Cultural depictions of ravens

File:Ravens in petrified forest.jpg

Ravens in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.

There are many references to ravens in legends and literature. Most of these refer to the widespread Common Raven.

The raven is the national bird of Bhutan because it adorns the royal hat, representing the deity Gonpo Jarodonchen (Mahakala with a Raven's head); one of the important guardian deities of Bhutanese culture. It is the official bird of the Yukon and of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Professional wrestler Scott Levy has gone by the ring name Raven for well over a decade. The "Baltimore Ravens" is the name of an American Football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.

In European myth and legend

"The Twa Corbies", Illustration by Arthur Rackham to Some British Ballads

Because of its black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion, the raven has long been considered a bird of ill omen and of interest to creators of myths and legends.

The raven was a common device used by the Vikings. Ragnar Lodbrok had a raven banner called Reafan, embroidered with the device of a raven. It was said that if this banner fluttered, Lodbrok would carry the day, but if it hung lifeless the battle would be lost. King Harald Hardrada also had a raven banner, called Landeythan (land-waster). In Norse mythology, the Ravens Hugin and Munin sit on the god Odin's shoulders and bring to his ears all the news they see and hear; their names are Thought and Memory. Odin sends them out with each dawn to fly over the world, so he can learn everything that happens. The bird also appears on the right hand side of the Coat of arms of the Isle of Man, a former Viking colony, where it also appears in local folklore. The Old English word for a raven was hraefn; in Old Norse it was hrafn; the word was frequently used in combinations as a kenning for bloodshed and battle.

According to Livy, the Roman general Marcus Valerius Corvus (c. 370-270 BC) had a raven settle on his helmet during a combat with a gigantic Gaul, which distracted the enemy's attention by flying in his face.

A raven is said to have protected Saint Benedict of Nursia by taking away a loaf of bread poisoned by jealous monks after he blessed it.

In Irish mythology, the goddess Morrígan alighted on the hero Cú Chulainn's shoulder in the form of a raven after his death. In other ancient Celtic mythology Ravens were associated with the Welsh god Bran the Blessed, (the brother of Branwen) whose name translates to "raven." According to the Mabinogion, Bran's head was buried in the White Hill of London as a talisman against invasion.

Ravens in the Tower of London

Over the years, a legend developed that England will not fall to a foreign invader as long as there are ravens at the Tower of London; the government now maintains several birds on the grounds of the tower, either for insurance or to please tourists (or both). This is often thought to be an ancient myth, but recent research has shown no trace of the legend before the 19th century and is now thought to be a romantic Victorian invention drawn from the story of Bran the Blessed (see above). In fact the Tower has been raven-less for long periods of time. They were last reintroduced after World War II. These birds have the primary feathers of one wing trimmed periodically to ensure that they will not leave.

As a carrion bird, also known to be eating dead humans (executed, or victims of warfare), ravens became associated with the dead and with lost souls, and thus in Sweden are known as the ghosts of murdered persons, and in Germany as the souls of the damned.

In the well-known ballad The Three Ravens, a slain knight is depicted from the point of view of ravens who seek to eat him but are prevented by his loyal hawks, hounds and leman.

Indigenous peoples history

Main article: Raven in mythology

The raven also has a prominent role in the mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, including the Tsimishian, Haida, Heiltsuk, Tlingit, Kwakwaka'wakw, Coast Salish, Koyukons, and Inuit. The raven in indigenous peoples mythology is both the Creator of the world but also considered a trickster god. For instance, in Tlingit culture, there are two different raven characters which can be identified, although they are not always clearly differentiated. One is the creator raven, responsible for bringing the world into being and who is sometimes considered to be the same individual as the Owner of Daylight. The other is the childish Raven, always selfish, sly, conniving, and hungry. Other notable stories tell of the Raven stealing and releasing the sun, and of the Raven tempting the first humans out of a clam shell.

In the Bible

In the Bible, ravens are mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the Old Testament. In I Kings 17:4 God commands the ravens to feed the prophet Elijah. Job ponders who feeds the ravens in Job 38:41. King Solomon is described as having hair as black as a raven in the Song of Songs 5:11. In the New Testament as well, ravens are used by Jesus as an illustration of God's provision in Luke 12:24.

In the Qur'an

In the Qur'an, Raven was mentioned in the story of Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam, as the creature who taught Cain how to bury his murdered brother in Al-Ma'ida (The Repast) 5:31.

In modern literature

Further literary allusions include:

• William Shakespeare refers to the raven more often than to any other bird; Othello provides one example as well as Macbeth.
• The raven "Grip" is an important character in Charles Dickens' novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty.
• Edgar Allan Poe used the raven as a supernatural messenger in his poem "The Raven". In this and Dickens' book, the bird's power of speech is important.
• Among other works of literature, Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta and Edmund Spencer's The Faerie Queene also employ the raven's darkly ominous image.
• The raven is featured prominently in the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, which relates a fictionalized history of England where magic is practiced and legend tells of "The Raven King", the one-time king of northern England.
• Stephen King describes a raven named Zoltan that belongs to a farmer in The Gunslinger.
• Andrew Reimann's The Lost Kings describes countless ravens in the city of hell that look like pouring chimney smoke in their numbers. In the novel, ravens are the only creature in the afterlife with the ability to die or fly back to earth.
• In The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Roäc son of Carc is the leader of the Ravens.
• In George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, Ravens are used as a method of communication over long distances by the maesters. Their use in this respect, especially to convey unfortunate news, leads people of Westeros to associate them with the phrase "dark wings, dark words." White ravens are used by the maesters of the Citadel to convey urgent messages such as the changing of the seasons. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch carried a raven on his shoulder which took to repeating key words of most anything he said.
• In the Sandman graphic novel series, Neil Gaiman identifies his likeable yet serious take on Death with ravens, especially in the story The Sound of Her Wings the lead character Dream also has a pet raven named Matthew, and the story references previous "Ravens of dream". Matthew returned in the follow-up series, The Dreaming, dying in a story written by Caitlín R. Kiernan and making way for a new dream raven, Tethys.
• In the film adaptations of the bestselling novel Harry Potter series, the animal representing the Hogwarts house of Ravenclaw is the Raven. In the books, however, it is the Eagle.
• In Terry Pratchett's Discworld, a Raven named Quoth (a reference to the Edgar Allan Poe poem), is the Death of Rats' mount. He has a rather distinct taste for eyeballs.

References

• "Bran." Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online. [1]
• Article in Guardian about Tower of London raven myth