David

“In the west, owls were often seen as a symbol of wisdom, but in Japan and China, they were considered wicked animals that would consume their own family or masters to grow stronger. It was such an ingrained idea that the kanji for “owl” (梟) could also be found in menacing compound kanji words. For example, the word for a person who rose to power through bloodshed was created by taking the word for “hero” (英, which means great. And 雄, which means strong. Together forming 英雄,) and replacing the “great” with “owl,” creating 梟雄. Or that was what my grandpa told me, at least. As I watched the clash between the two Gollems, I was strongly reminded of that little fact. Gien had betrayed his own homeland in his thirst for power, much like the owls of my homeland’s legend. Apparently, the compound kanji for a decapitated criminal’s head on display was made by adding the “owl” kanji to the front of the kanji for “neck” or “head” (首), creating 梟首. It was based on the idea of nailing the bird’s corpse to a tree, so all could see its crimes.”
― Patora Fuyuhara, In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 16