The bad luck implied by the appearance of one crow
could also be overcome, as in the case of the magpie, by making a cross on the ground, with finger or stick.
Although one crow implied bad luck, two crows meant good luck; thus we have these lines:—
Dwy frân ddu,
Lwc dda i mi.Two black crows,
Good luck to me.
Many prognostications were drawn from the appearance of crows. A crow seen on the highest branch of a tree implied that the person seeing it should shortly see his or her sweetheart. The manner in which they flew foretold a wedding or a burying. When they fly in a long line there is to be a wedding, if crowded together a funeral.
There is a common expression in Montgomeryshire—“Dwy frân dyddyn”—“The two crows of the farm”—just as if each farm had its two crows, either as guardians of the farm—for two crows implied good luck—or as if they were located by couples in various places, which places became their feeding ground and homes. This, however, is not true of rooks, which feed in flocks and roost in flocks.
Crows’ Feathers.
In Montgomeryshire it was, at one time, supposed that if a person picked up a crow’s feather he was sure to meet a mad dog before the day was over.
But in other parts it was considered lucky to find a crow’s feather, if, when found, it were stuck on end into the ground. This superstition lingered long in Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, a remote, hilly parish in Denbighshire.
Some years ago, crows’ wing or tail feathers could be seen stuck upright in the ground in many parts of Wales, but at present such a thing cannot be seen. The practice and the superstition have come to an end.