Pebbles. the greek god athena is where the owl comes from. "Wisdom". Speaking off the cuff, The owl is a sentenel or guardian of treasures. Mostly assoatied with Knowledge or hidden knowledge. The way the owl is used has to be translated as to it proper meaning. The owl is a bird. Means change of direction. It is also a trail marker. showing that one is on the right trail. The owl is also a creature of the night. so look in the shadows and for hidden information. To gain more understanding of the owl google greek mythology "Athene. "
Pinwheel
Hi Pinwheel. There might be another Greek goddess associated with the owl and possible cache sites. The Little Owl ( Athene noctua) is the owl associated with Athena (Minerva). Here's a picture of one.
This next picture shows the Greek goddess Artemis who is the goddess of the hunt and wild beasts as well as many other things. This figure is on an artifact from Boeotia from about 680 B.C. Look closely at the head of Artemis and compare it to the face of the Little Owl.
Here is an excerpt from a link that describes her love of the mountains and hills.
GODDESS OF WILDERNESS, ANIMALS & HUNTING
I) GODDESS OF THE WILDS
Homer, Iliad 21. 470 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"Artemis of the wilderness (
agrotera), lady of wild beasts (
potnia theron)."
Homeric Hymn 27 to Artemis (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
"Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she [Artemis] draws her golden bow . . . The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts."
Aeschylus, Fragment 188 (from Orion, Etymologicum 26. 5) (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Mistress maiden (
despoina nymphê) [i.e. Artemis], ruler of the stormy mountains."
Callimachus, Hymn 3 to Artemis 18 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) :
"[Artemis as a child asks for privileges from her father Zeus:] ‘And give to me all mountains . . . on the mountains will I dwell.’"
Ovid, Fasti 4. 751 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"I entered a forbidden wood . . . forgive my offence . . . Keep from our sight the Dryades and Diana's [Artemis'] bath and Faunus [Pan] lying in the fields at noon."
Seneca, Hercules Furens 406 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) :
"O [Artemis] queen of the groves (
regina nemorum), thou who in solitude lovest thy mountain-haunts, and who upon the solitary mountains art alone held holy."
She also had an association with golden objects.
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CHARIOT & DEER OF ARTEMIS Artemis' golden chariot was drawn by a team of four golden-horned deer.[/TD]
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BOW & ARROWS OF ARTEMIS Artemis used her golden bow and arrows not only to slay beasts in the mountains, but also to bring disease, plague and sudden death to women.[/TD]
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The golden bow is interesting because when a bow is drawn, way, way back, it is somewhat similar to a heart and when the arrow is released, if the arrow is made of gold, wherever it lands. There is gold.
How could this stuff be used at a cache site. If there are owls at the site they could represent Artemis who favors high places so you might want to see if the owls lead you to the top of a bluff or hill. My site is like this. The large, 30 foot owl is at the foot of a bluff and the small 18 inch owl is at the top and pointing to the cache site.
Also, if you find a heart, you might want to look at it like a drawn bow with an arrow in it and look in the direction the arrow would fly. This worked at my site too.
Just my opinion.
Could these type of owl images been used in North America before Columbus came here. Here's a picture of some artifacts found at Poverty Point in Louisiana. I don't believe the Little Owl is found in North America but note the similarities.