There are few birds in the world that have more mythology associated with them than the Raven. I’ve been kind of fascinated with them since I visited the Four Corners region and one casually flew after me the entire time I was at Hovenweep National Monument. A lot of ravens are fairly tame (and by tame I mean they don’t panic and fly away if you get within 20 feet, do not try to pet them) since they often live quite closely with people.
Cultures all over the world have stories about the raven, about their unique personality and why their feathers are black. They are associated with good luck, ill omens, warfare, creation, cunning and trickery. I’m obviously not the only one who’s fascinated by ravens since they’re so populous in mythology and also in modern literature such as works by Edgar Allen Poe and GRR Martin.
In Greek Mythology they are considered good luck and are one of the symbols of Apollo. The aforementioned God is responsible for raven’s black feathers due to a lapse in temper that resulted in a scorched avian. For the Vikings they were the servants of Odin. For the Celts they were the symbol of The Morrigan, Goddess of Fate and Battle. Ravens protected saints and knights and in England they are an extra bit of security against the fall of the monarchy. In Bhutan the raven is a symbol of royalty and a raven crown is worn by the King. For the natives on the northwest coast they are the creators and freed humanity into existence, as well as the provider of light and the trickster. It also has the honor of being the official bird of the Yukon Territory.
Ravens are from the corvid family and are extremely intelligent birds. They are particularly talented at problem solving and show levels of insight that unnerve some people. In experiments they’ve been shown to determine solutions to problems without requiring much, if any, trial and error. In the wild they’ve been observed to coordinate their efforts to acquire food, are capable of deceiving other ravens and have even been reported to call wolves to dead animals so the meat is more accessible to the birds. They even play in the snow, which I think is just adorable.
In conclusion ravens are awesome!
Thanks for stopping by!
-Erin
Check out some raven cuteness here: