The Nordic Raven Totem

The written article, The Nordic Raven Totem - nordicanimism.bliz.dk/blog/th...
Thomas and Patricia Thornton on the "Ravencene" : www.academia.edu/9558601/The_...
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[@robertbrumfitt6548]

Fascinating video. Ravens are known to help Wolves find carcasses in the wild who in turn open them up for the Ravens to access. Wolves know to follow the sounds of Ravens to locate prey. When we were hunter gatherers I'm we were part of this symbiosis. I often wonder if the aspect of Odin as a hunter, with his wolves and Ravens harken back to this ancient tripartite.

[@robertbrumfitt6548]

Also in connection to Arthur being a Raven - In the old Celtic kingdoms of northern England, (known as Rheged) a line of kings stemming from Coel Hen were said to bear a banner of 3 Ravens. Interestingly some of the men in that blood line could be the potential real life Arthur that entered into myth.

[@rosethorncollective7193]

Wanted to contribute that In Ireland, specifically, the raven, and crows, are deeply connected with An Morrigan (The Morrigan) and another of Her aspects, Badb Catha (Battle Crow). Fierce affiliations with: Sovereignty, battle, shape shifting, and, prophecy. I'll stop there! Look forward to more of your work and study on this subject!

[@NordicAnimism]

Dear Rose - I am embarrasingly not studied in Celtic lore, but I suspect that there would be very interesting parallels between the Morrigan and the Odin-Valkyrie-Raven complex.

[@sarad6627]

Nordic Animism, Another brilliant video that's got me thinking. In Celtic mythology, the raven is an aspect of the Morrigan who represents the Earth and grants humans the right to live on the land. Similar figures are found in the creation story as the land who grants humans the right to settle on the Island that they have created. They are also protectors, over see battle, and grant victory in war.

[@loriannepresnell7951]

Ravens fed Elijah twice daily for 3 and 1/2 years while he was in hiding. Story in 1KINGS 17. They were sent by God to care for him...Also the Lakota revered the Corvids as a brave and stalwart nation as they didn't fear the elements but stayed in their territory thru the winter. Thanks for the exceptional presentation!🌎🌬🔥💦

[@edwardbackman744]

I love how you always emphasize dialogue as a way of relating to the past, amazing content as always

[@edwardbackman744]

Omgoodness the sutton hoo helmet its the tail of a raven i thought it was a mustache

[@avisfuriosa2189]

Theory: A banner, more so a totemic banner, is very very basically a reminder of what it is you're good at as a group. And from my bit of fighting experience, brains, which is what corvids are known for, beat brawn nine times out of ten.

[@roflswamp6]

A wonderful video thsnk you for sharing

[@craftyhobbit7623]

Ravens and corvids in general are very intelligent birds. The New Caledonian Crow uses twigs to get food items out of things they couldn't reach otherwise (chimps do a similar thing with getting termites out of logs.) Wild crows will form a friendship with you if you feed them - I was on a field trip while I was doing my zoology degree and a crow landed behind me while I was eating my lunch. It was quite a bold move and I thought it was hungry so I gave it the last of my sandwich. That was just over a decade ago, and the family of this crow has been following us around ever since. There are usually four in the group, but you don't always see them together. Perhaps Nordic people recognized the intelligence of corvids.

[@mattias5157]

I visited Iceland last summer and encountered a young father who told me about his son, who wore the name Oden, nothing lesser than that. He told me that every time they were going camping and similar things, there always showed up two ravens. Typically sitting in a tree right above the place where they have put up their tent or in similar very obvious and visible ways. Just saying. Names are important. This video made me pondering about the tricksterous - I just invented that adjective in what I believe is a tricksterous way - of the icelandic sagas. There is really a raven feeling around them. Very witty, very funny.

[@taniagonzalez3464]

ive had some recent raven encounters in new Orleans over this last Halloween.. waiting for the trolly i watched a flock wrangle rats into the bushes..when the rat tried to escape another raven would plunge down from a tree & chase it back to the bush. the next day we were escorted by about 20 into St. Louis No1 cemetery .. the videos are wild

[@LongislandnativeSanctuary]

So cool thank you!!

[@Gr0nt_Skegg]

A fantastic video.

[@graemekelly]

I am from two First Nations People. Native Australian Aboriginal and Dark American Indian. As well as 6 other nationalities including Norse Vikings. My Totem bird is the Raven. I see the Raven not as harbinger of death but a renewal/regeneration of life. The raven sees both dark and light. And so for us to move forward we must also unite with the dark and light. In this hour of darkness on the earth. Our way forward is to look backwards to our First Nations ways get to the future of mankind and earthkind alike

[@oya4715]

Great!! Thank you!!

[@madeinengland4910]

Awesome!!

[@philadelphiachimudzi3315]

What does it mean if a raven visits and it stands on one leg,it folds its other leg..

[@I0goose0I]

To us Tlingit the Raven fixed the world. Made people. When it’s depicted it’s a representation of the Raven or beings like the Raven. It could be anything a man, a women, anything, it could trick you out of your last breath and eat you but it wouldn’t steal money or people. Some of our clans are of the Raven moiety the rest are opposite but that’s just our people everyone else has different history of the Raven and in fact one of my ancestors said he taught so many First Nations and none of them believe like Wé believe so unique. There’s lots of material about my people out there you should check out and there’s lots of similarities in our culture and say the Sumarian or now days the Jewish or christen beliefs

[@jocelynehoughton8277]

Magnificent! I am eager for Part Two. #TeamCorvid

[@travislee4028]

Have you ever read any of Bernd Heinrich's books on ravens? He's a naturalist who has done some really fascinating work with ravens, anyone interested in these fascinating birds would love his books.

[@NordicAnimism]

no i haven't actually :-)

[@user-nw7ym7qx9w]

Im a raven from the tlingit and haida tribe

[@P1MPST1K]

Ravens are actually super intelligent animals and have been known to come up to people and try to talk to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings actually did have some kind of alliance with them.

[@richardcook2970]

Great video, thanks.

[@realmofrunes-FB]

Thoughts on the use of the raven banner woven by Audna the Enchantress? Story passed down in my family, grandmothers to daughters and well documented.

[@NordicAnimism]

Nope. I don't know that. But if you want to share i am all ears

[@immacat515]

Question: Wouldn't a countries flag be militant regardless if it's carried into war or not? Especially for America; a highly militant country. The flag brings about a sense of 'patriotism,' thusly give people who see it a sense of militarism. Secondly, how could anyone even think that Native Americans got their Raven myths (is myths the proper word?) from the bible? I just... they are older than the bible... Thirdly, how would you define trickster in this sense? I've heard and read many different takes on trickster, and I'm not ashamed to admit I am confused lol. One way people mean "oh bad bad!," and then the next they mean someone who is doing everything for 'funsies' (I seriously forgot the word I was going to use lol!)

[@SarenthDricten]

I went to go read the paper you linked to, but unfortunately it is not yet available, at least here in the US.

[@maggiewolf9284]

I could only find a paid version on Sage under the Thornton name[s]; but if you search for 'The Trickster in the Anthropocene - Yadvinder Malhi'; you may find the free .pdf from 2016. Not yet sure if it is the same paper Rune Hjarnø is referring to - just about to read it - but it is certainly on the same theme.

[@MorgannBjoerkekraake]

Thank you! Cleaver talk as always 😀 I would be curious to listen to this danish folksong you mention about a woman sending a raven with runes. Where can I find Informations about it?

[@NordicAnimism]

Dear Morgann - it is actually only a fragment of the original folk song but the main narrative is expressed in this fragment. I haven't met a proper recording of it actually :-(

[@MorgannBjoerkekraake]

​@@NordicAnimism So... maybe we could compose a new one ;-) Is this the ballad you are referring to? From wikipedia: ..."In another account, a valravn is described as a peaceless soul in search of redemption that flies by night (but never day) and can only free itself from its animal countenance by consuming the blood of a child. This is reflected in a Danish traditional song that describes how, after refusing offers of riches, the Valravn makes an agreement with a maiden to take her to her betrothed after she promises the valravn her first born son. After the agreement, the valravn flies away. In time, the couple have a child and the Valravn returns, and asks the maiden if she has forgotten her promise. The valravn takes the child away, and tears into the chest of his won wager and consumes the blood contained within the child's heart. As a result, the valravn transforms into a knight. This traditional song was reinterpreted by the electro-folk band Sorten Muld and became a hit for them in 1997, under the title Ravnen..." A link to Ravnen from Sorten Muld: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHO1pp6HaclqsMU

[@NordicAnimism]

@@MorgannBjoerkekraake no it is not that song. That one is the most well known one. and - Indeed I hope that I will be composing a version of "Raven leads Runes" or at least collaborating with people on it :-)

[@MorgannBjoerkekraake]

@@NordicAnimism In the meantime I found the one you are talking about : "Ravn fører runer". I sing in a band named "Hrafnahljóð"... that why I feel intrigued by this ballad you mentioned. You gave me something to boil my mind for a couple of weeks, months... As I'm writing 3 ravens are loudly krakraing against a magpie in the nearby tree. A message for sure.. Can't wait to listen to your version of it and thanks again for all the knowledge sharing.

[@marshaburke1546]

@@NordicAnimism Hey, are you looking for a composer? I'm studying music at Glasgow University in Scotland, I'm a mature student, my first degree was fine art....totally into all the things you're talking about!

[@HaileISela]

you would not believe how many seemingly unrelated threads of my life just got tingled by this... would love to talk about it with you sometimes

[@NordicAnimism]

Hey man! - if you want to go down the Raven rabbit hole, then check out my entire playlist on the topic: kzbin.info/aero/PLpgfnnXC81dXfNIbcTQPOYDrPCMSi0XyI

[@nicford]

How much time have you actually spent with ravens in the natural world, observing them?

[@NordicAnimism]

Some time! But I working with wild birds is not my main field

[@paganbanjo]

What was that Danish ballad called in Danish? I'm having trouble finding any reference to it in English.

[@nathanmauk9387]

Very interesting. Would you consider heraldry (at least insofar as it assigns animal symbolism to descent groups) to be a species of totemism?

[@NordicAnimism]

There seems to be some relation

[@AllenCrawford3]

The universal symbolism of certain heraldic charges is recognized only in a handful of cases, like lions standing for ferocity, courage, and dominion. Most symbolic associations with animals, plants, and abstract elements in heraldry are those coined by the bearer.

[@maggiewolf9284]

I was lucky enough to raise a rescued Carrion Crow and have never worried about being called 'bird-brained' since. Learned so much, not just about corvids, but about myself. Both Ravens and Crows feature quite heavily in Brythonic [Celtic?] mythology too [Distaff side of my lot; Dad's lot hail from the East Ridings of Yorkshire]. In the older British mythology there seems to be a strong link between these specific birds and, well frankly quite a number of women/female persons, both human and non-human. Very much looking forward to the next video. Thanks once again for another welcome thought-prodding! Very interesting.

[@octosquatch.]

I see ravens every day. I live in Alaska. I'm Scottish, German, German jew (whatever that means), Norwegian and Swedish. But none of that matters... or does it. I identify with the raven, so I call myself raven here in anonymous internet land, and none of that has anything to do with why I'm watching this video.

[@NordicAnimism]

cool :-) so what is the reason taht you are watching the video - got curious there 🙂

[@octosquatch.]

@@NordicAnimism years ago I read one of the sagas, then I had to read all of them. That got me into Norse mythology and history. Events in recent years have led me to connect with the mythology on a more personal level. Kind of on accident if that makes sense. So I guess I'm watching just to satisfy a curiosity I don't quite understand.

[@NoctLightCloud]

would Ravens even eat human corpses? I guess most other insects and animals would be more delicious to them. They'd ignore us unless in the worst of situations😂

[@lilaabydos9268]

You are cute Viking✅

[@FrankFLucas]

Raven & Crow's same difference.

[@Ivanowich]

So sad you see all the birds from archeological findings as ravens, when it is clear to see they are different types of birds vith different interpretations, which also have different beaks... Ravens are ravens and eagles are eagles... ,-(

[@NordicAnimism]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5jcYn6wZZKHorM

[@paganrevolutionary1269]

Er du kommunist? Are you a communist?

[@NordicAnimism]

No, but do check my video on capitalism

[@paganrevolutionary1269]

@@NordicAnimism *cries* Will do