Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



to Pallas as soon as it was introduced from 

 the Orient, notwithstanding its masculine sex; 

 perhaps because at that early period the Maid 

 had not become so definitely not-male as later 

 on. The owl is not only the bird of dusk, 

 but of moonlight, and 

 as it is a European fowl, 

 not an importation, like 

 the cock, peacock and 

 pheasant, must be held 

 the earlier symbol of 

 the two. Some early 

 coins of Athens show a 

 crescent moon along with 

 owl and olive branch, 

 others, somewhat later, 

 three or four crescents with or without the 

 owl. Since such symbols are generally in 

 the nature of footnotes explanatory of the 

 meaning of a god, we may safely consider 

 that Pallas Athene was originally a deity of 

 the night, rather than the day. Since owl 

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