Superstitious Beliefs Associated With Owls

Besides religion, there are also many superstitious beliefs that also leads to animal cruelty. There are many superstitious beliefs associated with owls. Romans believed that owls were suspicious due to their nocturnal activities, and they felt that the creatures foretold death such as in the cases of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar. Owls were burned during festivals and their ashes were scattered in the Tiber River. As time went on, old beliefs gave way to new ones, such as how an owl hooting meant the death of a newborn. Owls were also considered to be associated with witches and ghosts. Basically owls were considered to be bad luck. An owl nesting in a house meant it was haunted and encountering an owl during daytime would supposedly cause a major misfortune. Even dreaming of an owl meant you would …show more content…
For example, during the early days of Christianity, a large black dog called the grim was believed to be found in graveyards. A certain grim called the “Black Dog of Newgate” was said to go near the window of sick people, indicating they were about to die. It was also once believed that vampires took the form of black dogs. Eastern European mythology discusses how these animals are spotted around the countryside after livestock is killed. This led many people to believe these dogs were a malicious force. These tales were also similar to North American culture, where these dogs were referred to as “hellhounds”. All of this results in what animal shelter workers and activists call “Black Dog Syndrome.” Hundreds of years of behavioral conditioning have led humans to see dark-furred canines as less adoptable, less friendly, and more intimidating. Compared to lighter-colored pets, pet shops find black dogs harder to sell. In animal shelters, they are often the last to find a home, meaning they either live their entire life in a kennel or they become the first to be