Omens Of Death In Myth And Legend

With their unusual forward-facing eyes, hair-raising vocalizations, and nocturnal habits, it's not surprising that there are many superstitions surrounding owls. Not all are bad the ancient Greeks, for example, viewed owls with reverence, associating them with the goddess Athena and wisdom. But in Roman culture, owls represented the ultimate portents of doom and gloom,

With their unusual forward-facing eyes, hair-raising vocalizations, and nocturnal habits, it's not surprising that there are many superstitions surrounding owls. Not all are bad — the ancient Greeks, for example, viewed owls with reverence, associating them with the goddess Athena and wisdom. But in Roman culture, owls represented the ultimate portents of doom and gloom, even foretelling the deaths of Julius Caesar, Augustus, and other prominent figures through their ominous hooting.

Due to their global distribution, death-related owl mythology exists in many cultures. In English folklore, owls flying into a house, perching on a roof, appearing outside the window of a sick person, or calling nearby are all considered death omens. Many Native American tribes also associate owls with death and the afterlife. The Cherokee, Cheyenne, Ojibwa, and others view owls as either linked to or embodying the spirits of the deceased and believe that, in certain situations, seeing one in the daytime is a sign that someone will soon die. Similarly, the Apaches believe that dreams featuring owls presage death.

According to a 2020 article published in Ethnohistory, the Aztecs also believed that owls signified imminent demise, with barn owls, in particular, serving as messengers to Mictlantecuhtli, the god of death. Owls are still viewed with fear in some parts of Mexico, as evidenced by the adage "Cuando el tecolote llora, el indio muere," which translates to "When the owl cries, the Indian dies."

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