(The Witches Familiar)

The Owl

Commonly found in many countries the owl throughout the ages has attracted the fascination and awe of many cults and cultures, from them many different and contradictory beliefs have survived to the present day.  The owl has had many associations with witchcraft, medicine, the weather, birth and even death, as such many superstitions and fears about the owl remain.  In the past it was thought to have been both wise yet foolish, feared but venerated and despised while being admired. <O:P></O:P>

The owls is a nocturnal predatory bird distinguished by a large flat face, eyes surrounded by stiff-feathered disks, a short hooked beak, feathered legs with sharp talons, and soft plumage that facilitates soundless flight.  The large eyes of the owl are encased in a capsule of bone called the “sclerotic ring�?/I> which directs the eyes forward allowing little movement.  To look sideways the owl must turn its entire head, a relatively long and flexible neck permits the head to rotate through 270 degrees.  As few owls hunt their prey in full daylight, their hearing is particularly important.  Many owls have asymmetrical skulls with the ear openings at different levels; this enables the bird to pin-point any sound made by a prey animal.

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The nesting habits of owls are highly variable.  Some nest in holes in trees or among rocks while others nest in large trees, still others such as burrowing owl nests on the ground.  Owls feed entirely on living animals, the size of the prey being proportional to the size of the owl, these can any be anything from insects to mammals as large as hares, a few feed primarily on fish.  The indigestible portions of their food such as bones, hair and feathers are compressed and regurgitated as compact pellets, an analysis of these pellets often reveals their prey species.  All owls lay pure white eggs.

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Owl Species:<O:P> </O:P>

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The owl is comprised of two distinct families of the order �?I>Strigiformes�?  The typical owl makes up the family called �?I>Strigidae�?of which there are about 120 species, while the “Barn Owl�?makes up the family called �?I>Tytonidae�?comprised of some 10 species, both families can be found worldwide.  Some of the more common verities of owls are the “Tawny Owl�?(Strix aluco), a brown-flecked species of Europe and the Middle East, the “Little Owl�?(Athene noctua) is the Greek symbol of wisdom and the bird most associated with Athena, it can be found widely in many countries for it’s habitat is commonly near to human homes.

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Great Horned Owl  /  Snowy Owl  /  Barn Owl with prey

The largest of the owls are the “Eagle Owls�?(Bubo bubo) of Eurasia and the powerful (Ninox strenua) of Australia; both measure up to 0.75-m/2.25 ft long.  The “Snowy Owl�?(Nyctea scandiaca) lives in the Arctic, while the worldwide “Barn Owl�?(Tyto alba) formerly common in Britain but diminished by pesticides and loss of habitat, can now be found more frequently in Malaysia where it is used for rat control.  The “Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) of North America, South America and Eurasia is a streaked tawny coloured owl about 38 cm/15 inches in length, it hunts at dawn and dusk and roosts mainly on the ground.  The “Great Horned Owl�?(Bubo virginianus) of North and South America measures 56 cm/22 inches; it has long ear tufts and lives in forests, grasslands and deserts.

Sadly some species of owl are in danger of extinction.  The island species such as the New Zealand “Laughing Owl�?and the Madagascan “Grass Owl�?are most at risk.

Owls in Mythology:<O:P> </O:P>

In ancient Greek mythology the owl was the preferred bird of Athena, daughter of Zeus, the Goddess of Wisdom and War (see Athena - Gods and Goddesses (Greek Mythology).  Her preferred species was the Little Owl, which often accompanied her perched on her shoulder.  The owl had the ability to light up Athena’s blind side revealing to her unseen truths and thus expanding her natural wisdom.  Due to its association with the Goddess, the owl gained protected status in Athens and inhabited the Acropolis in great numbers.  As the symbol of Athena the owl became thought of as a protector, its symbolism was adopted by Greek armies on their way to war as inspiration for their daily lives.  If before a battle an owl flew over the army, it was taken as a good omen that victory was immanent.  The owl was also given prominence in society and commerce being depicted on the reverse side of their silver drachma coins: <O:P> </O:P>

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      Classical style, 5th century BC.                 Hellenistic style 2nd century BC.<O:P>  <O:P> </O:P>

Also from Greek mythology is the story of Demeter, the Goddess of Corn, Grain and the Harvest.  As the story goes, her daughter Persephone was abducted against her will by Hades, the God of the Underworld to be his wife.  In her anger at the loss of her daughter, Demeter laid a curse on the world causing all the plants and crops to wither and die, the world soon became a desolate place resulting in wide-spread famine.  Seeing this Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return.  He agreed with Hades that Persephone could be returned to her mother provided she ate nothing while in the Underworld.   Not wanting to lose his new bride, Hades deviously offered Persephone a pomegranate as a departing gift. 

On her way home Persephone became curious by the seeds inside the pomegranate and tasted one, however she was seen to do so by Ascalpus who reported it back to Hades.  By tasting the seed Persephone became eternally bound to Hades, for he decreed that she should spend four months of each year as his wife in the Underworld.  During these months Demeter grieves her daughters absence and withdraws her gifts from the world, thus creating winter.  On her return in the spring, Demeter is overjoyed and once again makes the earth bloom and bear fruit. 

This could have been a fitting end to the story but I’m afraid it is not, for all things including Gods and Goddesses have light and dark, positive and negative aspects.  Demeter in revenge for the time her daughter must spend in the underworld, sought out Ascalpus ‘the tell tale�?and turned him into an Owl for his trouble.  Not just any old owl mind, but a sluggish ‘Screech Owl�?the most loathsome of the owl species.<O:P> </O:P>

From Celtic mythology we have the story of Blodeuwedd.  Blodeuwedd was a beautiful goddess created out of flowers by Gwydion to wed his son Lleu.  Lleu on seeing her immediately fell in love.  However Blodeuwedd had no heart for Lleu and instead fell in love with Goronw Pebyr.  Not wanting to marry Lleu, she and Goronw conspired to kill him.  But Lleu had been made invincible by the gods and to protect him from death could only be killed in a very special way.  Early one evening Blodeuwedd seduced Lleu into revealing his secret, and being in love he told her:  “he could only be killed if it were twilight, if he was wrapped in a fish net, had one foot on a cauldron and the other on a goat, and if the weapon used had been forged during sacred hours when such work was forbidden�?<O:P> </O:P>

Hearing this Goronw snuck away and forged such a weapon, returning just before twilight.  Blodeuwedd then asked Lleu to demonstrate how improbable such a position was to achieve by chance, and when he did Goronw leapt out from the shadows and struck him down.  As the myth would have it, Llew didn’t die but was transformed into an eagle and eventually restored to human form, after which he in turn killed Goronwy.  Blodeuwedd because of her treachery was transformed into an owl by Gwydion, and forever haunts the night in loneliness and sorrow shunned by all other birds.</O:P>

Owl Myth & Culture from Around The World

I would like to say a special thanks to �?/SPAN>Deane P. Lewis�?for generously allowing me to feature the following information from his website at - http://www.owlpages.com/mythology/other.html<O:P> </O:P>