Little owl, Athena’s companion,
Protector of a Parthenon;
Tidings glad or firmly foul
Depend on where you’re from.
You took my parts collapsed
With Brittonic tradition, yes;
Nailed me to a cottage door,
My feather fetlocks pinioned.
To shepherd the dieing dearly
Through their letterboxes,
Protector of transitions are
The starry bear and foxes.
Barn owls frequently are found
In farming cattle troughs;
We sacrificed the way to float
For silence while aloft.
Enchanting poem, Nick! The final verses, “We sacrificed the way to float
For silence while aloft,” reverberate in my mind like a haunting chant! I love your intertextual allusions to ancient myths and folklore. Isn’t it bewildering that Athena’s wise companion is referred to as “The Death Bird”?
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Thank you so much Veronica, ☺️🙏🏻 and yes, owls recur from classics to more recent folklore – certainly Western European and presumably elsewhere – as companions, guides or chaperones of the dead. Perhaps it’s because of some of their features which make owls stand out from other birds. Or simply because of their nocturnal activity. Thank you again for your positive response 😊
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