Owls As Motion Power Spirits (Thu Powers) for Kate/Hekate

Irish Barn Owl

Irish Barn Owl

(July 3, 2022, Updated September 15, 2024) Its white color would have associated it with the feminine motion source power of Selu/Seline who represented the celestial light of the stars, planets, and moon as well as the inner spark of life. Motion powers were thought to originate in both the heavens and in inner emotions. Being an owl also associates it with the masculine dark new moon god of Su. His emotional correspondence was with the pupil of the eye, the "gateway to the soul."
Notice that is muscular legs forms a groove which is often replicated in the Neolithic owl art.
Knowth Owl

Close-Up of Knowth Owl

(July 3, 2022, Updated September 15, 2024) Passage tombs represented caves and the dark under-dome where dead spirits were thought to reside until their reincarnation. They were the domain of Kate/Hekate who was the Druid feminine life source power. Owls were one of her spirit aids who added motion to her life powers. Consequently, owls were a harbinger of change involving life and death.
Photo from World Heritage Irelandhttps://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/knowth/
Knowth Owl Guarding Tomb Passage

Owl Guarding Knowth Tomb Passage


(July 3, 2022, Updated September 15, 2024) Inner passage from Knowth which is a prehistoric monument overlooking the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland. It comprises a large passage tomb surrounded by 17 smaller tombs, built during the Neolithic era around 3200 BC.
Photo from World Heritage Irelandhttps://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/knowth/
Knowth Kerbstone 5 which has a spiral representing a deity flanked by symbols representing owls
Knowth Kerbstone 5 which possibly represents owl eyes.
https://www.knowth.com/images.htm

Newgrange Owl Eyes?

(July 4, 2022) Close knowth is the passage tomb of Newgrange. Its main mound was built around 3000 BCE. Newgrange has two passages with entrances on opposite sides. The western passage is 34 meters long and the eastern passage is 40 meters long.

Minoan workshop tag found in quarter M3. Sign assignments by Olmsted (Image from foldout 3 of Goldart and Poursat 1978)

References

Godart, L. and Poursat, J-C (1978) Malia. Le Quartier Mu 1. Introduction générale par J.-Cl. Poursat. Écriture hiéroglyphique crétoise par L. Godart et J.-P. Olivier. Études crétoises, 23, 1978 - 2021 École Française d'Athènes. Online at: https://cefael.efa.gr/detail.php?site_id=1&actionID=page&serie_id=EtCret&volume_number=23&ce=oatbaqmb7gsvpv7saktgh9sd9dd7b3sr&sp=230

Minoan Malia Shipping Tag 319 for Items Aiding the Magic Crafters - 1700 BCE

(August 13, 2022) These runic letters are in the Minoan Linear A style. These are read point to flat. 

Tag 319A Translation into Akkadian (Minoan Text 1.4.3)

(Read right to left. Capital letters on object while small letters are inferred inner vowels.)
  1. Pu AKu

Into English

  1. For opening with emotion-owls

Emotion owls are the magic crafter familiars.  

________________

Tag 319B Translation into Akkadian (Minoan Text 1.4.4)

(Read right to left. Capital letters on object while small letters are inferred inner vowels.)
  1. Tu IṢu

Into English

  1.  Astrology-magic can be scarce.
(Med Text 34.1) This rare coin is one of the earliest Athenian owl coins in existence dating to right around 512 BCE. This coin is early because its text is written in the typical Druid Akkadian direction of right to left instead of the Greek left to right.  Its letters are A'E meaning "emotion-powers" which came to be called "Awen" in northern Europe. Photo originally from: Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XX, Lot 104. www.romanumismatics.com
(Med Text 34.2) This is another rare and early Athenian owl coin type.   This style of coin was only minted in Athens between 510-500/490 BCE and is called the Tetradrachm (22mm, 17.16 g). It actually replaces the letter ayin (' ) shown on all other coin versions with the letter teth/ theta (Ṭ) forming the letters AṬE which means "Those Thu powers." This word forms the word known in Greek as Athene or Athena, the patron deity of Athens.   Tetradrachm (22mm, 17.16 grams). Picture online at: https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=6823&lot=106
(Med Text 34.1) A slightly later version of the Athenian owl coin which ended up being minted all around the eastern Mediterranean. Photo originally from: Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XX, Lot 104. www.romanumismatics.com
Athenian coins
Athenian coins
These are slightly later versions of the Athenian owl coin which ended up being minted all around the eastern Mediterranean. Top photo originally from: Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XX, Lot 104. www.romanumismatics.com 
Other photos from NG coins at: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/2245/Ancients-Owls-Through-the-Years---A-Look-at-the-Evolution-of-Athenian-Tetradrachms/
owl at the Acropolis museum in Athens
Bottom photo shows the owl at the Acropolis museum in Athens (Olmsted photo 2019)

Athenian Owls Represented the "Powers of Thu" (Athena)

(July 3, 2022, Updated September 15, 2024)   

Top image shows the archaic era Athenian coin which first appeared around 512 BCE. These coins were characterized by their thick, compact planchets. They were introduced by the Athenian king Hippias and supported by a seemingly limitless supply of silver from the newly discovered silver mines at nearby Laurium. Notice the olive branch behind the owl which was the source of Athens' prosperity prior to its silver mine. 

In ancient Druid culture owls were a motion power spirits which foreshadowed change in life, usually by affecting the flow of fertility-fluids through the life network which triggers the creation of life. Because motion powers had 2 sources, astrological and emotional, the owls came in 2 varieties as well. The Aku owls were the emotion owls while the Hu'u owls were the astrological owls. 

Beside the owl on these coins is the runic text having the letters AṬE (Aleph, Teth, He). This phrase means "This Thu-power makes things ineffective."  (See the "New Style Tetradrachm" section below for translation justification.)

The lower image shows the classical era Athenian coin minted after 450 BCE. This coin better shows the letters.  Notice the addition of the crescent moon behind the owl on this later coin indicating that the control of the owl was also being affected by the crescent moon life-power goddess Ayu.

The other side of the coin shows a goddess usually interpreted as the the goddess Athena but this is really an image of the Druid hermaphrodite deity Thu. The word "Athene/Athena" means "those Thu powers."

References

Olmsted, D.D. (January 14, 2021) Translation of Calf-Bearer Text from Pre-Parthenon Athens in Alphabetic Akkadian References Drought (499 BCE). Humanities Commons Permanent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/00gp-tm8 Online at: https://www.academia.edu/44902458/Translation_of_Calf_Bearer_Text_from_Pre_Parthenon_Athens_in_Alphabetic_Akkadian_References_Drought_499_BCE
Olmsted, D.D (January 1, 2022) Mediterranean Akkadian Lexicon 3rd Edition – 2022. DOI Permanent URL:   http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/nbb6-wg16. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/66851810/Mediterranean_Akkadian_Lexicon_3rd_Edition_2022

(September 15, 2024) Close-up of the hermaphrodite deity Thu on the Etruscan tomb of Orcus (490 BCE) which was also made during the drought years. Notice the similarities of hair style with the goddess Athena on the coins. Athena also had male characteristics as she was often shown wearing armor. Finally the two are linguistically connected with "Athena" meaning "Those Thu powers."

The right label reads (right to left): 

The left label reads (right to left):

A good introducltion to the Athenian owl coins. Just look past their lack of linguistic expertise and resultant lack of knowledge about the ancient world.

Image from Coinweek (May 4, 2022) This image shows an owl standing on a tipped pottery vessel used to store liquids. The the right of the owl and in the background is a lion representing the life powers of the sun god Hu and the form manifestation god Yahu. Having the owl in the foreground indicates the life powers have been superseded (made ineffective) by the motion powers represented by the owl.
https://coinweek.com/ancient-coin-profiles-greece-athenian-new-style-tetradrachm/

Head shows the Hermaphrodite deity  of Thu which became known as Athena.

New Style Tetradrachm (164-42 BCE)

(October 4, 2024) This style of coin is called the New Style Tetradrachm. It's longer text provides clarification as to the meaning of the short text on most Athenian tetradrachms. The New Style Athenian tetradrachm was produced from approximately 164 BCE to about 42 BCE during the first 120 years after Rome conquered Greece. This seems to be why clarification of the text meaning was needed.

This text and image makes clear that the image is intended to convey the idea that motion powers are superior to life powers. While the life powers can change the inter-connections of the life network which distributes the life triggering fertility-fluids (nourishments) to earth, the motion powers cause the fertility fluids to flow in the first place. This is not the only text which exists on these coins. Others can have similar but slightly different texts.

Translation into Akkadian (Med Text 63)

(Read left to right. Capital letters on object while small letters are inferred inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold)
  1. A     Ṭu E
  2. Lu ZaRu     Lu Ya'u
  3. A Ṭu E   (letter ayin is dual use at this time and is an /a/ when it begins a word)
  4. Lu Ya'u
  5. KaLu E
  6. Bu
  7. Mu E

Into English

  1. This        Thu-power makes things ineffective.
  2. The lack of distribution          is caused by the lack of Yahu.
  3. This Thu-power can make things ineffective
  4. causing a lack of Yahu.
  5. The constraints can be made ineffective.
  6. Nourishments (label on the tipped jug)
  7. The fertility-fluids can be ineffective.

The Gezer tablet (mistakenly called the Gezer Calendar) is now on display at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.  It was found in September 1908 during the first archaeological dig at Gezer by R.A.S. Macalister who could not give it any archaeological date. It is read from right to left. The red letter assignments were added by Olmsted. Photo by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Gezer_Calendar_tablet,_early_iron_age,_10th_century_BCE,_Museum_of_Archaeology,_Istanbul,_Turkey.jpg

Gezer Tablet's  Students Talk-About Astrological Powers and Owls (840 BCE)

(May 14, 2023) Put some Israelites and Philistines together in a room discussing the cause of a drought and this is the result. Slightly different line by line letter styles indicates many lines were written by different people. The themes of these lines can be classified as either Israelite or Phoenician.  Phoenician texts are always supportive of magical motion powers and so blame droughts on the life powers. This is in contrast to the Israelites who were anti-magic and instead always supportive of the life powers. The middle of the road position was that of the Aegeans/Philistines who supported both but were against mixing them inappropriately.

Translation in Akkadian (Levant Text 2)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Samll letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold)
  1. IRu ḪaNu ASu Pu. IRu ḪaWȗ
  2. Re'u Gi IRu. Ḫu KaLu Qu Ṣu. 
  3. IRu Ḫ’u Ša. Du Lu NaTu. 
  4. IRu ḪaQu Ša. Ru IṢu Pu. 
  5. IRu ḪaQu Ša. Ru U Tu Gi Mu. 
  6. IRu ḪaWȗ Zu MuRu. 
  7. IRu ḪaQu Ša. 

In English

  1. (Israelite Person 1) Astrological-powers are intimidating the Healer's (sun god Hu) openings. Astrological-power's are howling.
  2. (Israelite Person 1) The shepherds (magic crafters) are energizing the astrological-powers. Hu is restraining the thread's activity.
  3. (Aegean/Philistine Person 2) Astrological-powers are similar to astrological-owls. Life-manifestations are lacking motion-revelations.
  4. (Aegean/Philistine Person 3) Astrological-powers are similar to a mixture. Eagle-Vultures are making scarce the Openings.
  5. (Aegean/Philistine Person 4) Astrological-powers are similar to a mixture. Eagle-Vultures and magic are energizing the fertility-fluids
  6. (Israelite Person 5) Astrological-power's are howling for the emanation of the rainstorms.
  7. (Aegean Person 6) Astrological-powers are similar to a mixture.