‘That’s a remarkable story’
‘No, that’s a remarkable bird.’
Stories of ravens are common in human history and mythology all over the world. Their interaction with heroes/Gods of legend was a major reason why we chose our name, Koraki, which for those of you who do not speak Greek, means ‘raven’.
Most famous, perhaps, is the ‘parliament’ in which the birds gather in large groups on the ground, and call to each other, as if sharing stories and experiences. Some tales describe these ‘events’ as lasting several days. Certainly, they often take several hours, during which time the birds seem to be focussed solely on this communication.
Recent research also shows that they repeat this behaviour – in smaller groups – when one bird finds a member of its species which has died. Often described as a ‘funeral’, current thinking suggests that in fact this may be an effort to learn more about what caused the death, and to share this risk with one another: in itself, a remarkable practice for a bird. > Read more
In human history and mythology – the stories we tell one another in order to guide, aid understanding and explain the world in which we live – raven stories told around the world share the same major themes: protection, communication and prophesy, travel, creation and intelligence.
Stories told by different Native American tribes have ravens stealing the sun, Moon, stars and in some cases also fresh water and fire, from other birds (a seagull in some tales, a grey eagle in others), effectively giving humanity the means by which to see and understand the world, and the ability to change it for the better.
... in Viking mythology, the leader of the Norse gods, Odin, uses two ravens, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) as his ‘eyes and ears’. They spend their lives travelling the world, gathering knowledge and experience, telling Odin what they have seen, and what it might mean for him. It is from the Viking tradition – though in fact the human tradition – that we at Koraki have taken our logo. > Read more