Thursday, July 15, 2010

Owl times.

I love owls.  I'm not sure why.  I did a little bit of research on Wikipedia and discovered:

"In many parts of the world, owls have been associated with death and misfortune, likely due to their nocturnal activity and common screeching call. However, owls have also been associated with wisdom and prosperity, frequently being depicted as companion animals for goddesses. In Hindu Mythology, the barn owl is considered to be the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and thus it is considered lucky if an owl resides near a house. The Greek goddess Athena was commonly depicted accompanied by an owl, and it has remained a common Western symbol of wisdom. This symbolism is evident in the frequent use of an owl in the logos of institutions such as universities and libraries.
In Japan, however, owls are symbols of good luck, mainly through a linguistic accident. The Japanese for "owl" is "fukurou", the Japanese for "hardship" is "kurou", and the Japanese for "not" is (in many cases) "fu". "fukurou" thus implies a life without hardship. Therefore owl symbols are often given to Japanese couples on marriage, because of the bird's auspicious association.
Henry David Thoreau summarized one perception of owls when he wrote in 1854's Walden, 'I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic and maniacal hooting for men. It is a sound admirably suited to swamps and twilight woods which no day illustrates, suggesting a vast and underdeveloped nature which men have not recognized. They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all [men] have.'"

 This makes me adore the owl and symbolism of the owl even more.  I'm considering an owl as another tattoo.  Here are some owl images I adore...

This is a journal but I love the combo of the tree and owl.

 I love the spots details on this one



Wish this was a sketch instead of a stamp (and obv without the word bubble)

 My favorite.

All linked to their respective Etsy sellers

3 comments:

Overlooking Mississippi said...

Very cute..love the tags...I saw an owl theme for wedding recently and it was so gorgeous!

bananas. said...

i think an owl tattoo is a PERFECT idea! now why didn't i ever think of that ;)

big fan of owls right here. glad to know there's a positive meaning behind them.

Anonymous said...

That's very interesting... I like owls.

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