LARK

 The lark is a very popular animal, appearing in literature, song, mythology, and even religion.  Though we write of the lark very often, the only true North American lark is the horned lark, which is named for its black stripes beneath its eyes.  The meadowlark also inhabits North America, though technically, the meadowlark is more closely related to the starling.  This doesn’t stop us from relating the meadowlark to the true lark, however.

Larks are known for their melodious singing.  They also sing while they are flying, unlike most other birds, who only sing when perched.  This indicates cheerfulness and reminds us to find joy in our own lives.  Larks are also very good mimics of other birds’ songs.  Perhaps this tunefulness is the reason that larks are messengers in religion and mythology.  In Lakota/Dakota myth, larks were the messengers of the god Itokaga (Okaga).  Itokaga was the representation of the south wind.  South is the direction of the sun and the bringer of warmth, light, and life.  Therefore the meadowlark is associated with all of these things, in addition to women’s medicine, which encompasses beauty, fidelity, happy marriage, and fertility.  Seeing a meadowlark is good news for the viewer, because the lark brings abundance and impending harvest.
Larks have a crescent shape across their breasts.  The crescent shape often signifies lunar qualities, and the moon is often linked with the concept of self.  Therefore the lark reflects the inward journey that’s often associated with self-discovery.  This goes hand in hand with their singing, something that, for humans, is often considered a private activity and a deep reflection of inner self.  Lark encourages us to explore our inner selves and sing out loud.

NIGHTINGALE

The nightingale is an important symbol for poets from a variety of ages, and has taken on a number of symbolic connotations. Homer evokes the Nightingale in the Odyssey, suggesting the myth of Philomela and Procne (one of whom, depending on the myth's version, is turned into a nightingale ). This myth is the focus of Sophocles' tragedy, Tereus, of which only fragments remain. Ovid, too, in his Metamorphoses, includes the most popular version of this myth, imitated and altered by later poets, including Chrétien de Troyes, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, andGeorge Gascoigne. T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" also evokes the Nightingale's song (and the myth of Philomela and Procne). Because of the violence associated with the myth, the nightingale's song was long interpreted as a lament. During the Romantic era the bird's symbolism changed once more: poets viewed the nightingale not only as a poet in his own right, but as “master of a superior art that could inspire the human poet”. For some romantic poets, the nightingale even began to take on qualities of the muse. Coleridge and Wordsworth saw the nightingale more as an instance of natural poetic creation: the nightingale became a voice of nature. 

OWL

Through pop culture references, like Winnie the Pooh, and through folklore, we all associate owls with wisdom at some time or other.  Rather than intellectual wisdom, though, owls are connected with the wisdom of the soul.  However, there are other qualities that owl has.  Owls are often seen as mysterious, mostly because many owls are strictly nocturnal and humans have always found night to be full of mystery and the unknown.  Owls live within the darkness, which includes magic, mystery, and ancient knowledge.  Related to the night is the moon, which owls are also connected to.  It becomes a symbol of the feminine and fertility, with the moon’s cycles of renewal.