Minerva’s
Owl

Minerva’s owl can be seen carved into the stone pediment of the Roman Baths temple, which is on display at the Roman Baths Museum.

Romans, Goddesses and Owls

The Roman Baths Temple, built in the 1st century AD, was dedicated to the Roman goddess Minerva, whose animal symbol was the owl of wisdom. The temple was also dedicated to the local Celtic goddess Sulis. The Roman and Celtic goddesses were then combined to create the unique Bath goddess, Sulis Minerva. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, healing and the arts and was linked to the Ancient Greek goddess Athena, whose sacred animal was also an owl. The Minerva/Athena owl is thought to have been a Little Owl, one of the smallest and most charismatic of the species, still known by its Latin name, Athene Noctua. The Little Owl was introduced to Britain in the 1880s and can be found living around Bath and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Little Owls have decreased by over 60% in recent years. The UK Little Owl Project, which is based in Bath and will be one of the recipients of the Owls of Bath event, is working to protect them.

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Many owls have asymmetrical ears that vary in size and are at different heights on their heads. This allows them to better pinpoint where their prey is.

A Little Owl with an olive branch appeared on a Greek silver tetradrachm coin from 500 BC and a 5th Century BC bronze statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, shows her holding a Little Owl.

A group of owls is called a parliament.
(Of course, most owls are solitary!)

“It was with sheer delight that I rounded a corner on my first ever visit to … where they were filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and saw a line of big, grey, fluffy, bewildered-looking owls blinking back at me.” JK Rowling

My pet owl will soon turn 180.
He’s not old, he just has a bad neck. (Hoot!)

The Little Owl is one of the smallest owls. It was introduced to Britain from Europe in the 1880s to help control garden pests and can be found living in tree hollows around the Bath area.

There are around 200 species of owl.
The largest is Blakiston’s fish owl (Japan, China, Siberia)

Little Owls have decreased by 70% over the last 20 years. The UK Little Owl Project is working to protect them and is based in Bath.

In 2008 the King Bladud’s Pigs auction raised over £200,000 for charity and 16,000 pig fans came to say their ‘final farewells’.

For 2008’s King Bladud’s Pig trail 40,000 trail maps led pig fans on a city-wide journey of exploration.

The Little Owl has a large global range and is found in 84 countries (much of Europe, Asia east to Korea, North Africa, and the Middle East).

You can find Little Owls in a range of habitats including quarries, villages, orchards, parkland, liveries and on lowland farmland. They prefer semi-open habitat and avoid woodland. Read Emily’s Little Owl Spotter’s Guide here.

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