Quoth the Raven

Science is finally finding out with what Pagans and Native peoples have known for ages: that crows and ravens show high intelligence.

Scientifically speaking, crows and ravens share the common genus Corvus, and have many of the same traits. Indeed, as Samantha Fleming points out, it’s not always clear which bird is being spoken of in myths:

“As far as the mythology goes, the first confusion arises over the distinction between Crow and Raven, at least on the European side of the Atlantic. The two appear, in many instances, to be interchangeable, and the appearance of one or the other in a story depends as much on which author is transcribing it as it does on story itself. Whereas John Matthews gives Bran the raven almost exclusively, Miranda Jane Green ascribes to the God’s companion animal either the crow or the raven, much as both authors do for the Morrigan.”

Likewise, when scientists currently speak of the intelligence of crows, they generally mean the Corvus family in its entirety.

In Pagan mythology, ravens have long been associated with knowledge and wisdom. In Norse mythology, Odin is accompanied by two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, whose names mean “thought” and “memory.” In Irish mythology, the Badb, whose name is Old Irish for “crow,” is a war goddess who is gifted with prophetic knowledge. In the stories of a variety of Native American peoples, Raven is a clever and powerful trickster figure. All of these stories and more point to the intuitive understanding of the crow’s intelligence by various peoples who lived in closer connection with the natural world.

Now, National Geographic News is reporting on a book which looks at the current research into the intelligence of these birds, who may be even smarter than was thought:

“Crows make tools, play tricks on each other, and caw among kin in a dialect all their own. These are just some of the signs presented in a recent book that point to an unexpected similarity between the wise birds and humans… ‘Whatever it is that has encouraged humans to develop higher intelligence also seems to have been at work on crows.’”

The article makes special note of the birds’ renowned trickster abilities:

“Savage also discusses Swiss zoologist Thomas Bugnyar’s research showing how a raven named Hugin learned to deceive a more dominant raven named Mugin into looking for cheese morsels in empty containers while Hugin snuck away to raid full containers.

“‘This shady behavior satisfies the definition of “tactical”, or intentional, deception and admits the raven to an exclusive club of sociable liars that in the past has included only humans and our close primate relatives,’ Savage writes in her book.”

The book is called Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World, by Candace Savage, and may be worth looking into for Pagans interested in how scientific research can confirm and expand aspects of their mythology.

Tags: Paganism