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 2
Boria Sax. Animal Series editor : Jonathan Burt Already published Ant Charlotte Sleigh Tortoise Peter Young Cockroach Marion Copeland Forthcoming Wolf Garry Marvin Bear Robert E. Bieder Horse Sarah Wintle Falcon Helen Macdonald Parrot ...
Boria Sax. Animal Series editor : Jonathan Burt Already published Ant Charlotte Sleigh Tortoise Peter Young Cockroach Marion Copeland Forthcoming Wolf Garry Marvin Bear Robert E. Bieder Horse Sarah Wintle Falcon Helen Macdonald Parrot ...
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... in China British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Sax , Boria Crow . - ( Animal ) 1. Crows 2. Animals and civilization I. Title 598.8164 ISBN 1 86189 194 6 Contents Introduction 7 1 Mesopotamia 31 2 Egypt , Greece.
... in China British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Sax , Boria Crow . - ( Animal ) 1. Crows 2. Animals and civilization I. Title 598.8164 ISBN 1 86189 194 6 Contents Introduction 7 1 Mesopotamia 31 2 Egypt , Greece.
Page 8
... And what is a crow ? No image of an animal is simpler , more iconic , and more unmistakable . We think of a silhouette of out- stretched wings , a slouched head , and an extended tail against the white of a winter sky . Such , at. 8.
... And what is a crow ? No image of an animal is simpler , more iconic , and more unmistakable . We think of a silhouette of out- stretched wings , a slouched head , and an extended tail against the white of a winter sky . Such , at. 8.
Page 9
... animal behaviour , myth , legend and the visual arts . If it occasionally seems , for example , hard to believe that the poets and scientists are talking about the same thing , we can think of the famous story from the Hindu Udana known ...
... animal behaviour , myth , legend and the visual arts . If it occasionally seems , for example , hard to believe that the poets and scientists are talking about the same thing , we can think of the famous story from the Hindu Udana known ...
Page 13
... A jay from a 19th - century book of natural history . This bird is known for its ability to mimic the voices of other animals , from crickets to humans . # WAO - N the Mediterranean , Eastern Europe and Central Asia , while. 13.
... A jay from a 19th - century book of natural history . This bird is known for its ability to mimic the voices of other animals , from crickets to humans . # WAO - N the Mediterranean , Eastern Europe and Central Asia , while. 13.
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 |
164 | |
Bibliography | 168 |
Websites | 175 |
Associations | 177 |
Acknowledgements | 178 |
Photo Acknowledgements | 179 |
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 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 J. J. Grandville jackdaw Jacob de Voragine killed king legend live London Lorenz magpie medieval Middle Ages myths Native Americans natural history nests nineteenth century Noah numbers O'Casey Odin painted pecking perched perhaps poem popular probably prophet raven or crow Roman rooks scarecrow scaring scientists Seton shows Silverspot sometimes story symbol tale tell told traditions tree twentieth century wings wolves wrote young
Popular passages
Page 29 - One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a wedding, Four for a birth.