If you have a bird feeder, they are likely seen as feeder thieves.Those clever, persistent birds empty your feeder in minutes, scare away songbirds and leave your feeder camera filled with blurry black shadows instead of beautiful golden finches, purple finches, or blue jays.They are noisy, sometimes aggressive. They are even known to gather in groups to mob other birds, even those much bigger than crows.

Mythology is the collection of ancient, sacred stories that explain how the world began, why things are as they are, and the deeds of gods and heroes. The folklore, on the other hand, is like the collection of everyday stories, the living wisdom passed down through generations.

In ancient Greece, crows were seen as messengers of gods and goddesses. The crow was the symbol of Apollo, the god of prophecy, divine distance, and the sun. In Homer's epic, Apollo is a god who can send a plague to punish mortals. In the Iliad, he shoots arrows that cause a plague among the Greek army at Troy. Both the Greeks and Romans practiced augury, a form of divination where priests interpreted omens by watching the flight patterns and behaviors of birds. For example, if a crow flew from the east or south, people saw it as a good sign.

British nursery rhyme

The practice of augury through birds was not unique to the Greeks and Romans. In Britain, the number of crows in a tree could be a means to predict the future.

This counting rhyme has many variations and one of them goes as follows:

One for sorrow

Two for mirth

Three for a wedding

Four for a birth

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven a secret no’er to be told

Eight for a wish

Nine for a kiss

Ten for a bird you must not miss

Eleven for hope

Twelve for health

Thirteen beware of the devil himself.

The other one is:

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told.

1 March it’s the crows’ wedding day

Across other parts of Europe, crows were also integrated into seasonal folklore. For instance, it was believed that the 1st of March was the day when crows began their weddings.

A 19th Century rhyme goes like this:

On the first of March the crows begin to search;

By the first of April they are sitting still; 

By the first of May they have flown away! 

Croupin’, greedy, back again, wi’ October’s wind and rain.

In ancient China, the three-legged golden crow was a divine sun bird. It is commonly described as a black crow with three legs. The sun was believed to traverse the sky carried by this golden crow.

Intriguingly, in China, crows are also seen as divine messengers of Xi Wangmu.

Xi Wangmu is a goddess. In ancient Chinese mythology, she presides over longevity and immortality. In the Daoist tradition, she evolved into a goddess who governs the celestial paradise of Mount Kunlun. 

The three-legged golden crow serves as one of her key emissaries. Xi Wangmu often dispatches the golden crow not only to gather food for her but also to act as a messenger bridging the mortal world and the ethereal realm of Mount Kunlun.

It is worth noting from a scientific perspective that crows are not the only all-black birds. Apart from the common crow, you may notice other similar species around you, including the raven, blackbird, and rook. How, then, can we tell crow from these similar-looking black birds?

Next week’s update: "Common all-black birds in the U.S.—quick ID keys to distinguish them at a glance. Follow along!"

And how does the notorious yet quite popular raven stand out from other black birds?

For a deeper dive into their cultural image, you can also refer to this article:" Ravens in Literature, Myth, and Legend"

Regardless of your thoughts or impressions of crows after reading this, it is understandable if you would prefer not to have them in your backyard or disturbing your trash. So, how can you kindly encourage these intelligent but unwelcome guests to move on without causing any harm?

Next week’s update: "Raven vs. crow behavior at feeders; key field marks; feeder tips to attract them; and science-backed ways to discourage large scavenging birds."

REference

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apollo-Greek-mythology

https://www.farminglife.com/country-and-farming/its-the-crows-wedding-day-what-is-the-1-march-saying-and-what-is-its-meaning-3591039

https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/19/messages/581.html

https://poemanalysis.com/nursery-rhyme/one-for-sorrow/

https://mythlok.com/sanzuwu/

https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%B8%89%E8%B6%B3%E7%83%8F

https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E8%A5%BF%E7%8E%8B%E6%AF%8D?_x_tr_sch=http