Owls from around the World

		"She's as wise as an owl." Have you ever heard anyone say this? A lot of people use this saying, but not every culture believes that owls are wise. People around the world think of owls in many different ways.



		The ancient Greeks thought that owls were wise. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, wore a helmet decorated with an owl. The little owl was named after Athena and was even engraved on Greek coins. The coins became known as "owls."



		The Hidatsa people from what is now North Dakota believed that owls brought good luck. They thought that the burrowing owl helped to protect warriors. Some warriors even wore owl feathers to frighten off their enemies.


		The eagle owl was once very important to people in parts of Japan. They believed that it brought them good luck when they were hunting.



		In the past, some cultures were afraid of owls. In ancient Rome, if a screech owl was seen in a city, people thought that it was bringing bad luck.


		In parts of Italy, people were scared of the horned owl. If it was seen near a house, people thought it meant that someone in the house would get sick.



		In England, the barn owl was used to predict the weather. A screeching barn owl meant that bad weather was on the way. Some Native American people thought that the hoot of the horned owl was a sign of bad weather. They believed that its hoot drove the bad weather away and brought summer, which helped their crops to grow.


		Owls have always been an important part of folklore and legend. But as you have learned, there is much more to the owl than just being wise!



		Below is an example to help you get started on the grid.


	Symbol			Place			Meaning
	Burrowing owl			Hidatsa people from North Dakota			Helped to protect warriors