I wouldn't be surprised if the malific reputation of the corvus family derives from their opportunistic scavenging nature. Imagine seeing a flock of cawing crows perched in nearby trees, or hovering about over a bloody battlefield - waiting for the opportunity to descend and feed on the fresh meat of the dead and dying.. In Irish myth, the war Goddess Maeve is known as "Battle Crow" and she hovers in her totemic crow form, over those she has decided will die in battle.