A couple of ravens may soar wingtip to wingtip, swooping together and tumbling through the sky at different times of the year. The couple will frequently sit next to each other while courting, softly preening each other’s feathers. And during that ritual, they may make these warbling sounds. This is the sound that raven nestlings occasionally make after being fed. This raven’s call is calming to both adults and their young, in contrast to the usual cacophonous ones. It’s called … a “comfort sound”.
Our largest songbird, the Common Raven, has a voice to match its size. We’ve seen ravens with wolves and, according to mythology, controlling the tides, altering a river’s path, and even raising the sun in the sky. Ravens are seen as tricksters in many traditions. But ravens have their softer side, too.
They are known to manipulate other animals, like wolves, to do tasks for them, like opening up carcasses, making it easier for them to feed. They also steal hidden food from other raven, and even make fake secret caches for the same reason, to fool the other raven. Young raven are also unusually playful. They like to steal shiny things and also play games like “catch”, even with other species like wolves who seem to enjoy it as much, and even sliding down snowy slopes, seemingly just for fun.
The raven is a skilled hunter and scavenger that also enjoys eating berries, fruits, and plants. The raven’s reputation for being exceptionally good at finding objects has been shaped by their consistent ability to locate carcasses. Old Sami beliefs suggest that this skill can also be transferred through magic, as documented in Johan and Per Turi’s “Lappish Texts” (Köpenhamn 1918). Throwing all of a live raven’s feathers into a slow-moving stream will reveal the magical feather that each raven has under its wing. The feather that deviates from the current is the correct one. Once it becomes harmless, store it for nine days in each of the hairy areas of your body—three days in each armpit, two days in your crotch, and one day and night in the hair on your head. Then, release it into the wind with the words, “Come and be my guide when I need it.” After that, you’ll always be able to locate what you’re looking for.
WOLVES Gere
Similarly in the culturally Norse influenced Hebrides, there is a legend tied to Kenneth MacMathan, a man suggested to possibly be of part Norse origin and living in the 1200s. As a baby it is said that before he was given anything else, they fed him blood, or water to drink from a raven’s skull. This gave him wisdom and the powers of prophecy. Another variant tells that it gave him the ability to understand the language of birds. This notion seems to have existed in the Highlands as well.
The sounds that ravens make in the woods are some of my favorite noises. Following their near-complete disappearance, ravens are now fairly common in the forests I visit. If you’re lucky, you might see ten to fifteen of them together, but more often than not, you’ll just see or hear a lone one.
FAQ
What are the words for ravens noises?
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