symbol

Wise Old Owl or Wizard's Messenger?

Owls are a good example of how a symbol may have different meanings in different cultures. Owls are birds that hunt at night, and some native American Indian tribes associate owls with death. In Africa, some tribes believe that the owl brings illness to children, and the Zulus in southern Africa see the owl as a messenger of wizards. In contrast, in many places in America and Europe, the owl symbolizes wisdom and insight. These examples show how different cultures assign different meanings to the same symbol.