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The Owl

Posted: 07 Apr 2017 23:27
by hope
The Greeks believed that owl sightings were a sign of good fortune, they portrayed the goddess 'Athena' who was
known for her wisdom, as being accompanied by an owl much of the time.

Human beings have paid special attention to owls since prehistoric times as evidenced by cave paintings depicting
the nocturnal birds. For centuries in much of Europe, owls were viewed as messengers of doom and destruction.
The writers and poets of the continent, including Sir Walter Scott and Shakespeare, often included owls in their works
as literary devices that portend death. Most famously, Shakespeare imbued owls with premonitions of both Julius
Caesar's and Macbeth's death.
Many Natve American cultures viewed the owl as a totem animal representing wisdom and prophecy, they believed
that those who saw owls should take the sightings as a sign to stand back from everyday life and turn inward for
wisdom found through being quiet and listening to a person's inner voice. They also considered owl sightings to be
signs that release aspects of life, including attitudes,that no longer serve a person.
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Owl
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Re: The Owl

Posted: 07 Apr 2017 23:30
by hope
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Re: The Owl

Posted: 08 Apr 2017 14:43
by Redbeck
Hope, my fondness for and interest in owls knows no bounds, so I can but welcome this post, preservation of the diverse species is of course a vitally important aspect of nature's grand scheme.

Owls in Chinese Culture

Owls are called mao-tou-ying (cat-headed hawk) and xiao (bravery) in Chinese. Despite the abstract noun naming convention of bravery, owls are not necessarily seen in a positive way. As a nocturnal bird, with superb night vision and ability to move its head through almost 180 degrees, the owl in China has a long association with mystery, mysticism, secrets, intelligence, and death since neolithic times.

The word for the hooting cry of an owl in Chinese is hu, which also means 'digging'. It is can viewed as the connection between death and owls. When a member of a household hears an owl making the hooting sound, it’s believed that there will be illness or death in that house. It is also believed that the sound is a sign or warning for the householders to start digging a grave as there will be a death. Owl figures are prominent on the burial ceramics of Han Dynasty.

In China When an owl is seen around a house, dried bushes are burned to produce a smell that will keep the bird away. Others place brooms upside down outside the house, to protect the property and its occupants from visiting owls, as it is believed that the owls have spiritual powers that could lead to supernatural consequences. Hence there is never ever an attempt to kill or even touch owls.

Another significant reason for the Chinese to stay outside the aura of owls is the belief that they snatch away the souls. Despite the fear of the owls in terms of impending death, dire consequences and snatching souls, in some parts of China, they are associated with the gods of thunder and lightning and therefore, owl effigies are frequently placed on rooftops for protection against the elements.

Neolithic art in China focused primarily on clay. The early potters of the Yangshao culture (c. 5500-3500BC) were clearly fascinated by the owl and created various representations of it. There was also in the Neolithic period a tradition of stone carving that developed from very early times, with Jade used as early as the fifth millennium BC for making personal ornaments and small animal sculptures.

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Re: The Owl

Posted: 08 Apr 2017 23:22
by hope
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Re: The Owl

Posted: 12 Apr 2017 21:34
by Redbeck
And to continue, how rich is the poetry of owls.

William Shakespeare's Winter
(From Love's Labour's Lost)

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marion’s nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

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The Owl

Posted: 10 May 2017 11:10
by Madisongroonry
I have a Night Owl thread on every avatar site that Im on. xD;
So it only right that I make one here _

How are you tonight?

Re: The Owl

Posted: 10 May 2017 21:16
by ANONYMOUS1999