Odin has two each. Freki and Geri, his wolves, have a special place in his hall Valaskjalf, in Asgard. I will come to them in a later blog. His ravens, on the other hand, Huginn and Muninn, seem to be the more appropriate subject within a book about ravens.
Huginn is thought, and Muninn is memory. Both Ravens rest on his shoulders or on the back of his High Seat, or throne called Hildskjalf. From here he can see everything from the top of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, and can send the ravens into the nine worlds to collect or send messages and so forth.
Heinrich, some two-hundred pages later, claims that it is probably the raven's vast vocabulary, which inspired ancient man to to adopt or create these manifestations of Odin's mind. Certainly a bird that has such an unrivaled intellect amidst it's feather-brained cousins, and whose language may indeed be as rich and poetic as our own, deserves to be the cohort of the gods.
They not only carry messages from Odin, but they carry news of the world back to him. This part seems to be the reality check of the omnipotent ideology of deities in general. Odin uses a tool, possibly of his own creation, to accomplish this type of work.
I like to think he's too busy up there in Asgard, to worry with all the news by going out and seeing for himself. He saves those visits for his Heroes, and more important activities.
But even when he is intent upon the doings of Asgard, his ravens are circling the worlds, and recording everything.
I remember my grandmother warning me very seriously that the big black birds were 'tattle-tales' and not to be trusted. Is this a thread-bare version, I am sure of the old Germanic superstitions, and probably she didn't even know who Odin was.
But it seems to me that it may have its roots in the belief that anytime you saw two crows or ravens, (I'm not sure the Scandinavians made an attempt to differentiate between the two,) it was possible that Odin would receive a report.
It seems rather self-important to think that the small doings of everyday folk would play into a god's plans, but perhaps it helped reinforce their simple faiths.
In the meantime, I am always happy to see crows or ravens in pairs. It amuses me to think that even though he probably has fewer believers now than ever before, Odin is still watching the events of this Midgard (Mid Earth, between Asgard, and the sub worlds, Hel, Muspelheim and Niflheim).
Even without the mythology, Heinrich's evident love of these ravens is endearing, and a much needed change of the somewhat myopic view we have of corvidae of late. Most people hate ravens and crows, thinking of them as vermin, and pests. Or at the very least, think they’re noisy, and annoying.
Heinrich's book goes a long way to dispel that myth, and turn the light of true reason on the subject.
I hope somewhere in that vast Tree, Yggdrasil, Huginn and Muginn are croaking their thanks, and keeping a special weather-eye on Bernd Heinrich.
I'm sure he has a special place in Valhalla waiting for him.
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