Meet Ms WhistleWise, who flew in recently from Dortmund, Germany. Created by my cousin, her mum and her twin boys with leaves, twigs, berries and cornflowers, all found in owl territory, against a beautiful summer watercolour wash background, Ms WhistleWise, is evocative of my blog’s newsletter, The Whistle, of course!
Both as messenger and as message, the owl has been burdened with so much symbolism through the ages that it’s no surprise that it’s the wise one. Variously known as harbinger of bad news or bad omens, to symbolizing evil, idiocy, and on the other hand, also being considered the epitome of knowledge and wisdom, in different cultures and civilisations, there is perhaps no bird as abused as symbol as the owl.
I can take courage that Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (and Minerva, in the Roman telling), chose the owl as their mascot. Ovid tells us in Metamorphoses about Coronis, the crow, lamenting Nyctimene, the owl, taking its place as Minerva’s comrade.
In Greek mythology, the owl is said to possess an “inner light” that helps them see clearly in the dark, a belief that has helped the owl to become known throughout the western world and even in parts of Asia, as the wise bird.
I don’t believe in gods or goddesses, nor do I believe in superstitions, but there is something about the solemn, fixed look that the owl possesses and its ability to see well in the dark, which makes this bird of burden the perfect emblem for Peripatetic Perch, the blog that deals with issues related to business, the political economy and culture. A video that I made recently for my blog is inspired by the very same thought of owl wisdom and darkness and light.
I hope readers find the content engaging, nuanced, wise-eyed and relevant reading. Until next time, it’s cheers and whistles from me.
Peripatetic Perch 