Celtic Owl Decorative Box
The Owl was a symbol of wisdom and patience to the Celts. A guide to and through the underworld, a creature of keen sight in darkness and a silent and swift hunter. Celtic mythology often associated the owl with the Crone aspect of the Goddess. Owls were thought to help unmask those who would deceive or take advantage of you.
No mystery about this box's ability to safely hold your small trinkets. The decorative box has a pyrographic design of an owl swooping down on its prey. The colour is applied in thin glazes revealing the grain of the wood. Mice trying to escape being supper run round the side!
$20 |
Approximate Size:2½x4½ inches (hxw) |
To see other views of the owl on this delightful, decorative box scroll on down. Read a little of the Celtic mythology surrounding the owl at the bottom of the page.
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The Owl - Celtic Mythology
Perhaps the most famous story in Celtic mythology concerning the owl is of Blodeuwedd. The story is found in the white book of Rhydderch, which with the red book of Hergest form part of the Mabinogion, the earliest collection of Welsh prose. Lleu, one of the central characters of the story, has a wife created from flowers for him by the magician Gwydion; because his mother forbade by her own word his marrying an ordinary woman. His wife was named Blodeuwedd, meaning flower face.
However, Blodeuwedd falls in love with a neighbouring lord, Goronwy. She tricks Lleu into divulging the secret to his own mortality, convincing him to even demonstrate how; then plots with Goronwy to kill him. Goronwy makes a spear to kill Lleu but as he throws it Lleu turns into an eagle and flies away. Gwydion finds Lleu and changes him back into human form. Lleu plans revenge on the lovers. When he finds them they try to flee but Gwydion turns Blodeuwedd into an owl ensuring that other birds will attack her if she shows her face in daylight again. Gwydion and Lleu overcome Goronwy and kill him.
