Have you thought of al-Lāt and al-’Uzzā? And about the third diety, al-Manāt? These are the exalted gharāniq, whose intercession is hoped for.
-Quran 53:19-20 and the expunged Satanic Verses which follow
Scholars question the meaning of the word Gharāniq (pl. of Ghirniq, Crane), better translated here in this theological context as High Flying Ones. In the desert we often looked overhead and saw contrails of passenger jets on their way to Cairo and the drovers would ask us why we were not up there too. On the Gharāniq, the High Flying Ones. And to that question we had no answer other than, We prefer it down here with you.