Crow

deity earth fire corroborated · 4

Crow obtained mythic status because they are mediator animals between life and death, according to a structuralist theory proposed by Claude Lévi-Strauss.

↻ synthesized from 4 sources

When

First attested
0 CE
Attested period
2020 – 2020
Historical notes
Legends relating to Crow have been observed in various Aboriginal language groups and cultures across Australia.

Relationships

enemy of
Karatgurk, falcons, hawk
sibling of
Bunjil, Magpie
manifested by
Corone, Psychopomp, Shani's vahana
allied with
Swamp Hawk

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Claude Lévi-Strauss, French anthropologist proposed a structuralist theory that suggests that Coyote and Crow obtained mythic status because they are mediator animals between life and death.”

#3965 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“however they were ultimately tricked into giving up their secret by Crow. After burying a number of snakes in an ant mound, Crow called the Karatgurk women over, telling them that he had discovered ant larvae which were tastier than yams.”

#31289 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“In another legend, Crow was travelling down the Murray River when he met Swamp Hawk. Deciding to play a trick on the other bird, he planted echidna quills in the deserted nest of a kangaroo rat and enticed Swamp Hawk to jump on them.”

#31530 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“The crow is the chief deity of the Thlinkit Indians of N.W. America; and all over that region it is the chief figure in a group of myths, fulfilling the office of a culture hero who brings the light, gives fire to mankind, &c.”

#44120 · extracted by openai/gpt-oss-20b:free