Discovery of the Viking Raven Symbol (Odin, Ragnar, Etc.)
The raven is arguably the symbol most commonly associated with the Viking people.
These birds are in fact the pets of Odin, the father of the gods. They are said to be his eyes, allowing him to spy on every corner of our world.
Between hidden symbolism, historical reality and legendary sages, we will now try to learn more about it.
Contents :
A powerful symbol
Odin was the god of war, but ravens are scavengers who feast on the dead. This disastrous spectacle was unfortunately common on the battlefields of the Viking Age.
We therefore understand better the meaning of having this lucky animal, and why the Scandinavians loved it so much.
However, the connection goes deeper than that. Crows are very intelligent birds.
Try to look one in the eyes and you will see: his gaze and his head movements will make you feel that he is trying to perceive everything, as if he is weighing your mind.
This Viking lucky symbol has therefore also been associated with clairvoyance and runic magic. In short, its meanings are numerous.
The raven: Odin's pet
In Scandinavian mythology, Odin was accompanied by two ravens : Huginn (“Thought”) and Muninn (“Memory”).
These two birds travel the nine worlds and, no matter where they are, they can whisper to their master's pillow.
Odin is also often called hrafnaguð ("the raven god") and is depicted with his familiars Huginn and Muninn as a Viking symbol, with the ravens sitting on his shoulders or flying around him.
Ragnar: a great hero
These strange birds are also associated with the 9th-century Viking hero Ragnar Lothbrok.
Ragnar once claimed to be descended from Odin through a human mother.
This statement absolutely did not apply to the Viking lords of the time (equivalent to kings of Denmark or Sweden), because it implied that he could compete with them.
For this and many other reasons, they waged fierce war against him.
Ragnar's Viking warriors then often entered the battlefield with a banner on which was a raven symbol. Some believed that it was this lucky animal that allowed him to win.
Impressive conquests
Various sagas and chronicles tell us that Ragnar's success would have taken him to places as different as Finland, France, England and perhaps even Turkey. His longship and his compass guided him where the gods indicated his future conquests.
Wherever he went, he would have carried his lucky banner with him.
In addition to this, his sons Ivar and Ubbe, then at the head of a large pagan army, managed to conquer the eastern kingdoms of England in the 9th century by also proudly wearing the colors of the sacred raven.
Among Christians, this Viking symbol therefore naturally inspired great fear. While the men of the North saw the raven as a good luck charm, the rest of Europe ultimately saw it as an omen of death.
Lucky charms sometimes come to an end
Whether it was his help or not, the fact is that this lucky banner brought victories to Ragnar's descendants, all the way down to one Sigurd.
This man finally died during the Irish battle of Clontarf, around 150 years later.
Harald “Hardrada” (the hard ruler), also used this Viking symbol as an emblem. Some North American historians like to call him “The last of the Vikings”.
When this last raven banner finally fell in 1066, the Viking Age ended.
In Scandinavian art, ravens symbolize Odin, insight, wisdom, intellect, courage, glory in battle, and the continuity between life and the afterlife.
To people today, they represent above all the Vikings themselves, as well as the 200 years of conquest and exploration that our ancestors carried out.
Whether you prefer the modern or older version, this Viking symbol deserves its place alongside other Viking lucky charms. You will find the Valknut, Gungnir, the Vegvisir or even the Aegishjalmur... and many others!
The symbol of the raven today
Mythology, sages and Nordic folklore therefore generally present the raven to us as a wise and omniscient messenger, a prophetic bird working with seers, a protector and a faithful ally of men.
Another anecdote about them: certain Viking legends present ravens as the servants of the Valkyries. Concretely, they help them decide who will deserve access to Valhalla at the time of their death, and who will not.
To do this, he examines men in their daily lives and, above all, when they wage war on the battlefields.
This idea seems particularly attractive to us. It no longer presents the Viking raven to us as a scavenger or a bird of prey like any other, but as the eyes of the gods who observe us through them.
This is also the main explanation given by those who have had the raven tattoo. A tattoo is always full of meaning and, with our sinister volatile, this is more true than ever.
In Norse mythology, themes of death and rebirth are present everywhere. Like so many others, this idea that there would be something after this life, a place where only the bravest can go makes us dream.
However, this idea in particular is carried by the symbol of the raven.
In any case, the next time you see this animal, think twice before hunting it : it could well be Odin or the Valkyries who sent it!
