Owl
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | "From the earliest period [[owl|it]] has been considered a bird of [[ill-omen]], and [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] tells us how, on one occasion, even [[Rome]] itself underwent a [[Lustrum|lustration]], because one of them strayed into the Capitol. He represents it also as a funereal bird, a monster of the night, the very abomination of human kind. [[Virgil]] describes its death-howl from the top of the temple by night, a circumstance introduced as a precursor of [[Dido (Queen of Carthage)|Dido's]] death. [[Ovid]], too, constantly speaks of this bird's presence as an evil omen; and indeed the same notions respecting it may be found among the writings of most of the ancient poets." --''[[Folk-lore of Shakespeare]]'' (1883) T. F. Thiselton-Dyer | ||
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| '''Owls''' are a group of [[bird]]s that belong to the [[order (biology)|order]] '''Strigiformes''', constituting 200 extant} [[bird of prey]] [[species]]. Most are [[solitary|solitary]] and [[Nocturnal animal|nocturnal]], with some exceptions (e.g., the [[Northern Hawk Owl]]). Owls hunt mostly small [[mammal]]s, [[insect]]s, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting [[fish]]. They are found in all regions of the Earth except [[Antarctica]], most of [[Greenland]] and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary [[collective noun]] for a group of owls is a ''parliament''. Owls are characterized by their small beaks and wide faces, and are divided into two [[Family (biology)|families]]: the [[typical owl]]s, Strigidae; and the [[barn-owls]], Tytonidae. | '''Owls''' are a group of [[bird]]s that belong to the [[order (biology)|order]] '''Strigiformes''', constituting 200 extant} [[bird of prey]] [[species]]. Most are [[solitary|solitary]] and [[Nocturnal animal|nocturnal]], with some exceptions (e.g., the [[Northern Hawk Owl]]). Owls hunt mostly small [[mammal]]s, [[insect]]s, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting [[fish]]. They are found in all regions of the Earth except [[Antarctica]], most of [[Greenland]] and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary [[collective noun]] for a group of owls is a ''parliament''. Owls are characterized by their small beaks and wide faces, and are divided into two [[Family (biology)|families]]: the [[typical owl]]s, Strigidae; and the [[barn-owls]], Tytonidae. | ||
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| - | == Relationship with humans == | + | *[[The Mockery of the Owl]] |
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| - | The [[Western culture|modern West]] generally associates owls with [[wisdom]]. This link goes back at least as far as [[Ancient Greece]], where [[Athens]], noted for art and scholarship, and [[Athena]], Athens' patron goddess and the goddess of wisdom, had the owl as a symbol. [[Marija Gimbutas]] traces veneration of the owl as a goddess, among other birds, to the culture of [[Old European culture|Old Europe]], long pre-dating [[Indo-European]] cultures. | + | |
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| - | [[T. F. Thiselton-Dyer]] in his ''Folk-lore of Shakespeare'' says that "from the earliest period it has been considered a bird of ill-omen, and [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] tells us how, on one occasion, even [[Rome]] itself underwent a [[Lustrum|lustration]], because one of them strayed into the Capitol. He represents it also as a funereal bird, a monster of the night, the very abomination of human kind. [[Virgil]] describes its death-howl from the top of the temple by night, a circumstance introduced as a precursor of [[Dido (Queen of Carthage)|Dido's]] death. [[Ovid]], too, constantly speaks of this bird's presence as an evil omen; and indeed the same notions respecting it may be found among the writings of most of the ancient poets." | + | |
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| - | In France, where owls are divided into eared owls (''hiboux'') and earless owls (''chouettes''), the former are seen as symbols of wisdom while the latter are assigned the grimmer meaning. | + | |
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Current revision
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"From the earliest period it has been considered a bird of ill-omen, and Pliny tells us how, on one occasion, even Rome itself underwent a lustration, because one of them strayed into the Capitol. He represents it also as a funereal bird, a monster of the night, the very abomination of human kind. Virgil describes its death-howl from the top of the temple by night, a circumstance introduced as a precursor of Dido's death. Ovid, too, constantly speaks of this bird's presence as an evil omen; and indeed the same notions respecting it may be found among the writings of most of the ancient poets." --Folk-lore of Shakespeare (1883) T. F. Thiselton-Dyer |
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Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 extant} bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g., the Northern Hawk Owl). Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament. Owls are characterized by their small beaks and wide faces, and are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.
See also
