Because of their renowned intelligence (they have the biggest brain to body ratio of all birds), crows have long been seen as symbols of prophecy. As symbols of death, grief, and fear, it’s no wonder crows have become the perfect symbols in gothic fiction. Specifically, in modern gothic fiction, crows are portrayed as symbols of decay, surveillance, and forbidden knowledge. The symbology goes deeper than that; crows reflect the despair of the gothic characters, their grief, their madness, their fear. But there’s another side to corvids, crows in particular, that is often overlooked: their loyalty.