The Symbolism Of A Crow Essay, Research Paper

The symbolism of the crowA bad birdIn the Christian culture, the crow means nothing good, But you’ll be surprised to see what heSymbolizes in other civilizations. The crow is seen as a negative omen only recently and mostly in Europe. The crow was sacred to the Celts and meant “the flesh torn by fighting”. As he eats carrion, theWelsh poetry uses the metaphor “the crow pierced you” to say, “you have died”. They thought that crows escorted the sun during its nocturnal path, that is to say in Hell. So they were a symbol of evil, Contrary to swans, symbolizing purity. In Babylon, the crow was the name of the 13th month of the calendar, and he had a very negative value.The crow was too gossipy for the Greeks. That’s why Athena replaced him with the owl, to stay with her. The crow was also devoted to Apollo. The god sent a crow to the aquatic world, to bring backWater, there the crow discovered a fig tree, whose fruits were not ripe yet, so he waited near the tree toeat ripe figs instead of accomplishing his task he was punished for his disobedience and egotism; Apollo placed him in the constellations, but the hydra prevented him from drinking from the cup ; he isCondemned to thirst.(ASCAR American Society for Crows and Raven)In the Bible, the crow is sent by Noah to search earth for signs of life after the flood, But the crow never came back to tell Noah what he found, so he is considered selfish. Saint Goldwin thought that in Paradise, the crows had multicolored wings, but after Adam and Eve were driven away from the Paradise, the crows started to eat carrion, So they became black-feathered. At the end of time, the crows will find their beauty again and sing harmoniously to praise God.In the Middle Ages, it was said that crows neglect their young; he is seen as a bad omen. In India, by the Mah bh rata, the messengers of death are compared to crows. In Laos, the water soiled by crows cannot be used for ritual purification.(For the Love of Crows – A web page about Crows)The crow, symbol of the supreme GodFor Tlingit Indians (NorthWest of the Pacific), the crow is the main divine character. He organizes the world, gives civilization and culture, creates and frees the sun. For Ha da Indians (North-western coast of the Canada), the crow will steal the sun from the sky’s master, to give it to the earth’s people. Raven another Indian god has a magic canoe; he can make it change its size, from the size of a pine needle, to a large enough size to contain the whole universe. In North America, he is the personification of the Supreme Being. When he flaps his wings he creates the wind, the thunder and the lightning. In Mithra’s cult, he can fight evil spells. .(For the Love of Crows – A web page about Crows)Scandinavian legends show two crows, perched on Odin’s seat; Hugi, the Spirit, and Munnin, the Memory. They symbolize the principle of creation. In the same way, these birds are the companions of Wotan (”the God with the crows”). The crow was sacred for the Celts. He was associated to the creation of Lugdunum (Lyon), city of the God Lug. Lug is the great solar god. He exists in the form of a crow and is assimilated to Apollo. .(For the Love of Crows – A web page about Crows)

The crow is also in the Bible; Saint Vincent had been defended by crows against the attack of carnivores. The crow is also seen at Saint Beno t’s feet and in Saint Oswald’s hands. Here, he symbolizes divine providence. The crow also has a role in the Asiatic mythology; in China and in Japan, he shows love and gratitude. According to Chinese legends, ten red crows with three paws flew away from the East Blackberry Tree to bring light to the world, But they unknowingly brought an unbearable heat to the Earth. Yi the Good Archer killed nine of them, and saved the world. The last Crow they say is now in the Sun. So the crow is a solar symbol. He represents the creation principle. .(For the Love of Crows – A web page about Crows)Guide and messenger of the GodsThe major meaning of this black bird is to be a guide and the Gods’ messenger. In Black Africa, the crow warns the men that dangers are menacing them. The crow is their guide and a protector spirit. For Mayas, he is the messenger of the God of lightning and thunder.In Celtic civilization, the crow has prophetic functions. Bodb, the Goddess of war, takes the form of a Raven to observe the battlefields to learn how to more efficiently combat her opponents. In Greece the crow foretold the future; by the way he flew and cawed. A raven stood near the Pythie of Delphi’s during her prediction. It is generally said in Greece that the white crow guides messengers. This function of the messengers of the Gods (especially Apollo’s messenger), may have its origin in a Greek legend. .(ASCAR American Society for Crows and Raven)Coronis was unfaithful to Apollo, and a crow informed him. According to Ovide, the crow wasoriginally white. Apollo made him black to punish him for bringing bad news. Apollo eventook a form of the crow to guide Santeria’s people to Cyrena, And two crows showed Alexander theGreat the road to Amon’s sanctuary. Hugi and Munnin (Thought and Memory), are Odin’s companions. In Scandinavian mythology, they travel all over the world and come back to tell Odin all the events that happen on earth. In the mithraic cult, Sol(the Sun God) entrusts the crow to tell Mithra to sacrifice the bull. .(ASCAR American Society for Crows and Raven)In Japan, crows are considered divine messengers, and in China they are the fairy queens (Hsi-Wang-Mu) messengers. They also brought her food and are considered a good omen. So we can conclude that the crow is a creator, a guide and a divine messenger.

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