Owls perch themselves on branches and hoot into the great outdoors on any given night, but these animals also play a big role when it comes to being spooky symbols of Halloween. According to Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist and ancient historian and professor in the classics department at Stanford University, owls have always had a history of scaring people and have become a spooky symbol in society. “As fierce, nocturnal flying predators, owls have been associated with witches, who also fly about at night doing dark deeds,” she said. “Nighttime was scary for humans, a time for werewolves, witches, demons of darkness, bats and black cats, and ghosts.”
Ahead, find out more about the animal’s connection to the spine-chilling holiday.
History
Owls date back to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Mayor explains that the Strix was a scary raptor-witch that would prey on humans, especially kids, at night. “The vile and malevolent creature’s eyes and terrible shriek could transfix a person, paralyzing them with fear,” she adds. These creatures had a hooked beak, big claws, and the wings were either black or gray. Mayor says that some scholars believe predatory owls were the inspiration for the Strix. In turn, we now have a genus of owls named the Strix today. Simon J. Bronner, PhD, the dean of the college of general studies and a distinguished professor of social sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, adds that it is hard to pinpoint a specific date when they became an official creature linked with Halloween, but stories from the Romans does help deepen the history of owls being associated with fear.
Legends & Lore 