Ravens go global in tales of folklore
FOLLOWING on from last week’s feature on crows and how the Vikings were sure that the birds had the power of ‘thought’ and ‘memory’ and, who knows, Ragnar Lotbrok could have witnessed some examples of crow behaviour which demonstrated this, like my carrion crow dipping a stale crust in water for ease of eating.
Or more likely, he saw a raven waiting on the highest branches of a pine tree as a battle ceased and the field cleared of fighting men allowing the bird to feast on the leftovers.
It’s not a great leap of imagination to surmise that the largest of crows had learned somewhere along the line that men with swords, hitting each other, resulted in easy pickings.
However, give that a superstitious twist and it is no wonder that the raven features across the globe in folklore regarding death, often getting the blame for it as well, when all it was doing was being itself.
Where was David Attenborough when the corvids needed him?
In Norse mythology the raven holds a special place.
The God of the AEsir pantheon Odin is sometimes referred to as the Raven God.
This is due to his association with the ravens Huginn and Muninn as referred to in the Poetic ‘Edda,’ a collection of old Norse poems compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources.
These two birds fly around the world gathering information and relay it all to Odin.
Odin is also said to have two wolves, Geri and Freki, who sit at his feet whilst Huginn and Muninn perch on his shoulders.
The thoughts of a superstitious Norseman probably read something like: ‘Those ravens know more than they are letting on!’
This would also explain the belief of some warriors that if you saw two ravens before you went into battle, you might be better off delaying proceedings.
On the Isle of Man (Mannin) there are a large number of carved Celtic stone crosses; many carry Celtic designs and inscriptions using an early Celtic script called Ogham.
There are also a number of Norse crosses with images of Norse pagan mythology and Runic inscriptions.
One of these is Thorwald’s Cross, dating to the 10th century, which depicts Odin with a raven at his shoulder.
Ravens also feature in the stories of the ‘Valkyrie’ in Norse mythology.
They are female figures that choose who will live and die in battle.
Of these they select some who will go to Valhalla, a kind of Paradise for Vikings.
The importance of the raven to Vikings is shown by how often the bird’s image is used.
It features on armour, helmets, shields, banners and carvings on longships.
While in Oslo I managed to get up close and personal to a longboat and photograph some amazing carvings of both ravens and wolves.
No doubt the intent was to invoke the power of Odin and this would not have been lost on the enemies that they were about to engage in battle.
Many of the Norse-Gael leaders continued to use the image as did the Norse Jarls of Orkney.
Even today the yearly Viking festivals on the Faroe Islands and the Shetlands use the image of a raven.
In summary, it appears that Ragnar was not alone with his natural history observations of ravens and their behavioural traits have informed people for centuries.
Raven symbols include intelligence, adaptability, partnerships, guidance, transformation and prophecy.
And the raven spirit animal is a totem that exists in the mythology of cultures around the world.
The last word this week to the Bible: it is in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 8:6-7), in which Noah lets a raven fly from the Ark after the great flood.