In a Welsh legend
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, because of a curse, could not have a wife of
this world, so the wizard Gwydion made him a wife of flowers.
The broom, the meadowsweet and the oak blossom he used to
fashion a beautiful woman. He called her Blodeuwedd (flower
face) but alas she was fickle. She conspired with her lover
Gronw to kill Lleu Llaw Gyffes. She did not succeed but as
punishment Gwydion turned her into an owl, because she was
afraid of the darkness. Read the whole story here
(ref: "The
Mabinogian" )
To this day in
Wales owls are often called blodeuwedd. Another Welsh word for
owl is "gwenhwyfar" which echoes the name of King
Arthur's unfaithful wife Guinevere.
In the
tradition of homeopathic magic I think of this necklace as a
charm against unfaithfulness.
Owls, of
course, are also Athene's favorite and thus a symbol of
wisdom.
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This piece
is strung with onyx and pear, but is also available with a
silver chain
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