Owls seem to be another animal like bats or black cats that get a bad rep. Pretty much anywhere you go they’re considered bad omens or evil.
Supposedly, demons can shape-shift into owls to do evil errands for witches at night or to play with them.
Ancient Egyptians associated owls with night, death, and the cold.
The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible says they’re unclean.
Ancient Romans believed them to be bad omen, and death omens. Caesar’s death was announced by screeching owls. They also foretold illness, bad weather, and when the village girl would lose her virginity.
The Aztecs equated owls with evil spirits, including the Rational Owl, who is humanity’s worst enemy.
In Africa, owls were witches’ instruments and feared.
To North American Indians owl is an ill omen and bringer of death and a messenger of the dead.
The Chippewa medicine man stuffed owl skins with magical ingredients and commanded it to fly over a victim’s house bringing starvation.
The Sauk believe seeing an owl at night will cause facial paralysis.
Owls are respected in some cultures.
In Peru, folk healers use owls to combat negative magic and the “Owl Woman” is associated with Shamanism and curing in their mythology.
The Greeks saw owls as sacred and a symbol of wisdom because Athena the Goddess of Wisdom was always with her owl companion.
In India eating owl eyeballs is believed to give the eater night vision. ~I don’t know if eating it is respecting it.
Kiowa North American Indians believe their medicine men could become owls after death.
Images : http://magicalowls.tumblr.com/
http://imgkid.com/white-owls-in-flight.shtml
Mari Wells 