![]() In Europe, Sicilians believed that an owl sung around the house of a sick person for three days before death. If an owl hooted in a Chinese village, the people thought it was telling them to dig a grave. Some Asians believed that the owl carried away the soul of the deceased. Many peoples tie owls to death and witchcraft. In southern India, the cries of an owl were interpreted by number: one hoot was an omen of impending death two meant success in anything that would be started soon after three represented a woman being married into the family four indicated a disturbance five denoted coming travel six meant guests were on the way seven was a sign of mental distress eight foretold sudden death and nine symbolized good fortune In northern India, if one ate the eyes of an owl, they would be able to see in the dark. Owl meat could also be eaten as a natural aphrodisiac. Rheumatism pain was treated with a gel made from owl meat. In India, seizures in children could be treated with a broth made from owl eyes. ![]() When someone is grumpy or is delivering bad news, they are said to have a face like an owl. A person who nags and complains a lot is compared to an owl. Seeing an owl in your sleep is fine as long as you don't hear its voice. ![]() Seeing an owl at somebody's house predicts their death. Seeing an owl on the way to battle foretells a bloody battle with many deaths and casualties. They are believed to represent the souls of people who have died un-avenged. In the Middle East, the owl is linked with destruction, ruin and death. The Owl is a symbol of too much Yang (positive, active, masculine, bright energy). Associated with thunder and lightning, owl ornaments were placed at the corners of houses to protect them from fire. The owl was an emblem of a royal clan of Chinese masters of the thunderbolt (because it brightens the night) and the regulators of the seasons. The Screech owl warned against danger, but the Barn owl and Horned owl were demonic. They drank a toast to the Eagle owl before a hunting expedition. They revered the Eagle owl as a messenger of the gods or a divine ancestor. The Ainu of northern Japan placed carved eagle owls on their houses to ward off famine and pestilence. For example, the ashes of an owl's feet were an antidote to snakebite, and an owl's heart placed on the breast of a sleeping woman forced her to tell all her secrets. Owl feathers and internal organs were found in magical potions and pharmaceutical remedies. Romans used representations of owls to combat the evil eye. Pliny reports great confusion and fear in the Forum when an owl entered. Virgil writes that the hoot of an owl foretold the death of Dido. The prophetic qualities of owls were known. The Romans, who appropriated many of the Greek beliefs, associated owls with Minerva, the goddess of prophesy and wisdom. When the Athenians won the battle of Marathon from the Persians in 490 BC, the warrior goddess Athena assumed the shape of an owl and led them from above. The rock crevices of Athens and the Acropolis were filled with small owls, believed to be the embodiment of Athena. She is probably the inspiration for Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare. ![]() Lilith, the goddess of death, has talons for feet, wears a headdress of horns, and is flanked by owls. Dating from a Sumerian tablet (2300 to 2000 BC), The nighttime activity, large eyes, acute vision, and "wisdom" of owls were known by the ancients. Owls and humans are connected from the dawn of history.
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