Here’s a Crow Quiz just for you! You’ve listened to the Crow Women albums. You read the Crow Women blogs. Perhaps you’ve imagined yourself as a Crow Woman. But which Crow? Or should I say, Witch Crow?
From the studio that brought you such august quizzes as “Which Harry Potter character are you?” “Which Friend are you?” and “What late-eighties celebrity are you most likely to kiss under the mistletoe?”, we bring you, “Which Crow Woman do you most resemble?”
For each question, choose the answer that you believe most matches you. If no answer matches you, toss a die (the six-sided cube you use in Yahztee, not the terminal end of life). If the die lands on six, I don’t know what to tell you. Go take a sip or two of mead and try your Crow Quiz again.
A Crow Quiz
1) Your approach to composition is:
- A. Compose, compose, compose. You just keep writing, knowing you may have a few duds, but there will be myriad treasures in the bunch.
- B. The Goddess wakes you up in the middle of night until you get that song down! Inspiration hits when you are in magical places.
- C. You channel Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris to compose a song that may be brand new, but sounds like it’s been sung for generations.
- D. Lyrics first. Let them ferment as poetry. Then add melody. Stir and serve with a little laughter as garnish.
- E. Fiddle around with your instrument a bit until a song springs out.
2) Your favorite time signature is:
- A. 4/4, but you’re not married to it. There are many time signatures in the sea.
- B. 2/4, then 3/4, then a little 4/4 and… wait, is that 5/4??
- C. 4/4 cause it’s the most fun to strum
- D. 6/8 and try to fit as many words on those 8thnotes as possible
- E. Waltz baby, yeah (3/4)
3) A likely theme for your composition will be:
- A. Depends, what’s the theme of the next album? I have 37 potential options ready to go.
- B. Whatever the Goddess tells me.
- C. Honoring someone or something very dear to you.
- D. Witches, of course!!
- E. Probably something with chthonic undertones.
4) You think the best key for Pagan songs is:
- A. A minor
- B. A minor
- C. A minor
- D. A minor
- E. A minor
5) How would you describe your singing voice?
- A. Light, sweet, airy soprano that slides easily into high harmony
- B. Clear, strong tenor, well suited to low harmonies
- C. Rich, resonant soprano, full of vibrato
- D. Unconventional alto, perfect witch voice
- E. All over the place, good range that blends well with others
6) What animal are you most likely to honor in song (other than a crow, which goes without saying)?
- A. Bee
- B. Spider
- C. Flicker
- D. Toad (which may or may not have been a former human what done you wrong!)
- E. Bunny rabbit
7) What are you most likely to bring to a choir rehearsal?
- A. Everything—new lyrics sheets for those who forgot to print them, a pitch pipe, a metronome, several rattles, kazoos, music stands, clothes pins, extra pencils, a recording device and a bottle of water
- B. Sheet music from the choir rehearsal you just came from
- C. Your guitar and an eco-friendly water bottle
- D. Every lyric sheet with notes from every Crow concert ever
- E. Bunny rabbit
8) What goddess would you be?
- A. Saraswati, Hindu Goddess of Knowledge and Music
- B. Grandmother Spider
- C. Luna or any other moon goddess
- D. Hekate, all aspects, but particularly Queen of Witches*
- E. Persephone, looking in the light for darkness and in the dark for specks of light
*Love Hekate? Consider the Ardantane Torch and Key Event every November. Bet you’ll meet some Crows there!
Which Crow Are You?
Add up how many answers you have for each number. Congratulations! Now you know your Crow doppelganger!
Are you an Alane?
If you have mostly A’s, you are an Alane. You are a highly trained and prolific composer. Your compositions span a wide range of subjects, many specifically designed to be used in pagan ritual. Though your compositions may be deadly complicated (ref. Ecomancy), you also know the value of a simple chant that a cast of thousands can sing together. Over the years you have also collected a vast array of other pagan chants and songs, and you stay connected to the wider pagan music community.
Are you a Marilyn?
If you have mostly B’s, you are a Marilyn. Your songs are likely to come from divine inspiration—during a spirit walk on the Ardantane campus, while watching the flickering of a candle flame or when trying to snatch a couple hours of early morning sleep after dancing around the fire at a festival. You love choral music and interesting harmonies and will participate in any choir looking for a singer. On any crow song, you are probably that rich, low harmony keeping things grounded.
Are you a Deb?
If you have mostly C’s, you are a Deb. In some seasons, Debs may be spotted on a stool with your guitar, singing old favorites at your local bar or coffee shop. Debs are also common around a campfire, where your memory for pop tunes and Broadway hits draws others. As a Deb, you are also a social critter who enjoys sharing the spotlight with friends, and you often use music to show your affection for loved ones.
Are you a Carole?
If you have mostly D’s, you are a Carole. Your lyrics are like poetry; you are a true connoisseur of the written word. Your original compositions often honor women and the feminine divine, particularly mama earth and Her elements. Yet you are likely most famous for your parodies and the spritely irreverence that comes through in your song. You are second only to an Alane in your repertoire of pagan chants and songs.
Are you a Tara?
If you have mostly E’s, you are a Tara. A Johnny-come-lately to the musical scene, your compositions tend toward the darker side of pagan life, from dark goddesses to the dark time of the year. A master of the kazoo, you also favor the ukulele as an instrumental support to your song. You may have also married a drummer at some point in your life.
Disclaimer: The above quiz and its Crow associations have no basis in science, psychology, philosophy or phrenology. Any positive results you may receive from participation in this activity are purely coincidental or possibly a sign that you are a highly suggestible person.
Additionally, we must point out that there are many more Crow Women you could be (see our About Us page), though the formatting of the quiz made it impractical to include them all. Or perhaps you are the best Crow of all—yourself!
Tara, I took your quiz and I came out as a Me. Obviously, this is a completely accurate way to of distinguishing among the Big Five types of pagan composers. Nicely done. I clearly need to write a song about this for album 264. -Alane
Yikes, I am a Marilyn (at least, most of the time I really am), but I answered all over the place- A’s, B’s, C’s, even some D’s and F’s! I even answered a few Z’s!!! Whew- so exhausted from this mental and spiritual effort that I think I’ll just take a nap. Oh oh, nap time, and HERE COMES ANOTHER SONG! Yikes again!
For those who doubt the answer to Question 4, I checked my spreadsheet (that is not a joke) and on our last album, “Seasons”, the most common key is A minor (7 songs). For inquiring minds who want to know, the next most common key was C major (4 songs), then D minor (2), and then 1 each in A major, Ab major, B minor, C minor, D major, E major, E minor, F major, G major and G minor. With 43% major keys, we are wildly cheerful for pagan musicians.
Surprise! I am a Deb!!! That was very fun. Thanks!
Ok I took it again pretending I didn’t know. I am the triple Krohe Tarlandeb.