Are The Owls What They Seem?

Are the owls really what they seem? 

Or are they not what the Giant warned Cooper? 

I dug into the Native American and Buddhist symbolism and beliefs based on the owl, especially the Great Horned Owl. 

In many cultures, the owl is symbolized as a creature of ancient wisdom, spiritual enlightenment, and mystery. But to Native Americans, it has many meanings and beliefs and holds a special place in their culture. 

The owl in Native American culture represents wisdom, guidance, protection, and transformation. It strongly connects with the spiritual realm as a messenger for the ancestors and spirits that dwell there. Through their behaviors and calls can their messages from the divine be interpreted.

The Great Horned Owl

The Screech Owl

But there are two owls in the exception among many tribes. Those owls are no other than the Great-Horned Owl and the Screech Owl. They are believed to be the most dangerous owls, due to their horns called "plumicorn", or feather tufts. To some tribes, these horns resemble powerfulness which is feared by many. They are also believed by some Native Americans as not real birds and that they are shape-shifters, while in other tribes, they are the restless spirits of the dead.

Now, another fact about owls is that most of them are nocturnal - active at night. For the Great Horned Owl and the Screech Owl, the night links them with death and the underworld. Their eerie screeches, screams, wails, barks, hoots, and silent flight (thanks to their fringe wings) make them even more fearful. So fearful certain tribes raised the warning to their children to come inside after dark and to behave so that the owls wouldn't take them away and eat them.

So from this, we know that the Great Horned Owl is certainly a bad omen in Twin Peaks and is the messenger and animal conduit of the nefarious BOB. 

BOB

There are Native American tribes that worship the Great Horned Owl. To them, it resembles strength, courage, and beauty. They are reincarnations of slain warriors who fly into the night by the Pima tribe of the Southwest. They are the friendly spirit in aid of love, especially to the Passamaquoddy of Maine who believe the call of this owl is the flute that magically arouses human passion. Owl societies were even made by the Arikara tribe, who would wear masks of the Great Horned Owl's wing and tail feathers. They even resemble the fertility of peach crops by the Hopi tribe, who connect the owl with the summer heat (performing a ceremony every winter solstice using the owl's feathers).

The Great Horned Owl wings out

Silence is another symbolic feature of the Great Horned Owl. The Native American tribes in New Mexico have the fletching of arrows made of the owl's feathers, enabling their arrows to fly silently toward their targets. The Zuni tribe used the power of the owl against their tribal enemies by putting its feathers in their mouths to become more silent during their ambushes. 

According to Buddhism (Agent Cooper's belief system), owls are considered sacred symbols of freedom. Birds have always been perceived by Buddhists as special beings due to their untraceable flight. Crows, ravens, vultures, falcons, and owls are part of the twilight realms as emissaries or messengers to the deities of the realms, especially Mahakala who assists those wanting to reach enlightenment. There is no negative or fearful thought toward owls, even of the Great Horned Owl, when it comes to this religion. They are well-respected and are sacred to the path of Enlightenment. 

So... the Great-Horned Owl could be a positive and negative omen. In Twin Peaks, it is obvious that BOB uses the Great Horned Owl as a conduit to spy on the residents of Twin Peaks and Ghostwood Forest. From this, the bird's connection to the spiritual world, including the Black Lodge, is very apparent and is as The Giant warns Cooper.

In the Twin Peaks Universe, the owls are certainly not what they seem. But as for the other positive cultures worldwide, it is just a bird of ancient wisdom, good fortune, freedom, strength, and silence.

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook, Reddit, and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.