I love owls. There’s just something about them that I find very calming. I had a lovely uncle who reminded me of an owl! He was married to my lovely Aunty Bea, and when I was a very small child I renamed her Aunty Wasp! I adored them both. To make housework interesting my aunty would pretend she was in Hawaii as the suds went round in the washing machine, and dance with the vacuum cleaner!
But I digress. Back to owls and I have a question for you. Are owls wise? True or false? Before I tell you (well, you may already know) here’s a quick story about an owl, of course!
An elderly owl became increasingly cantankerous the older she grew. On a warm summer’s afternoon as she took a nap in an old oak tree, a grasshopper close by began chirping a happy song. Crossly, the owl told the grasshopper to leave her in peace and let her sleep. But the grasshopper said he was entitled to bask in the sun as much as she was entitled to her space in the tree. And he chirped louder than ever. The owl knew that it would be futile to argue with him, so instead, she spoke kindly, saying that if she were to be denied her afternoon nap, she would enjoy his beautiful singing. The old owl invited the grasshopper to come up and sit with her. The grasshopper was very flattered and immediately joined her. But alas, it did not turn out well for him. As soon as he was near, she grabbed him and gobbled him up! Flattery was this grasshopper’s undoing!
Perhaps sometimes we shouldn’t take things at face value?
And the answer – are owls wise? Actually, they are not particularly any wiser than other birds. In proportion to the size of their body, an owl’s brain is small. It is almost impossible to train an owl, whereas other birds such as parrots, hawks, and pigeons can be trained.
Owls have long been associated with wisdom, maybe for how they look. With their large eyes and penetrating stare their expression somehow elicits wisdom. You would think that fixed gaze would make us extremely wary, but on the contrary, the owl evokes in us a bird we want to love.
Owls are popular in children’s literature. Famous books include ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ by Edward Lear, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ by J. K. Rowling, and ‘Winnie the Pooh’ by A. A. Milne.Before I go, I’ll let you into a little secret… one of my future books in my Mincemeat’s World of Adventures series features a lovely owl! And that’s all I’m saying!