It’s
probably been a few months since you thought about scarecrows, but
those who use them for their stated purpose build them in the spring.
You have to shoo away birds as soon as you plant seeds in the ground.
An article at Modern Farmer
tells us about the original business of scaring birds (and other
animals) away from crops with effigies, from ancient times to today.
Scarecrows also carried symbolic and even supernatural messages.
Through
the ages their makers worldwide have fashioned the often
maudlin-looking figure to reflect images of the occult, of customs,
culture, mythology, superstitions or religion. A scarecrow hung with
arms outstretched on a wooden cross echoes the crucifixion as portrayed
in this etching by Jim Yarbrough. To a farmer they may simply be a
symbol of the death and resurrection of the crops.
Some (such as
the authors of website Occult View) suggest that the scarecrow, in
addition to mirroring Christ on the cross may have originally been a
severe warning, a “no trespassing” symbol, likening it to the deeds of
Vlad the Impaler (so named for his reported propensity for impaling and
displaying enemies) or sacrifice, an offering in turn for fertile
fields. In more recent times, cartoonists have skewered politicians by
depicting them as scarecrows. A British wheat farmer, hoping to scare
off pigeons ravaging his crop, built a scarecrow of Lady Gaga as she
appeared on the 2010 Brit Awards.
These days, you are
more likely to see scarecrows as just Halloween decorations. A
scarecrow can be pretty raggedy and scary by the time harvest is
completed, just in time for All Hallows Eve. The overview of scarecrows
concludes with an interview with contemporary scarecrow artist Pumpkin
Rot.
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