In honor of #InternationalCrowAndRavenAppreciationDay here is a thread of why you should love and respect these birds.
Let's start with the shallow stuff: Their looks. Hot damn.
Let's start with the shallow stuff: Their looks. Hot damn.
Ughhhh I love crows. But I also love ravens. Here are some hansom AF ravens
Ok back to crows. I friggen love crows. These pictures are all from the Bothell crow roost. You can learn more about roosting and why they do it here: corvidresearch.blog/2017/12/08/150…
Ok back to ravens. I friggen love ravens.
Andddd more crows. I feel like this could go on...forever? Drop me your own favorite pictures in the comments.
Ok moving beyond the shallow stuff. Why do I love these birds??? Where do I even start. They are smart (like primate smart), playful (I've watched one play ball), cheeky (they're light fingered), accessible (right in your backyard), complex (have funerals), mysterious (long list)
...I worry if I add more thing people will get dismissive thinking I'm just sitting here with my big book of superlatives but I MEAN IT. And all of these things have coalesce into a singular truth: They are CULTURALLY ICONIC.
Nearly any place they have historically lived with us they are part of our identify as people.
(Piece by Haida artist Elizabeth Rideau)
(Piece by Haida artist Elizabeth Rideau)
They are the god damn linchpin to the British empire (tower ravens)! They are the sun (Jīnwū-China)! They are the reason we don't live forever (Greater raven-Hiada people)! They are thoughts and memory (Huginn & Muninn-Nordic people). They connect us with our ancestors (Hindus)!
Like really, honestly, think about what it means about their connection to our species that they feature so prominently in the mythology and creation stories of cultures around the world.
(A raven teaches Cain to bury Abel in the illustrated Qisas Al-Anbiya)
(A raven teaches Cain to bury Abel in the illustrated Qisas Al-Anbiya)
So no, I don't find this holiday tongue and cheek, even if it's not printed on anyone's calendar. Most people have ancestors that respected and revered these birds, and I hate to see that so many of us have strayed from that path. Let's find our way back to it.
