The Owl on the Couch

ABSTRACT Owls are intriguing animals and omnipresent symbols throughout human history from prehistory to contemporary cinematography, challenging art historians, psychologists, and psychoanalysts. In addition to the owl’s simply decorative occurrence in art, owls as symbols—the topic of very few studies—are usually associated with night, death, wisdom, and evil. This article explores the history of the development of owl symbolism and its related archetypal meanings, which has contributed to the understanding of these birds in art, psychology, culture, and semiotics.