New Artwork – Ian Rogers – an Unkindness of Ravens

Another collective noun – today, an Unkindness of Ravens. I guess whoever came up with the collective terms didn’t take kindly to carrion-eaters what with “murder” of crows and “unkindness” of ravens.

Ravens were revered by ancient Norse cultures, as they would follow battles to feast on fallen combatants.

 …kennings used in Norse poetry identify the raven as the bird of blood, corpses and battle; he is the gull of the wave of the heap of corpses, who screams dashed with hail and craves morning steak as he arrives at the sea of corpses (Hlakkar hagli stokkin már valkastar báru, krefr morginbráðar er kemr at hræs sævi).
– Wikipedia

Odin had a pair of ravens – Huginn and Muninn (translating as “thought” and “memory” respectively) that would fly all over the world and report back what they had seen to Odin. That’s pretty handy, if you ask me. Beats a parrot anyday.