Owls: Are They Good or Bad Luck?

Jul 13

“Almost everywhere owls have been associated with strange powers, especially the forces of evil and misfortune. The lore concerning owls has such basic similarities throughout most of the world that it would seem to have arisen from a deep-seated and disquieting emotional response, evoked by a creature having characteristics interpreted as partly human....The nocturnal habits of owls contribute to their sinister reputation, especially as their silent flight enables them to appear with alarming unexpectedness from the darkness. Furthermore, as owls often roost by day in holes and crevices in abandoned, dilapidated buildings, they are often regarded as embodiments of spirits or evil presences. ”

— Man, Myth & Magic, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural, Vol. 15.

Owls are nocturnal birds of prey that exist on almost every continent. These keen-sighted hunters have large eyes that face forward with a deep, penetrating, uncannily human gaze. Because they are night birds, owls are generally associated with bad omens and considered harbingers of illness or death EXCEPT…

in Guatemala, where owls (tecolotes) are associated with good fortune, prosperity and abundance; and
in Japan, where owls (fukurō) are considered lucky.

***Let’s explore some beliefs about owls from around the world.***

Africa

The Los Angeles Times reports: “Owls are reviled in many parts of Africa as harbingers of death. In South Africa, many believe that when an owl lands on the roof and hoots, it has been sent by a sangoma, or witch doctor, delivering a fatal curse.”

The House experienced this belief first-hand in Kenya when a safari guide spotted an owl and explained that many Kenyans fear owls and associate them with “witches”.

In ancient Egypt, owls were associated with mourning and death.

Relief plaque with face of an owl hieroglyph, Egypt, 400–30 B.C. from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Asia

The hooting sound of an owl, hu in Chinese, means “digging”. In China, hearing an owl is a sign to start digging a grave because there will be a death. Owls are believed to have supernatural powers, such as the power to steal one’s soul. If an owl is seen around a house in China, dried bushes are burned to chase it away.

In India, there are both positive and negative associations with owls. The owl is often associated with the goddess of learning, Saraswati, but also with Kali, the goddess of death and destruction. But the owl is also sometimes the vehicle of Lakshmi, the goddess of good luck, wealth and prosperity. However, the relationship between Lakshmi and the owl is not so straightforward. When the owl accompanies her, it serves as a reminder not be foolish or greedy with one’s wealth. So…kind of a mixed bag in India.

In Japan, however, owls are considered lucky — full stop — because the word for owl in Japanese — fukurō — contains the word for luck, fuku and also carries the double meaning of “without hardship.” (You’ll recall this same association with the Fukurukuju, one of the Seven Lucky Gods.) For this reason, owls are featured prominently in Japanese art and many Japanese people carry an owl charm for good luck.

Owl netsuke, Japan, 19th century, from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Europe

In ancient Greece, owls were associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. According to myth, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side so she could see the whole truth. Owls were commonly depicted on the reverse of Athenian coins.

Coin featuring owl on reverse, from the collection of the British Museum.

However, by the Middle Ages, owls were regarded as familiars of witches and associated with evil in most parts of Europe. See, for example, the tournament shield, below, which features an owl and bears the caption: “ Although I am the hated bird, I rather enjoy that." How self aware!

North America

In the Unites States, owls are symbols of learning and wisdom. The “wise old owl” is a common expression in America, where owls are frequently depicted wearing glasses and a graduate’s cap — for example, Mr. Owl, the Tootsie Pop mascot or the Wise potato chip owl. But owls are also the subject of superstitions in North America. For example, residents of the Ozark Mountains fear owls:

“The Ozarker does not like to hear a screech owl near his cabin, since it is always an unfavorable sign and may indicate sickness or approaching death. But above all he cautions his children never to imitate the call of such a bird under these conditions. If an owl hears its cry answered from within the cabin, it will return again and again and sooner or later descend the chimney and scatter the fire on the floor, so as to burn the whole place down.” — Ozark Superstitions by Vance Randolph

But one of The House’s readers shared a different view: “When I was growing up in New Hampshire it was the big owls that signified death, but the little owls (screech owls) were lucky. According to my old Yankee grandfather they “bring you presents”.

Indigenous Americans had a diverse collection of beliefs about owls, and many tribes associate owls with the spirit world or otherwise regard them as psychopomps.

In Mexico, owls are associated with the underworld due to their habit of burrowing underground. Hearing an owl’s call is also believed to foretell a death. Mexican folk saint, Santa Muerte, is sometimes depicted with an owl who helps her navigate in darkness. In Mexican folklore, La Lechuza is a shape-shifting witch with the body of an owl and the face of an old woman.

Central and South America

Peru: Owls played a significant role in Moche religion. In art, they carry defeated warriors to the world of the dead, as they would carry their catch to the nest. Owls occasionally personify shamans or folk healers, whose power of curing supernatural illness is strengthened by the acute vision of the nocturnal birds.

In Guatemala, owls are associated with good fortune, prosperity and abundance. Money is stored in ceramic owl-shaped banks rather than “piggy banks,” as in common in Europe, America, and in other cultures where pigs symbolize prosperity.

In Colombia, a woman received death threats and was killed after beheading an owl and posting a video of herself posing with the owl’s corpse online.

So where does this leave us? Are owls good or bad?

It seems that owls have gotten a bad rap in most parts of the world. Yes, owls are nocturnal, reclusive predators, but they are an important part of the ecosystem, helping to control the populations of rodents, reptiles and insects. The rarity of owl sightings undoubtedly contributes to the mysterious quality of folklore surrounding these birds. Humans and owls probably aren’t meant to have frequent contact with one another, so maybe the owl’s true wisdom is keeping to itself and trying to limit its interactions with humankind??

So whether you associate owls with wisdom or death, The House advises that the best way to avoid any bad omens associated with owls is to respect them from afar and let them be.

***Please admire the owls depicted in the beautiful works of art below, and if you have anything to add to this page, please be in touch. ***