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Crows in Western History: Between Fortune and Misfortune, Utility and Harmfulness

  • Korean Review of French History
  • Abbr : KRFH
  • 2024, (51), pp.53~88
  • DOI : 10.51786/RCHF.2024.08.51.53
  • Publisher : KOREAN SOCIETY FOR FRENCH HISTORY
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Received : August 1, 2024
  • Accepted : August 15, 2024
  • Published : August 31, 2024

LEE, SUNG JAE 1

1충북대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The perception of crows exhibits considerable diversity across different historical periods, reflecting profound extremes of reverence and aversion. This paper seeks to elucidate these divergent attitudes by examining ancient mythology, medieval Christian doctrines, the research of naturalists in the 16th and 18th centuries, and the perspectives of Romanticists and peasants in the 19th century. In antiquity, crows were esteemed for their intelligence and prophetic abilities, often depicted in association with deities. However, during the Middle Ages, under the influence of Christian ideology, crows came to be regarded as symbols of paganism and were subject to persecution. By the end of the medieval period, their scavenging habits led to their classification as harbingers of misfortune. Naturalist studies in the 16th and 18th centuries laid the groundwork for a more scientific understanding of crows, moving beyond superstitions. In the 19th century, Romanticists reinterpreted the crow’s melancholic demeanor as a virtue. Nevertheless, the negative connotations of crows have persisted, particularly in rural traditions influenced by medieval beliefs. Consequently, a historical examination of crows clarifies the characteristics of each era.

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