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
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Page 9
... word 'crow' is occasionally used broadly for all members of this avian family. It is often used more restrictively for members of the genus Corvus, also known as 'true crows',which includes ravens, rooks, and jackdaws. Finally, the term ...
... word 'crow' is occasionally used broadly for all members of this avian family. It is often used more restrictively for members of the genus Corvus, also known as 'true crows',which includes ravens, rooks, and jackdaws. Finally, the term ...
Page 17
... words that designate corvids generally derive from attempts to imitate their calls. One example is our word 'crow', which comes from the Anglo-Saxon crdwe. It is The arms of the Barons von Rindscheit, symbolizing perhaps the.
... words that designate corvids generally derive from attempts to imitate their calls. One example is our word 'crow', which comes from the Anglo-Saxon crdwe. It is The arms of the Barons von Rindscheit, symbolizing perhaps the.
Page 18
... word 'raven', which comes from the Old Norse hrafn. Etymologists trace that word further back to the prehistoric Germanic khraben, a pretty good transliteration of the raven's call. It is related to the Latin Corvus, the Old Irish crii ...
... word 'raven', which comes from the Old Norse hrafn. Etymologists trace that word further back to the prehistoric Germanic khraben, a pretty good transliteration of the raven's call. It is related to the Latin Corvus, the Old Irish crii ...
Page 19
... amuse themselves. In other words, crows are like very bright children in environments where intellectual accomplishments are neither encouraged nor appreciated.1 A fable traditionally attributed to the Greek sage Aesop, said 19.
... amuse themselves. In other words, crows are like very bright children in environments where intellectual accomplishments are neither encouraged nor appreciated.1 A fable traditionally attributed to the Greek sage Aesop, said 19.
Page 23
... words are heavy with significance. An English pamphlet of 1694 told that a raven in Herefordshire three times said, 'Look into Colossians, the third and fifteenth'.2 But it is the magpies and jays that are most renowned as chatterboxes ...
... words are heavy with significance. An English pamphlet of 1694 told that a raven in Herefordshire three times said, 'Look into Colossians, the third and fifteenth'.2 But it is the magpies and jays that are most renowned as chatterboxes ...
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