Raven, Crow and Corvids in Myth, Folklore and Religion

In the story “Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden,” popular in many versions throughout East Asia, corvids come to the aid of lovers. The daughter of the king of Heaven, who would weave the silk of clouds, married a humble herdsman, and the two spent so much time together that they neglected their duties. The father finally placed the Weaving Maiden in the western sky and the herd boy in the eastern sky, where they were separated by a river of the Milky Way. One day every year the crows and magpies gather and form a bridge across the sky so that the lovers may be briefly reunited. The lore of corvids among Native Americans is perhaps even more varied than that in Europe or Asia. The major themes, prophesy and death, are much the same, though the tales of the Indians are often richer in humor. Among the Haida Indians and related tribes along the American Northwest coast, the raven is at once a sage and trickster. They tell a story about how once there was no light in the world, and everything had to be done in complete darkness. All light was held in a box kept in the house of the chief of Heaven. Raven didn’t like that, and he conceived a plan to steal the light. First, he transformed himself into a cedar leaf floating in a stream where the daughter of the chief of Heaven went to drink. She gave birth to him, and for many days he played as an infant in the house of the chief. After a while, Raven began to cry and clamor for the box that held the light. The chief, who was charmed by his young grandson, let Raven hold the box. Then Raven put on his wings and carried the container through the sky. Dazzled by all the new things he saw, Raven dropped the box, and the light broke into many fragments, which became the stars, the moon, and the sun.

In the Ghost Dance religion founded by the Paiute Indian shaman Wovoka near the end of the nineteenth century, the crow was the messenger between the world of human beings and that of spirits. Indians from many tribes in the American Southwest, together with some whites, engaged in an ecstatic dance to bring about the regeneration of the earth. The celebrants wore crow feathers, painted crows upon their clothes, and sang to the crow as they danced. Sometimes they sang of Wovoka himself, flying about the world in the form of a crow and proclaiming his message.

Corvids have always figured prominently in poetry, and the most famous example is Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” (first published in 1845). The narrator asked a raven that had flown into his chamber whether he could be reunited with his deceased beloved. The bird gazed imposingly, as befitted a messenger from the world of spirits, but revealed nothing.

In literature of the twentieth century, corvids are sometimes archaic deities that now rebel against the order of the universe. In a volume of poetry entitled Crow (1971), British poet Ted Hughes constructed a personal mythology. A figure named Crow continually does battle with cosmic powers; he may be defeated or victorious but always survives.

In “Vincent the Raven” (first published in 1941) Portuguese author Miguel Torga tells a story about the raven that accompanied Noah. Vincent becomes increasingly restless. Though not personally mistreated, he becomes angry that the animals and the earth should be punished for the crimes of humankind. At last he leaves the Ark unbidden, perches on the peak of Mount Ararat, and calls out his defiance to God. The flood continues to rise, but Vincent refuses to leave. God, realizing that should he drown Vincent, his creation would no longer be complete, finally relents and reluctantly allows the water to recede.

But ravens and crows are not at all endangered. Corvids are found nearly everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, from remote cliffs and forests to cities. They neither fear man nor need him, and their resilience constantly inspires our respect.