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 34
Page 10
... tale is generally told to illustrate how different creeds, though apparently opposed to one another, may all be parts of a single truth. Of course, we are not talking about creeds here but about cultural perspectives. The 'blind men ...
... tale is generally told to illustrate how different creeds, though apparently opposed to one another, may all be parts of a single truth. Of course, we are not talking about creeds here but about cultural perspectives. The 'blind men ...
Page 17
... tales, we must be able to lay aside some of the knowledge that we have acquired. When writing about mythology, one cannot always use the language of science. Crows are found less in the grandly systematized mythologies of Europe and ...
... tales, we must be able to lay aside some of the knowledge that we have acquired. When writing about mythology, one cannot always use the language of science. Crows are found less in the grandly systematized mythologies of Europe and ...
Page 22
... tales about crows shows how the birds have a way of surprising people. Researchers consider linguistic facility an important indication of intelligence. According to one study, 23 distinct calls of American crows, things such as calls ...
... tales about crows shows how the birds have a way of surprising people. Researchers consider linguistic facility an important indication of intelligence. According to one study, 23 distinct calls of American crows, things such as calls ...
Page 24
... their wings and make their tales quiver, and their sexual relationships are monogamous. Ancient Egyptians thought of crows as models of domestic harmony. 'The Rook' (Corvus frugilegus), an illustration by Jann Sepp of. 24.
... their wings and make their tales quiver, and their sexual relationships are monogamous. Ancient Egyptians thought of crows as models of domestic harmony. 'The Rook' (Corvus frugilegus), an illustration by Jann Sepp of. 24.
Page 27
... tale from Somalia told how the birds held an assembly to decide how the food in the world would be divided up. The clever raven proposed that all birds larger than he should eat flesh, while smaller birds should eat plants. The ...
... tale from Somalia told how the birds held an assembly to decide how the food in the world would be divided up. The clever raven proposed that all birds larger than he should eat flesh, while smaller birds should eat plants. The ...
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