A post on the IGA Student Blog site has recently caught my eye. Written by Jamie Ryder, it looks at ‘Ravens and Their Cultural Significance Throughout Time’. Though I tend to look more at wolves as a Gothic creature or ecoGothic entity, it was a very interesting read which considers the symbolic role of the raven in Gothic (and other) texts.
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This is interesting yes. Ravens are referenced in my book ‘Animals in Folklore’ by Porter and Russell appearing in the Old Testament, in the form of a witch, as demons and in Russian folk art. There is a chapter ‘Animals in Witchcraft in Danish Peasant Culture’ which talks about them as witches familiars, alongside the hare and the cat. They can shapeshift like the wolf according to this mythology.
Oooh! I want to read about wolf/raven shapeshifters in Danish Peasant Culture. That sounds perfect for me.