I continually come across a phrase, an idea, a word that makes me wonder about the origins. Having access to a computer day and night is the most wonderful devise for a person that has a lot of questions to be answered. Recently, i came across a jeapordy question and did some exploring on the web.
"a murder of crows"
-This more poetic term for a flock of crows can be traced back at least to the 15th century, when it was recorded as a murther of crowes. Murther is a variant of Middle English murthre 'murder,' though the th sound had begun to be replaced with a d around 1300 C.E. There are several theories as to how this particular term came about, but all of them have to do with the supposed behavior of crows. For instance, crows are scavengers and therefore often seen feeding on rotting bodies of various sorts. Survivors of wars have described how the battlefields were covered in black as crows (and ravens) came down to eat the dead. Another theory hearkens back to old folklore which told of groups of crows essentially holding court over members of their flock that had committed offenses. If they decide against the "defendant" crow, then the rest of the flock swoops down on it and kills it. There are legends outside of the Germanic culture that relate to crows being judges over people as well, and how their appearance is an omen of death.
"a murder of crows....." I think i will still call them 'a flock of crows' as it sounds so much kinder,
and i am in a kind mood today!
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