"The Crow"
Location: R.A. = 12h 30m, Dec. = 20 S
Mythology:
Corvus, or the Crow, rides on the serpent Hydra in the night sky.
While we often consider the Classical (Greek) stories behind the constellations,
this particular constellation has been imagined by other cultures as well.
The Ancient Romans and Hebrews saw Corvus as a Raven, and the Ancient Chinese
called it the Red Bird.
Classically, the Crow is associated with Apollo, God of Prophecy and Wisdom,
Music and Poetry, and often associated with the arts, philosophy, law,
and medicine (consider the first line of the Hippocratic Oath taken by
physicians: "I swear by Apollo the physician . . ."). During
the battle for control of Olympus, Earth (Gaea) sent the monster Typhon
upon the Olympian Gods. Pan was the first to spot the monster, and
shouted a warning to have everyone transform into animals to hide.
Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan became fish, although Pan was unsuccessful and
could only half change (which is why his depiction, Capricornus, is half-goat
and half-fish). To also hide from Typhon, Apollo changed into a crow.
Apollo then became associated with his sacred Crow, Corvus.
Interestingly, Apollo's Crow was originally white, but one day the Crow
brought to Apollo the awful news that his lover, Coronis, was being unfaithful.
Apollo was so distraught that in his mourning he turned the Crow black.
Since that day, crows are all black to express the sorrow of Apollo.
As the story continues, one day Apollo was set to give tribute to Zeus,
so he sent the Crow with a Cup (the constellation Crater) to fetch water
from a spring. During the journey to the spring, the Crow noticed
a fig tree bearing fruit. The Crow forgot his mission and waited
several days for the fruit on the tree to get ripe enough to eat.
Apollo got tired of waiting for his Crow to return and fetched the water
himself. When the Crow finally did return, with the water and a full
belly, he told Apollo that a watersnake had been blocking the spring.
Apollo was not impressed and knew the Crow was lying since he had fetched
water himself. As punishment, Apollo changed the once beautiful singing
voice of the bird to the squawk it is today. (One version of the
story states that it is here that the bird's feathers are turned black.)
Finally, Apollo set the Crow Corvus into the stars next to the Cup Crater
on the Watersnake Hydra. Apollo ordered the snake to never let Corvus
get near Crater to get a drink.