Last updated on April 30th, 2022 at 12:39 am
Owls have many different meanings in different cultures, but many of these meanings tie back to owls being dark, evil, or foolish. Why is that? Where do these superstitions come from?
Owls are sometimes considered evil because many of them are active in the dark, while humans are vulnerable, and they’ve been associated with witchcraft and black magic since the Middle Ages. Some see the owl as a carrier of death or a bringer of bad news.
Several Cultures Consider Owls Evil
Owls are considered different omens, signs, or signals in different cultures and at different times.
There are many meanings you can derive from the owl worldwide, and just one of these is that owls are considered evil.
People as early as the Middle Ages had a fear of owls. They associated owls with witches and considered any area inhabited by an owl to be haunted by dark spirits.
The association between owls and witchcraft may simply be due to the nocturnal nature of the bird.
However, the bird’s intelligence and adeptness at moving and seeing in the dark also play a role in characterizing the owl as witch-like.
Barn Owls
In England, it was the Barn Owl who embodied evil the most.
This owl was associated with gloom and damnation, just described in poetry by Robert Blair and William Wordsworth.
Among the popular beliefs surrounding Barn Owls was the thought that if a Barn Owl screeched near a sick person’s house, the person would die.
Others read the Barn Owl’s screech to signify the coming weather, while a loud screech meant a cold front or storm.
Because English people had such strong superstitions surrounding owls and evil spirits, they developed a cultural practice of nailing an owl to their barn door to ward off lightning strikes and evil.
Why Are There So Many Superstitions Surrounding Owls?
There are so many superstitions surrounding owls because they stand out among birds for having good night vision and intelligence.
These birds are also adept predators who strike fear in small mammals and birds.
Legends surrounding owls go as far back as Ancient Greece and Native American nations, and they’ve carried through the Middle Ages and present times.
Ancient Greece
In Ancient Greece, the owl was mainly associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
It was often portrayed in images of Athena, and an owl is even pictured opposite Athena on one side of an Athenian tetradrachm coin.
Owls were very common in Greece, and Greeks believed that each one carried a certain inner light.
Native American Nations
Different Native American nations had different stories and beliefs related to owls.
For example, the Apache people thought that dreaming of an owl meant that death was near.
Cherokee spiritual leaders saw Eastern Screech-Owls as guides with the ability to bring sickness as punishment.
Middle Ages
Owls had bad reputations in the Middle Ages, often associated with evil and foolishness. The owl was even associated with deceit.
Some who practiced witchcraft tried to harness the spiritual energy of the owl, but most would simply fear the owl and try to keep a distance.
Owls As Positive Omens or Magical Symbols
While many cultures hold beliefs about owls being evil, some still see owls in a positive light. Often owls are seen with magical properties, whether positive or negative.
Some cultures see owls as brave and fierce, and they use symbols or trinkets from owls as a reminder of the owl’s guidance in difficult times.
Many believe that by looking to the owls for guidance and insight, you’ll be able to look ahead into the future and see the danger or change that’s on its way.
In this case, even an ill omen is still considered a blessing of knowledge.
Use of Bird Parts As Lucky Trinkets
Because of the positive superstitions surrounding owls, their feathers and other parts have sometimes been used in magical rituals and in creating lucky trinkets.
Love Potions
For example, one love potion dating back to the Middle Ages calls for the following ingredients:
- The first rainwater of April
- Seven blood snake hairs (i.e., sausages)
- Seven owl feathers
- Seven snake scales
- A hair from the target of the potion
- A bit of the target’s nail paring
The preparer is meant to boil the water, stir in all the other ingredients, let it stew, then sprinkle it over the would-be lover.
Tantric Practice
In India, there has been an illegal underground trade of owls feeding the sorcery and occult industry for a long time.
The following parts can all be harvested for trade in India:
- Skull
- Ear tufts
- Feathers
- Claws
- Heart
- Eyes
- Liver
- Blood
- Kidney
- Beak
- Tears
- Fat
- Muscle
- Bones
The most common owls used for black magic in India are the Barn Owl, the Rock Eagle-Owl, and the Spotted Owlet.
Eating Owls
Other cultures believed that eating an owl’s eyeballs would enhance the eater’s eyesight, allowing them to see well in the dark.
They believed that the owl’s abilities came from magic and that the magic could be passed on this way.
Additionally, many believed that eating owl broth or meat could cure disease, stop seizures, take care of rheumatism, and even act as an aphrodisiac.
Others thought you could access these same benefits by owning feathers, nails, or other parts of the bird.
How Being Good Luck Hurts the Owl
Although it might seem counterintuitive, being considered good luck has been potentially more dangerous for the owl than being considered evil.
When the owl is considered evil, most people will ignore or avoid it, but when it is considered good luck, it is hunted for parts.
In India, where the owl is commonly used in black magic circles, the government has put in place a conservation act known as the Wildlife Protection Act.
This protects owls from hunting and trade.
This act prohibits all use of owl parts for the magic to protect the species from having its parts harvested en masse.