Scarecrow

A scarecrow or hay-man is a decoy or mannequin in the shape of a human. It is usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley Brown (ed.). (2007). "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles". 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-923324-3. As its name suggests, it scares away crows from the field.
==Uses==
The 1881 Household Cyclopedia of General Information gives the following advice:
Crows can be a substantial problem for gardens in the springtime: they can work down a row pulling up recently sprouted corn to eat the remaining seed/seedlings. In the southern Appalachians another common method of scaring off crows was use of a dead crow hung upside down from a pole.
Modern scarecrows, though still essentially decoys, seldom take a human shape. On California farmland, highly reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to the plants to create shimmers from the sun. Another approach is automatic noise guns powered by propane gas.
In the United Kingdom, where the use of scarecrows as a protector of crops date from time immemorial, and where dialects were rife, there are a wide range of alternative names such as:
Name 	Locale
Hodmedod 	Berkshire
Murmet 	Devon
Hay-man 	England
Tattie Bogal	Isle of Skye
Tattie bogleWarrack, Alexander (1982). "Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. ISBN 0-550-11801-2.
Bodach-rocais (lit. "old man of the rooks")	Scotland
Mommet 	Somerset
Mawkin 	Sussex
Bwbach 	Wales
Alternative names for scarecrows also include these localized versions:
Name 	Locale/Language
Strašák 	Czech
Hernehirmutis 	Estonian
Fugleskræmsel 	Danish
Vogelverschrikker 	Dutch
Épouvantail 	French
Vogelscheuche 	German
Bijuka 	Hindi
Spaventapasseri 	Italian
Kakashi 	Japanese
Nokku Kuthi 	Malayalam
Orang-Orang 	Malaysia
Nuffara 	Maltese
Bujgaavane (बुजगावणे)	Marathi
Matarsack 	Persian
Tao-tao 	Philippines
Strach na wróble 	Polish
Espantalho 	Portuguese
Espantapájaros 	Spanish
Fågelskrämma 	Swedish
Sola Kolla Bommai 	Tamil
Dishti Bomma 	Telugu
Bù nhìn 	Vietnamese
Flay-crow
Mawpin
Bird-scarer
Mog
Shay
Guy
Shuft
Rook-scarer
Kelson
Bebegig	Unknown
(Trudgill, Peter. Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society. London: Penguin Books, 2000)
==Cultural impact==
The impact of the scarecrow extends beyond its immediate utilitarian function.
In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan (compiled in the year 712), a scarecrow known as Kuebiko appears as a deity who cannot walk, yet knows everything about the world.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Feathertop" is about a scarecrow created and brought to life in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts by a witch in league with the devil. The basic framework of the story was used by American dramatist Percy MacKaye in his 1908 play The Scarecrow. 
L. Frank Baum's tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has a scarecrow as one of the main protagonists. The Scarecrow of Oz was searching for brains from the Great Wizard. The scarecrow was portrayed by Frank Moore in the 1914 film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, by Ray Bolger in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, and by Michael Jackson in the 1978 musical film adaptation The Wiz.
Worzel Gummidge, a scarecrow who came to life in a friendly form, first appeared in series of novels by Barbara Euphan Todd in the 1930s, and later in a popular television adaptation.
The Scarecrow is the alter ego of the Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn, the smuggler hero in a series of novels written by Russell Thorndike. The story was made into the movie Doctor Syn in 1937, and again in 1962 as Captain Clegg. It was taken up by Disney in 1963 and dramatized as a three part TV miniseries as The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh starring Patrick McGoohan; this was later re-edited and released theatrically as Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow.
A film directed by Jerry Schatzberg in 1973 starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman is titled Scarecrow and deals with two characters on a journey reminiscent of the one in L. Frank Baum's book.
The Scarecrow is a character in the DC Comics universe, a supervillain and antagonist of Batman; Cillian Murphy portrays the character in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Similar characters, known as Scarecrow and Straw Man, have appeared in Marvel Comics.
British band Pink Floyd recorded a song called "The Scarecrow" for their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of DawnJohn Cougar Mellencamp. 's Scarecrow album, which peaked at No. 2 in the Fall of 1985, spawned five Top 40 singles including "Rain on the Scarecrow" (#21).
Joe's Scarecrow Village in Cape Breton, Canada is a roadside attraction displaying dozens of scarecrows.
===Scarecrow Festivals===
In the UK, the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival , was established in the 1990s and has grown into a major local event, attracting up to 10,000 people annually for the May Day Bank Holiday. Originally based on an idea imported from Derbyshire, it was certainly the first to be established in Wiltshire, and was possibly the first in the whole of southern England. 
The festival at Wray, Lancashire was established in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. In the village of Orton, Eden, scarecrows are displayed each year, often using topical themes such as a Dalek exterminating a Wind turbine to represent local opposition to a wind farm. Norland, West Yorkshire has a festival. Tetford and Salmonby jointly host one. In Teesdale, the villages of Cotherstone, Staindrop and Middleton-in-Teesdale have annual scarecrow festivals. The village of Meerbrook in Staffordshire holds an annual Scarecrow Festival during the month of May. Kettlewell in North Yorkshire has held an annual festival since 1994. Scotland's first scarecrow festival was held in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire in 2004, and there is also one held in Montrose. On the Isle of Skye, Minginish the Tattie bogal event,tattiebogal.org is held each year with workshops, scarecrow trail, family fun day, and Ceildh & Barn Dance.
 
In Dymchurch on Romney Marsh a man dressed as a scarecrow rode down the street annually since 1964 in celebration of local author Russel Thorndike's Dr Syn books, however, in 2008 he was required to walk due to health and safety regulations. Tonbridge in Kent also host an annual Scarecrow Trail, organised by the local Rotary Club to raise money for local charities. In the USA, St. Charles, Illinois hosts an annual Scarecrow Festival.
The 'pumpkin people' come in the fall months in the valley region of Nova Scotia, Canada. They are scarecrows with pumpkin heads doing various things such as playing the fiddle or riding a wooden horse. Hickling, in the south of Nottinghamshire, is another village that celebrates an annual scarecrow event. It is very popular and has successfully raised a great deal of money for charity. Meaford, Ontario has celebrated the Scarecrow Invasion since 1996.
==See also==
*Bird scarer
*Henohenomoheji
*Klopotec
*Kostroma (tradition)
*Kuebiko
*Sōzu
==References==
==Further reading==
Scarecrow Fact and Fable, Peter Haining, 1986
Isle of Skye Tattie Bogal Scarecrow Festival
==External links==
*Photo of a crow trap in Australia
*A typical English scarecrow made of discarded clothing
 
Category:Bird pest control
Category:Jungian archetypes