Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Disturbed (by Julian Kaesler)
A bit on owls in different cultures:
- Owls are seen as bad omens in Arab mythology
- Owls are the vahana, or mount, of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity, and courage
- The Aztecs and Maya considered the owl a symbol of death and destruction
- An old saying in Mexico goes Cuando el tecolote canta, el indio muere (When the owl cries, the Indian dies)
- Modern Western culture generally associates owls with wisdom
Also:
- In Ancient Greece, the owl was the icon/symbol of Athena. They kept an owl on coins, and on jewelry when off to war.
- In Ancient Rome, owls were bad omens, usually forewarning of death and illness.
- In western Europe, owls were sometimes kept in the house to keep after the children.
- It was a widespread belief that owls were messengers and/or icon’s of witches.
- Owl stew was used to cure whooping cough.
- Eating owl eyes was believed to help improve eyesight.
- Many Native Americans, mostly on the plains, believed that owls were the guardians of the night. I forget which tribe, but one of them believed the medicine man turned into an owl after death.
- In many cultures, the hoot of a screech owl was a bad omen, usually of death or illness, but throwing salt in the fire or wearing an article of clothing inside out would prevent the screech owl’s cry.
- Some western cultures believed the owls could see in the dark because their eyes were lamps.
