owl is among the sought after images. Such tattoos are chosen by both men and women. An owl is a mystical, mysterious bird, a symbol of wisdom for some, and a herald of hard times and death for others. This bird of prey evokes fear in a frightening voice, eyes glowing in the darkness, noiseless flight.

Sample tattoo with owl and dream catcher on hand

Owl tattoo history

Because of the nocturnal lifestyle of many ancient peoples, the owl has become an evil, terrifying symbol of dark forces. The owl was associated with death, sorrow, the afterlife, black magic. Although some nationalities, this bird was a positive symbol. For example, among the Indians, an owl meant wisdom, erudition, intelligence, was protection and protection. In ancient Greece, an owl accompanied Athena, on the coins was depicted the silhouette of this bird. Therefore, in many European fairy tales it is a question of a wise owl. But most people still have an owl associated with evil. In China, an owl signified evil, crime, death. In Celtic culture, an owl was considered a herald, a dead bird, a night witch. In Japan, ancient Egypt, this bird of prey was called the patron of the night, the envoy of the other world, the mediator between the world of the living and the dead. In India it was believed that the owl is a conductor of souls in the afterlife. In Mexico, the bird symbolizes cold and night. Madagascar believed that these nocturnal birds were dancing along with witches on the graves of the dead. Christians owl is associated with witchcraft, disbelief and spiritual blindness. In modern culture, an owl symbolizes intelligence, wisdom, judgment, erudition, conscious loneliness, and vitality.

Owl tattoo on branch

What does owl tattoo mean

The meaning of the owl tattoo can be different, depending on the meaning of the owner himself. Also, the value of the owl tattoo can depend on the composition in which it is depicted. The basic values ​​that are laid in the owl tattoo: wisdom, ingenuity, prudence, clear thoughts, intelligence, knowledge, vitality, erudition, mysticism, amulet. Tattoo with the image of this night bird looks spectacular. The value is determined by the composition and manner of application. Most often, these are bright, eye-catching, tattoos.

Big tattoo with an owl and a crown on the chest

Often, tattoos with an owl are applied by people who are nocturnal, addicted to mysticism, or mysterious, extraordinary or wise people. Sometimes owl tattoos are worn by people who want to express a desire to learn new things, to show a love of learning, of comprehension of sciences. It should be said that the symbolism of owl tattoos is very strong, with a mysterious and mystical energy.

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The nocturnal life of an owl has long formed a halo of mystery around it. In the cultures of various nations, this bird personified the following concepts:

• night;
• the kingdom of the dead;
• witchcraft, secret knowledge;
• wisdom.

At first glance, to draw parallels between wisdom and death is not entirely correct. However, having studied the reasons of our ancestors, one can, if not completely agree, then at least recognize that such a version has a right to exist. So, what does owl symbolize in different religions and cultures?

Owl in the ancient world

Interestingly, in systems of beliefs belonging to different nations and thousands of kilometers apart, the role of an owl is approximately the same. In Egyptian writing, the hieroglyph "Owl" means cold, night, death and passivity, inactivity - depending on the neighborhood with other signs. And in the Hindu religious tradition, the owl is the companion of the goddess Durga, the wife of the god Shiva. Its function is to accompany the souls of the dead to the kingdom of the dead. The symbolism in both cases has much in common, although contacts between Ancient India and Ancient Egypt were extremely difficult, and therefore insignificant. Most likely, they were limited to visits to a few inquisitive travelers. In any case, there is no reason to talk about the interpenetration of cultures.

The Mexican Indians (although contacts with them before Columbus were extremely fragmented and unstable) owl had about the same role. She was a demonic nocturnal creature and an unkind sign. And besides, the companion of the underground god, the harbinger of death and also the conductor of souls to the kingdom of the dead. Where a similar community of religious beliefs — from the similar living conditions of ancient Americans and ancient Egyptians or, perhaps, from the common origins of their religions — is judged by historians and ethnographers.

But in Ancient china  the role of this bird was more positive. She was considered, for example, the patroness of blacksmiths, but not always, and in those days when they forged swords. The iron processing technology at that time was not developed well enough, so it seemed much easier to place some of the responsibility for product quality on the magic bird. In addition, the owl was associated with thunder, cruelty and death. Over time, symbolism acquired an increasingly positive meaning, and now the owl has a purely positive meaning in this country.

In Hellas, “owl symbolism” was also “with a plus sign”. The owl was considered the constant companion of the goddess Athena - the patroness of the polis of the same name, which is today the capital of Greece. She was even portrayed on Athenian tetradrachms - coins of four drachmas. Given that Athena was considered not only a warrior, but also the patroness of wisdom, skill, ingenuity, the owl was involved in these areas of knowledge and human activity. In the Roman Empire, the role of the owl received further logical development, however, more in the works of Ovid and Virgil, and not in traditional religion.

Owl in the Middle Ages

In Christian culture, which is the successor of the Greco-Roman tradition, the owl symbolizes the forces of darkness, bad news, but at the same time - solitude and grief. This night bird is often present on images of praying hermits (solitude). In the views of ordinary people, its value differs from the official (church) version. European folk culture has learned a lot from Celtic and Germanic paganism, so often an owl is an obligatory attribute of a witch. At the same time, the ancient symbolism is also clearly visible: the owl begins to become the patron of students and teaching in general. That is, it acquires a familiar look.

In the East Slavic folk beliefs, the role of an owl is about the same as that of the ancient Celts and Germans. She is a demonic being and foreshadows any misfortune or death. For women, an owl is a symbol of an old maid or widow. At the same time, she is the keeper of enchanted treasures and a creature in front of whom any locks are opened. Owl feathers are considered a talisman.

Owl in our time

Today, the old, magical image of an owl is used only by the authors of fantasy novels. The significance of this bird as a patroness of knowledge and teachings has gained considerable acceptance. No wonder that experts from “What? Where? When? ”Was chosen by her as a talisman of their popular game show. Often, eminent universities elect their owl as their symbol. Her image in the traditional quadrangular "Oxford cap" became a textbook.

Well, what does the owl symbolize in the house today? Feng Shui's general fascination spread its value as a talisman against making unwise decisions and waste of money. Often, the owl figure is placed on the so-called money tree. According to the Chinese, this amulet in the house is directly related to welfare, a positive moral climate and happiness.

If we ignore the otherworldly symbolism, what is the meaning of the owl who settled in the attic of your house? Such a neighborhood is extremely unlikely for a city dweller, because an owl in a modern city is very difficult to find food. But residents of the countryside should not be afraid of such a neighborhood, here, on the contrary, one should even be happy. An owl, though a predator, is nocturnal, so it will not be able to damage domestic animals. And what will spoil the beds of rodents in your area will be less - it’s clear that you don’t need to go to the fortuneteller!

The feathered predator covers amazingly wide range  most important symbolic values, starting with the most positive and ending with the most gloomy. Since ancient times, the owl is a symbol of knowledge, insight, wisdom and enlightenment, and in China is also a sign of wealth, but the ancient people also chose it as an ominous emblem of night and death. This extraordinary bird is also associated with various categories of people: with scientists whose big round glasses with thick lenses resemble the eyes of a wise owl; with nocturnal people; and the owl, the closest relative of the owl, personifies a gloomy, unsociable recluse, who prefers silence and solitude to a vain and noisy society.

In ancient Greek mythology, an owl was an attribute of the goddess of wisdom, Athena, who bore the epithet “soookaya”. Images of the goddess and her winged companion were minted on Greek silver coins, colloquially referred to as "owls": the profile of Athena on the obverse, the owl full face on the reverse. The owl became a symbol of wisdom and knowledge due to the fact that its natural behavior resembled the Hellenes' way of life of philosophers aspiring to solitude, and the owl's ability to see in the dark made it a symbol of insight.

Our ancestors owl associated with secret knowledge and wealth. In the myths of the Slavs, the wise bird sometimes acts as the keeper of the legendary gap-grass, enabling the hero to find hidden treasures under the ground and seize enchanted treasures.

Let us now turn to the dark side of the symbolism of our heroine, since most of the peoples of antiquity, who did not share the opinions of the Greeks and Slavs, considered the owl a devilish offspring and herald of death. In ancient Rome, the cry of an owl foreshadowed trouble. The Indians called her the “bloody bird”, the Celts the “dead bird”, and the Christians of Europe took her for a witch flying in the darkness of the night on the Sabbath. In Mayan myths, an owl appears as an attribute of the terrible Miktlantekuhtli, the skeletal master of the Land of the Dead; the terrible Hindu goddess Kamunda flies on the owl; the Jewish night demoness Lilith is reincarnated in her.

In the religion of many peoples of Asia, Africa and America, an owl was associated with a funeral cult, and its images were placed in funerary urns. What is the reason for such a dismal owl reputation?

The unkind glory of the feathered predator is associated primarily with its nocturnal and solitary way of life, and primitive fear prompted man that only a cunning and merciless enemy or an evil spirit could lurk in the dark. To this should be added a completely silent flight, due to the peculiarities of the structure of the owl's wings, her large burning eyes and eerie cries, similar to the heart-rending moans of the dying person, mournfully sounding under the mourning cover of the night darkness. The sudden appearance of such a terrible creature at midnight and in a deaf place should have made the most depressing impression on a superstitious person, so it is hardly surprising that the ancients perceived an owl as an ominous messenger from the afterlife and a herald of death.

In Christianity, the owl was considered the companion of witches, a symbol of sorcery and dark forces, the personification of the three deadly sins: gluttony, lust and sloth.

In Christian iconography, a night bird supposedly dying in daylight was often associated with paganism, so the owl, which turned its back to the sun disk, symbolized spiritual blindness of unbelief, and the owl with a cross over his head served as the emblem of the victory of Christianity over paganism.

In the visual arts, an owl, like a night bird, belongs as an attribute to the allegorical figures of Night and Sleep. The well-known etching by F. Goya “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” is dedicated to the nightmare, where owls and bats, the fruit of the uncontrollable imagination of a sleeper, hover over his head.

In the history of the Great French bourgeois revolution, the word "Chouans" ("owls") is inscribed in bloody letters, because the ruthless Breton and Vandey counter-revolutionaries were called that, who in 1793 revolted against the republican government. Smuggler Jean Kotro, one of the leaders of the bloodthirsty thugs, was the first to use the owl cry as a conditional signal, for which he received the nickname "Shuan". Soon, this signal echoed throughout the forest edge, engulfed in rebellion fire, and the sullen and fanatical royalist rebels began to proudly be called chouans.

Despite the bad reputation of the night predator, the positive antique symbolism of the owl gradually prevailed in emblems. Already in medieval alchemical treatises, an emblem appeared depicting an owl with glasses and a lit torch in its paws. Later, the emblem of an owl sitting on a pile of books became a symbol of book wisdom and enlightenment. Beginning in the Middle Ages, this emblem of a learned owl was used by many educational, scientific and educational organizations and societies: universities, libraries, printing houses, clubs, museums, notary offices, etc.

In heraldry, an owl is depicted only full face. This emblem is characteristic of European urban heraldry: it marks the emblem of Athens, as well as the emblems of a number of university cities in Western Europe. In the family coat of arms, an owl is a rare exception, and in the state heraldry this emblem is not used at all.

Wise Owl - Athens attribute (Greece)

As you know, an owl is a symbol of wisdom. This bird helps its presence in their studies.

In the house where there are schoolchildren and students, such a symbol must be before the eyes of children on the desk or on the bookshelf next to the textbooks.

No wonder the image of this bird for many years as the emblem used by the players of the most intellectual game “What? Where? When?"

But owl mascot helps not only in school. Children should learn to spend money prudently, but they do not always succeed. Sculpture of owls in the nursery will help children learn to save.

The figurine of an owl in feng shui is a bird figure sitting on a low pedestal with the eyes fixed forward.

The power and significance of the owl mascot are constantly debated.

Most Feng Shui experts say that the owl, like the owl, symbolizes wisdom and protection.

The glow in her eyes reveals the light of the soul. This wise bird is credited with the ability to protect the wealth of the family and increase it.

The wisdom of the owl lies in the fact that she knows how to warn inappropriate people against unwanted spending.

Others believe that this is an unfavorable sign, since in Chinese this word is associated with death and murder. And yet this symbol is revered by many nations.

In almost every home, the statuette occupies the most honorable place.

It is usually carried out from various materials, but glass, porcelain, ceramics, and metal are considered the most popular.

Among the unusual talismans can be noted the following:

Owl on a money tree. Owl sitting on, which is a symbol of the family's wealth. This statue combines two magnets that attract capital to the house.

It is believed that the money tree itself can attract wealth, but it should be protected from side glances and other encroachments. This role is assumed by the defender in the form of a bird.

Owl or owl.  The owl or eagle owl that holds the open book symbolizes wisdom and the desire to comprehend knowledge. Such a figure must be placed in the nursery.

Three owls. Three owls together designate protection from all negative things and evil.

Where to put an owl to attract money

It is best to put the sculpture in the room where people are often and money is stored.

This bird needs constant attention, only then will it give its positive energy to the house and its inhabitants.

A good area for her will be that part of the home, where they learn knowledge.

You should never put an owl in dark corners or in a room where people are arguing.

Owl statuette is placed on a table in a study at home or in an office so that wages are stable and constantly grow.

The presence of such a strong talisman will not interfere in the offices where important decisions related to money are made.

The owl figurine is perfectly adjacent to other talismans, who also attract money to the house.

It can stand next to a money tree or, which holds coins in its mouth.

Owl…
  Dahl has a definition for this word: OWL. night bird of prey Strix; there are many species: the snowy owl (from buzzards, half-breeds), porosha; small owl; large, forest, owl and pugach. old Divas, Church Sirin; Scientists divide this family into owls, barn owls, pugacs, owls, owls, owls, buzzards and sirens.
  What do you say?! An interesting bird! But what do we know about the image of the owl on the coats of arms and flags? What does heraldry say about her ?!
  To be honest, I heard only about one state, the truth of the ancient city - the state, and this is Athens! Athenian owl!
It is well known that one of the attributes of the goddess Athena is an owl.
  The wisdom of Athens-owls, in other words, is not “cultural”, not acquired, but “original”. Therefore, it is not surprising that the image of this bird is found on the coins of the ancient Greeks! And most importantly - on silver coins!
  Already there are doubts that Judas Caiaphas, paid 30 silver coins, because in those immemorial times there was no silver in Judea! But who is interested in this?
  Few people know that the other symbols of the goddess Athena are a snake and ... a rooster!
  Let down the creeping reptile and move on to Peter the Cockerel!
   The owl and the rooster, as symbols of darkness and light, exist separately from each other, however, ambivalent in themselves, acting as the hypostasis of Athena, emphasize their own goddesses and dual nature. It is darkness, but also the light that shines in the darkness.
  Aha If the owl is the personification of the Greek state - the policy, then the rooster ... That's right! It smells galls! Remember this and go further!
  In Athens, images of owls are often minted on coins. Cash signs of this kind were colloquially referred to as "owls." The saying “wearing owls to Athens” meant an unnecessary action, because it was understood that in Athens additional owls are not required and there is also enough money there.
   In this context, it is worth recalling that the Owl in French is chouette; ; tre chouette - to be generous, generous. Interesting!
  Is there any connection, yes?
  It turns out that in the Middle Ages, there was a steady idea that owls were fighting with ... eagles! Why so? Personally, this news caused a smile to me! I admit that I am wrong, but the hostility of these birds struck me! Yes, why would?
  I read: Already in the Christian art of the late antiquity period, the owl served as an allegorical depiction of earthly extravagance. Therefore, the cross over their heads in some of the images symbolized the victory of Christianity over the enemies.
  In christian art? Or in CATHOLIC ?! Think there is no difference ?! Hu-hu! Ho-ho! There is!
  Let's give some examples!
  In the Egyptian hieroglyphic system, the owl symbolizes death, night, cold, and passivity. It belongs to the realm of the night sun, which descended beyond the horizon and crosses a lake or a sea of ​​darkness.
  For North American Indians, an owl symbolized wisdom and prophecy, it was believed that she could come to the rescue. Owl feathers in a headdress served as protection.

In ancient Mexico, the rain goddess was worshiped as a sacred owl. The Aztec and Mayan owl symbolized some kind of demonic nocturnal creature, evil omens and was an attribute of the god of the underworld, a herald of death or a conductor of souls in the other world.

  In the Greco-Roman tradition, the owl symbolized wisdom and was the companion and attribute of the goddess Athena (Minerva). Owl Athens - a night bird, a bird of darkness and forests. From the Athenian tradition, the wise owl of European fairy tales and fables, and the owl sitting on a pile of books, is an emblematic depiction of wisdom.

  In Christianity, the owl symbolized the forces of darkness, desolation, solitude, grief, bad news. The owl cry is a "death song". As a creature, mysterious, nocturnal, the owl has become a symbol of evil and witchcraft. In addition, the owl symbolizes loneliness, it appears in scenes depicting the worshiping hermits. "
  Did you notice? Not so simple! We go further!
  After all, even in the period of antiquity, people considered the owl a sacred bird that was involved in magic. And suddenly, everything changed! But what is the reason?
  Even in classical times, when, it would seem, only her Homeric epithet “sovokaya” reminded of the former owl appearance of Athena, this ancient layer of mythology was not yet completely obsolete. This is evidenced by the preserved images of the Olympic goddess-warrior in the form of an owl. In the art of Greece, the owl is a symbol of Athens. If an owl appeared on the battlefield, it was believed that it portends victory in battle. Well? How do you like that?
  We continue!
  Owls, owls and owls are birds, widely and often used as a symbol, indistinguishable among themselves by their significance, for which duality is characteristic!
  Like all birds, an owl is associated with the symbolism of the soul, or rather, with its wires to the afterlife. Owl is considered to be the bird of death in ancient Egypt, India, Central America, North America, and the Far East.
   Incidentally, among the Slavic and Turkic peoples living in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as among the Greeks, owls are revered. For many other nations, owls personify dark forces, which is suggestive!
  And why?
  The answer is ONE! Owl is a symbol of an ancient state on the territory of our country!
  How so? Which country?! I answer: Great Tartaria! Yellow flag with a black owl!
  Think fantasizing? But!
To begin, let us recall the description of this flag given in the Book of the Flags by the Dutch cartographer Carl Allard (published in Amsterdam in 1705 and reprinted in Moscow in 1709): "The flag of Caesar from Tartary is yellow, with black lying and looking to the outside (with a great serpent) with a basilisk tail. ”Now let's look at the images of this flag from various sources of the XVIII-XIX centuries (the table includes images of flags from sources published: Kiev 1709, Amsterdam 1710, Nuremberg 1750 (three flags), Paris 1750, Augsburg 1760, England 1783, Paris 1787, England 1794, unknown 18th Century Publishing House, USA 1865)! How do you like it ?! Pay attention to recent dates! Russia is already full of noise, and stupid (!!) Americans still stupidly print the flag of Tartary! WHY ?! What do not we know?
  My opinion is, not a priori, some mystery of the Romanov dynasty is buried here! By the way!
  Do you know that this dynasty ceased to exist with the death of Peter 2? After all, Anna Ivanovna was from the Mstislavsky family, for her father, Ivan the Fifth, was step-brother of Petrusha Naryshkin!
  The ascension to the throne of the Russian Empire by Elizaveta Petrovna is only a short and LAST phenomenon of the Romanovs to the people! Why? Yes, because Peter 3 - a descendant of the same Mstislavsky! And then - you know: completely nemchura!
  And so ... Tartary! I will not go into details, however, I will say! The symbol of this "mysterious" country is an owl (well, and ... a griffin, a Scythian symbol!), As in the "mythical" Athens!
  Why the "mythical" ?! Do you know such an outstanding scientist - historian Gregorovius ?! It was he who spoke of such a glaring case as the disappearance of the city of Athens in the early Middle Ages! According to him, only Jesuits (!) Made a map of the city! But! When did the “dogs of the Lord” appear? I answer: the order appeared in the middle of the XVI century, it was founded by Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish priest!
  And before that, what? It's not meant to be?!
  But let's not go into the wilds of Novochronology, we will remain at the official version!
  And then ask ourselves about the evidence!
  I do not have them! Real! But here are the indirect ones ... Usually, if there is a symbol for a long time, then after a certain number of years, something will remain of it, but it will remain! What am I for? In addition, on the territory of our country, there is still an owl in the depiction of the emblems of Russian cities ...
  City Kirzhach! The emblem of Kirzhach was approved together with the other emblems of the Vladimir governorship on August 16, 1781! Amerikosy still printed in the atlas of the coat of arms of Tartaria!
The coat of arms of the Beauvais (Yekaterinburg) - "In a scarlet field with a silver narrow belt - two indirectly placed silver columns of the Ionic order with gold capitals and bases, changing color to green, accompanied by the top and bottom golden ermine tails.

  On the shield is a simple helmet.

  In the crest there is a golden owl with silver eyes and wings raised, a shield supported by the right paw, crossed by gold and azure.

  Namet the scarlet, lined with silver. "
  Ancient Syzran Coat of Arms –see yourself: owl!
  Kayerkan, a city in the Russian Federation. On May 31, 2001, the coat of arms of this city with the image of an owl under No. 642 was entered into the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation and thus became the official symbol of the city.
  The coat of arms of the South-Western administrative district of the city of Moscow, also with owls!

  Coat of arms of Novaya Zemlya!
  Eastern Izmailovo district - on the coat of arms ... owl!
  Zharkovsky district (Tver region), the flag - and on it ... an owl!
  SYKTYVDINSKY DISTRICT (KOMI) - CEREALS WITH IMAGE OF OWLS!
   New Urengoy - owl present!
  Coat of arms and flag of the city Tikhoretsk!
  The coat of arms of Cheremshansky district is an owl!
  The coat of arms of the town Veyväriay (Kaunas County) - an owl!
  THE COAT OF ARMS MR. ANDRENISHKIS (UTENSKY DISTRICT) - OWL!
  Something like that, friends! Himself in shock! Where is Greece? Where is Athens ?!