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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 9
Page 13
... common raven (Corvus corax), the rook (Corvus frugilegus) and the jackdaw (Corvus monedula). All these birds have extensive ranges, and complex relationships with human beings. The carrion crow is almost entirely black, though its ...
... common raven (Corvus corax), the rook (Corvus frugilegus) and the jackdaw (Corvus monedula). All these birds have extensive ranges, and complex relationships with human beings. The carrion crow is almost entirely black, though its ...
Page 14
... common raven is, despite its name, not often sighted, but it has an enormous range. It lives throughout most of the northern hemisphere and north of the Sahara in Africa. It is substantially larger than other crows, with a length of ...
... common raven is, despite its name, not often sighted, but it has an enormous range. It lives throughout most of the northern hemisphere and north of the Sahara in Africa. It is substantially larger than other crows, with a length of ...
Page 19
... common raven, it is about 1.3 per cent, though those birds have, at 12-17 grams, the heaviest brains of any birds in absolute terms. 'Intelligence' is a concept with a mythic resonance in contemporary society. Everybody agrees that it ...
... common raven, it is about 1.3 per cent, though those birds have, at 12-17 grams, the heaviest brains of any birds in absolute terms. 'Intelligence' is a concept with a mythic resonance in contemporary society. Everybody agrees that it ...
Page 27
... common with humans is a love of shiny objects. Smaller corvids, such as magpies and jackdaws, are especially ... raven proposed that all birds larger than he should eat flesh, while smaller birds should eat plants. The proposition was ...
... common with humans is a love of shiny objects. Smaller corvids, such as magpies and jackdaws, are especially ... raven proposed that all birds larger than he should eat flesh, while smaller birds should eat plants. The proposition was ...
Page 33
... common practice among mariners in the ancient world, used to determine the ... raven, which ate, preened itself, and did not turn back. Then Ut-napishtim ... raven, but it circled back and forth and did not bring back news of land. Then ...
... common practice among mariners in the ancient world, used to determine the ... raven, which ate, preened itself, and did not turn back. Then Ut-napishtim ... raven, but it circled back and forth and did not bring back news of land. Then ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
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