Owl Yokai

**Owl Yokai** are a variation of Bird Yokai who are known for making no sound and their high intelligence.

## Physical Appearance

There are two forms of the Owl Yokai. One form is their anthropomorphic version of their Surface World counterparts. They're covered in feathers with the exception of their faces, arms and legs. They have sharp talons and an owl-like beak.

Owl Harpies has the body of a human and the wings and talons of an owl. Their arms and hangs are replaced with owl wings. Their hair is pointed outwards to resemble the way owl tufts are pointed outwards.

## Description

Owl Yokai are one of the most intelligent species in the Hidden World. They're very knowledgeable in all things mystic. They know the species of other yokai, the Yokai wilderness animals, herbs, plants, etc. They often work as librarians, bookeepers, teachers, scientists, professors, etc. Owl Harpy Yokai are one of the variants of the Harpy Yokai Family. These type of yokai have traits of the owl. Both forms are nocturnal as they both come to the Surface World during the night to hunt for their prey.

## Abilities

Here are the abilities that Owl Yokai can have in their arsenal:

* 360-Degree Neck Rotation: Limited to 270-degrees angle
* Avian Physiology
	+ Aerial Adaptation
	+ Atmospheric Adaptation
	+ Beak Protrusion
	+ Claw Retraction
	+ Enhanced Agility
	+ Enhanced Balance
	+ Enhanced Endurance
	+ Enhanced Lung Capacity
	+ Enhanced Senses
		- Enhanced Hearing
		- Enhanced Vision
	+ Enhanced Reflexes
	+ Hollow Skeleton
	+ Wing Manifestation/Flight
* Blindsight
* Camouflage
* Darkness Adaptation
	+ Echolocation
	+ Night Vision
* Inaudibility

### Variations

* **Strigidae Physiology (True or or Typical owls)**:
	+ **Megascops Physiology (screech owls)**:
	+ **Bubo Physiology (horned owls and eagle-owls)**: Environmental Adaptation
	+ **Strix Physiology (earless/wood owls)**:
	+ **Asio Physiology (eared owls)**: Environmental Adaptation
* **Tytonidae Physiology (barn-owls)**: Environmental Adaptation

### Associations

Owl is associated with great number of mystical and supernatural abilities and connections in mythology and folklore, thus user with this power may have access to: Afterlife Transport, Clairvoyance up to Nigh Omniscience, Curse Inducement, Darkness Manipulation, Death Inducement, Death Sense, Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Intelligence, Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Wisdom, Fear Inducement, Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Thievery, Magic, Sonic Scream

* *Snowy Owl*: Arctic Adaptation, Air Manipulation, Freezing

## Pop Culture

Folklore surrounding the Barn Owl is better recorded than for most other Owls. In English literature the Barn Owl had a sinister reputation probably because it was a bird of darkness, and darkness was always associated with death. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the poets Robert Blair and William Wordsworth used the Barn Owl as their favourite "bird of doom." During that same period many people believed that the screech or call of an Owl flying past the window of a sick person meant imminent death. The Barn Owl has also been used to predict the weather by people in England. A screeching Owl meant cold weather or a storm was coming. If heard during foul weather a change in the weather was at hand. The Custom of nailing an Owl to a barn door to ward off evil and lightning persisted into the 19th century.

Another traditional English belief was that if you walked around an Owl in a tree, it would turn and turn its head to watch you until it wrung its own neck. Among early English folk cures, alcoholism was treated with Owl egg. The imbiber was prescribed raw eggs and a child given this treatment was thought to gain lifetime protection against drunkenness. Owls' eggs, cooked until they turned into ashes, were also used as a potion to improve eyesight. Owl Broth was given to children suffering from Whooping-cough. Odo of Cheriton, a Kentish preacher the 12th Century has this explanation of why the Owl is nocturnal: The Owl had stolen the rose, which was a prize awarded for beauty, and the other birds punished it by allowing it to come out only at night. In parts of northern England it is good luck to see an Owl.

## Variations

### Bird Yokai

Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.

### Raptor Yokai

Owls are also part of the Raptor family as they hunt for their prey like other raptor species such as eagles and hawks.

### Strix Yokai

Strix is the earliest and least known form, aside of being able to turn into owls and being omens of bad luck there isn't much more known about them.

### Harpy Yokai

**Owl Harpies** are an owl-like harpy subspecies. Due to being a nocturnal species, Owl harpies have excellent night vision. They also become more active after sunset and seem to be much more intelligent than their airheaded cousins.

## Life in the Hidden World

Owl Yokai can move around without making a single sound. They use this to their advantage when they're hunting for their prey during the night. Their eyes are well-adapted to the darkness. But during the day, they would often wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun. Many humans have referred to Owl Yokai as "Silent Killers" because of their silence while flying and their predatory nature. Some owls have been trained in Ninjutsu or other martial arts. Some have worked as assassins and bounty hunters. Even working as spies in some cases.

## Symbolism

Owls represent wisdom, knowledge, change, transformation, intuitive development, and trusting the mystery. They are tied to the spiritual symbolism of “death” which brings about new beginnings with a higher understanding and evolved perspective. Owls can show up when you are being asked to listen to your intuition.