This nocturnal bird, associated with wisdom in Greek mythology but also with night and the world of the dead, is sometimes found carved on graves. Which bird?
The answer
The owl, the bird of Athena in Greek mythology, evokes both wisdom and, in a funerary context, the nocturnal world of the dead. Its presence on a grave recalls this dual symbolic heritage.
This question belongs to the “Symbols and Allegories” series of the Père-Lachaise quiz: ten questions, a story behind every right answer.