What Does A Crow Represent Spiritually? 5 Meanings Explained

A crow is a common symbol that is seen in all kinds of different spiritual settings, such as dreams, visions, religious experiences, and psychic readings.

Crows have for the longest time been an object of superstition, and many people associate them with omens of bad luck, death, or depression.

Because of this, encountering a crow in any one of the settings mentioned above can cause a lot of concern.

Why is this symbol coming to you at this point in your life? Is it something you should take seriously? If you find yourself wondering about these questions then don’t worry! We’re here to help!

In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at what crows represent spiritually, as well as exploring some of the previous superstitions that have used crows as a warning.

We’re going to break this down into 5 meanings so that you can take a look at each of them. We’ve also included a short Frequently Asked Questions Section to clear up any other questions you may have.

All About Crows

The term ‘crow’ actually describes an entire genus of birds. It is a word that is used instead of the Latin ‘Corvus’ which incorporates a long list of different species.

Crows are well known all over the world and are easily recognized by their black feathers and identity as scavengers.

They have a very distinct caw that most people know about and are found in a variety of different climates.

Crows are some of the smartest animals in the world. They are impressive in both IQ (general intelligence) as well as emotionally.

Crows are very social animals, even going so far as to hold grieving ceremonies when one of their own passes away.

In english, the collective pronoun for crows is ‘murder’ which tells you a little about their inherent symbolisation throughout the years.

Meanings Of Crows

Negative Meanings

There are many negative symbols associated with crows. Because of their jet black coloring and reputation as scavengers and eaters of carrion, human beings have for a long time linked them with bad emotions and as bad omens.

This dosen’t mean that any time you’ll see a crow there is a bad emotion linked with it, especially in the physical sense.

Most of the time in real life, a crow is just a crow. But it’’s important to understand some of their negative symbolic qualities encase you have recurring dreams or spiritual experiences involving them.

1. Grief

Crows are very linked to the idea of grief. One of the most common symbols people associate them with is the idea of suffering once somebody has passed away. This stems from a history of crows and battlefields.

They are scavengers, and after a battle crows are going to be present, to both feed on dead meat and pick up anything else they can for their nests.

It is also the stark coloring of their feathers that directly links them to grief. If you consider the traditional attire in europe and america for funerals, and in other parts of the world, the main color that will come to mind is black.

Because of this there is a direct connection between crows and grief.

If you find yourself dreaming about crows, or seeing them within a spiritual experience, it could be a symbolic manifestation of whatever grief you’re going through.

An important thing to note here is that they’re not necessarily negative in terms of what they symbolize. Of course, grief is an intense emotion, but it is also part of life and a common experience that all humans go through.

A crow in this sense simply symbolizes the dark emotions you are going through, and are likely to disappear once these emotions fade.

2. Depression

This is quite linked to the meaning we just outlined for you, but it has a lot more to do with a mental state rather than an emotional regarding something that has happened.

Black is the color usually associated with depression, and whilst there are lots of different animals used to represent it, birds such as crows are a choice pick.

So then, in this scenario, you might be seeing crows as physical expression of this emotion.

It’s important to note that the link between crows and deep emotion is also a reflection of their own emotional capacity. They are very sensitive animals and are often touted as one of the smartest in the world.

The reason for this is because crows have deep community at the heart of their DNA, meaning they are very used to being around others and working together to achieve common goals.

Perhaps you are in need of family or friendship connections in order to help remedy your own mental state, in this sense a crow might be a representation of what you are currently lacking.

3. Life & Death

As mentioned before, crows have always had a large presence as carrion birds, especially after battles.

This is one of the main reasons that many mythologies (some of which we will go into further detail later in the article) associate crows with battle and war.

After a battle there are corpses and crows, but this isn’t the only situation where they appear historically.

Public hangings or other executions were known to have crows hanging around, often circling in the air, preparing for when there is a corpse to feed off of.

So then a crow has been seen symbolically as the gateway between life and death. Often, crows are featured in stories as animals that shperd souls from their life to the afterlife.

A crow doesn’t necessarily mean an omen for your own death, should you see one in a dream or religious experience, only that there is something to do with life or death happening within your subconscious.

This could even extend to you having your own mortality in mind, perhaps becoming more reflective or accepting of it as you grow.

Positive Meanings

Whilst the most common associations people have surrounding crows are death or grief, they also hold a series of positive meanings. In this section, we’re going to take a look at these.

4. Intelligence/Wit

Crows are known to be extremely resourceful and intelligent animals. In this case, crows can represent a whole host of positive intellectual attributes.

You can see them used as a symbol of this all the way through human history. Crows are often wise creatures that aid humans in stories on whatever quest they are embarking on.

So if you are to see a crow in a vision, dream or spiritual experience, it is not necessarily an omen of death or grief.

A crow could be a symbol of something positive for you, an indication that you are making the right decisions in the physical world.

5. Resourcefulness/Surivivability

There are times in our lives when we are forced to adapt and survive. No matter what this situation is, our subconcious minds can often seek comfort and ways to cope when things get tough.

If you find yourself in this kind of a situation, then you may find that crows are an important symbol for you.

As mentioned before, crows are uniquely resourceful and extremely adaptable animals – that’s the reason why they’ve survived for as long as they have so far.

So in this sense, a crow is a symbol that may represent your resilience in the face of difficult circumstances. More than this, they could exist as a warning – that soon you will be forced to survive and adapt to something in your life that you’ll find difficult to deal with.

Crows In Norse Mythology & Paganism

Crows feature heavily in traditional Norse mythology. There are two legendary crows from this old belief system, namely Huginn and Muninn who are the crows of the God Odin.

You can think of them as an extension of his will, gathering knowledge for him and coming back to him. They fly all over the world to help him in his endeavors.

The animal linked with Odin in general is the crow. For this reason they can be linked to a series of different attributes relating to him, for example knowledge, death, royalty, and mysticism.

In celtic mythology, crows are associated with the warrior goddess Morrighan. The presence of crows was linked with this goddess and therefore a sign that she was watching events or about to appear.

Conversely, in Native American mythology, a crow was seen as a trickster creature, much in the same way that people in Europe have for a long time seen an animal such as the fox.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it! Crows hold a long list of different spiritual and symbolic meanings. Because they are such a common animal across the world, man different cultures and traditions have formed around them.

Their striking coloring and distinct call is something that will likely keep them close to human emotions for the rest of time, and they will always hold similar symbolic meanings.

If you’ve found yourself encountering a crow or murder of crows in a spiritual experience or dream, you might want to take a little bit of time to understand why they are appearing at this point in your life.

We hope that this article has taught you everything you wanted to know about the symbolic meaning of crows, and you now understand a little more about their history and importance for humans worldwide.

If you still have some questions, keep reading for our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Seeing A Crow Bad Luck?

Some common superstitions around crows involve the amount of crows that you see.

For example, seeing a single crow is often considered to be bad luck. However, if you were to find two crows together who look identical, this can be considered a good omen.

Spotting a murder of crows is usually an omen of something bad to come, something like sickness or death on the horizon.

Whether a crow signifies bad luck or not depends on your own personal belief systems.

If you are part of a religion or spiritual tradition, then they might hold a lot more significance compared to somebody who only sees them as an animal and nothing more.

Are Crows Aggressive Animals?

Most of the time, crows are not aggressive to humans. Because of their size and inability to actively fight humans, they are more likely to fly away if you come near them.

Most of the fear around crows comes from their striking color and presence around dead or dying things.

There are almost no examples of crows physically attacking humans unprovoked, despite classic horror movies such as Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds.’

Why Do Crows Gather Together And Make Noise?

As we mentioned in the article above, crows are very social animals and will come together for a multitude of reasons. This could be for roosting, to help each other scavenge, to feed, or even just for social interaction.

In a physical sense, a gathering of crows isn’t always a negative thing, just an indication that they are social animals who like to be together. In this sense they’re not so different from humans.