Owl in Medieval Fair at Caminha...

There are a lot of beliefs and misbeliefs as to owls. Some people believe that owls bring only misfortunes and bad luck. Such suggestions are based on their nocturnal way of life and very popular scream. But some believe that owls are symbols of wisdom and nourishing, that they bring luck and for many years were friends with people. In the ancient Egypt there were an hieroglyph with owl. Ancient Americans (namely Aztecs and Mayans) treated owls as signs of death and bad luck. Because, the Aztec God of Death had an owl-face. In Japan owls considered to be both messengers from the God and messengers from the Devil. In Greece owls were companions of the Goddess Athena, she was the goddess of art and wisdom, so owls became symbols of wisdom.