Daniel Arrhakis - Visual Arts says:

These black birds may belong to the same family and look similar in some ways, but several distinctive traits help set them apart. Crows, rooks and ravens are all part of the crow family, known as the corvids. The family also includes jackdaws, jays, magpies and choughs. These birds are intelligent, adaptable and able to exploit a wide range of food sources.

These two species, Common Ravens and American Crows they look quite similar.
Ravens are larger than crows (the size of a Red-tailed Hawk) , have wedge-shaped tails and make a deep croaking sound, while crows have fan-shaped tails and produce a cawing sound.
Ravens prefer to live in pairs or small family groups and often soar in flight, whereas crows are more social, forming large groups known as murders and tend to flap their wings more frequently.

Both birds are highly intelligent, with crows known for recognizing human faces and ravens displaying problem-solving skills.

Birds have different meanings in every culture. And thus, there's no overarching significance of seeing a crow. Both crows and ravens have appeared in a number of different mythologies throughout the ages. In some cases, these black-feathered birds are considered an omen of bad tidings, but in others, they may represent a message from the Divine.

For many ravens symbolize death or bad fortune to come, but to others they symbolize rebirth and starting anew, serving as a positive sign. In Norse, Celtic, and Druid mythology, crows and ravens are widely viewed as beacons of intelligence.

In Celtic mythology, the warrior goddess known as the Morrighan often appears in the form of a crow or raven or is seen accompanied by a group of them.

In some tales of the Welsh myth cycle, the Mabinogion, the raven is a harbinger of death. Witches and sorcerers were believed to have the ability to transform themselves into ravens and fly away, thus enabling them to evade capture.

The Native Americans often saw the raven as a symbol of transformation.
In the legends of various tribes, Raven is typically associated with everything from the creation of the world to the gift of sunlight to mankind. Some tribes however knew the raven as a stealer of souls.
Crows are also used as clan animals in some Native American cultures.
Some of the tribes with Crow clans include the Chippewa, the Hopi, the Tlingit, and the Pueblo tribes of the American Southwest.

For those who follow the Norse pantheon, Odin is often represented by the raven—usually a pair of them. Early artwork depicts him as being accompanied by two black birds, who are described in the Eddas as Huginn and Munnin. Their names translate to “thought” and “memory,” and their job is to serve as Odin’s spies, bringing him news each night from the land of men.

Crows sometimes appear as a method of divination. For the ancient Greeks, the crow was a symbol of Apollo in his role as god of prophecy. Augury—divination using birds—was popular among both the Greeks and the Romans, and augurs interpreted messages based on not only the color of a bird but the direction from which it flew. A crow flying in from the east or south was considered favorable.

In parts of the Appalachian mountains, a low-flying group of crows means that illness is coming—but if a crow flies over a house and calls three times, that means an impending death in the family. If the crows call in the morning before the other birds get a chance to sing, it’s going to rain. Despite their role as messengers of doom and gloom, it’s bad luck to kill a crow. If you accidentally do so, you’re supposed to bury it—and be sure to wear black when you do!

Even within the Christian religion, ravens hold a special significance. While they are referred to as “unclean” within the Bible, Genesis tells us that after the flood waters receded, the raven was the first bird Noah sent out from the ark to find land. Also, in the Hebrew Talmud, ravens are credited with teaching mankind how to deal with death; when Cain slew Abel, a raven showed Adam and Eve how to bury the body, because they had never done so before.

Legend of the Crows of Saint Vincent

D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, was warned that there were several Christians among the prisoners taken in a battle against the Moors. Called into the presence of the king, one of them, already very old, told him his story and confided to him that they had buried the body of St. Vincent in a secret location. He asked the king to take the martyr's body to a safe place.

D. Afonso Henriques decided to travel with the Christian on the way to St. Vincent, but he died during the trip. Without knowing the exact location where the saint was, D. Afonso Henriques approached the ruins of the old temple. He then saw a flock of crows flying over a certain place. His men excavated there and found the tomb of St. Vincent, hidden in the rock.

They brought St. Vincent's body by boat to Lisbon and throughout the journey they were accompanied by two ravens, whose image still appears today on Lisbon's coat of arms as a testament to this extraordinary story.

Like the Legend of Saint Vincent of the City of Lisbon, there are many others where crows and ravens are the main protagonists and we are sure that you will surprise us with other stories about crows and mystical characters in your always creative works !!


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<b> Wonderful Art ! </b>
<b> Crows And Ravens Challenge - June 2024</b>
</b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/challenges_community_group/discuss/72157721921218587/">
<img
src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53802838220_928d8db901_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt=" Crows And Ravens Challenge - June 2024 " /></a>



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it will be like this :


Wonderful Art !
Crows And Ravens Challenge - June 2024




______________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADDING IMAGES TO THE CONTEST (Thanks To
Paul Cowie)

Hopefully this will help>>>
Here are the instructions on how to post an image to the contest:

- Go to the image you want to post in the contest.
- Click on the white arrow icon, on the lower right side of the image.
(A menu will open. It will say SHARE, EMBED, EMAIL, ETC., on top.)
- Click on EMBED (that will highlight a Code)
- Click on the tiny black triangle in the area which shows a size.
- Choose Medium 500 x - - -
- Rest your pointer on the highlighted Code,
- Then Right Click on that Code and choose Copy.

Next, go to the Group's contest thread.

- Click on the first available space.
- Then Right Click and choose Paste.
- Your image should show up in that space.
- Number and Title your image.
- Lastly, click on the blue Post Now button.

And you're done!
Originally posted at 6:14PM, 19 June 2024 PDT (permalink)
Daniel Arrhakis - Visual Arts edited this topic 4 days ago.