Since ancient times, many different cultures have been associating birds with death. Especially OWLS. In his thesis, “On the Relationship between Birds and Spirits of the Dead,” Christopher Moreman gives us some fascinating facts, some of which I plucked out (pun intended!) for us to enjoy:
“…The Egyptian soul, called Ba, is depicted as a bird with a human head. Human-headed birds also appear among the ancient Greeks as sirens, or soul-birds…”
“…The North American Osage describe various spirit worlds, the highest of which is populated by birds embodying human souls…”
“…A pre-Islamic tradition that has survived in some parts of the Arab world explains that a murder victim will return as a white owl, screeching for vengeance…”
“… in Northern India, owls and bats might embody “the malevolent dead”…”
“…Some Pima Indians believe that at death the soul inhabits the body of an owl; an owl’s hooting portends death as it calls out for a soul to embody…”
“…Virginian folklore describes the cries of owls as “ole folks talking”…”
“…Various kinds of birds embody spirits of the dead in Brazil and Paraguay and among the Asabano of Papua New Guinea…”
“…The owl, for instance, appears most commonly as a death symbol. “The owl’s natural characteristics, its sudden pounce on its victims, its eerie cry, its preference for darkness, and the carrion smell of its nest made it the sinister messenger of the death goddesses”…”
Mmm lovely. And here I was thinking it was just a silly ghost story!!! Thank you Mr. Moreman for all the research!
Check out this AMAZING video of an owl in motion below!!!
OWL MANOR – THE DAWNING, a novel by Zita Harrison
available on Amazon, fall of 2018!!
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