Black Purple Blue Ash Bugs Raven
The Symbolism Of Ravens and unraveling the meaning behind your own encounter with a Raven
"Ravens are fascinating birds. Highly intelligent, they have the ability to mimic human speech. Research has found that young ravens are smarter than adult chimps. And they’re smarter than two-year-old human children, too! But for all that, ravens frequently get a bad rap. That’s perhaps because they’re carrion birds – those that eat dead or dying animals. And with their black feathers and pointy beaks, they can look pretty intimidating.
Ravens often appear in European myths and legends as harbingers of doom and death. They’re associated with the occult and psychic powers, and are frequently portrayed as the companions of witches and wizards. But those negative associations are far from the whole story.
In China and Japan, the raven is associated with family loyalty, particularly that of children to their parents. And in Tibet, the raven is seen as both lucky and wise.
The raven carries important symbolism to many Native American tribes. For the Mohawks, it offers help to those who are lost, and carries messages from the spirit world. The Navajo tribe believes that two ravens cawing also carries a message for those who hear them. They are believed to foretell pain in the future, but that it will be succeeded by happiness.
For the Haida people, the raven is both a magician and a healer. And they believe the appearance of a raven augurs visitors to the home.
Even in Europe, the negative associations of ravens appear to have been a relatively recent development. In Norse mythology, the god Odin was accompanied by two ravens named Huginn and Muginn. Huginn was associated with thought and Muginn with memory. Odin sent them out over the world every day to report back on what was happening. So ravens were closely associated with wisdom.
The ancient Greeks connected ravens with the god Apollo. And Roman legend tells the story of a general who defeated his opponent in battle with the help of a raven.
Ravens also appear frequently in the Christian Bible and Jewish Talmud, including in the story of the Great Flood. Ravens are commanded by God to feed the prophet Elijah in the desert. And ravens are used on three separate occasions as examples of the way God provides for all His creatures.
So what does all this mean for you?
The Raven Ash Besom is crafted with our hand dyed craftcorn, hand tied with black binding. The broomstick is Ash and the artwork is credited to the Ash boring beetles. Once the beetle has killed the tree, it moves on and leaves behind it's destructive art. Our area in Northern PA has been completely decimated by the ash borers. I have lots of Ash to pick from but the branches with these markings are gorgeous! The broomstick is prepped, stained, sealed by my hubby. This broom is approx 60" in length. It is a crooked broomstick, slight curves. The broomcorn colors are black, purple and the blue colors that are found in a Raven!