Birds do the one thing people can't. They leave the ground. For most of history that made them messengers between the earth and whatever was above it: gods, weather, the dead. Every culture has given birds meanings, and many of those meanings are still in use. This post looks at three of the most common birds in art, one of the night, one of the day and one that never lived.
Why birds mean so much
- Flight. Freedom, escape, the soul leaving the body.
- The sky. Birds move between the human world and the heavens.
- Song and voice. Messages, omens, poetry.
- Migration. Departure and return, the turning of the year.
- The view from above. Seeing what those on the ground can't.
The Romans had officials, the augurs, whose task was to read the will of the gods from the flight of birds. The word auspicious comes from the Latin for watching birds.
The owl
Wisdom
In ancient Greece the little owl was the bird of Athena, goddess of wisdom and of the city of Athens. It appeared on Athenian silver coins for centuries. From there comes the Western idea of the wise owl, which runs through fable, heraldry, schools and libraries to this day.
The link makes sense on sight. An owl has large, forward-facing eyes, like a person's. It sits upright and still. It turns its head slowly and seems to consider. It sees in the dark, when others can't.
The night and the other world
The owl has a darker side. It hunts at night, flies without sound and calls with an eerie voice. In Roman belief, and in much of European and other folklore, an owl's cry was an omen of death. In some Native American traditions the owl is linked with spirits and the dead, though meanings vary greatly from one people to another. In Japan, by contrast, the owl is lucky: its name, fukuro, sounds like words for good fortune and freedom from hardship.
What an owl says in a room
Watchfulness, calm judgment, knowledge, and quiet. It is the natural bird for a study, a library, a child's room or a desk. Our Frost Owl is a white owl with pale blue eyes in a misty blue forest. It faces you directly, still and attentive. A white owl adds winter and silence to the usual meanings.
The crow and the raven
Intelligence
Crows and ravens belong to the same family, and they are among the cleverest animals known. They use tools, solve problems in steps, recognise human faces and remember them for years. Old stories noticed this long before science did. In one of Aesop's fables, a thirsty crow drops pebbles into a jug to raise the water.
Messenger and trickster
In Norse myth, Odin had two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, whose names mean thought and memory. They flew across the world each day and reported to him. In the stories of many peoples of the Pacific Northwest, Raven is a creator and a trickster who stole the light and gave it to the world. In Japan, a three-legged crow, Yatagarasu, is a guide sent by heaven.
The omen
Crows eat carrion, and they gathered on battlefields and gallows. So in much of Europe they came to stand for death and ill luck. Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven, of 1845, made the bird a figure of grief that will not leave. That is the crow of gothic art, and it is still popular. See vamp romantic and whimsigoth.
What a crow says in a room
Intelligence, mystery, independence, and seeing clearly. It suits a writer's room, a study or a hallway. Our Blue Crow shows a single bird in profile, its black feathers lit in blue, against dark grey. It is calm and watchful, a portrait more than an omen.
The phoenix
The bird that is reborn
The phoenix is a myth. In the Greek and Roman version, there is only ever one. It lives for centuries, builds a nest of spices, is consumed by fire and rises again from the ashes. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote of it in the fifth century BC and placed it in Egypt, where a sacred heron-like bird, the Bennu, was linked with the sun and with creation.
Early Christians took the phoenix as a sign of resurrection. In the Middle Ages it appeared in books of beasts and on coats of arms.
The Chinese fenghuang
The bird often called the Chinese phoenix is a different creature. The fenghuang doesn't burn or rise from ashes. It stands for virtue, grace and harmony, and it is paired with the dragon: the dragon for the emperor, the fenghuang for the empress. Together they are a symbol of a happy marriage. In Japan it is called the ho-o.
What a phoenix says in a room
Renewal, survival and beginning again. It is the bird people choose after a hard time: an illness, a loss, a change of life. It is a warm-coloured subject, all reds, oranges and golds, where the owl and crow are cool.
Other birds, briefly
- Eagle: power, empire, sharp sight.
- Dove: peace, love, the spirit.
- Swan: grace, fidelity, transformation.
- Crane: long life and good fortune in East Asia.
- Peacock: beauty, pride, immortality.
- Swallow: the return of spring, and a safe return home.
- Hummingbird: joy and energy.
Choosing a bird for a room
- For calm and concentration: an owl. Still, quiet and watchful.
- For character and a little darkness: a crow.
- For energy and encouragement: a phoenix, or any bird in flight.
- Perched or flying? A perched bird is restful. A flying bird has movement, and it should fly into the room, towards the centre of the wall, and not out of it.
- Which way does it face? A bird in profile looks at whatever is beside it. Hang it so that it looks into the room or towards the next picture.
Owl and crow together
Frost Owl and Blue Crow make a good pair. One is white and one is black. One faces you and one is in profile. One is a bird of the night with a reputation for wisdom, the other a bird of the day with a reputation for cunning. Both are in blue. Hung side by side in matching frames, they suit a study or a hall. Add Wolf Pack or Cosmic Deer for a row of three.
As a gift
- An owl for a graduate, a teacher, a student or a new job. See graduation gifts.
- A crow for a writer, a reader or a lover of the gothic.
- A phoenix for someone starting again.
More animals
See wolf symbolism, fox symbolism, deer and stag symbolism and lions in art. Browse the canvas art collection.