In Celtic folklore there is a nocturnal creature named Aderyn y Corff. It resembles an owl, and its name means "corpse bird" because it's believed to be an omen of death. When the Aderyn y Corff screeches outside the house, it means that someone is going to die. While looking like an owl, it's not really an owl, because it doesn't have feathers but it could also just blend in with the darkness.
Sometimes this is connected to Screech Owl legends around Wales, Scotland and Ireland. These harbingers of death look like owls and appear at the bedside of the dying, screeching. Also they appear with accompanying corpse lights or ghosts. The Aderyn y Corff is a bird of the Underworld. whose screeches mean death or misfortune. Often these corpse birds are female, similar to the birds of Tylwyth Teg and Gwyn ab Nudd. The owl is believed to be the manifestation of Blodeuwedd, a beautiful flower maiden who transformed into an owl.
The other night after a very hot day, we decided to leave the door open to let out cooking spicy steam that made people cough. It was that night when the garden was so dark with fresh air, that I left it open as I ran errands. As I passed the open back door, there was the unmistakable screech of an owl. There was this beautiful shadow owl , perched right outside looking into my house! It flew off screeching to the nearby trees. A surprise visitor and an interesting encounter though, which was a good topic of conversation.
She Wolf Night
The legend itself might've been based on true sightings of big owls at night. Owls make nice cuddly pets.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mention in the post that only I heard the owl that night.
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