#too much since the southeastern view of owls differ from Great Plains

[chronicparagon]

Headcanon: Owls

Many cultures all over the world view owls as bad omens. American Indian tribes are no different. While this would vary by tribe, many tribes and Indigenous nations see owls as bringers of death or as shapeshifters of people who practice bad medicine. Bad medicine is a term for hexes or curses that can be minute or as severe as death.

Some tribes and nations say owls are the spirits of these practitioners or restless spirits of the dead.

Harmony's tribe, the Lakota, sees owls as harbingers of death, especially the great horned owl and screech owl. Great horned owls have feathered tufts that look like horns, hence their name. Many Indigenous people believe that animals with horns or antlers have great spiritual power. The fact they are nocturnal, their vocalizations like the hooting and screeches, and their silent flight influence much of the fear towards owls and the beliefs that they bring curses or death.

Harmony knows there are owls who are ordinary owls, and she thinks some are beautiful or cute. However, she believes in spirits, both good and bad. This means she is going to be uncertain if the owl she encounters is an ordinary owl or an evil spirit. It will make her nervous around them and she will try to keep her distance from the creature. She knows it is not a well-known fact, so she doesn't hold anything with owls on them against people. She is okay with sharing this with other people who want to know.

She is very reluctant to be near great horned owls and screech owls. This is because, in her culture, a great horned owl means that someone will die in the near future. A screech owl's presence warns that a child will die. This is due to the fear that the owl is actually an evil spirit that came to take the victim away.