Ravens And Wolves Teamwork

Carol 0:01

Would you ever imagine there would be a symbiotic connection between a raven and a wolf? Frankly, I just never thought of any bird and a wolf understanding they could help each other. One of the many attributes of a raven and the wolf is that they are two of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Because of this, they came to understand through observation how to find and share food. Ravens will sometimes call predators like wolves or coyote's to a large animal carcass. The larger predators will tear open the thick hide, and ravens get to the meat they couldn't otherwise access. Wolves take advantage of the aerial view of ravens hovering over food, and ravens take advantage of the wolves opening their meals for them. Cooperation satisfies them both. An additional advantage for other animals and humans is that ravens are environmental cleaner uppers. They dispose of what might ordinarily cause other animals to be sick, including a pet.

Raven Vs Crow Field Marks

Carol 1:10

People often confuse ravens and crows, thinking they are the same bird. Ravens are huge compared to crows. They have a four to five foot wingspan and are about two feet in height. Crows are more the size of a pigeon. Ravens are classified as songbirds not because they sound attractive, but because they have complex muscle control within their voice box. They can mimic human voices. When the raven speaks, it often sounds more like a croaking noise. The female generally makes a popping noise to let her mate know where she is, and both make a clucking sound to guard their territory. Their territory is usually about five acres. When a predator like a red-tailed hawk threatens them, ravens call out to their neighboring ravens. Together they protect their nests. Because Dad Raven feeds soon-to-be Mom Raven while she nests, other neighboring ravens may follow him after he's secured food. And this is when Raven's intelligence really shines. Dad will pretend to bury the food and then leave. This distracts other ravens while Dad finds another safer place to stash the food. Ravens have a curved, thick beak, usually covered in coarse feathers, while crows have a smaller, sleeker, straighter bill with no feathers. Usually easiest to tell a raven from a crow when they are flying. Besides observing raven as a large bird, the way they fly is dramatically different. Ravens can soar effortlessly for long periods of time. They are playful and often drop sticks and then dive bomb after them. Maybe they have a little dog in them. On the other hand, crows flap constantly and steadily, requiring more energy. While they are above you, get the binoculars out and observe their tails. Ravens have a diamond or wedge-shaped tail when flying. Crows have more of a fan-shaped, almost squared off tail. If you listen carefully, the ravens will be making deep croaking or gronk sounds, and the crow will be high pitched with a nasal call call sound. When I observe ravens, I find to associate them with a shaggy dog, most especially because they always look a bit disheveled and they have shaggy, pointed throat feathers called hackles. Crows have a neater appearance with smooth throat feathers.

Raven In Native Creation Myth

Carol 3:54

Okay, let's dive into what makes ravens even more special. Historically, Native Americans revered ravens as powerful creators, shape shifters, and tricksters. There's a creation legend that a selfish chief kept the sun, moon, and stars locked away in nested bentwood boxes, and the world was cast in complete darkness. The raven's shape shifted into a hemlock needle and floated into the drinking water of the chief's daughter. She swallowed the needle, became pregnant, and gave birth to a baby boy. You've probably already guessed that the boy was the raven in disguise. The chief doted on the boy, giving him anything he cried for. One day the boy wouldn't stop crying until the chief let him play with the box of light. The box opened and immediately the boy transformed back into raven. Raven snatched the light in his beak and flew up through the smoke hole. This story is called how Raven stole the sun, but it sounds more like how the world got the sky back. One more part of the story is that ravens in this same creation legend used to have snow white feathers. When Raven escaped through the narrow soot covered smoke hole, his feathers were permanently stained jet black. This became the physical reminder of the price he

Tower Of London Raven Legend

Carol 5:28

paid to bring light to humanity. My favorite story is about the Tower of London Royal Decree regarding ravens. There was a problem in England when King Charles II in the 1600s installed a royal observatory in the Tower's White Tower. John Flamsteed, resident royal astronomer, complained constantly that resident ravens were messing with his telescope and interfering with his work. King Charles initially ordered that the ravens be killed. However, the court's astronomer warned if the ravens left the fortress, the White Tower would crumble and the kingdom would fall. In other words, if the ravens left the Tower of London, the crown would fall and Britain with it. Today the tower still keeps six ravens under the care of a dedicated raven master plus the spare seventh raven. What's fascinating is that historians aren't entirely sure how much of the story is ancient tradition and how much developed later. But from a symbolism standpoint, that's almost beside the point. The belief itself became powerful. Now for centuries the ravens of the Tower of London have been regarded not as symbols of misfortune, but as protectors. Their presence became linked to the stability of the kingdom itself. Whether one sees that as legends, symbolism, or superstitious, it reveals something profound. People recognize intelligence, watchfulness, and guardianship in these remarkable birds. Because ravens symbolize memory, intelligence, and guardianship, an entire nation entrusted part of its identity and continuity to a group of birds. Now that's a remarkable statement about humanity's relationship with animals.

Odin’s Ravens Thought And Memory

Carol 7:49

Then there's the Norse mythology story that tells of the god Odin, who kept two loyal ravens named Hugan and Moonin, which translates to thought and memory. Odin relied on these two as his eyes and ears. Every morning Odin sent them to fly across the realms, that's the entire world, to gather news, secrets, and to share what they learned upon their return. The ravens would whisper everything they had seen and heard in Odin's ear. This made Odin the wisest of gods, and he is often called the raven god. Thus Hugen thought embodies the mind's active pursuit of curiosity, new ideas, and intellectual exploration. Mulen memory represents the ability to retain information, preserve past stories, and the ability to process what has been learned. These North ravens represent the North value, that wisdom requires curiosity to explore the world and the mental discipline to remember what you find. The ravens

Raven Intelligence Play And Emotion

Carol 9:05

were not just pets or tools. They represented the extensions of Odin's own mind and divine perception. When next you see a raven, you can appreciate they possess understanding and have long memories. They can hold a grudge against people who have threatened them or their nests, and they pass this information about dangerous humans to their offspring. Ravens are so smart they understand abstract concepts like the number zero. They understand cause and effect. They understand complex hunting strategies and have been seen dropping stones and branches from high altitudes owned to rivals or predators to protect their nests. And most interesting to me is their playfulness. They do acrobatic aerial flying tricks. They dive bomb to perform somersaults and they do rolls and have been observed flying upside down for more than half a mile. Despite associations with dark folklore, ravens are deeply emotional and affectionate creatures. They make for life and they sing or serenade each other with gentle clues. They teach their children the boundaries of their territory. After they've been taught to fly, find food, be aware of snakes and coyotes on the ground, they ultimately introduce them to other neighboring baby ravens. Then they chase their own babies away from their birth territory because these juvenile ravens must find their own. They also grieve for weeks when they lose a family member. Ravens are playful, brilliant, complex, beautiful aerial gliders, and environmental cleaner uppers who prevent

Raven As A Sign Of Change

Carol 10:52

disease. When you see a raven, they teach you to trust there is divine timing. They teach you to collaborate with those different than you to accomplish a goal that will reward both of you. Their ability to talk with varying noises, to convey complex emotions from tenderness, anger, surprise, love, and playfulness is similar in many ways to the intelligence of humans emotionally and mentally. Ravens remind us to think of death differently. Death is a transition from one state of being to another. We live on. Ravens remind you to let old things go so there's room for new and better things and circumstances. The raven can teach us about wisdom, memory, adaptability, and seeing opportunities where others see only mystery. Given what I've shared about the raven appearing, a transformation or significant change is imminent. Pay attention to your inner voice, your intuition. Access your current life trajectory and welcome the new upcoming chapter in your life. Release what does not serve you. Whatever causes you fear and holds you back, release. Ravens always encourage paying attention to your environment. Seeing a raven can be a message than an opportunity that's on its way. Ravens are among the most intelligent animals on earth. Their cognitive abilities rival a seven-year-old human and great apes. They plan for future events, have complex vocabularies, and are one of the few non-Mammalian who creates who plays for pure enjoyment, like sledding down snowbanks, playing with other animals, tossing and catching objects and playing tug of war with a stick. Seeing a raven gives you courage to enter the darkness of the yet unformed. This bird reminds you to seek out answers, to listen to your inner voice, your gut feeling, to receive a message from the world of spirit. Ravens represent a shape shifting mystery that blends human and animal. Their color black is the color of the void, that space that holds all the energy of the creative source. Magic is calling and it's about you. The raven serves as a gateway to the supernatural and illusion. They are the keepers of sacred law who see without duality. Their intelligence, watchfulness, magical past connections will suggest you are about to experience a change in consciousness. These traits, from physical to subconscious, make ravens one of the most fascinating species in the animal kingdom. Don't forget we too have membership in that kingdom. When you see a raven, understand change is coming. One door closes, another opens. As messengers who are vocal and highly expressive, consider if you need to find your own voice of truth. Trust your intuition. Don't continue to second guess yourself. Your inner voice is there for a reason. And I'll leave you with this question. When next you see a raven, since they are clever and adaptable, consider whether you are remaining flexible in the face of unexpected circumstances. Look beyond the superficial. You can navigate the unknown. Find the truth, even if you feel it lays in the dark. And by the way, what gives life meaning is so much is unknown. Where's the thrill if you knew every step to take?

Closing Question And Next Week

Carol 14:41

I'm Carol Butler. Thanks for listening. Hope you'll follow my podcast and share it. Should I say rave about this one? Join me next week when I share the bear and explore strength, when to take action, and dive into dreaming and introspection.