We’ve all seen images of a witch sat on her broomstick accompanied by her black cat, the stereotypical familiar. It’s a pity: they run a very efficient postal service.Ĭats are the creatures most commonly associated with magic. So, like the witches and wizards they serve so efficiently in the wizarding world, owls have been the subject of Muggle superstition. Shakespeare’s use of the owl’s shriek to signal the death of King Duncan in Macbeth shows how owls were seen as evil omens during the Renaissance. In certain cultures, owls were recognised as a favourite form of these shape-shifters. For some, witches were believed to be shape-shifters, able to turn into other creatures at night – like the Animagi of the wizarding world but generally with sinister intent. No, not Minerva McGonagall, but maybe her name was inspired by her… Minerva’s counterpart Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, was also often portrayed with an owl.Įver since, owls have often had a reputation for being wise, but there have also been numerous myths portraying them as bringers of death and dark prophecy.īecause owls are mostly nocturnal, with night-vision and an innate hunting instinct, superstitions about their magical power have been associated with the darker side of witchcraft.
Rowling tells us that the owl, one of her own favourites, was the symbol of Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva. Owls have a long history with magic, so it isn’t surprising that they are one of the wizarding world’s most popular creature companions. Rowling tells us, they are largely pets rather than supernatural creatures, but the concept of familiars tells us quite a lot about the real history of witchcraft. The animals that Hogwarts students bring to school aren’t familiars in this sense. Outside of the wizarding world they are often collectively named familiars, and were thought to have supernatural abilities enabling them to assist with the practice of magic. I’ll get yer an owl.’Īnimals of all shapes and sizes have long been associated with magic. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh’d be laughed at – an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Hagrid buys Harry the owl he christens Hedwig, saying: