![\"\"](\"https:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/owls_eyes_by_darklikevader1_dg44pwb-pre.jpg\")
<\/a>- \n
- A dog howling, especially pitifully, was a sign that someone would die, either in the same house or in the barrio. Sometimes the dog would howl one night, or sometimes two to three nights. Sometimes it would bark instead of howl. But, whatever the details, dogs were thought to have a preternatural ability to sense death. At times, dogs would howl upon the death of their masters. They might also \u201cannounce\u201d the death of their master by lying at the foot of the bed or scratching at the sick person\u2019s door.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If a rooster crowed at night, particularly between sunset and midnight or any off-normal time of day, that was also a sign of impending death, or of some other bad tidings. If the rooster was sacrificed or sold, that might ward off the bad omen. Similarly, throwing a handful of salt into the fire might also prevent whatever bad thing from happening. If a hen crowed like a rooster, that was also taken as a sign of imminent death.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Another sign that death was coming was restless livestock. If the animals behaved strangely, it meant that either death or bad weather was coming. For example, a cow mooing all night presaged the death of one man.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cats also foretold death, either by meowing all day or attacking people that came close.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Birds, particularly owls, were also heralds of death. If an owl landed on the windowsill or in a nearby tree, singing its customary song, someone would die. If the owl\u2019s song was heard three times, death would be instantaneous. Even the presence of the owl was feared. If an owl approached the house, it was believed someone would die. Corvids \u2013 crows, magpies, kites \u2013 were similar harbingers of death. If either bird cawed or flew to one\u2019s left, death was coming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If a swallow built a nest and a family member destroyed it, someone in the family would either fall sick or even die.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If a dove flew around a house and stopped on the windowsill, a good person would die. On the other hand, gales announced that a bad-hearted person would die.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Finally, insects also foretold death, particularly black botflies and black butterflies. If one was seen inside the house, someone in the house would die. Black bees were also omens of misfortune. If the queen and the hive died, so would someone within the house.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n