In some cultures,
This bird may be sending you messages about spiritual law, upcoming changes, or even death.
The Spiritual Significance of Crows and Ravens
"To many, ravens symbolize death or bad fortune to come, but to others they symbolize rebirth and starting anew, serving as a positive sign," says Dr. Kim. In Norse, Celtic, and Druid mythology, crows and ravens are widely viewed as beacons of intelligence.
Black crows symbolize prophecy, transformation, change, and freedom. Black crows have quite strong symbolic and spiritual meanings attached to them from all sorts of different places, religions, and cultures. You can find them in many folk tales, movies, religious texts, and more.
Perhaps, the raven is simply curious about who you are and what you are doing. That is my first thought. If you have food in your possession, perhaps a bag of tail mix, the raven may be following you in the hopes that you will share some trail mix with the raven.
Crow Symbolism and Literature
Crows are often associated with mystery, death, and haunting. Crows will often represent death, decomposition, tragedy, transition, and trickery. In poems, crows most often symbolize power, the influence of destruction, and tragedy.
The dark, mysterious raven has been depicted in literature and legends through the ages. In some parts of the world, the raven is a sign of death or misfortune; to others its presence indicates good fortune.
While there are certainly positive interpretations of seeing a black crow (such as being a symbol of wisdom or good luck), there are also some potential negatives to consider: Pros: Wisdom or intelligence. Connection to the spiritual realm.
Throughout the world, the crow has been seen as an intermediary between the material and spirit worlds. As carrion-eating birds, they are often present in times of death, which is the likely reason they are associated with dying. Death is a frightening concept to many of us.
Depending on the context, a crow can be both a bad or a good omen. Most of the time they indicate change, rebirth, wisdom, and self-reflection, but also death and misfortune.
A Symbol of Protection and Guardianship
In many ancient cultures that strongly believed in the universe using creatures to send messages, birds were considered guardians and protectors. Based on this fact, birds following you is a sign that your angels or higher power are watching and guiding your every move.
Crows are not massive birds and don't transmit any diseases, so simply turn around and walk away. “You shouldn't flap [at it] – basically just keep moving and move away from them … chances are you are in nest territory and they are trying to defend their nest and young.”
"Seeing just a single crow is considered an omen of bad luck. Finding two crows, however, means good luck. Three crows mean health, and four crows mean wealth. Yet spotting five crows means sickness is coming, and witnessing six crows means death is nearby."
Ravens differ from crows in appearance by their larger bill, tail shape, flight pattern and by their large size. Ravens are as big as Red-tailed Hawks, and crows are about the size of pigeons. The raven is all black, has a 3.5-4 ft wingspan and is around 24-27 inches from head to tail.
In Islamic hadith, reports about Muhammad's sayings and practices, crows are one of the five animals “for which there is no blame on the one who kills them.” On the Faroe Islands, virginal women once had to throw a stone, a bone, and a clump of dirt at a crow for some reason.
As for the crow, as in all Indigenous Australian totems, it is known for its cunning and intelligence, a trickster too, and old spirit with prescient knowledge or carrying old knowledge of many lifetimes (like reincarnation).
Many animals give gifts to members of their own species but crows and other corvids are the only ones known to give gifts to humans. As John Marzluff explains in the video below, crows will do this for people who feed them a lot and pay attention to them, or even rescue them.
Based on studies such as the mask trial, it is thought that crows can remember faces for up to five years. This is, of course, if the birds are not seeing an individual or group regularly. Five years is an exceptionally long time for a bird to be able to recall someone's face.
Traditionally, crows have been viewed in many cultures as harbingers of bad luck or omens of death. In Christianity, crows are often viewed as a sign of temptation and sin. The Greeks, on the other hand, viewed black crows as a symbol of wisdom, prophecy, and watchfulness.
Wild crows are not known to create or display art. But they do occasionally leave behind objects like keys, lost earrings, bones, or rocks, for the people who feed them, a behavior that John Marzluff, conservation ecologist and Swift's colleague at the University of Washington, calls “gifting.”
Bodb, the goddess of war, takes the form of a crow to observe the battlefields. Furthermore, the god of sailors was connected to the crow, with his name (Bran) literally translating to crow. This is because sailors took crows with them to sea, and released them to see which way land was.
Because of its black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion, the raven is often associated with loss and ill omen. Yet, its symbolism is complex. As a talking bird, the raven also represents prophecy and insight. Ravens in stories often act as psychopomps, connecting the material world with the world of spirits.
Some believe that seeing a black bird can signal a change in luck or fortune, both positive and negative. Some interpret it optimism for the future if one sees a single black crow in particular; however, seeing three together is usually seen as bad news yet its exact meaning may differ depending on where you look.
“We have a murder of crows that live in our neighborhood, and we always see them around,” Vandermay-Baldwin told The Dodo. “We feed them snacks from time to time.” The crows are always looking out for each other, and whenever there's danger nearby, they call loudly to each other as a warning.
Crows are sometimes blamed for garden damage caused by other animals. Crows hanging around to eat insects and grubs may or may not also help themselves to fruits and vegetables. On balance, the benefits from crows eating insects, grubs and waste grain may outweigh a little damage. You can ban crows from small gardens.