Three crows are a symbol or metaphor in several traditions.

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s, and especially

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

s, often feature in European legends or mythology as portents or harbingers of doom or death, because of their dark plumage, unnerving calls, and tendency to eat carrion. According to

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

tradition they're also believed to bring upon new changes (death to one phase of your life and the birth to another)

English folklore

A version of the ''three crows'' is probably based on the ''three ravens'' folk tale where three crows plot to devour the corpse of a dead knight. Then they are thwarted by the knight's hawk, hound and mistress. ''Three crows'' are also often implicated in the

parliament of crows In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

where three crows preside over a larger number of crows and sit in judgment over the fate of another crow. The verdict sometimes results in a crow being set upon by all the other crows. This behavior and their tendency to show up at battlefields and the scenes of murders may be explain the collective term for crows as being a 'murder of crows'.

Russian folklore

''Three crows'' also refers to a tale of three crows (a father, mother and son crow) bothering the king.

German folklore

There are also several references to the three crows in the German folklore. A number of these were included in the collection of stories by the Grimm brothers,

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

and

Wilhelm Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Wilhe ...

. There is, for instance, the legend of Faithful John, which told of three crows who warned faithful John about a series of misfortunes that would befall his king. The Grimms also recorded a story called Three Crows, which involved a tale that characterized the crows in the same light. In the story, a man called Conrad was robbed of his money and beaten hard so that he became blind. He also overheard three crows talking, which gave him information that significantly improved his life.

Japanese culture

The ''Three Crows'' (三羽烏) may refer to the group of three

Go players This article gives an overview of well-known Go professional, professional and amateur players of the board game Go (game), Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the ...

who are part of the

triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

of certain eras in Go history. These players include

Hideyuki Fujisawa , also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a Japanese professional Go player. A younger uncle of another professional, Hosai Fujisawa and grandfather of professional Go player Rina Fujisawa. Biography Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. H ...

Keizo Suzuki was a professional Go player. Biography Keizo Suzuki was a promising Japanese go player – one of the " Three Crows" of the 1940s and early 1950s. He died a premature death at 18 from tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloqui ...

, and Toshiro Yamabe (1940s). Although, since Suzuki died young, he was replaced by Takeo Kajiwara.

Hashimoto Utaro was a 9-dan professional Go player. Biography Hashimoto became a pro in 1922 when he was 15. He won the Honinbō 3 times before finally reaching 9p in 1954. He founded the Kansai Ki-in The Kansai Ki-in (), i.e., Kansai Go Association, is a ...

, Murashima Yoshinori, and Shinohara Masami (1950s). Fujisawa Hosai,

Takagawa Kaku , also known as , was one of the most successful professional Go players This article gives an overview of well-known Go professional, professional and amateur players of the board game Go (game), Go throughout the ages. The page has been ...

, and

Sakata Eio was a 9- dan Japanese professional Go player. Biography Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. More than usual was at stake in the match because H ...

(1960s).

Ishida Yoshio is a professional Go player and author of several books on Go. Biography By the time he was 8, Ishida started learning Go. He was a student at the legendary Kitani Minoru go school. Famous along with his fellow students Cho Chikun, Kobayas ...

Kato Masao Masao Kato Honorary Oza (加藤正夫, ''Katō Masao'', March 15, 1947 – December 30, 2004), also known as Kato Kensei (加藤剱正 ''Katō Kensei''), was a Japanese professional go player. A late bloomer, Kato won 46 titles, including the ...

and

Takemiya Masaki is a professional Go player. Biography Masaki Takemiya was born in Japan. He became one of the many disciples of the Minoru Kitani school. His rise to fame began when he was only 15 years old. He earned the nickname "9 dan killer" because he ...

( Kitani dojo). In Japanese the term is used of triumvirates of other fields as well, for example

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. In the Kwantung Army of Imperial Japan for instance, the Three Crows refer to the Triumvirate of Army War College 24th class graduate

Kenji Doihara was a Japanese general and intelligence officer. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of Manchukuo. Born in Okayama Prefecture, Doihara became an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and was involved ...

, Army War College 28th class graduate

Itagaki Seishiro is a Japanese surname. People with the name *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese actor, fashion model, and singer *, one of the Twenty-four Generals of Takeda Shingen during the Sengoku period *, Japanese manga artist *, Ja ...

and Army War College 30th class Military Sword Club member

Kanji Ishiwara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He and Seishirō Itagaki were the men primarily responsible for the Mukden Incident that took place in Manchuria in 1931. Early life Ishiwara was born in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata P ...

: the main masterminds of the Mukden Incident and the subsequent invasion of China.

Modern usage

Stock market investors sometimes refer to a ''three crows'' as a pattern of successive declining stock prices over three days often identified by overlapping candlestick patterns. ''Three crows'' are often seen as a warning of a period of powerful selling pressure on the stock market. There are those who recommend, however, that investors should not be alarmed since an identical three crow pattern in a primary uptrend will likely break out downward but reverse in a few days. It's also used "Three Craws", which is a traditional Scottish children's song about three crows sitting on a wall in a cold and frosty morning (or more precisely "three craws, sat on a wa" in Scottish, hence the song's name and concept).

References

{{Authority control Metaphors referring to birds History of Go Symbolism