems that it is too late in the season, they have just missed a successful hunt, or perhaps are preoccupied in their quest of and consumption of copious amounts of liquor and several bar brawls.
Not wanting to disappoint a paying tourist one of the locals gets desperate and at one point flushes out a fox from underground with the use of gasoline so he can observe the eagle disemboweling the fox. To the author's credit, he is properly aghast; however realizes that it is his desire that prompted this.
Not seeing an eagle successfully hunt a fox, the author returns to Mongolia a year later with wife in tow. This time they do see an eagle hunt and land on a fox and tear it to pieces. But, alas, no film in the camera.
The practice is extremely cruel and barbaric. A wild, free eagle is lured and ensnared in a net. It then is tethered and prevented from ever flying freely again. It's face is covered with a "hood", blinding it, preventing it from seeing the sky.
When the eagle's "owner" wants to hunt, the eagle is put on a week long fast so when hunt day comes, the eagle is nice and hungry, sure to vicariously fulfill the "owner's" blood lust. The eagle gets to eat, at last, and the "owner" gets a trophy pelt.
The author interviews a native eagle "handler" (for want of a better term). He says that he had made the eagle fast for a week and released the eagle to hunt. The eagle, starved, zoomed in on the handler's 8 year old son and tore the heart out of the boy. In revenge, the handler cut off the eagle's talons and set it free to starve- mutilated and unable to hunt.
It was a shame to see the wanderlust of a boy inspired by an exotic photo twisted into the pursuit of decadent violence.
The book had one fascinating anecdote. Having read many books about Mongolia, I have read brief references to many Mongolians who come into contact with Americans ask about Native Americans ("Indians"). Many Mongolians "know" that they are related to Native Americans. No other details were forthcoming in the other books that I read. In this book, the author explains that not only is there a striking physical similarity, but that the Navaho hogan is very similar to the Mongolia Ger in layout and contents. Further, both Mongolians and Navaho use silver and turquoise and coral to make jewelry. In addition, the old Iberian sheep of the Navaho are very similar to the Mongol and Kazakh fat tail sheep. And finally, a photo taken in the late 1990's outside a reindeer herder village was a village of tee pees that looked identical to a village of tee pees of Native Americans here in the Plain states. Great circumstantial evidence in support of the Bering land bridge.
Another piece in the puzzle of ancient human migration falls into place: people in antiquity migrate from Mongolia, cross the Bering land bridge and settle in the North American arctic. They hunt and fish on the rich terminal moraine of glaciers. As the glaciers spread south, they follow. As the glaciers spread into what would be called the American Plains (and create the Great Lakes), the people once again flourished at the boundary between glaciated and non glaciated land. The glaciers began to retreat. Some of the people once again followed the glaciers on the return trip north. Some decided to stay. The people that followed the retreating glacier north became the arctic peoples we know today: the Inuit, the Athabascans and the Eskimo. The ones that stayed became the Plains Native Americans. Please note: this did not come from this book I am reviewing. Rather I was able to fit another piece of the puzzle due to the only redeeming piece of information in this book-that Mongolians, almost universally, intuit that they are closely related to Native Americans.
It was rather the innocent noble pursuit of a childhood dream that got terribly twisted. The author was captivated in boyhood by a photo of a Kazakh nomad in exotic dress with an eagle on his fist. He vowed to travel to Mongolia to see this first hand. A romantic dream I well understand.
The author does travel to Mongolia and this book is the result. Such a disappointment. The author with several local guides and a filmmaker set off late in the season to see and capture on film nomads hunting with eagles.
It seems that it is too late in the season, they have just missed a successful hunt, or perhaps are preoccupied in their quest of and consumption of copious amounts of liquor and several bar brawls.
Not wanting to disappoint a paying tourist one of the locals gets desperate and at one point flushes out a fox from underground with the use of gasoline so he can observe the eagle disemboweling the fox. To the author's credit, he is properly aghast; however realizes that it is his desire that prompted this.
Not seeing an eagle successfully hunt a fox, the author returns to Mongolia a year later with wife in tow. This time they do see an eagle hunt and land on a fox and tear it to pieces. But, alas, no film in the camera.
The practice is extremely cruel and barbaric. A wild, free eagle is lured and ensnared in a net. It then is tethered and prevented from ever flying freely again. It's face is covered with a "hood", blinding it, preventing it from seeing the sky.
When the eagle's "owner" wants to hunt, the eagle is put on a week long fast so when hunt day comes, the eagle is nice and hungry, sure to vicariously fulfill the "owner's" blood lust. The eagle gets to eat, at last, and the "owner" gets a trophy pelt.
The author interviews a native eagle "handler" (for want of a better term). He says that he had made the eagle fast for a week and released the eagle to hunt. The eagle, starved, zoomed in on the handler's 8 year old son and tore the heart out of the boy. In revenge, the handler cut off the eagle's talons and set it free to starve- mutilated and unable to hunt.
It was a shame to see the wanderlust of a boy inspired by an exotic photo twisted into the pursuit of decadent violence.
The book had one fascinating anecdote. Having read many books about Mongolia, I have read brief references to many Mongolians who come into contact with Americans ask about Native Americans ("Indians"). Many Mongolians "know" that they are related to Native Americans. No other details were forthcoming in the other books that I read. In this book, the author explains that not only is there a striking physical similarity, but that the Navaho hogan is very similar to the Mongolia Ger in layout and contents. Further, both Mongolians and Navaho use silver and turquoise and coral to make jewelry. In addition, the old Iberian sheep of the Navaho are very similar to the Mongol and Kazakh fat tail sheep. And finally, a photo taken in the late 1990's outside a reindeer herder village was a village of tee pees that looked identical to a village of tee pees of Native Americans here in the Plain states. Great circumstantial evidence in support of the Bering land bridge.
Another piece in the puzzle of ancient human migration falls into place: people in antiquity migrate from Mongolia, cross the Bering land bridge and settle in the North American arctic. They hunt and fish on the rich terminal moraine of glaciers. As the glaciers spread south, they follow. As the glaciers spread into what would be called the American Plains (and create the Great Lakes), the people once again flourished at the boundary between glaciated and non glaciated land. The glaciers began to retreat. Some of the people once again followed the glaciers on the return trip north. Some decided to stay. The people that followed the retreating glacier north became the arctic peoples we know today: the Inuit, the Athabascans and the Eskimo. The ones that stayed became the Plains Native Americans. Please note: this did not come from this book I am reviewing. Rather I was able to fit another piece of the puzzle due to the only redeeming piece of information in this book-that Mongolians, almost universally, intuit that they are closely related to Native Americans.
February 6, 2017
"The Eagle Huntress" started me on an intense enthusiasm for the Kazakh eagle hunters of Mongolia. Bodio, who is a falconer, went and visited them twice around the millennium. The book is mainly about the first trip and the lead-up to it. Quite vivid pictures of Mongolia and the people he met, though he keeps telling you that things are "like Montana" which conveys very little to me!
June 21, 2023
I read this in preparation for an upcoming journey to Mongolia. An excellent source of excitement fodder! Very directed at the places and things I’ll be seeing and doing. The comparisons to Wyoming and Montana make me feel like I’m going somewhere that will call my soul, and the passion by Bodio regarding the eagles and falconry in general has ignited in me a new interest to try to know a LOT more about eagles before I go. Also excellent information about western Mongolian history (such as all Buddhists were hunted down & mostly killed & temples smashed during the Soviet occupation, but the nomads managed to continue to do their own thing for the most part, not that it wasn’t hard). I just hope it’s not too changed from Bodio’s days, although the update from 2005 makes it seem possibly so. Still...Mongolia!
January 22, 2020
This was my “coffee shop book” which I read on my iPad once a week. The book is not a fast-paced read, but a gentle book about birds of prey and the people who hunt with them. Half of the book takes place in Mongolia as we travel with the author to this beautiful country. It was a pleasurable travel book.
October 18, 2022
Made me want to go back to Mongolia, but not in winter when most of this took place.
November 7, 2022
This was mostly a travelogue about Mongolia with a little bit about flying eagles and other raptors. I would have enjoyed reading a lot more about the birds.
October 23, 2010
I was kind of disappointed with this book. Basically, it wasn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting more exploration and details about his trip and the eagles and less information about how difficult it was for him to get there. The parts about his journey from UB to the outer reaches of Mongolia were very interesting, but if the book is called "Eagle Dreams" and you see the first eagle in flight in Mongolia around page 100..... the book itself sort of loses its steam. The plus is that it's a quick read, but you can kind of skip through/skim the first part a bit. Wish I'd known...
January 11, 2012
I learnt about eagles - ignorant of them before, I learnt to have the awe for them I ought to. Grand descriptions of the Altai Mountains. - That's where he goes, to find the old-style Kazakh hunters with eagles. Atmospheric, enthusiastic, and written with a perfect humble courtesy towards eagles, towards the Altai, and towards the people he travels through.
June 22, 2012
Yet another book that I read before my trip to Mongolia in 2011. I was (am) fascinated by the Mongolia eagle hunters who live in northwestern Mongolia. I was fortunate to get a chance to visit with a few of them and wish I had more time to return and witness an actual hunt. Stephen captures the area and people very well in this interesting read.
March 18, 2016
I was mainly doing research on Mongolia for a novel I was writing then when I picked this up. Though this is a non-fiction that focuses on falconry, I was able to attain some fascinating glimpses into the sceneries in Mongolia.
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January 3, 2025I loved it!I felt as though the author had shown me the world of falconry of the Golden Eagle from it’s origins(Mongolia) as he experienced it while following his dream and actually going there and capturing it all so I could share it and his views in this book
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