海外文化:英美民俗-关于鸟的迷信:猫头鹰

【英文原文】

Owl The owl has a weird hooting or screeching call that sounds very ghostly in the silent night. So some people associated it with death. In the Middle Ages some people called the owl "night hag"; it was said to be a witch in the form of a bird. The owl is still associated with witches in the symbolism of Halloween.

【中文译文】

猫头鹰 在寂静的夜里，猫头鹰古怪的叫声令人毛骨悚然。所以人们将它与死亡联系在一起。中世纪，人们称之为“夜之巫”，据说是女巫变的。直到今天，猫头鹰仍在万圣节前夜众多妖魔鬼怪之列。

【题外话】

有人说在西方猫头鹰是智慧的象征，此话不假，因为它是智慧女神雅典娜的圣鸟。但在西欧民间，雅典娜属外来文化。猫头鹰不吉利，中西民间看法大致相同。