Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



The small owl is female in most languages 

 — Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Lusatian-Vendish, 

 German, French, Icelandic, Welsh, Hunga- 

 rian. In English, Finnish and Esthcnlcn the 

 sex is not distinguished; but I think that we 

 generally consider the little owl feminine, as we 

 do the cat, although Tennyson and Keats 

 make the great white owl masculine — 



Alone and warming his five wits. 

 The white owl in the belfry sits — 



and 



The owl for all his feathers was acold. 



This bird was in the Bible classed amongst 

 those to eat which was " abomination " ; 

 though why the owl, the cuckoo and the swan 

 should have been placed on the black list in 

 Leviticus has not been explained, nor will it 

 seem clear unless we allow for the connection 

 of each of these birds in the minds of the 

 ancient Hebrews with heathen gods who ori- 

 ginally were bird gods and dragged their 

 attendant birds after them into "abomination." 

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