When
I was a child I was not happy to have Crowe as my surname.
It gave the other kids fodder for teasing. "Go fly
south, crow-bird" they'd holler. It didn't matter how
often I explained that crows didn't fly south. The
information that they were one of the most intelligent birds
did not help either. But like most children I survived the
childhood trauma and grew into loving my association with
crows
Being
naturally curious I continued to investigate crows and my
association with them. I learned that they are from the
corvid genus which includes ravens magpies and jays. I
learned that the etymology of my name was not related to
crows. It is an anglicization of Mac Conchradha which has as
its root 'con' meaning 'hound' and chrada meaning thorn bush
or hawthorn.
But
I also discovered the place of the crow in folklore and
began a journey into myth and fairy tale that inspires me to
this day.
In Celtic culture the crow/raven is often
referred to as the 'oldest' of the animals, which is
folklore code for participation in some way in the creation
myth. Unfortunately in Celtic culture the Pagan origin myth
has been lost but in other cultures the crow often fills
this role.
In
Haida culture, for example, the raven finds humans in a
clamshell. Raven can be a magician, a transformer, a potent
creative force, sexual deviant or ravenous debaucher but
always a cultural hero. While frequently described as a
"trickster", Haidas also believe Raven or Yelth or
Hoya to be a complex reflection of one's own self
In
Haida culture, for example, the raven finds humans in a
clamshell. Raven can be a magician, a transformer, a potent
creative force, sexual deviant or ravenous debaucher but
always a cultural hero. While frequently described as a
"trickster", Haidas also believe Raven or Yelth or
Hoya to be a complex reflection of one's own self
In
many cultures the crow was originally white and turns to
black becasue of some mischeif that he got into. There is a
tantalising hint that this might have been the case in some
lost celtic story in the name Branwen (which means
"white crow")
Greeks
believed that Apollo turned the raven black when the bird
informed him of the unfaithfulness of his lover, Coronis.
The most recent scientific investigation of crows who not only that they are the most intellegent of birds - but also more intellegent than many other mammals. Have a look at this:
I
am now pretty happy with my association with crows - and
look to them often for inspiration. For more info on crow
mythology - check out this link: http://www.deardeath.com/raven.htm
I also highly recommend the book
"The Folklore of Birds" by A. E. Armstrong