A Terrifying Scarecrow

The scarecrow’s job is to frighten the farmer’s enemies — whether they be birds, trespassers or evil spirits.

An article about scarecrows in rural Poland explains: “The origins of the scarecrow can be traced back to the distant past when, along with the spread of agriculture, various crop protection measures began to be taken. The first records on scarecrows in Europe date back to 1592. The prototype of the scarecrow were objects and material items used by humans daily in magic practices, rituals, and ceremonies associated with the cultivation cycle and process. Therefore, a certain primary form of the scarecrow was not a man of straw, but objects aimed at deterring everything that could pose a threat to crops, including malevolent supernatural forces.”

In this photograph a scarecrow erected in a field near Biba, Egypt represents Abu Khof (father of fear). It is being used to deter marauding birds as well as for protection against the evil eye. Crops, livestock and babies are thought to be particularly susceptible to the eye’s effects.

Abu Khof (father of fear) used as a scarecrow and also as a protection against the evil eye. Erected in a field near Biba, Beni Suef province. The figure is made of clay, plastered over with whitewash. c. 1920s

Scarecrow, North Carolina c. 1938

There are a variety of folk beliefs and cultural practices involving scarecrows. For example, some believe that it is bad luck to wear an article of clothing that a scarecrow has worn, such as a hat or jacket. In Ecuador, families make paper scarecrows and burn them at midnight on New Year’s Eve to destroy the bad from the past year and clear the way for good fortune in the future.

For those who are interested in learning more about scarecrows, the House of Good Fortune recommends this brief history of scarecrows from Modern Farmer magazine.