Valravn aka "The Raven of the Slain."
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Perhaps one of the lesser known Ravens of folklore, the Valravne are, however, no less noteworthy. They are known as the raven of the Slain, and for good reason, as they are easily among the most macabre of the supernatural versions of these black birds.
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Some tales claim the Valravne are a creature in their own right, often portrayed as astrange hybrid with the body of a wolf, but the head, feet, wings, and feathers of a raven.
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However, it is far more common to find tales in which the valravne begin their lives as nothing more than an ordinary raven. It is only once these birds consume the corpse of a human that they gain their powers, as well as a far more malevolent nature.
.
Most of the stories agree that it cannot be just ANY human. Instead it must be the body of a warrior or a king who has fallen in battle, but whose corpse remains unburied. If the raven consumes the organs and blood of such a person, only then will they become Valravne
Though not all tales agree, it was believed by some that this transformation would occur because a malicious spirit on the battlefield would take possession of the bird. Some tales claim it would be the spirit of the fallen warrior themself, condemned to wander the earth in the form of a bird, ever seeking to return to their human form.
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The only way to do so, however, would be to consume the heart of a child.
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It is for this reason that children were sometimes taught to fear the appearance of a raven. Rarely considered omens of good, it was far more unnerving to see the black birds appear in the sky and never know if one was a valravn in disguise, searching for a child to end it's plight
The valravne were known for being able to cover great distances in flight. However, like vampires, they only ever travelled by night. Whether this was by choice or because they feared the sun is somewhat unclear.
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They were also known for being shapeshifters, with tales telling of them being able to take the forms of an affinity of creatures - most commonly that of a wolf. There were stories that spoke of them being able to take human form as well. If they could eat the flesh of a dead person it was rumoured they may even be able to take on that person's specific likeness.
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One tale mentions a valravne who took the form of a king, using this to fool an entire kingdom into falling under his rule.
It is no wonder, then, that the valravne were known for being highly intelligent. Able to communicate with humans, the birds rarely used this power for anything benevolent. Instead they were known for tricking humans and leading them astray, or striking up deals and contracts that often came to grisly ends.
.
One song speaks of such a bargain, where a young woman named Irmelin missed her lover, who has been sent away from her.
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Desperate, Irmelin calls upon a valravn, offering it gold and silver if it will only help her reunite with her lover.
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The valravn rejects her offer, as he has no need of her riches. Instead, he says, he will bring her lover to her, but in exchange the woman must give the bird her firstborn son.
Irmelin has no children and so, recklessly, she agrees to the bird's terms.
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Irmelin agrees. She touches the Valravn's foot and, though it takes a matter of days, the Valravn takes her to the land where her lover now lives.
.
Irmelin is ecstatic to see her lover again, and soon forgets the deal she made with the bird. She and her lover marry, and spend many months together quite happily.
.
But on the day of her son's birth, the Valravn returns, to remind her of the deal they made.
At this point the song itself ends, but the tale continues a little farther.
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Irmelin reluctantly keeps her end of the bargain. The Valravn takes the child from its mother. Laying it on the ground, the Valravn rips into the infant with beak and talon, until it has exposed the young, beating heart.
.
Gorged on the heart and blood of the newborn, the Valravn transforms, not into a wolf or bird. Instead the valravn takes the form of a knight. The tale ends with the valravn in his new form, wandering off into the waiting night.
"The raven flies in the evening
During the day he may not
He has evil fortune
the good he shall never have
-But the raven flies in the evening-
.
'Hear me, hear me, you wild raven,
come fly down to me
white silver will I give you
if you will help me
my stepmother has banished my love
to a far-off and foreign land
Red gold will I give you
take me to him if you can'
.
'Silver and gold and precious stones
from you I will not have
but the first son you birth
shall you give me as a gift'
.
Irmelin laid her white hand
upon the raven's foot
and before three days had passed
she stood in front of her lover
It was in the early summer
they lay in their wedding bed
and before nine months had passed
Irmelin gave birth to a boy
.
The raven flies in the evening
he flies to Irmelin
'Remember, you bear the evil fortune
remember, that the boy is mine'
-But the raven flies in the evening-"
Artists:
Left: [unsure of the title] - Peter Mohrbacher
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/P6ldr
Right: "Crow on a battlefield" - Camilozm
https://www.freelancer.ca/u/camilozm
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Valravn - Danish in origin
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Sidenote: this was supposed to be the first comment so it would be the first thing you see, but I edited the wrong comment and now it's too late to fix it
Well to be fair you ARE a wizard of pigeons. You can't be expected to specialize in Ravens, too.
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Tbh my understanding is that they are Scandinavian in general, but most of the songs and tales originate are more closely associated as being danish specifically.
.
A lot of the info on them is very piecemeal as well. Took a while to compile anything concrete, and I'm not 100 % certain if I gave the myth proper representation or not. I only learned about them by accident while reading something unrelated from the Hellblade game haha
That's true, and yes, most of the folklore around here is Scandinavian in general, and there's a lot of them, and some are very area specific, which makes them a bit obscure and hard to learn about.
.
Hellblade is an interesting game, there's a lot of myths in that game, and not just Norse/Scandinavian, but also Celtic as well
Comments
.
Perhaps one of the lesser known Ravens of folklore, the Valravne are, however, no less noteworthy. They are known as the raven of the Slain, and for good reason, as they are easily among the most macabre of the supernatural versions of these black birds.
.
Some tales claim the Valravne are a creature in their own right, often portrayed as astrange hybrid with the body of a wolf, but the head, feet, wings, and feathers of a raven.
.
However, it is far more common to find tales in which the valravne begin their lives as nothing more than an ordinary raven. It is only once these birds consume the corpse of a human that they gain their powers, as well as a far more malevolent nature.
.
Most of the stories agree that it cannot be just ANY human. Instead it must be the body of a warrior or a king who has fallen in battle, but whose corpse remains unburied. If the raven consumes the organs and blood of such a person, only then will they become Valravne
.
The only way to do so, however, would be to consume the heart of a child.
.
It is for this reason that children were sometimes taught to fear the appearance of a raven. Rarely considered omens of good, it was far more unnerving to see the black birds appear in the sky and never know if one was a valravn in disguise, searching for a child to end it's plight
.
They were also known for being shapeshifters, with tales telling of them being able to take the forms of an affinity of creatures - most commonly that of a wolf. There were stories that spoke of them being able to take human form as well. If they could eat the flesh of a dead person it was rumoured they may even be able to take on that person's specific likeness.
.
One tale mentions a valravne who took the form of a king, using this to fool an entire kingdom into falling under his rule.
.
One song speaks of such a bargain, where a young woman named Irmelin missed her lover, who has been sent away from her.
.
Desperate, Irmelin calls upon a valravn, offering it gold and silver if it will only help her reunite with her lover.
.
The valravn rejects her offer, as he has no need of her riches. Instead, he says, he will bring her lover to her, but in exchange the woman must give the bird her firstborn son.
.
Irmelin agrees. She touches the Valravn's foot and, though it takes a matter of days, the Valravn takes her to the land where her lover now lives.
.
Irmelin is ecstatic to see her lover again, and soon forgets the deal she made with the bird. She and her lover marry, and spend many months together quite happily.
.
But on the day of her son's birth, the Valravn returns, to remind her of the deal they made.
.
Irmelin reluctantly keeps her end of the bargain. The Valravn takes the child from its mother. Laying it on the ground, the Valravn rips into the infant with beak and talon, until it has exposed the young, beating heart.
.
Gorged on the heart and blood of the newborn, the Valravn transforms, not into a wolf or bird. Instead the valravn takes the form of a knight. The tale ends with the valravn in his new form, wandering off into the waiting night.
During the day he may not
He has evil fortune
the good he shall never have
-But the raven flies in the evening-
.
'Hear me, hear me, you wild raven,
come fly down to me
white silver will I give you
if you will help me
my stepmother has banished my love
to a far-off and foreign land
Red gold will I give you
take me to him if you can'
.
'Silver and gold and precious stones
from you I will not have
but the first son you birth
shall you give me as a gift'
.
Irmelin laid her white hand
upon the raven's foot
and before three days had passed
she stood in front of her lover
It was in the early summer
they lay in their wedding bed
and before nine months had passed
Irmelin gave birth to a boy
.
The raven flies in the evening
he flies to Irmelin
'Remember, you bear the evil fortune
remember, that the boy is mine'
-But the raven flies in the evening-"
Left: [unsure of the title] - Peter Mohrbacher
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/P6ldr
Right: "Crow on a battlefield" - Camilozm
https://www.freelancer.ca/u/camilozm
.
Valravn - Danish in origin
.
Sidenote: this was supposed to be the first comment so it would be the first thing you see, but I edited the wrong comment and now it's too late to fix it
.
Tbh my understanding is that they are Scandinavian in general, but most of the songs and tales originate are more closely associated as being danish specifically.
.
A lot of the info on them is very piecemeal as well. Took a while to compile anything concrete, and I'm not 100 % certain if I gave the myth proper representation or not. I only learned about them by accident while reading something unrelated from the Hellblade game haha
.
Hellblade is an interesting game, there's a lot of myths in that game, and not just Norse/Scandinavian, but also Celtic as well