Askalaphos

… [Nobuo Takeshita]
[Mythology, Folklore]
Owls have long been associated with the image of "night birds" or "birds of death" due to their ecology. According to Greek mythology, Persephone was promised the return to earth if she abstained from eating anything in the underworld, but Askalaphos saw her eating a pomegranate and told her, which angered Persephone's mother Demeter, who transformed her into an owl. In the West, the bird was considered a vicious bird in ancient Egypt and many other regions, and it was believed that any house where the bird cried would be hit would be hit by a fatality.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Askalaphos" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…【竹下 信雄】
［神話，民俗］
　フクロウはその生態から古来〈夜の鳥〉あるいは〈死の鳥〉のイメージが強い。ギリシア神話によれば，冥府で何も食べずにいれば地上に戻れる約束になっていたペルセフォネがザクロの実を食べる姿をアスカラフォスAskalaphosが見て，それを告げ口したためペルセフォネの母のデメテルの怒りを買い，フクロウに変身させられたという。西洋では古代エジプトをはじめ多くの地方で凶鳥とみなされ，近くでこの鳥が鳴いた家には死者が出ると信じられた。…

※「Askalaphos」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報