Omens: What They Are, What They Meant, and What They Mean Now
Omens: What They Are, What They Meant, and What They Mean Now
From ancient temples to modern TikTok videos, people have always looked for signs. Omens—those moments or symbols that seem to point to something bigger—have guided decisions, sparked fear, and shaped belief systems for thousands of years. Whether it's a black cat crossing your path or a dream you just can't shake, omens still carry weight.
But what exactly are they? And why do some animals or symbols mean good luck in one place and bad luck in another?
What Are Omens, Really?
Omens are signs. People interpret them as clues about the future—often unasked-for, often mysterious. An omen can be anything: an animal appearing at the right (or wrong) time, a sudden shift in the weather, a dream, or even a gut feeling.
Some omens are believed to warn of danger. Others signal blessings. The interpretation depends on culture, context, and timing.
Omens in the Ancient World
In the past, omens weren’t just personal—they were public and powerful.
Babylonians had entire omen catalogs, including the Enuma Anu Enlil, a massive compilation of celestial and terrestrial omens used by priests and rulers (Brown, 2000).
Romans relied on augurs who read bird flight patterns to determine divine favor. This was standard practice before military or political action (Beard, North & Price, Religions of Rome, 1998).
In China, omens like eclipses and earthquakes were believed to reflect the emperor’s favor with heaven. The Mandate of Heaven was thought to be lost when nature turned against a ruler (Ebrey, The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996).
Celtic and Norse peoples saw birds, storms, and dreams as messages from the divine or the spirit world (Green, Animals in Celtic Life and Myth, 1992).
Animal Omens: Good, Bad, and In-Between
Animals have always carried symbolic weight. People noticed how they showed up at key moments, and meaning followed.
Bad Omen Animals
Crows and Ravens: Feared in many cultures due to their presence near battlefields and death, but revered in others. In Norse mythology, Odin’s ravens were wise, not evil (Lindow, Norse Mythology, 2001).
Black Cats: During the European witch hunts, black cats were seen as witches’ familiars. This link was promoted by the Church during the Inquisition (Barstow, Witchcraze, 1994).
Owls: In some cultures, their cry predicted death. In others, they were sacred and wise (Armstrong, The Folklore of Birds, 1970).
Bats: Associated with death and disease in the West but seen as symbols of good fortune in Chinese culture due to a phonetic pun—“bat” (fu) sounds like “luck” (fu) (Eberhard, A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols, 1986).
Good Omen Animals
Doves: Linked to peace and divine messages across Christianity and Greco-Roman myth.
Butterflies: Globally viewed as symbols of transformation and the soul—especially in Mexican and Japanese traditions (Leach, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, 1972).
Frogs: Sign of rain, fertility, and rebirth in ancient Egyptian and Native American traditions (Cooper, Symbolic and Mythological Animals, 1992).
Crickets: In Chinese folklore, keeping a cricket was a protective and lucky practice (Eberhard, 1986).
Black Cats (again): In ancient Egypt, black cats were sacred and linked to the goddess Bastet. Killing one was a grave crime (Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003).
More Omens from the Animal Kingdom
Owls: Sacred to Athena in Greece (wisdom), but death omens in Rome, Africa, and among some Native tribes.
Horses: White horses were prophetic in Celtic and Norse cultures; today, still seen as symbols of freedom.
Deer: White stags were signs of quests or divine presence in Celtic lore. Deer often symbolize spiritual gentleness.
Bees: Carriers of news from the spirit world in ancient Egypt and Greece. “Telling the bees” after death was an old European custom.
Foxes: Tricksters or magical guides in Japanese, European, and Native folklore.
Goats: Symbols of fertility in ancient paganism; demonized later in Christian iconography.
Toads: Seen as witches’ familiars in Europe, but positive omens of fertility in Africa.
Elephants: Revered in Hinduism as symbols of luck and protection.
Snails: Symbolize patience or spiritual progress; slow but persistent.
Lizards: Tied to dreamwork and transformation in Indigenous American and Australian cultures.
Moths: Often seen as messengers from the spirit world or signs of transition.
How Witches View Omens
In witchcraft—both historical and modern—omens are tools. They aren’t just spooky signs; they’re messages to be interpreted.
Crows and ravens are often respected as messengers between worlds or as spirit guides. In modern pagan and Wiccan traditions, they symbolize change, protection, or insight (Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, 1985).
The Morrigan, a Celtic goddess, often appears in crow form and is linked with fate and battle (Matthews, The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens, 2019).
Odin’s ravens, Huginn and Muninn, represent thought and memory, showing a long-standing connection between ravens and knowledge in magical systems (Lindow, 2001).
Many witches today interpret omens through personal intuition or spirit work—less rulebook, more relationship.
Black Hounds: Death, Power, and Thresholds
The black hound is one of folklore’s darkest and most powerful omens:
Black Shuck (England): A spectral dog said to bring death or warn of danger. Famous sighting in 1577 church attacks.
Barghest (Yorkshire): Foretells death, often howling before tragedy strikes.
Cŷn Annwn (Wales): Ghostly hounds tied to the Wild Hunt and the underworld.
Church Grims: Ghost dogs buried to guard graveyards. Protective but eerie.
Hellhounds (Mythology): Found across Christian, Greek, and Norse mythology. Dogs of the underworld—powerful, fearsome, symbolic of death’s border.
Omens Today
Even in a tech-driven world, people still look for signs. Athletes have rituals. People make wishes at 11:11. A dream before a big decision can feel like a push in one direction. Whether or not people call them “omens,” the instinct is the same: looking for meaning in the mess.
For some, omens are superstition. For others, they’re a kind of language—a way the universe speaks, if you know how to listen.
Final Thought
Omens have always helped people face the unknown. They’re not always literal, and they’re not always right—but they make uncertainty feel a little more manageable. Whether you see them as spiritual messages, ancient folklore, or just patterns your brain wants to find, they’ve shaped how humans understand the world.
Signs are everywhere. What matters is what you do with them.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Beard, Mary; North, John; Price, Simon. Religions of Rome, Vol. 1 (1998).
Brown, David. Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-Astrology (2000).
Eberhard, Wolfram. A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols (1986).
Green, Miranda. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth (1992).
Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs (2001).
Matthews, John & Caitlín. The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens (2019).
Wilkinson, Richard. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003).
Barstow, Anne. Witchcraze (1994).
Armstrong, Edward. The Folklore of Birds (1970).
Leach, Maria. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend (1972).
Cunningham, Scott. Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (1985).
Cooper, J.C. Symbolic and Mythological Animals (1992).
Ebrey, Patricia. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China (1996).
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