Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



names is Wichtl, little wight, little kobold, 

 suggesting a certain fondness for it on the 

 part of the people. In Germany the Eulen- 

 flucht in barns is a triangular hole left in 

 the gable to permit owls to enter and destroy 

 mice. 



The usefulness of the small hooter must 

 have been known to the ancients about the 

 Mediterranean ; it certainly is to the moderns. 

 In Austria, Greece and Italy it is commonly 

 tamed or turned loose in gardens with clipped 

 wings in order to keep down insects, slugs and 

 mice. Small birds and bats are its prey ; a 

 singular habit of bowing and swelling up its 

 feathers in a comical fashion makes it an 

 amusing pet. The lively way in which the 

 owl attacks and kills birds of its own size 

 must have aided in keeping it long as a 

 symbol of the warrior goddess ; for many 

 centuries it accompanied her head on Attic 

 coins. But these are merely minor matters 

 that confirmed its popularity in despite of a 



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