Myths and Legends Part 2

The Magical ~ Mystical Owl 

Submitted by: Barb Good

Athena with Little Owl

In Ancient Greek Mythology, the owl was the preferred bird of Athena, daughter of Zeus, Goddess of Wisdom and War. 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 being 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 coin.



 

Greek mythology tells the story of Demeter, the Goddess of Corn, Grain and the Harvest. The story goes that 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, but 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 daughter's 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 for the fact that 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 but not just any old owl; a sluggish Screech Owl, the most loathsome of the owl species.

Blodeuwedd and Goronw

 

Celtic Mythology renders the story of Blodeuwedd, who 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 that, "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".

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 Goronw. 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.

Some of the World's Owl Myths

Abyssinia
The Hamites held the Owl sacred.

Afghanistan
The Owl gave Man flint and iron to make fire, and in exchange, Man gave the Owl his feathers.

Africa, Central
The Owl is the familiar of wizards to the Bantu.

Africa, East
The Swahili believe the Owl brings illness to children.

Africa, South
Zulus recognize the Owl as the Sorcerers' Bird.

Africa, West
Messenger of Wizards and Witches, the Owl's cry presages evil.

Algeria
Place the right eye of an Eagle Owl in the hand of a sleeping woman and she will tell all.

Arabia
The Owl is a bird of ill omen; the embodiment of evil spirits that carries off children at night. According to an ancient Arabic treatise, from each female Owl supposedly came two eggs, one held the power to cause hair to fall out; the other, the power to restore it.

Arctic Circle
A little girl having been turned into a bird with a long beak by magick, but was so frightened she flapped about madly and flew into a wall, flattening her face and beak, thus creating the owl.

Australia
Aborigines believe bats represent the souls of men and Owls the souls of women. Owls are therefore sacred, because your sister is an Owl - and the Owl is your sister.

Aztecs
One of their evil gods wore a Screech Owl on his head.

Babylon
Owl amulets protected women during childbirth.

Belgium
Legend has it that a priest offered the Owl his church tower to live in if the bird would get rid of the rats and mice that plagued his church.

Bordeaux
Throw salt in the fire to avoid the Owl's curse.

Borneo
The Supreme Being turned his wife into an Owl as a punishment for telling secrets to mortals.

Brittany
An Owl seen on the way to the harvest is the sign of a good yield.

Burma
During a quarrel among the birds, the Owl was jumped upon and so his face was flattened.

Cameroon
Too evil to name, the Owl is known only as "the bird that makes you afraid".

Celtic
The Owl was a sign of the Underworld.

China
The Owl is associated with lightning because it brightens the night, and with the drum because it breaks the silence. Placing Owl effigies in each corner of the home protects it against lightning. The Owl is a symbol of Too much Yang... positive, masculine, bright, active energy.


More coming soon hope you enjoyed~~~~Barb

for part 1 myth and legends see blog archives February