 The black of its feathers and its mournful cry make the raven, which feeds on carrions, a bird of ill omen.
This reputation is also to be found in China even though the Chinese
see the raven as symbol of filial gratitude, considering the fact that
it feeds its parents.
In Japan as well the raven is taken as the expression of family
affection. It is also regarded as a messenger of the gods, the herald
of victories to come. Being a solar bird, it is represented as a red
bird.
In old India, the Mahâbhârata takes it as the messenger of death.
In the Book of Genesis the raven is a symbol of clear-sightedness. Noah
sent it out to see if the lowlands had emerged from the waters of the
Flood.
 In Ancient Greece, the raven is sacred to Apollo. Strabo says that
ravens determined the site of the navel-stone (Omphalos) at Delphi.
However, Pindarus states that the task was performed by eagles and
Plutarch says it was by swans. The raven is among the attributes of
Mithras.
For the Celts, the sacred bird plays a prophetic role. According to the
Pseudo-Plutarch, the name of Lyons, Lugdunum, is to be translated as
"Raven’s Hill" and not as "Lug’s Hill" because a flight of ravens
showed the founders where to build the city.
The bird was sacred to the Gauls.
In German mythology, ravens were companions of Wotan. In Scandinavian
mythology, two ravens perched on Odin’s throne : Hugin (Mind) and
Munnin (Memory).
For North American Indians, the bird is the personification of thunder and wind; the same goes for the Mayas in the Popol-Vuh.
Its appearance in dreams is considered as an ill omen. It gloomily
wheels over battlefields. It also represents solitude and voluntary
isolation.
The symbolism of the raven is full of contradictions: solar and gloomy
bird at the same time, it is a messenger of death and disgrace but it
can also protect. This ambivalence of the symbol is due to its varied
physical proprieties.
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