The Owl Man

Hoot hoot.

The Owl Man, most people call him. I’ve heard him referred to by a handful of other titles: The Lord of Lost Souls, the King of the Dead, Corpse-Collector, Judge of the Departed. Sometimes the Hooded One, for those who’re afraid to be more specific. No matter what you call him, the Owl Man’s always got something to do with death and the afterlife.

The legends about him are just as numerous as his names. Some say he was a bloodthirsty warrior in life, not only cutting down men by the score on the battlefield but gleefully putting the torch to the innocent as well. Women, children, the old and sick, none were spared.

As punishment for his sins, the gods forced him to wear a cursed mask shaped like the face of an owl. The mask rendered him neither living nor dead, but something trapped in between the worlds. He now guards the gates to the lands of the dead, safeguarding the souls he may never join. Graveyards, tombs and all other places of burial fall under his purview as well. Any graverobber unfortunate to meet him is sure to also meet a swift end.

Another story tells that he was never one man, but the manifestation of all those who never received a proper burial. Those who drowned or died somewhere deep in the woods are part of him, as are those who were murdered. He appears as a hooded traveler, and is said to usually guide those lost in the wilderness to safety.

I say ‘usually’ because a few that follow his lantern are instead led to their death. Over a cliff or into a lake perhaps. Those who die in this way become part of him, joining the mass of souls that make the Owl Man up.