While some people are fascinated by crows, ravens, and other members of the corvidae family, there are those who can't stand them. There are a number of reasons for this - some of which are based in fact, and others of which are just bad press.

Filthy Habits
Ravens and crows are omnivores. They will eat anything. Seeing a raven tearing apart rotting carcasses or pecking at dung doesn't tend to endear them to the viewer, though. They have a reputation for carrying disease, and spreading filth. Many people are disgusted by the sight of these birds for that reason alone.

Association with War and Death
Ever since ravens and crows have descended on the corpses of the dead, they have been associated with battlefields, carnage, and death itself. When it became a popular punishment in medieval times to hang a prisoner's body in a cage until he rotted, the crows would descend upon those bodies, too (giving the man-sized hanging prisons the grim name of 'Crow's Cages'.) Some cultures revered them for their association with death, but many more shunned the grim birds. After all, it's difficult to enjoy their presence if the last time you saw them they were pecking your uncle Baldrik's eyes out. These unpleasant images haunted the survivors of wars, and did nothing to win crows the favor of the populace.

Eating Crops
Crows, ravens, and especially rooks all enjoy a good meal. So when a farmer's crops were ready to harvest, they would often do a little harvesting of their own. After a full year of work to ensure a bountiful harvest, it was agony to the farmers to watch so much of their crops be consumed by marauding flocks of black-feathered pests. Nevermind that during the rest of the year these birds actually helped the farmer by ridding his field of crop-eating bugs and disease-spreading vermin - when it came down to it, the farmer could only see the damage being done.

Black Magic
Crows and ravens, through no fault of their own, are black. Unfortunately, in societies where black was the color of the Devil, and associated with all things evil, crows were lumped together with black cats and witches. People were regularly told by spiritual leaders to abhor the darkness and cling to the light - and so the dark feathered crows fell into disfavor while the bright doves were honored.

Bad Luck
With so many reasons to dislike crows and ravens, it was only natural that people would begin to see their presence as bad luck. And, as is often the way with superstition, once people began expecting bad things to happen around crows, they started to happen: A woman worrying about a crow flying across her path might not notice the branch in her way, and when she tripped on it, it would be easy to blame the crow. A man might see a crow early in the week, and remember it until her received bad news - at which point he could say the crow foretold it. A death could quickly be blamed on a crow seen circling the previous morning - although if no one had died, people would never have remembered the crow's presence.

All told, people felt they had plenty of good reasons to dislike crows. They would warn their children about the evils associated with the birds, and another generation would grow up to hate them. Some even would learn to be activiely afraid of them, as some people today are afraid of black cats. Corvidophobia is less prominent now, but its traces remain. There are elderly people who still cross themselves at the sight of a crow, and others who chant some protective rhyme to ward off evil. Crows are disliked, ravens associated with darkness and depression, and magpies are scorned. People who are bold enough to state their appreciation of the birds are often told they are crazy. Corvidophobia, however, will perpetuate itself unless the cycle is broken. Education and understanding are important tools in helping people re-evaluate their opinions of the corvidae family.

Back to Main

Back to Corvidophilia

Drop me a line!