Pacific Northwest
Raven the Trickster
In Haida and Tlingit tradition, Raven is a cunning creator who steals the light and sets the sun, moon and stars in the sky.
Common Raven
White-necked Raven
Fan-tailed Raven
Thick-billed Raven
Australian Raven
Chihuahuan Raven
Forest Raven
ᚺᚱᚨᚠᚾ · The Raven Library
HRAFN
The ravens of the world — ten species, the gods who kept them, and the minds behind the black feathers.
Hover a raven in flight to learn its name
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Corvus
The genus shared by ravens, crows, rooks and jackdaws.
~1.5 m
Upper wingspan of the Common Raven — among the largest songbirds on Earth.
4 continents
North America, Eurasia, Africa and Australia — from Arctic cliffs to the Sahara.
10 species
Charted in this library, each with its range, field marks and lore.
I · The Species Atlas
Ten ravens, one sky.
Choose a species to see its silhouette in flight — tail shape, bill and neck markings are how field watchers tell them apart.
No. 01 / 10
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Range
North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa — Arctic cliffs to desert canyons
Field mark
Long wedge-shaped tail, shaggy throat hackles, deep rolling croak
Size
Largest of the ravens — wingspan up to about 1.5 m
II · Norse Lore
Thought & Memory.
Each dawn, Odin's two ravens fly out over the whole of Midgard. At dusk they return to his shoulders and whisper all they have seen.
Their names are Huginn — thought — and Muninn — memory, or mind. In the Eddic poem Grímnismál, Odin admits he fears for Huginn, but fears more that Muninn may not come back.
ᚺᚢᚷᛁᚾ
Huginn · Thought
ᛗᚢᚾᛁᚾ
Muninn · Memory
The raven across the world's stories
London
Ravens of the Tower
Legend says that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the kingdom will fall — so a resident flock is kept there still.
Book of Genesis
Noah's First Bird
Before the dove, Noah sends a raven from the ark, and it flies to and fro until the floodwaters dry from the earth.
Irish myth
The Morrígan
The goddess of war and fate often takes the form of a raven or crow, appearing over battlefields to foretell who will fall.
III · Mind & Behaviour
A mind in black feathers.
Ravens are counted among the most intelligent animals studied — they plan, deceive, play and remember faces.
Planning ahead
In experiments, ravens set aside tools and tokens they would only need later — a skill once thought to be uniquely great-ape.
Hide & deceive
They cache food, and when they notice another raven watching, they move it to a new hiding place.
A hundred voices
Beyond the deep croak, ravens make knocks, bells and gurgles — and can mimic other animals and even human speech.
Built for play
Ravens have been seen sliding down snowy slopes, flying upside down and tumbling through the air for no reward but fun.
Partners for life
Breeding pairs usually stay together for years, holding a territory and performing paired aerial displays.
Wolf-birds
Ravens follow wolf packs to share their kills — a bond old enough to echo in Odin's companions, the wolves Geri and Freki.
IV · Field Guide
Raven, or crow?
The question every watcher asks. Look up — the tail tells you first.
| Sign | Raven | Crow |
|---|---|---|
| Tail | Long wedge, like a pointed diamond | Rounded, fan-shaped |
| Voice | Deep, rolling croak | Higher, sharper caw |
| Size | About the size of a buzzard or hawk | Noticeably smaller |
| Flight | Soars, glides and tumbles on long, fingered wings | Steady rowing wingbeats, rarely soars |
| Throat | Shaggy beard of hackle feathers | Smooth |
| Bill | Heavy and arched | Slimmer and straighter |
V · The Library
Open the saga.
Six chapters, written like an old Norse manuscript — each page a leaf of the raven's book.
Chapter I ᚺ
The Species
All ten ravens — portraits, ranges, calls and how to tell them apart.
Turn the page → Chapter II ᚨ
Norse Lore
Huginn, Muninn and the Raven-God — the birds in the Eddas and the sagas.
Turn the page → Chapter III ᛗ
Myths of the World
Trickster, omen, messenger — the raven from the Pacific coast to the Tower of London.
Turn the page → Chapter IV ᚱ
Mind & Behaviour
Puzzles, play, caching and calls — inside one of nature's sharpest minds.
Turn the page → Chapter V ᚠ
Compare & Identify
Side-by-side comparisons: raven vs crow, raven vs rook, and ten species at a glance.
Turn the page → Chapter VI ᚾ
Questions & Myths
Straight answers to the most-asked raven questions — and common myths fact-checked.
Turn the page →