Three Blackbirds

DESCRIPTION: "Three blackbirds sat on a fence, They were as hungry as they could be." They find an old dead horse. A farmer kills all but one; that one is so frightened that his wings turn white -- and that is the origin of magpies, and is why they wait to eat grain
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 2009 (Garland-FacesInTheFirelight-NZ)
KEYWORDS: bird death food farming colors
FOUND IN: New Zealand
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Garland-FacesInTheFirelight-NZ, p. 269, "(Three Blackbirds)" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Three Ravens" [Child 26] (lyrics, theme)
NOTES [42 words]: Garland-FacesInTheFirelight-NZ thinks this is derived from "The Three Ravens," and I sort of agree: I suspect it was a deliberate revision of that song to explain the origin of magpies. But the change was deliberate, so I file it as a separate song. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.3
File: Garl269

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