Black birds: corvidae
Raven
The raven (Corvus corax) has been taken for a clever bird who is also the most ominous and frightening and it is believed to have originated from a witch. Its earlier name was kaaren and it has matches in other, related languages. The name ronk is an onomatopoeia for the bird's call. He is also known as korp, kronk, also 'white bird', and less so as 'black bird'. Such euphemistic nicknames were used to give names to scary birds. It was believed that birds hear and understand human speech and when they hear their own name, they hide from hunters or cause harm to humans in other ways. The raven is associated with the spiritual realm and for this reason, it is identified as a bird of death or bad luck. A raven flying over a dwelling house, or a raven’s call, meant a quarrel, a death, or a portent of death. Flying over pasture meant an animal perishing, an accident, or a wolf getting at the cattle. It was believed that dogs become mad when they eat a bone or a piece of meat dropped from a raven’s beak.
Mathilda Matjus (Hiiemäe 2016). Translation: Maarja Villandi-Reiljan.
There is a rock in the raven's nest. If you get hold of this stone, no one's anger or curses can harm you, and you can cast spells with this stone.
Ronga pesas on kivi. Kui selle kivi kätte saad, siis ei hakka keegi inimese viha ega vitsad su peale ja selle kiviga saab nõiduda.
A raven, if it passes over your head or house, it brings an announcement.
Kaarnas kui läheb üle su pea või maja, siis midagit kuulutust toob.
Crow
Like the raven, according to folklore, the crow is a dangerous and powerful bird. In the repetitive verses characteristic of regilaul song, a crow is often analogous to a raven – it brings bad messages, and him are sent the illnesses. Two species of crows live in Estonia: the hooded crow (Corvus cornix) and rook (Corvus frugilegus). The Estonian word for crow, vares, has an ancient Uralic root and is similar in many related languages, eg. the Erzian word vars´ej, or in Kamassian, bare.
The crow’s image is that of an insignificant and worthless bird; and is linked to the words ‘old’, ‘poor’ etc. This choice of words partly depends on alliteration and emollient or reductive euphemisms such as vaga 'meek, humble, pious', vana hall 'old grey'; disparaging words vana 'old', vaene 'poor'. As a poetic synonym, the crow is rather pejorative – for example, the orphan's or bastard's father might be called a crow; the girl advises an old suitor to take a crow instead; the wedding singer calls the opponent a crow. Of course, the crow does not possess a beautiful singing voice, and in addition, it is customary to disparage the opponent's singing mouth because of her bad food choices. An elderly singer complains that, unlike in her youth, she can no longer even jump over an old crow. In songs about different birds, the role of the crow depends again on the alliteration: when working, the crow takes out the scone (vatsk) from the oven. To the wedding of the mouse, it rides in a copper chariot (vasest vanker). In the early 1900s, the crow became famous in a popular dance game with the song "The Crow, a Humble Bird".
Taive Särg (Saarlo 1996).
When a crow caws and its beak is turned toward the door of the dwelling house, bad messages will arrive.
Kui vares vaagub ja nokk seal juures elumaja ukse poole pöördud, saadakse halbu sõnumeid.