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Folklore and B/S · September 3 · 39 min

What The Owl Knows

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Owls have been symbols of wisdom, death, prophecy, witches, and bad omens for thousands of years. But why? In this episode of Folklore & Bullshit, we dive into the strange folklore surrounding one of the world’s creepiest birds, from ancient Greece to death omens in the American South and everything in between. Are owls actually supernatural messengers, or are humans just really good at making spooky shit out of things that go hoo in the night? Sources: National Audubon Society. 13 Fun Facts About Owls. Audubon Magazine. Published October 15, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2026. Zellner X. How Do Barn Owls Fly So Silently? Audubon. Published May 13, 2016. Accessed August 23, 2026. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Wonderful World of Owls. Bird Academy. Accessed August 23, 2026. National Audubon Society. Audubon Adventures: Owl Prowl Background Essay. Accessed August 23, 2026. Swenson H. Owls in the early modern imagination: Ominous omens and pitiable sages. Folger Shakespeare Library. Published May 26, 2020. Accessed August 23, 2026. Voultsiadou E, Tatolas A, et al. Owl symbolism in Greek civilization over the last 5000 years: social perceptions and implications for conservation. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2023. Accessed August 23, 2026. Pasierowska RL. “Screech Owls Allus Holler ’round the House before Death”: Birds and the Souls of Black Folk in the 1930s American South. Journal of Social History. 2017;51(1):27-46. doi:10.1093/jsh/shw089. Michelson T. The owl sacred pack of the Fox Indians. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin. 1921;72:1-83. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed August 23, 2026. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Long-eared Owl. All About Birds. Accessed August 23, 2026. National Audubon Society. 10 Fun Facts About the American Barn Owl. Audubon Magazine. Published October 24, 2025. Accessed August 23, 2026. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Northern Saw-whet Owl. All About Birds. Accessed August 23, 2026. Field Museum of Natural History. Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin: Owls. Chicago, IL. Accessed August 23, 2026.

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Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Owls have been symbols of wisdom, death, prophecy, witches, and bad omens for thousands of years. But why? In this episode of Folklore & Bullshit, we dive into the strange folklore surrounding one of the world’s creepiest birds, from ancient Greece to death omens in the American South and everything in between. Are owls actually supernatural messengers, or are humans just really good at making spooky shit out of things that go hoo in the night?

Sources:

  1. National Audubon Society. 13 Fun Facts About Owls. Audubon Magazine. Published October 15, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  2. Zellner X. How Do Barn Owls Fly So Silently? Audubon. Published May 13, 2016. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  3. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Wonderful World of Owls. Bird Academy. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  4. National Audubon Society. Audubon Adventures: Owl Prowl Background Essay. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  5. Swenson H. Owls in the early modern imagination: Ominous omens and pitiable sages. Folger Shakespeare Library. Published May 26, 2020. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  6. Voultsiadou E, Tatolas A, et al. Owl symbolism in Greek civilization over the last 5000 years: social perceptions and implications for conservation. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2023. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  7. Pasierowska RL. “Screech Owls Allus Holler ’round the House before Death”: Birds and the Souls of Black Folk in the 1930s American South. Journal of Social History. 2017;51(1):27-46. doi:10.1093/jsh/shw089.
  8. Michelson T. The owl sacred pack of the Fox Indians. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin. 1921;72:1-83. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  9. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Long-eared Owl. All About Birds. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  10. National Audubon Society. 10 Fun Facts About the American Barn Owl. Audubon Magazine. Published October 24, 2025. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  11. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Northern Saw-whet Owl. All About Birds. Accessed August 23, 2026.
  12. Field Museum of Natural History. Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin: Owls. Chicago, IL. Accessed August 23, 2026.
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