Legend and Lore Of Owls

Owls are a bird that features prominently in the myths and legends of a variety of cultures. These mysterious creatures are known far and wide as symbols of wisdom, omens of death, and bringers of prophecy. In some countries, they are seen as good and wise, in others they are a sign of evil and doom to come. There are numerous species of owls, and each seems to have its own legends and lore. Let's look at some of the best-known bits of owl folklore and mythology.

Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, and is often portrayed with an owl as companion. Homer relates a story in which Athena gets fed up with the crow, who is a total prankster. She banishes the crow as her sidekick, and instead seeks out a new companion. Impressed with the owl’s wisdom, and levels of seriousness, Athena chooses the owl to be her mascot instead. The specific owl that represented Athena was called the Little Owl, Athene noctua, and it was a species found in great numbers inside places like the Acropolis. Coins were minted with Athena’s face on one side, and an owl on the reverse.

There are a number of Native American stories about owls, most of which related to their association with prophecy and divination. The Hopi tribe held the Burrowing Owl as sacred, believing it to be a symbol of their god of the dead. As such, the Burrowing Owl, called Ko’ko, was a protector of the underworld, and things that grew in the earth, such as seeds and plants. This species of owl actually nests in the ground, and so was associated with the earth itself.

The Inuit people of Alaska have a legend about the Snowy Owl, in which Owl and Raven are making each other new clothes. Raven made Owl a pretty dress of black and white feathers. Owl decided to make Raven a lovely white dress to wear. However, when Owl asked Raven to allow her to fit the dress, Raven was so excited that she couldn’t hold still. In fact, she jumped around so much that Owl got fed up and threw a pot of lamp oil at Raven. The lamp oil soaked through the white dress, and so Raven has been black ever since.

In many African countries, the owl is associated with sorcery and baneful magic. A large owl hanging around a house is believed to indicate that a powerful shaman lives within. Many people also believe that the owl carries messages back and forth between the shaman and the spirit world.
In some places, nailing an owl to the door of a house was considered a way to keep evil at bay. The tradition actually began in ancient Rome, after owls foretold the deaths of Julius Caesar and several other Emperors. The custom persisted in some areas, including Great Britain, up through the eighteenth century, where an owl nailed to a barn door protected the livestock within from fire or lightning.

The owl was known as a harbinger of bad tidings and doom throughout Europe, and put in appearances as a symbol of death and destruction in a number of popular plays and poems. For instance, Sir Walter Scott wrote:

Birds of omen dark and foul,
Night-crow, raven, bat, and owl,
Leave the sick man to his dream --
All night long he heard your scream.

Even before Scott, William Shakespeare wrote of the owl’s premonition of death in both MacBeth and Julius Caesar.

Much of Appalachian tradition can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands (where the owl was associated with the cailleach) and English villages that were the original homes of mountain settlers. Because of this, there is still a good deal of superstition surrounding the owl in the Appalachian region, most of which are related to death. According to mountain legends, an owl hooting at midnight signifies death is coming. Likewise, if you see an owl circling during the day, it means bad news for someone nearby. In some areas, it is believed that owls flew down on Samhain night to eat the souls of the dead.

If you find an owl feather, it can be used for a variety of purposes. The Zuni tribe believed that an owl feather placed in a baby’s crib kept evil spirits away from the infant. Other tribes saw owls as bringers of healing, so a feather could be hung in the doorway of a home to keep illness out. Likewise, in the British Isles, owls were associated with death and negative energy, so feathers can be used to repel those same unpleasant influences.

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Roman Celebration of Februalia Starts (Tomorrow)

Februalia, January 30 - February 2:

The ancient Romans had a festival for nearly everything, and if you were a god, you almost always got your own holiday. Februus, for whom the month of February is named, was a god associated with both death and purification. In some writings, Februus is considered the same god as Faun, because their holidays were celebrated so closely together.

The festival known as Februalia was held near the end of the Roman calendar year -- and to understand how the holiday changed over time, it helps a bit to know the calendar's history. Originally, the Roman year had only ten months -- they counted out ten months between March and December, and basically disregarded the "dead months" of January and February. Later, the Etruscans came along and added these two months back into the equation. In fact, they planned to make January the first month, but the expulsion of the Etruscan dynasty prevented this from happening, and so March 1st was considered the first day of the year. February was dedicated to Februus, a god not unlike Dis or Pluto, because it was the month in which Rome was purified by making offerings and sacrifices to the gods of the dead. Our Guide to Ancient History, N.S. Gill, has some great information on the terminology found in the Roman calendar.

At any rate, because of the association with fire as a method of purification, at some point the celebration of Februalia became associated with Vesta, a hearth goddess much like the Celtic Brighid. Not only that, February 2 is also considered the day of Juno Februa, the mother of war god Mars. There is a reference to this purification holiday in Ovid's Fasti, in which he says, "In short, anything used to cleanse our bodies went by that name [of februa] in the time of our unshorn forefathers. The month is called after these things, because the Luperci purify the whole ground with strips of hide, which are their instruments of cleansing..."

Februalia was a month-long period of sacrifice and atonement, invovling offerings to the gods, prayer, and sacrifices. If you were a wealthy Roman who didn't have to go out and work, you could literally spend the entire month of February in prayer and meditation, atoning for your misdeeds during the other eleven months of the year.

Miscellaneous Ritual Tools

The Cords

Cords are used in some traditions as an indication of the rank or degree the
individual has attained. Different ranks are distinguished by color. Most are 9
feet long. Valiente uses a red cord for initiates and a black one for full
members. In her system the officers are as follows; Lady-silver, yellow or
orange for East, gold or bright yellow for South, black or dark brown for West,
black or white or both for North. She mentions that there is a difference of
opinion on the number of knots to be tied, 13 or 9, she prefers 9. The Farrars
suggest that everyone should have a set of at least three cords, they suggest
red, blue and white, 9 feet long with knots at each end only. Buckland
recommends a 9 foot, red cord made from three lengths of cord braided together,
knotted at each end. The 9 foot measurement is after braiding. The cord is used
for cord magic, not worn. The color red represents life. This last version is
the one that my former coven used, and to get 9 feet after braiding you really
need three pieces of rat tail cord about 29 feet long. Solitary practitioners
rarely use cords as an emblem of rank, some use them for cord magic.

The Scourge

The Scourge is only mentioned by the Farrars. According to them it is purely
symbolic and used to help induce self hypnosis for gaining the sight. It is used
in initiations occasionally. It has eight tails with five knots in each tail.
The tails on theirs are embroidery floss set on a nut wood handle. No markings
are on the scourge. See image below for an example of a commercially available
leather version.

Candle Holders

You will need at least 6 candle holders for a basic altar set up of two altar
candles and four quarter candles but most people will use additional ones for
candle magic, God and Goddess candles, and other activities. These can be made
of any material, glass, brass and other metals are all good choices and easy to
find. If you are interested in doing candle magic you may want to purchase a
dozen or so inexpensive simple taper holders at a dollar store or Goodwill.
These should be small in circumference since in some rituals the candles must
touch each other. Glass is a good option. You may want to round up additional
candle holders of other types such as votive holders depending upon your
practice.

Candle Snuffer

Many authorities advise against blowing out the candles used in ritual saying it
insults the elemental spirits or disperses the power of the spell, others say
you must blow out the candles to add your life force to the spell, if you aren't
going to blow out your candles you still need to put them out. You can just
pinch the base of the flame to put it out or you can use a snuffer. Some of us
are not quick at pinching out the candles and to save our fingers use a candle
snuffer. This is optional and may be of any material you like. They are readily
available at thrift and discount stores for very reasonable prices.

God and Goddess Figures/Images

Not everyone chooses to use figures of the Goddess and God on their altars, and
of those who do, not everyone uses a literal representation. Some prefer to use
an object to remind them of the deities such as a holey stone for the Goddess
and a pine cone for the God. If you choose to use statuary or graphics of the
deities they should be to your taste and of the God and Goddess you worship.
They are not necessary, this is a matter for personal choice.

Offering Bowl

This is used to symbolically give back to the Goddess and God what they have
given us. A bit of the cakes and ale or some of the wine used in the ritual is
placed in the bowl during the ritual. Afterwards the contents of the bowl are
generally taken out doors and poured on the earth to complete the offering. Also
known as the libation bowl by some, this can be any sort of bowl you like made
out of any natural material (i.e. no plastic).


-The Crafty Witch