We touched on Japanese mythology awhile back, skimming over the several ways in which crows and ravens have spiralled their way into Japanese art, culture, and religion throughout the centuries. With World Cup fever sweeping the land, the "Samurai Blue" color of Japan's national soccer team can be seen everywhere. Equally familiar is the team's black crow emblem. Few people,
The amazing smarts of crows, jays, and other corvids are forcing scientists to rethink when and why intelligence evolved. This article highlights the life and work of Nicky Clayton of Cambridge University.
Both in the air and on the ground there is an irrepressible jauntiness about jackdaw movements. Yet perhaps the most useful distinguishing feature of this intensely sociable bird is its voice. The full range of calls is complex, although the best known is a monosyllabic, almost dog-like yap, of which the first part of the name is descriptive. Jackdaws make
The Solitude of Ravens was Masahisa Fukase's last work before he plunged into a coma. This is a monumental and pivotal work in the history of fine art photography. Words can never suffice for these emotional photographs. Fukase is considered to be both a legend and an enigma in his native Japan and for a culture that is traditionally reluctant
This is Kinohi, an "˜alala (Hawaiian crow) hatched in captivity 20 years ago. Growing up, he lacked other crows to socialize with, and so he developed an unusual vocabulary. But while we may find his human-like babble amusing, there is nothing funny about the fact that he will not breed. Kinohi was sent to the San Diego Zoo in 2009
Author Diane Phelps Budden witnessed firsthand the special relationship between Sedona resident Emily Cory and a raven and found it so inspiring that she has written a book for children, "Shade: A Story About a Very Smart Raven." Cory was training Shade to rescue people in the Red Rock country of Sedona and one morning, while the raven was scouring
Start the series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptx1rBE1IL8 John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington, began his career researching the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens. He currently brings this behavioral approach to conservation issues as the leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana Crow, as a Fellow of
Rick and Diana Boufford are a grassroots on fire for live couple who dedicate large amounts of their time to documenting Ravens in Utah, Catalina, and more. Their love for all things living is portrayed through the relationships and lives of ravens and all the different kinds of animals we share territory with. They are currently hard at work on
Ravens appear often throughout Grimm's Fairy Tales and Louis Rhead's illustrations. In the 12 Brothers, a young girl is haunted by her mother's tale of 12 brothers who disappeared before she was born. In her desire to find them, she meets the king in the woods and falls in love with him. Long after they are wed, the king's mother
In this series, I explore a few ways in which Crows have been seen as fortune tellers, farseers, and omens. Be sure to read Part 1: Divination According to Medicine Men and Part 2: Divination According to the Druids As we have discussed, the practice of divining from bird calls, properly called auspicy in the English language, appears to actually
Photo by Vail Joy In this series, I explore a few ways in which Crows have been seen as fortune tellers, farseers, and omens. Be sure to read Part 1: Divination According to Medicine Men Divination According to the Druids Divination was an important part of pan-Celtic life. The Mediterranean accounts tell of extremely superstitious Celts studying the bloody, warm,
As discussed previously, Crows and Ravens (and sometimes magpies too) have been a consistent source of spiritual focus throughout history. Here, I wish to explore a few ways in which they have been seen as fortune tellers, farseers, and omens across Native American, Druid, and Tibetan culture.
