THE CROW:In Native American legends, the crow could talk. Because of this, it was considered one of the wisest of birds.The sacred bird of the famous Ghost Dance was the crow. A picture of two crows in ancient Egypt symbolized married happiness; for the Aryan cultures the meaning was the same, along with the idea of food and fertilty. To the Hindus, the crow was an emblem of the god Varuna. It is possible that the word crow came from Rhea Kronia, a Greek goddess and mother of time, who was a form of the Dark Mother, Mother Death. Even though this bird was sacred to Apollo in ancient Greece, it was considered to be unlucky. It was said that the goddess Athen never allowed crows to light on the Acropolis, although they were sacred to her also. The Greeks believed, as do some people today, that if a crow perches on a roof it is an omen of death. The Japanese also consdidered the crow to be a bird of ill luck, although they believe it brings messages from the gods. A symbol of conflict, death, and ill-omens, the crow was associated with the Celtic goddesses Macha, Badb, and the Morrigan. The Irish word for crow is "badb". This goddess, in the form of a crow, appeared to the Irish hero Cu Chulainn as a warning of his coming death. Branwen, sister of the god Bran the Blessed of Wales, was often portrayed in legend by a white crow. Later, the Celts came to suspect and dread crows as a form taken by faeries to cause problems. They said that the cawing of crows signified the approach of rain. Krake, the shape-shifting daughter of the Valkyrie Brunnhilde, was said to have married the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok and become the mother of the Norse-Germanic hero Sigurd (who was the same as Siegfried). Krake and Ragnar also had three prophetic daughters who created a magick banner called Raven (Hraefn). In North America, the crow was considered to be the keeper of all sacred law, the one knew the deep mysteries of all creation. Seeing a crow in certain situations was an omen of coming change. Spiritual crow power could lead a seeker to the gates of the supernatural. The connection between the crow's foot sign and witchcraft began during the Middle Ages. People then said that magicians, and especially witches used this emblem to cast death spells. The description of crow's feet at the corner of the eyes may be a remnant of this superstition, symbolizing the aging process. To the alchemist, the crow stood for the condition produced when the Elements had been seperated out. SuperstitionsThe English have a rhyme about crows: one means anger; two is mirth; three a wedding; four a birth; five is heaven; six is hell; seven is the devil himself.To the natives of Northamptonshire, however, a single flying crow is an omen of bad luck instead of anger. If crows make a hoarse, hollow sound, it means bad weather is coming. If a crow calls three times as it flies over a house, someone will die. Crows and ravens gathering in trees in the dark, but never really settling, are souls in purgatory, according to the Irish. In Russia it was believed that a witch's spirit took crow-form. Another European saying about crowsis: one for sorrow; two for mirth; three for a wedding; four for birth. Magickal AttributesTheif, trickery, boldness, skill, cunning, single-mindedness; a bringer of knowledge.Prophecy Learn from the past but don't hold on to it. Swiftness, eloquence. Shape-shifting Letting go of past hurts. Learning to mentally shape-shift. Divination ChantPrince of thieves, cunning and swift,Your black wings glide among the trees. Your harsh laughter breaks the silence As you perform your stealthy magick. I would learn your cunning and swift magickal ways. |
