11.6.04 | The Raven



I saw a raven today... no don't laugh!-in truth i'm astonished at such a thing. Ravens in Harle Syke are as rare as Golden Eagles, or penguins, i'm sure. Or maybe not, in this past year, there have been a large variety of "unusual" birds dropping in on this area... mainly on my back street... birds such as sparrowhawks, kestrels, to name the more exotic... birds i've not seen here ever before. On a deep level, which i can't quite pin down or put words to (now there's a first) i find myself... troubled...

Anyway, there it was, a huge black bird, being hassled, and hassling in return. a pair of rooks... i rather think it won conclusively, after all a raven in flight is rather skilled and acrobatic, then it sat, brooding and smug and magnificent on a flagpole for a little while before flying over and landing on my chimney. MY chimney. Bloody hell!-The cheek! But how did it come to be here?

I don't know whether to be flattered or highly disturbed. Ravens being a portent of forthcoming doom... or fortune...

Ah, me and my superstitions...

It might mean impending death. (Oh great, weeell, that's something to look forward to. I don't think). Or it might mean prosperity for my family and me. (Much better. We really need the money. Yaay!). It all depends how you look at the "signs"... How skilled an oracle you are... It's certainly a bird with reputation, from North America, where the real Americans had as many legends about the bird as there were tribes. To the Celtic tribes of Britain and Europe, where divination using all the members of the Corvidae family was much in practice. To the Middle East, where the dark bird is called Abu Zajir or "Father of Omens". Cool name.

And we mustn't forget the Nordic peoples. Absolutely not! Especially as there is a valley near here with... certain properties... If i recall my Norse mythology, the god Odin kept two ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory). The ravens would fly throughout the world and return to Odin telling him of all that occurred. Veeery useful...

Ah well, i don't think i'll ever see it again. As i said, Ravens are rare birds at the best of times. I like them, i think they know how to have a laugh. It's a lifestyle i think i shall try and remember, when things go wrong...

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