The Raven. A Cultural History

The raven is one of the key images in European symbolism and culture. The raven was worshipped in ancient times. According to ancient mythology, for his vanity, he was punished by the gods, and his white feathers turned black. The Celts and Germans believed that the black bird serves as a messenger of the gods. Christian Medieval times saw the raven as an embodiment of evil forces, declared war on it, and the Church even promoted another bird image—the eagle. Thus, the negative image of the raven became established in fairy tales, fables, and poetry, based on fear and disgust. Even today, on a symbolic level, it remains a harbinger of bad news and a denizen of cemeteries. Nevertheless, in the scientific community, the black bird is gradually making a comeback; its cognitive abilities are astonishing: ravens play and talk. The raven, according to Pasturo, "is capable of deceiving anyone: animals, humans, gods. Sometimes, even a historian cannot cope with it." This book by Michel Pasturo is dedicated to the analysis of numerous cultural metamorphoses of the raven's image, its influence on world culture, and the hundreds of related plots—from ancient myths to modern cinema.