The Owl Who Sees in the Dark

An old Dogon elder, a Hogon (spiritual leader), was nearing the end of his life. He gathered the young men of the village and asked them, "Which animal is the wisest?" One man said, "The Lion, for his strength." Another said, "The Elephant, for his memory." A third said, "The Serpent, for he is the ancestor." The Hogon shook his head. "No," he said. "The wisest is the Owl." The young men were confused. "Why the Owl? He does nothing but sit in a tree." The Hogon replied, "The Owl sits in silence while you are all talking. He stays awake while you are all sleeping. He sees things in the deep darkness that your eyes cannot penetrate. The Lion's strength is useless in the dark. The Elephant's memory is only of the past. But the Owl sees what is hidden in the present. True wisdom is not about what you say or what you have done, but about what you are able to see when everyone else is blind." In Dogon thought, darkness is not empty but is full of spirits and hidden truths, making the Owl a symbol of the diviner who can perceive these unseen realities.