Why is the OWL casting spells that we're under?

[joey]

So when the OWL bit turns up in the video, I got this whole Native American vibe to the whole video then... ya know?

It got me searching for Native American folklore on the owl and guess which story seems to be the most famous one?

The one regarding the OWL and the... *drumroll please* RABBIT.

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/How-Rabbit-And-Owl-Were-Created-Iroquois.html

How Rabbit and Owl were created
An Iroquois Legend

Raweno, the Everything-Maker, was busy creating all the types of animals. One day he was hard at work on Rabbit. Rabbit said to him, "I want long, strong legs and long ears like the Deer, and sharp teeth and claws like the Panther."

"I do them they way they ask for them to be," said Raweno. He made Rabbit's hind legs very long, just the way Rabbit had described.

Owl, still not formed, was sitting on a tree nearby waiting his turn. "Whoo, whoo," he sang, " I want a long graceful neck like Swan's, and bright red feathers like Cardinal's, and a nice long beak like Egret's, and a beautiful crown of plumes like Heron's. I want to be the most beautiful, fastest and wondrous of all birds."

"Hush," said Raweno. "Turn around and look somewhere else. Close your eyes too. Don't you know that you are not allowed to watch me while I work?" Just at that moment Raweno was making Rabbit's ears quite long, just as Rabbit had asked him for.

Owl refused to turn away. "Whoo, whoo," he sang again. "Nobody can forbid me to watch. Nobody can tell me to close my eyes. I'm going to keep watching you, because I want to."

This made Raweno angry. He grabbed Owl and pulled him off the branch, stuffed his head deep into his body and shook him until Owl's eyes were wide with fright. He pulled at Owl's ears until they stuck out from both sides of his head.

"That will teach you," said Raweno. "Now you won't be able to crane your neck to watch things you are not supposed to watch. Now you have big ears to hear when someone tells you what not to do. Now you have big eyes - but not so big you can watch me, because you will be awake only at night. And your feathers will not be red like Cardinal's but gray like mud. This is your punishment for disobeying me."

Owl went off pouting.

Then Raweno went back to finish Rabbit, but Rabbit had been so frightened by Raweno's anger that he ran off half-done. As a consequence, only Rabbit's hind legs are long, and he has to hop instead of run. And since he was frightened before the work was complete, Rabbit has remained scared of almost everything, and never got the claws and sharp teeth he asked for. Had he not run away then, Rabbit would have been a very different animal.

As for Owl, he remained as Raweno shaped him in anger - with big eyes, a short neck and ears that stick out the sides of his head. To make matters worse, he has to sleep during the day and only come out at night.

There is this other one, which speaks of the rabbit representing day and the owl representing night:

Some Native American cultures link owls with supernatural knowledge and divination. In the Menominee myth of The Origin of Night and Day, Wapus (rabbit) encounters Totoba (the saw-whet owl, Aegolious acadicus) and the two battle for daylight (wabon) and darkness (unitipaqkot) by repeating those words. Totoba errs and repeats "wabon" and daylight wins, but Wapus permits that night should also have a chance for the benefit of the conquered, and thus day and night were born. The Pawnees view the owl as a symbol of protection; the Ojibwa, a symbol of evil and death, as well as a symbol of very high status of spiritual leaders of their religion; and the Pueblo, associated with Skeleton Man, the god of death and spirit of fertility. On a warm afternoon in August 1985, one of the authors (DHJ) observed Ojibwa peoples at a weekend cultural celebration in Duluth, Minnesota using dried wings of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianas) as hand-held fans to cool themselves after participating in native dances.

http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=Owl+Mythology&title=Owls+Lore+Culture&page=3

It's like she's chasing the rabbits and the owl representing the dark/evil is preventing her from doing so? I know... geeky (and very Buffy ).

Lemme know what you think... Discuss children!

[[sobriquet]]

If owls were supposed to symbolize, like, the 'darkness'

Then, it's like we're under dark spells....

Which makes sense.....

I mean, the song is about light (which is the music + beauty + love) coming around again. Maybe it's because of this 'darkness' that we lose them at some points.  But as the song implies, we ought not to dwell on them because time doesn't wait for anyone.

Hmm.... It's starting to make sense to me now. The only part that we need to decode was the thunder part.

[joey]

I also found this info regarding the owl in witchcraft/wicca.

http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wicca-symbol.html#owl

She could have mixed the folklores and come up with the line.

The Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals explains the Owl's connection with the Goddess Athena - a Goddess much revered among Witches: "Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had a companion Owl on her shoulder which revealed unseen truths to her. Owl had the ability to light up Athena's blind side, enabling her to speak the whole truth, as opposed to only a half truth."

http://www.suite101.com/content/owl-pagan-symbol-of-wisdom-a40871

(On a sidenote could an admin please move this topic to Vanessa Songs/Lyrics section. I don't think it belongs here. Thanks)

[sarab]

I also found this info regarding the owl in witchcraft/wicca.

http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wicca-symbol.html#owl

She could have mixed the folklores and come up with the line.

The Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals explains the Owl's connection with the Goddess Athena - a Goddess much revered among Witches: "Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had a companion Owl on her shoulder which revealed unseen truths to her. Owl had the ability to light up Athena's blind side, enabling her to speak the whole truth, as opposed to only a half truth."

http://www.suite101.com/content/owl-pagan-symbol-of-wisdom-a40871

(On a sidenote could an admin please move this topic to Vanessa Songs/Lyrics section. I don't think it belongs here. Thanks)

though native american culture is pagan, I still err on the side of pagan wicca for explanations, maybe because I identify more with that culture than others.  I love how that link says the owls see things that are hidden to 'ordinary sight' makes me think of what I've written before about her meditations at night time and then coming out with a different perspective on life in general.  I think what you have brought here has only made my feelings about the song and the lines stronger and enhances what I've already written.  Thank you for researching!
Now, the thunder part.. witches, pagans, what have you, historically believe they have the power to conjur the elements, such as water, fire, wind, earth, so the thunder could be a result of the ritual taking place and the spell that is being cast and she thinks she hears a voice in that thunder.  a voice in the elements that she has conjured.  a god? an answer? an answer/god she must try to track down.  The voice could be an external voice that of someone, that of a god, or it could be that of herself.  the self that she is trying to capture and keep with her during the day when the spell breaks and she is forever changed.

[sarab]

I also tend to not think of the owl as a representation of darkness or evil but rather wisdom and seeing things that can't ordinarily be seen during the light of day.  I lean toward owls as magical beings rather than dark beings.

"As Wiccans, Truth is vital . . . both knowing it and speaking it.

So where do Owls get this wisdom? My pet theory: What makes Owl so wise is that she's not distracted by questions of What, Where, When, Why, or How. She knows the only real question is ever and always, "WHO??"

the truth that she has found by the fire side -- that it's stands before you, it's in the music, and love will come back around again.

THIS!! :
Celtic Owl Tradition

Cailleach-oidhche, Owl, represents wisdom, stealth, initiation, change and detachment. She is associated with arcane lore, clairvoyance, seeking deeper knowledge and death as a new beginning. Owl is aware of her surroundings at all times, has great intuition and the courage to follow her instincts. She offers keen insight into obscure occurrences, a bringer of hidden truth, omens and secrets

Read more at Suite101: Owl - Pagan Symbol of Wisdom: Not All Adherents of the Old Religion Agree | Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/content/owl-pagan-symbol-of-wisdom-a40871#ixzz1Matdhaxe


All the items I've but in bold are what Vanessa has been trying to achieve these past 4 years since the last album.

[sarab]

sorry I am like, spamming this page right now, but I also wrote this today under the original "carousel" discussion, not sure if you saw it, but it's a partial explanation of the thunder and the such..

Ok, so this could be the delirium talking because I haven't slept, but I have new thoughts on these lyrics.  I always thought of this as her singing to someone else, someone external.  But I thought just now, and especially with the video -- is she talking to herself?  what I mean is that is seems like she is telling herself all these things --that it's not too late to change the pace, that love will come back to her, and that beauty surrounds her and is inside of her.   The lyric "I know she let you down" still works, one because she is bisexual, and two, she could still be talking about herself -- her old self, that she who got off track and was letting herself down.  The song has taken on a new meaning for me of self affirmation or self lullaby to reassure herself that it will all be ok and that love will come back to her as long as she keeps putting it out there and as long as she keeps recognizing the beauty around and inside of her.
during the last part of the song where she interchanges "I" instead of "you" ("all I hear is the music")  seems to affirm all that she was telling herself during the song.

This probably won't make sense.. sorry for rambling.!

[mysticalmists]

Interesting stuff!!! I wonder if V will post something in her next twitter updates about it..

[sarab]

this topic and everything makes me think of high school and college English classess! LoL. But I was so inspired that I could not fall back asleep and I had to get up to write an "introduction" that I think I'm going to try to make an actual essay out of! I'm such a nerd I know, but I enjoy writing and this is a great topic.

[Manny]

WOW! 

[Bruised]

lol I was never convinced that it was 'owl' instead of 'hour', but this makes me like that lyric, so I think I go with it now 

[[sobriquet]]

this topic and everything makes me think of high school and college English classess! LoL. But I was so inspired that I could not fall back asleep and I had to get up to write an "introduction" that I think I'm going to try to make an actual essay out of! I'm such a nerd I know, but I enjoy writing and this is a great topic.

so dedicated.

Please do share it once you finish. (: i'd like to read your interesting insights.

[sarab]

this topic and everything makes me think of high school and college English classess! LoL. But I was so inspired that I could not fall back asleep and I had to get up to write an "introduction" that I think I'm going to try to make an actual essay out of! I'm such a nerd I know, but I enjoy writing and this is a great topic.

so dedicated.

Please do share it once you finish. (: i'd like to read your interesting insights.

I'm not sure it will be any time soon, but I will def. share.  I also thought of sending it to her..

[sabasaba]

That's very interesting. I've always loved that there is almost always an underlying message or theme behind Vanessa's lyrics. It's part of what makes her brilliant.

[Patricius]

That story was in one of my workbooks in elementary school (the type where it's like "Learn at Home Grade #).  I think it was for 3rd grade--literature: fables.  Nice connection there.  That never occurred to me. O:

[WhiteRabbit]

I really like the owl line. Thank you all for finding all this information on owls, it does really explain in more. Wouldn't it suck if we got the lyric booklet and it turned out the line wasn't owl??