Interesting facts about scarecrows
- The earliest scarecrows were found in Ancient Egypt. They stood guard over the river Nile to keep birds away from the crops. However, real people who were slaves were often used instead of straw.
- In the Middle Ages, scarecrows were believed to have special powers.
- In Medieval Britain, there was an actual job for young boys called a “bird scarer” who wandered the fields with bags of stones to throw at the birds.
- Formidophobia is the fear of scarecrows.
- The first known usage of the word “scarecrow” in English novels was in 1719 in Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe.
- The most famous scarecrow is the fictional character in The Wizard of Oz who is in search for a brain.
- Both DC and Marvel have a comic character named “Scarecrow,” though they are completely different characters. In both universes, they are villains.
- There is a Japanese villaige called Nagoro which has 35 inhabitants, but over 350 scarecrows!