Why Is the Owl Considered Wise?
Why Is the Owl Considered Wise? The owl has long been the symbol of wisdom. This is due more to the owl’s appearance than to its intelligence. In fact, geese and crows are smarter than owls. Over the centuries, the owl’s large, staring eyes and thoughtful air have made it seem to be a wise bird.
The ancient Greeks believed the owl was the wise companion of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. In contrast, the Romans saw owls as bad omens, hearing the hoot of an owl indicated an imminent death.
According to folklores in the West, the owl is considered a wise, silent and solitary bird of prey associated with lunar deities – symbols of wisdom, wiser even than the eagle – the totem bird of the Sun Kings.
Yet elsewhere, the owl had the reputation of being unlucky. Because of its solemn air and eerie nighttime hoots and screeches, people once feared the owl as a bird of doom.