Time to redeem the raven? Author takes a new look at one of nature's most controversial and rejected creatures

The raven has long been associated with darkness and death and was called a "thing of evil" by Edgar Allen Poe. We speak of a pride of lions, a charm of finches--and a terror of ravens. "But the brave, intelligent, fun-loving bird actually has a long record of helping humankind and it is high time we changed our attitude toward it," says Christopher Foster, raven expert and author of The Raven Who Spoke With God.

From Christopher Foster (PRWEB) November 16, 2002 -

0632 http://www.Chris@SingingSpiritBooks.com

Time to redeem the raven?

Author takes a new look at one of nature’s most controversial creatures

The raven has long been associated with darkness and death and was called a “thing of evil” by Edgar Allen Poe. We speak of a pride of lions, a charm of finches—and a terror of ravens!

“But the brave, intelligent, fun-loving bird actually has a long record of helping humankind and it is high time we changed our attitude toward it,” says Christopher Foster, raven expert and author of a fable entitled The Raven Who Spoke With God.

Largest member of the corvidae family, which includes crows, jays and magpies, an adult raven is two feet or more in length. It has a stouter bill than a crow and the tip of its upper beak is more down-curved. The creature is found in many countries around the globe, especially in the northern hemisphere, mates for life, and eats just about anything that is edible (plus quite a bit that isn’t!)

According to ancient indigenous myths, says Foster, the raven brought light to the world and rescued humans from a clamshell in a time of flood. The Bible tells how ravens obeyed God’s command to bring food to the prophet Elijah as he hid in the wilderness, he adds.

Winston Churchill thought so highly of the raven and its fabled role as a messenger and protector that when German bombs fell on the Tower of London, frightening away the ravens that had lived there for many centuries, he immediately ordered that they be replaced. To understand his thinking, says Foster, you have to appreciate how in Celtic lore, for instance, ravens warned of coming battle, giving people time to prepare.

In the English epic Beowulf, the raven is a bird of joy and light which helps Beowulf to victory, just as a golden raven is said to have guided Emperor Jimmu of Japan into battle. Viking leaders displayed the sign of the raven upon their banners, while the bird represented fertility for Romans and, in ancient Greece, foretold the future.

Tibetan religious tradition considers the raven to be the messenger of the Supreme Being.

A ceremonial Raven Master still, to this day, keeps watch over the Tower ravens, while far away in the new world, Sequoia High School in California chose the raven as its mascot to honor Cherokee scholar Sequoya and the raven’s important place in Cherokee mythology.

“But it is not only the contributions the raven apparently made in a legendary past that are worthy of attention,” says Foster. “It is the bird’s remarkable qualities—its courage and resilience, its ingenuity, cleverness and love of life.

“The raven is rated one of the most intelligent creatures in nature by biologists. It is an inspiring creature that can teach us a lot about living and handling difficult times. This is a bird that endures with seeming indifference temperatures ranging from 60 below Fahrenheit in Alaska to 120 degrees in the Arizona desert—and learned that if it drops a nut onto a freeway, traffic will crack the nut open!

“How about the raven that picked up frozen dog poop and dropped it on pedestrians? Or the pair of ravens seen landing in the back of a pick up truck for a free ride? Of course the raven also enjoys things like sliding down snow-banks, flying upside down--and tweaking the tail of an eagle so it can distract it and steal its food.”

Above all, Foster points to the indomitable spirit that has allowed the raven to thrive all over the world despite many adverse circumstances. He cites the story of a fisherman in Alaska who tied his troller up for the night at an abandoned cannery and decided to do some exploring. When he saw a floor safe hidden amidst a pile of junk, the door slightly cracked, the fisherman hopefully pried it open. No money! But there was something else—a raven, dirty, weak, and emaciated, which promptly staggered out of the safe to the door and flew away!

The Raven Who Spoke with God is a story about a young raven’s earnest quest to be a friend and ally to humankind. Hailed as “heartwarming and delightful” by NAPRA Review, it is available from book stores nationwide, from Amazon.com, or by phoning 1-800-431-1579.

XXX

Media kits, review copies, interviews and special feature articles available on request. Reviews, sample chapters at http://www.singingspiritbooks.com

Chris@singingspiritbooks.com. Tel (970) 461-0632.