The All Father

And the first of the Bearded Kings called upon the All Father;  he came to them upon the wings of a large, white bird with piercing eyes, an Aust in the dwarven tongue, translated in the Vulgate as, Owl. Alighting upon a tree before them, the Aust watched over the dwarves a great while. He then took a form more familiar to the Bearded Kings so that he could teach them the knowledge for which they yearned.

Ever after the Dwarves of Aihrde looked to the Aust as a holy bird and when it struck them to honor the All Father in form, more often than not, it was in the form of a white owl.