Mythological Significance of Crow Poems: Deconstructive Analysis of Poe’s “The Raven” and Hughes’s “Crow”

K. Thomas Baby

Abstract

Crows and ravens are highly intelligent birds found in all parts of the world, ranging from remote forests and snow-capped mountains to busy city streets. Taxonomically, there is little that differentiates crows and ravens. Both are large passerine birds that belong to the Corvus genus. However, ravens are generally larger and heavier than crows, with heavier bills and characteristic throat hackles. Crows are more often found around human habitations and more gregarious than ravens. From medieval to modern times, few birds have inspired poets and writers as much as crows and ravens. Researchers have identified more than sixty crow poems written during the last century, ranging from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (1845) to Ted Hughes’s “Crow” series of poems (1970). Mythological allusions to crows and ravens can be found even in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. This study explores the mythological significance of “Crow” poems of Ted Hughes and “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe by employing deconstructive analysis. From a mythological standpoint, Ted Hughes’s “Crow” poems capture the unspoken pain of human existence amidst violence, destruction, and death, whereas Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" uses the bird as an iconic symbol of the mysterious human psyche engulfed in grief and sorrow. This study aims to deconstruct the mythological significance of Ted Hughes's “Crow” poems and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," revealing their portrayal of human pain and grief. The novelty lies in juxtaposing these two distinct yet thematically linked works to deepen the understanding of their symbolic use of crows and ravens.

 

Keywords: crow, raven, mythology, deconstruction, Ted Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe.

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.63.15


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