A Word from the Wise – Little Owl

by Daniel Mackie December 19, 2012

Illte owl watercoour painting bat artist Daniel Mackie
Aptly named, the litte Owl. Guess what? The little owl is small!
The Little Owl is not native to Great Britain. It was introduced in 1842 by Thomas Powys and is now naturalised there.

As any of you who read my blog will know I am a fan of mythology and folklore. One of Aesop’s Fables, The Owl and the birds is a good one. You should listen to the wise, they might only tell you once!

An Owl, in her wisdom told the rest of the birds that it would be a good idea to pull the acorn out of the ground before it can spout, because if it grows into a tree mistletoe will grow upon it, bird lime would be extracted and use to capture them. The Owl then advised that the birds pluck out the flax seed as soon as the men had sewn it, if it grows, men will make nets from it to use to catch you. lastly the Owl warned the birds that the archer was their deadly enemy and that he used darts guided by their very own feathers to kill them. The birds dismissed the owls warnings, in fact they thought her a mad old bird and laughed at her. However everything she foretold came true and the birds changed their minds about her. They considered her knowledgable and wise and they seeked her council. The Owl no longer gave her advice, she kept it to herself and was sad for the folly of her kind.

View cards and prints at Daniel’s shop, The DM Collection

Daniel Mackie

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