CrowThough not generally perceived as graceful, crows are remarkably so—a single curve undulates from the tip of the bird’s beak to the end of its tail. They take flight almost without effort, flapping their wings easily and ascending into the air like spirits. Crow by Boria Sax is a celebration of the crow and its relatives in myth, literature, and life. Sax takes readers into the history of crows, detailing how in a range of cultures, from the Chinese to the Hopi Indians, crows are bearers of prophecy. For example, thanks in part to the birds’ courtship rituals, Greeks invoked crows as symbols of conjugal love. From the raven sent out by Noah to the corvid deities of the Eskimo, from Taoist legends to Victorian novels and contemporary films, Sax’s book ranges across history and culture and will interest anyone who has ever been intrigued, puzzled, annoyed, or charmed by these wonderfully intelligent birds. |
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Page 7
... several days. The jumps turned into flights, and these gradually became longer. After about a week, I passed one day to see the crow was no longer there. Two carrion crows in a French photogravure of 1907. Artists Introduction.
... several days. The jumps turned into flights, and these gradually became longer. After about a week, I passed one day to see the crow was no longer there. Two carrion crows in a French photogravure of 1907. Artists Introduction.
Page 34
... became a dereliction of duty. Jewish, and much of Christian, tradition holds that animals did not eat meat until after the Flood, since they would otherwise not have been able to live together in the ark. The raven, as a bird of prey ...
... became a dereliction of duty. Jewish, and much of Christian, tradition holds that animals did not eat meat until after the Flood, since they would otherwise not have been able to live together in the ark. The raven, as a bird of prey ...
Page 44
... became the mistress of Apollo. According to the version of her story told by Appolodorus, Coronis, as she was called, made love to Apollo but married a young man named Ischys. The crow, which was then white, brought the news of the ...
... became the mistress of Apollo. According to the version of her story told by Appolodorus, Coronis, as she was called, made love to Apollo but married a young man named Ischys. The crow, which was then white, brought the news of the ...
Page 46
... became infatuated with her, but she refused his advances. When the god began to pursue her, the maiden prayed to Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena. Suddenly the girl found herself soaring above the earth, for the goddess had ...
... became infatuated with her, but she refused his advances. When the god began to pursue her, the maiden prayed to Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena. Suddenly the girl found herself soaring above the earth, for the goddess had ...
Page 48
... became increasingly a matter of intricate rules. In the The Comedy of Asses by the Roman dramatist Plautus, written in the third century BC, a man faced with a difficult decision observed 'I've got my auspices, my auguries: the birds ...
... became increasingly a matter of intricate rules. In the The Comedy of Asses by the Roman dramatist Plautus, written in the third century BC, a man faced with a difficult decision observed 'I've got my auspices, my auguries: the birds ...
Contents
31 | |
38 | |
The European Middle Ages and Renaissance | 55 |
Asia | 80 |
Native American Culture | 90 |
The Romantic Era | 102 |
Lord of the Crows | 128 |
The Twentieth Century and Beyond | 144 |
References | 164 |
Bibliography | 168 |
Websites | 175 |
Associations | 177 |
Acknowledgements | 178 |
Photo Acknowledgements | 179 |
Index | 180 |
Timeline | 162 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ages and Renaissance American crow animals Apollo appear archaic associated Athena Badbh battle beak became behaviour birds body carrion crow Celtic Celts colour common raven corone corvids creatures crow Corvus crow or raven crows and ravens culture dead death deity divination Emperor Ernest Thompson Seton especially Europe fable farmers feathers fields flew genus Corvus Ghost Dance goddess Gogh Greek Grimm brothers heaven hero hooded crow Horapollo human illustration Indians Inuit Irish jackdaw Jacob de Voragine killed king legend literature live Lorenz magpie medieval Middle Ages myths Native Americans nests nineteenth century Noah numbers O'Casey Odin painted pecking perched perhaps poem popular probably prophet raven or crow Roman rooks scarecrow scaring scientists Sean O'Casey Seton shows Silverspot sometimes story symbol tale tell told traditions tree twentieth century wings wolves word wrote young