Rupam Das
For good luck
Throughout history and across many cultures, people have regarded owls with fascination and awe. Few other creatures have so many different and contradictory beliefs about them. Owls have been both feared and venerated, despised and admired, considered wise and foolish, and associated with witchcraft and medicine, the weather, birth and death. Speculation about owls began in earliest folklore, too long ago to date, but passed down by word of mouth over generations. So, how do they bring good luck, exactly? Well, in many myths and legends, they played helpful roles (giving wisdom, protecting, etc.) thus marking them as creatures of good fortune. Let's look at the mythological history surrounding the owl...
In early Indian folklore, owls represent wisdom and helpfulness, and have powers of prophecy. This theme recurs in Aesop's fables and in Greek myths and beliefs. By the middle ages in Europe, the owl had become the associate of witches and the inhabitant of dark, lonely and profane places, a foolish but feared specter. An owl's appearance at night, when people are helpless and blind, linked them with the unknown, its eerie call filled people with foreboding and apprehension: a death was imminent or some evil was at hand. During the eighteenth century the zoological aspects of owls were detailed through close observation, reducing the mystery surrounding these birds. With superstitions dying out in the twentieth century - in the west at least - the owl has returned to its position as a symbol of wisdom.
In the mythology of ancient Greece, Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, was so impressed by the great eyes and solemn appearance of the owl that, having banished the mischievous crow, she honored the night bird by making him her favorite among feathered creatures. Athene's bird was a Little Owl, (Athene noctua). This owl was protected and inhabited the Acropolis in great numbers. It was believed that a magical "inner light" gave owls night vision. As the symbol of Athene, the owl was a protector, accompanying Greek armies to war, and providing ornamental inspiration for their daily lives. If an owl flew over Greek Soldiers before a battle, they took it as a sign of victory. The Little Owl also kept a watchful eye on Athenian trade and commerce from the reverse side of their coins.
In ancient Egyptian, Celtic, and Hindu cultures the symbolic meaning of owl revolved around guardianship of the underworlds, and a protection of the dead. In this light the owl was ruler of the night and seer of souls. A misunderstanding of this necessary relationship gave the owl some negative associations with death. It should be clear that the owl was honored as the keeper of spirits who had passed from one plane to another. Often myth indicates the owl accompanying a spirit to the underworld - winging it's newly freed soul from the physical world into the realm of spirit.
Native Americans associated the meaning of owl with wisdom, foresight, and keeper of sacred knowledge. This may largely be due to the fact that the owl is a great fore-teller of weather conditions. Also its ability to see at night is legend among the Native Americans, and this attribute would be invoked during ceremonies when an oracle of secret knowledge was required.
In conclusion, the owl has a dual symbolism of wisdom and darkness. In many cultures, it most commonly symbolizes wisdom, mysticism, good luck, good omens, foresight/insight, prophecy, and protection. They are thought to bring luck due to the mystical help the provide within mythology and folklore-- protection, being one of them.
For good luck
Throughout history and across many cultures, people have regarded owls with fascination and awe. Few other creatures have so many different and contradictory beliefs about them. Owls have been both feared and venerated, despised and admired, considered wise and foolish, and associated with witchcraft and medicine, the weather, birth and death. Speculation about owls began in earliest folklore, too long ago to date, but passed down by word of mouth over generations. So, how do they bring good luck, exactly? Well, in many myths and legends, they played helpful roles (giving wisdom, protecting, etc.) thus marking them as creatures of good fortune. Let's look at the mythological history surrounding the owl...
In early Indian folklore, owls represent wisdom and helpfulness, and have powers of prophecy. This theme recurs in Aesop's fables and in Greek myths and beliefs. By the middle ages in Europe, the owl had become the associate of witches and the inhabitant of dark, lonely and profane places, a foolish but feared specter. An owl's appearance at night, when people are helpless and blind, linked them with the unknown, its eerie call filled people with foreboding and apprehension: a death was imminent or some evil was at hand. During the eighteenth century the zoological aspects of owls were detailed through close observation, reducing the mystery surrounding these birds. With superstitions dying out in the twentieth century - in the west at least - the owl has returned to its position as a symbol of wisdom.
In the mythology of ancient Greece, Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, was so impressed by the great eyes and solemn appearance of the owl that, having banished the mischievous crow, she honored the night bird by making him her favorite among feathered creatures. Athene's bird was a Little Owl, (Athene noctua). This owl was protected and inhabited the Acropolis in great numbers. It was believed that a magical "inner light" gave owls night vision. As the symbol of Athene, the owl was a protector, accompanying Greek armies to war, and providing ornamental inspiration for their daily lives. If an owl flew over Greek Soldiers before a battle, they took it as a sign of victory. The Little Owl also kept a watchful eye on Athenian trade and commerce from the reverse side of their coins.
In ancient Egyptian, Celtic, and Hindu cultures the symbolic meaning of owl revolved around guardianship of the underworlds, and a protection of the dead. In this light the owl was ruler of the night and seer of souls. A misunderstanding of this necessary relationship gave the owl some negative associations with death. It should be clear that the owl was honored as the keeper of spirits who had passed from one plane to another. Often myth indicates the owl accompanying a spirit to the underworld - winging it's newly freed soul from the physical world into the realm of spirit.
Native Americans associated the meaning of owl with wisdom, foresight, and keeper of sacred knowledge. This may largely be due to the fact that the owl is a great fore-teller of weather conditions. Also its ability to see at night is legend among the Native Americans, and this attribute would be invoked during ceremonies when an oracle of secret knowledge was required.
In conclusion, the owl has a dual symbolism of wisdom and darkness. In many cultures, it most commonly symbolizes wisdom, mysticism, good luck, good omens, foresight/insight, prophecy, and protection. They are thought to bring luck due to the mystical help the provide within mythology and folklore-- protection, being one of them.