How did the crow wind up being considered the symbol that death was near or that someone had died?

Question

I just meant in general- the actual bird, the crow. I was trying to place this question in the bird category but yahoo suggested I put it in history?!

Answer 1

They don't just scavenge, they really get into it. It's like a big crow party when they find something dead. They also lead hunters to prey so that they can get the leftover pile of guts.

Answer 2

Actually, it's the raven you're thinking of.  Raven has been a symbol of the coming of death in many ancient cultures, from Egypt to some of the original native inhabitants of the Americas.  It's probably because ravens - and crows - are opportunistic little critters that will devour dead creatures, including men, just as buzzards and vultures will.  Dead humans were not always buried, and people often would witness ravens and crows feeding on corpses.  The raven is larger than the crow and will often drive the crows away from a corpse, so it'd be natural to assume that maybe the raven knew that death was approaching and maybe magically had something to do with the death.

Answer 3

Symbol of Death

Eaters of carrion, ravens were messengers of death, pestilence, and battle. It was believed that these flesh-hungry birds could smell the scent of death upon a person before they died - even through the walls of a house. In paintings, the raven may be seen flying over battlefields, eager to feast on the dead. After the Battle of Armageddon, ravens will descend upon the lands of the wicked. [Isa 34:11].

Morrigane, the celtic goddess, is accompanied by three ravens: Babd, Acha and Neman, the three goddess of war.

These birds were thought to have a special taste for the bodies of hanged criminals and to enjoy plucking out the eyes of sinners. Christians thought they carried off the souls of the damned and associated this bird with Satan.

However, there is much more to this bird and it is not all bad using the following site will provide a great deal of information.

http://www.deardeath.com/raven.htm#death

Answer 4

I thought it was the Raven - the Crow is a poor second.

Answer 5

what crow? in the raven by edgar allan poe? in a painting? what historical document are u using?

Answer 6

Crows are scavengers, and they eat corpses; so people associate them with death.