in estonian folklore it is believed that the birds are led by a white bird with the head of a maiden who chases birds of prey away. the maiden, the goddess lindu, was the queen of the birds and the daughter of ukko, the king of the sky. after refusing the suits of the sun and moon for being too predictable in their routes and the pole star for being fixed, she fell in love with the light of north for its beauty. they became engaged, but the inconstant light of north left her soon afterward. the tears of the broken-hearted lindu fell on her wedding veil, which became the milky way when her father brought her to heaven so she could reign by his side and guide the migrating birds, who followed the trail of stars in her veil. only later did scientists indeed confirm this observation; the migratory birds use the milky way as a guide to travel to warmer, southern lands during the winter.