Codex of FaithsAn illustrated atlas of belief

Animals

Owl of Athena

The owl of Athena, the bird of the goddess of wisdom: its place in the religion of ancient Athens, its famous silver coins and how it became the sign of learning still used today.

Also called Owl of Minerva · Little owl

In brief

  1. I.The little owl was the sacred bird of Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, and protector of Athens.
  2. II.It was stamped on the silver coins of Athens, which circulated across the ancient Mediterranean.
  3. III.Rome linked the owl with Minerva, Athena’s Roman counterpart.
  4. IV.It became a lasting symbol of wisdom and learning.

Chapter I

What it means

The owl was the bird of Athena, patron goddess of Athens, goddess of wisdom and skill, of weaving and of strategy in war. The owl, watchful and able to see at night, became her companion and her sign, and through her a symbol of the city itself.

Because Athena stood for clear thought, the owl came to mean wisdom in general. The philosopher Hegel wrote that the owl of Minerva takes flight only at dusk: understanding comes as an age is ending.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

From the late 6th century BCE Athens struck silver coins with Athena’s head on one side and an owl with an olive sprig on the other. These “owls” were trusted across the ancient world and widely imitated.

Owls appear beside Athena in sculpture and on vases. In Rome the bird passed to Minerva, goddess of crafts and learning.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

Greece’s one-euro coin carries the owl of the old Athenian coins. The owl is the emblem of many universities, libraries and publishers, and appears wherever learning is honoured.

Questions people ask

Why an owl?

Little owls were common in Athens, and their large eyes, which seem to see in the dark, suited a goddess of insight. Ancient writers do not give one agreed explanation.

What does “owls to Athens” mean?

An ancient Greek saying, like the English “coals to Newcastle”: bringing something to a place that already has plenty of it.

Sources and further reading

  1. Walter Burkert, Greek Religion (Harvard University Press, 1985)
  2. J. C. Cooper, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols (Thames & Hudson, 1978)
  3. Miranda Bruce-Mitford, Signs & Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings (DK, 2008)
  4. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

← All symbols · ↑ Back to top