Animals have always played an important role in our society. It's a way to define ourselves, to symbolize the important attributes of our personalities and beliefs, and to express complex ideas in an easily recognizable way. From traditional folklore and modern children's books to advertising, we see the personification of animals everyday. And while there are plenty of animals that are used, there are a few that stick out in their popularity. Dogs, cats, dolphins, wolves, bears, and horses can be seen across a variety of mediums with different meanings of significance tied to them. One animal that has always been an important figure but seems to be on a bit of an up rise in popularity in recent years is the owl. I've always had a small affinity for owls, not to the same extent that I've had for penguins but I still find them interesting. They appear in so much of folklore, fantasy, and childhood staples that's it's not hard to see why they remain in our minds. For the most part owls are associated with the ideas of wisdom and knowledge. They were the animal that represented Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy among many other things, and were often seen as messengers for different tribes around the world. This idea has continued in popular culture with the likes of the owl Archimedes in Disney's Sword in the Stone, Owl from Winnie the Pooh, Hedwig in Harry Potter, a guardian spirit in Avatar, or even the Owl from the old Toostie Pop commercial. But while they were generally associated with positive things for many cultures, owls were also seen as a fearful element. Egyptians were scared of owls and would draw them broken in hieroglyphics to prevent giving them power. Owls were also associated with death and that transitional journey between worlds, typically in European and American cultures. But no matter what the societal association you have with owls, they are certainly pretty common in our storefronts. Just looking up the word owl on Etsy brings up almost 50,000 results in four different categories. And while I really haven't found a particular site for tonight's owl, it has shown up in a couple of other people's collections of photos.
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Maggie Ondrey
An amateur photographer and writer capturing a small portion of the city. Archives
August 2017
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