Your Favorite Owls

Your Favorite Owls

“But what was known of this owl was that he inspired other owls to great and noble deeds and that, although he wore no crown of gold, the owls knew him as a king.”

- Tales of Yore (from “The Guardians of Ga'Hoole”)

"The Guardians of Ga'Hoole" is a good-versus-evil saga among the tribes of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and beyond. It's about the legend of mighty owls, whose accounts of bravery a younger generation.

Kathryn Lasky's fantasy series may be the definitive work on owls. There's a Tolkienesque touch on the tale of Soren, a young barn owl who is snatched from his nest at a young age and found himself in the company of orphaned owlets in St. Aggies Academy. They have no idea that they're in the midst of the bigger scheme of things, and only the stories of the guardians of Ga'Hoole keep them closer. Those who have read too many of this kind of book can guess how it ends, but there's more to Lasky's books.

Lasky, a native of Indianapolis, was drawn to the owl's eyes. It was her husband, a former National Geographic photographer, who suggested to write a book on owls. It would be on a state of disbelief, which could fascinate readers. But the author did more than that, as the series won't only revolve around Soren. Readers may wonder about her literary inspirations. There have been many (literary) references on the owl, which is considered a sacred animal during ancient times. Let's take a look:

In "Metamorphoses", Ovid recounts a tale of Persephone's happenings in the Underworld. Demeter was told that her daughter could go back to her if she didn't any food. But Persephone consumed pomegranate, and Ascalaphus, the son of Darkness, saw her. She turned him into a screech owl after he told her about it. The Roman poet didn't mention Athena's reaction.

Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat" would make readers swoon. The owl managed to win over the cat's affections, a musical courtship unseen in other (literary) works. Lear, who hailed from Holloway, became renowned for limericks. No one knew its origin, where what was known was mixed with what was not known. But Lear's works became popular. In the case of "The Owl and the Pussycat", the outcome was too hard to resist.

Patricia Highsmith depicts the owl as a messenger of death in "The Cry of the Owl". Robert stalks Jenny, and to his surprise, learns about her belief in a happy ending. Him and her. But the young woman is superstitious about premonition. Can an owl turn their budding romance into a traffic affair? Only those who are familiar with Highsmith's works can sense the outcome, but her cynicism might shock readers.