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The owl is one of those symbols we think we know… but which hides an incredible diversity of meanings worldwide. At My-glassMarbles, we have chosen it to accompany some of our marble bags with a small magnet: Pink Owl, Blue Owl, Orange Owl, Gray Owl, a benevolent and wise wink. This is why this funny bird sometimes watches over your orders.

📝 Small linguistic clarification: in France, the hibou (with tufts) is distinguished from the chouette (without tufts). But in other French-speaking countries, like Quebec or Belgium, a single word — often "chouette" — designates both. In our article, you will therefore see both terms appear: this is normal, as the sources of inspiration come from around the world, and My-glassMarbles has chosen not to play favorites between the plumages 🪶

🌀 The owl, an animal full of mysteries

With its piercing eyes, silent flight, and always focused demeanor — even when asleep, it remains perched — the owl has fascinated humans since Prehistory. Its nocturnal camouflage, exceptional hearing, and ability to turn its head 270° make it a master of discreet observation.

Of all animal symbols, the owl accumulates attributes: messenger between visible and invisible worlds, guardian of secret knowledge, protector in some cultures, and mischievous spirit in others. It indeed embodies silent caution and the ability to reveal the invisible — qualities often associated with intuitive intelligence.

Present in both Greek and Roman mythologies, it serves as an emblem of wisdom (cf. Athena and her "little owl") but also appears in Native American culture as a guardian of the shadow, spiritual guide, or nocturnal omen according to beliefs. It thus carries a symbolic tension: between knowledge and secrecy, light and darkness, protection and mystery.

Present on ancient coins, nestled in storms or perched near a sacred altar, the owl teaches us never to judge darkness too quickly: sometimes, that is where the deepest light hides.

🇯🇵 Japan: Fukuro, the owl that brings good luck

In Japan, the word fukurō (梟), which designates the owl, is a true pun full of good intentions. It can be written in several ways with different ideograms:

• 福来郎: "luck arrives"
• 不苦労: "without suffering" or "without hardship"
• 福老: "long life full of happiness"

This subtle set of writings gives the owl an aura of good luck charm, warding off bad luck, difficulties, and promising prosperity and serenity. That is why fukurō are very present in omamori — these protective temple amulets — but also in the form of statuettes, jewelry, or hangings intended for schoolbags and Japanese-style interiors.

These owl-shaped omamori belong to the category of engimono, objects believed to attract good fortune. Some more refined models, sometimes inlaid with gold or accompanied by explanations on the label, are specially designed for travelers, students, or people wishing to chase away worries from their daily lives.

In short, an owl in Japan is a bit like a guardian angel… with feathers: vigilant, protective, and ready to turn life into a gentle adventure without drama.

🇬🇷 Ancient Greece: Athena's owl

In Greek mythology, the owl (often Athene noctua) is the emblematic animal of the goddess Athena, patron of wisdom, arts, strategic war, and protector of Athens. This association, whose exact origin remains mysterious — some suggest a pre-Hellenic deity or the presence of abundant owls in the region — made the nocturnal bird of prey a symbol of clairvoyance, intelligence, and mental acuity.

The image of the owl is omnipresent in Greek art: it appears on pottery, jewelry, and especially on the famous Attic tetradrachms, silver coins struck from the 5th century BC. They show Athena's profile on the obverse, and on the reverse an owl accompanied by the letters "ΑΘΕ" (abbreviation of "Athenians"). These coins, nicknamed glaux ("little owl" in Greek), circulated throughout the ancient world, reinforcing the cultural and economic influence of Athens.

The owl was not only a monetary emblem: in Greek armies, its presence in the sky was considered a favorable sign sent by the goddess. It accompanied strategists like a silent promise of success. Even today, “Athena’s owl” remains a powerful metaphor for lucidity and intellectual vigilance.

At My-glassMarbles, we like to see it as a call to observe the world more closely... and to never underestimate the wisdom of this funny bird with big round eyes.

🕉️ India: The owl of the goddess Lakshmi

In Hindu tradition, the owl (called Ulūka in Sanskrit) is the vāhana — the symbolic mount — of the goddess Lakshmi, incarnation of fortune, abundance, and prosperity. This nocturnal mount embodies a striking duality: the owl symbolizes both patience, discreet wisdom, and vision in darkness, but also illusion, greed, or ignorance if one does not keep their feet on the ground.

According to Yogi Ananda Saraswathi, when Lakshmi blesses her followers with wealth and prosperity, the owl steps in to remind them to « open their eyes: not to be blinded by gold ». In other words, the presence of the Ulūka embodies a warning: wealth and abundance bring light... but also shadow. Mammon can blind those who do not look beyond.

Thus, this small emblematic companion transforms your owl magnet My-glassMarbles into a subtle message: yes to prosperity, but not at the expense of conscience and balance.

🦉 Prehistoric owl from Chauvet Cave (France)

In the Chauvet–Pont-d’Arc cave, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a owl carefully engraved adorns the walls of the Hillaire Room — a representation 30,000 to 32,000 years old. Made with a finger on a previously scraped surface, this engraving measures about 45 cm high. It is the only figurative predatory bird figure in this cave, where large carnivores dominate: panthers, woolly rhinoceroses, bears...

The owl is depicted frontally, head turned 180°, with about fifteen lines marking the wings. This unusual placement enhances the strong visual impact of the portrait: one almost has the impression of a gaze watching from the depths of Prehistory. This engraving was made using sophisticated parietal techniques: wall preparation, finger engraving, contour outlining... all gestures that testify to an artistic maturity much older than previously thought.

It is one of the oldest masterpieces of European Paleolithic art, revealing that our ancestors already imagined powerful and unparalleled symbols — and that the protective My-glassMarbles held a very special place there.

🏺 The "Fu Hao Owl Zun" (China, Shang Dynasty)

In China, under the Shang dynasty (around 1200 BC), ritual bronze vessels called zun were made, used to hold wine during sacred ceremonies. One of the most impressive is a vessel shaped like a My-glassMarbles discovered in the tomb of Fu Hao, military leader, wife of King Wu Ding, and an emblematic figure of ancient China.

This zun belongs to the category of sculpted vessels representing animals. It features a powerful owl, whose legs and tail form a solid triangular base. The sculpture skillfully combines reliefs and engraved motifs: cicada motif on the chest and beak, Kui dragons on the neck, snakes on the wings, and flying owl motif on the tail. All is framed by a "thunder pattern" decoration, typical of Shang art. Inside the vase, two engraved characters designate its owner: "Fu Hao".

An exceptional historical figure, Fu Hao led armies, managed state affairs, and presided over religious rituals. This owl-vase is therefore not just a magnificent object: it is the witness to the symbolic power attributed to the owl as protector and messenger of the sacred, at the heart of ancient Chinese culture.

🦁 The "Burney Relief" (Mesopotamia)

The "Burney Relief", also called "Queen of the Night", is a Mesopotamian terracotta plaque dating from the Paleo-Babylonian period (around 1800–1750 BC), currently exhibited at the British Museum in London. About 49.5 cm tall, it depicts a standing winged female figure, flanked by two owls, perched on two lions and wearing a horned headdress — a sure sign of her divine status.

The owls, although stylized, frame the central entity as silent guardians: their talons merge with the bird's legs, highlighting the tension between the visible and the invisible, night and the sacred. The black painted background and drooping wings evoke the Underworld, reinforcing the idea that it may be a goddess of the underworlds such as Ereshkigal, Ishtar, or Inanna.

This work has long been debated among scholars: some considered it a demonic figure (Lilith), but iconographic analysis and thermoluminescent dating support the hypothesis that it was indeed a ritual object, probably venerated in a family or private sanctuary.

By associating the owl with a powerful divine figure, this plaque reveals that as early as 4,000 BC, Mesopotamian peoples recognized this bird of prey as having a complex symbolic place: night vision, connection to the invisible, protection — even mysterious feminine sovereignty. A fine precedent to the sacred place the owl still holds today in the collective imagination.

🎁 Why we chose the owl at My-glassMarbles

At My-glassMarbles, we believe in symbols that comfort, inspire, and tell a story. The owl is one of them. Offering an owl magnet with some of our marbles is to send you a wink of wisdom, an invitation to patience and wonder.

❤️ One last note, gently

Yes, some cultures associate the owl with death, night, or even ominous omens. But here, in our Gazette, we prefer to offer it a warmer perch: that of reassuring knowledge, the gentle magic of positive imagination, and benevolent protection. This is also what it means to choose your symbols with the heart.