Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016

Owl: Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Snowy Owl
The Profiles

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

As we have seen, the association of the owl with the Goddess is ancient and enduring. Dating to approximately 13,000 BCE, a depiction of her as a snowy owl was found on a wall in the Trois Frères cave in southwestern France.¹⁰⁷ This image marks the earliest image of a bird of an identifiable species.

Throughout Old Europe, images of owl eyes were believed to carry the Goddess’s sacred power. The Egyptian owl hieroglyph represented the letter M and was a symbol of wisdom and goddess-related knowledge. In Greece, the owl goddess became Athena, who was associated with wisdom and considered lucky especially to soldiers.

The Romans believed the owl to be an ally of Hecate and associated it with shape-shifting witches. They also considered the owl an omen of death, initiating an association that has lasted for millennia. In later folklore of many cultures, owls were associated with sorcery and witchcraft, and to see or hear one was an omen of death. The barn owl often appears ghostly pale when seen at night. This, and the fact that owls fly almost in silence because of the fluffy edges of their wings, has fueled its association with death and sorcery.

Despite the negativity, owls maintained their status as protectors. In medieval Europe, a dead owl nailed to a barn was believed to protect the structure against storms and lightning. In China, owl-shaped ornaments hung on a house were thought to protect it against fire.

The name owl is said to come from the Latin ulula, meaning “owl.” ¹⁰⁸ Most owls are in the family Strigidae, which comes from the Latin strix, meaning “screech.” ¹⁰⁹ The great horned owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks and the most common one in North America. It is also the most dangerous predator for crows. With extremely acute hearing, the long-eared owl can grab its prey in complete darkness. The male’s barking calls can be heard up to a mile away. Unlike other owls, the snowy owl is a day bird.

Magical Workings

Owl is an aid for dream work, all forms of prophecy, and deciphering omens. It supports the development of psychic abilities, especially clairaudience and clairvoyance. This bird is also a guide for astral travel and shamanic work as well as otherworld or underworld journeys. Owl can help you find the bridge between the seen and unseen worlds.

Call on owl for support and protection during magic work as it serves as a guardian. As befits this bird, call on owl when you seek higher wisdom or secret knowledge. It provides insight and clarity when searching for truth.

While owl is associated with death, it is also linked with rebirth and renewal. Invite owl to your Samhain and Imbolc rituals as you enter and return from the dark of the year. Also, place an owl figurine or picture on your altar to honor loved ones when they return to the Goddess.

Make Connection

To connect with owl energy, sit outside at dusk. Be very still and listen as darkness enfolds you. Visualize yourself as an owl sitting on a tree branch as you absorb the sounds of the night. Imagine that you take flight. Feel your body lift from the branch and your wings carry you silently across an open field to another tree. Bring into your mind the sound of an owl and very softly call “who” three times. Don’t be surprised at what you may hear in return.

Associations

Zodiac: Aries, Capricorn

Element(s): Air, water

Time of day: Dusk

Sabbat(s): Imbolc, Litha, Samhain, Yule

Goddesses: Artemis, Athena, Cailleach, Hecate, Lakshmi, Minerva, Persephone

Gods: Ares, Asclepius, Hades, Indra

Solar system: Moon

Trees: Beech, cottonwood, juniper, pine

Bird Identification

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Size: 12 to 16 inches

Wingspan: 39 to 49 inches

Comparative size: Pigeon to crow

Description: Long, rounded wings; short tail; long legs; rounded head; ear tufts; dark eyes; buff and gray mix on head, back, and upper wings; white face, underparts, and under wings

Female: More reddish and heavily spotted breast

Range: Throughout most of the United States except for parts of the upper plains states, the Appalachians, and New England; down through Mexico, Central America, and South America

Habitat: Grasslands, marshes, woodlots, ranch land, brushy fields, suburbs, and cities

Eggs: Dull white

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Size: 18 to 25 inches

Wingspan: 39 to 57 inches

Comparative size: Crow to red-tailed hawk

Description: Thick body; broad, rounded wings; large, yellow eyes; two prominent feathered tufts on the head; overall pale to sooty gray-brown mottling; reddish-brown face; white patch on throat

Range: Across North America up to the northern tree line, south through Mexico, and parts of Central and South America

Habitat: Woodlands, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, suburbs, and cities

Eggs: Dull white, almost spherical

Long-Eared Owl (Asio otus)

Size 14 to 16 inches

Wingspan: 35 to 39 inches

Comparative size: Pigeon to crow

Description: Slender body; squarish head; buff or orange face; two vertical white or buff lines between the eyes; yellow eyes; long, black ear tufts with buff or orange fringes

Range: From the southern Yukon and Northwest Territories across Canada to Newfoundland and south throughout the lower forty-eight states, except for Florida and parts of the southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

Habitat: A combination of grass or open country and tall shrubs or trees

Eggs: White

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

Size: 20 to 28 inches

Wingspan: 49 to 57 inches

Comparative size: Red-tailed hawk to goose

Description: Bulky body; dense feathering on the legs; mostly white with salt-and-pepper black or brown markings on body and wings; yellow eyes

Male: Becomes whiter with age

Range: The Canadian Arctic and from Alberta across Canada to Newfoundland and the northern United States and south to Oklahoma and the Mid-Atlantic

Habitat: Lake and ocean shorelines; fields and other open areas

Eggs: White

Collective noun(s): A bazaar, an eyrie, a looming, a parliament, or a wisdom of owls, as well as an ululation of screech owls

107. Armstrong, The Life and Lore of the Bird in Nature, Art, Myth and Literature, 200.

108. Cynthia Berger, Owls: Wild Guide (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005), 27.

109. Ibid., 95.