Owl, Glaucus of Athena and Athens 11cm Full Alabaster Statue

OWL

In Greece, the owl is a symbol of wisdom and prudence. According to Greek mythology, when goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, saw the creature for the first time, she was impressed by her big eyes and her solemn appearance, swiftly becoming her favorite bird and later an emblem of her. This can be proven by the vast number of statues that depict Athena with an owl.

The wise owl is said to have protected and inhabited the Acropolis in large numbers. But as goddess Athena was also the goddess of war, the owl became the protector who accompanied the Greek army to the war. If an owl was flying over the Greek soldiers before a battle, it was a sign of victory. According to Aristophanes, the Greeks owed their victory against the Persians to the flight of an owl which was used by goddess Athena as a messenger.

What’s more, the Athenians believed that goddess Athena often took the form of an owl when she wanted to be presented to the people. The owl was also the protector of the Athenian trade and was honored with the presence of its figure on one side of the Athenian coins.

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in Norse mythology

Owls in Norse mythology shared a lot of the symbolism which continues to accompany these birds of prey today. Norse owl symbolism revolved largely around the “wisdom” of the owl. The “Katyogel”, the Norse god name for the owl, was the goddess of wisdom.

What’s more, many stories from Norse mythology suggest Odin, the all-father, had a pet owl he kept with him at all times.

While in most places, Odin is symbolized by a raven, he was also frequently connected with owls in some sacred texts. Apparently, Odin regarded his pet owl with significant levels of respect.

Outside of wisdom and enlightenment, the Nordic owl was also commonly associated with kindness and compassion.

Owls were considered to be the center of all things magical, and masters of discovery. They were aware of everything happening in the dark, and could navigate worlds we couldn’t dream of as people.

Though the connection between owls and the afterlife may seem scary to some, it wasn’t a negative thing for the Nordic people. Many Norse communities saw the presence of an owl as a symbol of a new beginning, or a path to something greater.

This may be because the Vikings and other Nordic cultures often saw death as a path to a new world, rather than an “end”.

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