Crow

Front Cover
Reaktion Books, Apr 4, 2004 - Nature - 184 pages
Though 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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Contents

Mesopotamia
31
Egypt Greece and Rome
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
Copyright

Timeline
162

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About the author (2004)

Boria Sax teaches at Sing Sing prison and online for the graduate program in literature at Mercy College. He is the author of many books, including Imaginary Animals, also published by Reaktion Books.

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