JACKSON, Wyo. — The hoot of the owl this Halloween holds various meanings, depending upon folklore and superstitions belonging to different cultures.
For some, the owl can hold great wisdom, could be the messenger of what is to come or can symbolize the thin veil into the spirit realm. Throughout history, the mythos of these hunters of the night has been conflicted. Stories from art, literature and mythology have depicted this nocturnal winged raptor as either a wise mystic or as a bearer of death.
According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), this division could originate from the conflicting views of ancient Roman and Greek mythology. Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, was often accompanied by a little owl. This Goddess was widely worshipped in Ancient Greece, so her owl was revered as a symbol of knowledge and insight.
In Roman mythology, the bird represented disaster or bad luck. It was even believed that if one was unfortunate enough to hear the hoot of an owl, it was a sign of imminent death. When Rome defeated Athens in 146 B.C.E., this depiction of owls spread throughout the regions, according to the NWF.
Many historians believe that the owl’s connection to Halloween stemmed from when the Romans conquered the northern British Isles around 43 C.E., according to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor of Social Sciences Simon Bronner. During this time, the British Isles was a place where pagan religions were prevalent, and supernatural beliefs flourished.
“The Romans did document [their] own beliefs and proverbs and myths, and there was a distinct connection of owls as harbingers of danger, harbingers of death,” Bronner said in a NPR interview in 2021. “The Roman armies were traveling all over the ancient world at that time. They would often take very seriously if they saw owls as signs of dangers, particularly in battle.”
Many Native American Tribes believe that owls carry ancient knowledge and mystical wisdom.
According to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the meaning of an owl can vary from Tribe to Tribe. The Dakota Tribe (Flandreau Santee Sioux) views the owl as a protective spirit for brave warriors. The Cheyenne Tribe (Tsis tsis’tas) saw owls as a spirit of the night, and warriors would attach owl feathers to their shields or wear them on their arms to enable them to see in the dark or move silently. Other Tribes, including the Cherokee (Keetoowah), Lakota and Caddo, believed that owls would bring news of the future. Some Cherokee shamans viewed the eastern screech owl as spiritual consultant for healing the sick.
For those hoping to catch a glimpse of an owl this Halloween, explore areas where they naturally thrive, such as dense forests, open grasslands and near water bodies.
Wyoming is home to 12 unique owl species: great gray owl, great horned owl, American barn owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl, northern saw-whet owl, burrowing owl, flammulated owl, northern pygmy owl, western screech owl and boreal owl.
Evening and early morning are the ideal times to spot these winged creatures, as they use their keen eyesight and enhanced auditory perception to locate prey.
This story runs annually.
