A 
4. The Owl in Folklore. 
By SHams-uc-UbLmMaA Jivangt JaMSHEDJI Mont, B.A.., 
Pap: 
[Read before the Anthropological Section of the Tenth Indian 
- Science Congress. ] 
Introduction. 
The custom of taking omens from birds is common, well- 
nigh among all the people of the world, because in the whole 
of the anima! creation, with which man comes into contact. 
the birds stand first. They are seen everywhere and any - 
where, of one species or another. The very Etymology of 
words for “omen” among different people testifies to the 
generality of the custom of taking omen from birds. For 
example, our English word “‘auspices’’ for good omens, 
coming from avis a bird, testifies to the Old Roman belief of 
taking omen from birds. The Sanskrit word for omen is 
Shakun (wat) which also means a “bird.” This Sanskrit 
word has given to the Parsees their Gujarati word sagan ld 
foromen. In the Avesta, though we do not find the word for 
omen derived from a word for bird, we find, that omens were 
taken from birds. For example, in the Yasht in praise of 
Haoma, (Yasna X. 11) we read, that the seeds of the good 
health-giving sacred plant of Haoma were spread over a number 
of mountains by auspicious birds (spenta fradakhshta méréga, 
lit. birds with good signs).! ‘The modern Persian word for 
omen margwd (!,5;0) also comes from Persian margh (Avesta 
méréga), i.e. bird. The Arabic word for omen is tair ( ) and 
it also means abird. Thus, all these words for omen in different 
languages show that omens were taken from birds. For the 
custom of taking omens from birds in some of the countries of 
modern Europe, I will refer my readers to what I have said in 
my paper on ‘“ Superstitions common to Europe and India.” . 
For the custom of taking omen from birds among the Parsees. 
I will refer my readers to my paper on “Omens among the 
a ae) 
! The Vedic Soma was similarly brought down from heaven by the 
bird falcon. : : 
2 Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay, Vol. II, No. 3, 
PP. 161-71. Vide my Anthropological Papers, Pt.1,p 27. 
3 Ibid, Vol. I, No.5, pp. 289-95. Vide my Anthropological Papers. 
4-5. 
