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The Raven in the Middle Ages

So, I did a bit of research and here’s what I found about the manner in which ravens were perceived in medieval times. These interpretations, sourced mainly from books by Michel Pastoureau and Christian Heck, are drawn from various sources, including bestiaries, but also theological and ancient writings, as well as the Bible.

Unidentified artist, Bestiary, France, 13th century, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Latin 6838B, f. 27r.

First of all, bestiaries are compendiums of animals, real or imaginary, that highlight the "properties" of said beasts, usually to draw moral lessons or to shed light on the truths of faith and creation.

Unfortunately, ravens generally had a negative image, though there were instances where they were perceived as positive or ambivalent. For example, Hugues de Fouilloy wrote in the 12th century that ravens could signify either the preacher, the sinner, or even the devil (quite a bit of diversity).

In any case, let’s start with the positives. Since Pliny the Elder, who was well known in the Middle Ages, ravens were considered to be very intelligent birds. Thus, in the Naturalis historia (X, 14), Pliny describes ravens as throwing nuts that are too hard to open into the air and letting them fall repeatedly until they break.

Unidentified artist, Brunetto Latini, Livre du trésor, France, 13th century, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Français 566, f. 74v.

Gregory the Great, in a commentary to the Book of Job, sees in the raven the image of the preacher who bears the darkness of his sins (thus proving his humility), but also as the preacher who knows how to adapt his sermon according to his audience, just as the raven knows to feed its young by taking into account their age.

Hugues de Fouilloy, on the other hand, adding to Gregory’s interpretation, believed that ravens could represent priests stained by sin, who weren’t deserving of their position.

Unidentified artist, Hugo de Folieto, Aviarium, France, 13th century, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Latin 14429, F. 96-118, f. 101r.

Another instance in which ravens are portrayed favorably is in the Bible, more specifically in the First Book of Kings, in which the prophet Elijah is fed by ravens every morning and every evening while he hides by the Brook Cherith.

“And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” (1 Kings 17:6, King James Bible)

Here, the raven can be both interpreted as a messenger of God or as a symbol for the sinner who trusts the priest to intercede for him and forgive his sins, while he provides for the needs of the clergy in exchange (very convenient).

Hugues de Fouilloy, Aviarium, France, 13th century, Saint Petersburg, National Library, ms. lat. Q.v.III.1, f. 14v.

It is however also the Bible that gives the raven its most negative reputation, which is based specifically on the episode from Genesis in which Noah sends out a raven first to look for land. The raven doesn’t return and instead wanders above the earth until the waters dry up.

“And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.” (Genesis 8:6-7, King James Bible)

This passage led commentators to qualify the raven as a symbol of the sinner who is darkened by sin and preoccupied by carnal desires much like the raven feeding on the corpses left behind by the flood. In fact, the image of the raven feeding on corpses, notably starting with the eyes is quite common, both in artistic depictions and in exegesis, symbolising the devil blinding man in order to reach his soul.

It is also through this metaphor of the raven feasting on the eyes to reach the brain, that Richard de Fournival depicts the evils of love, caused by the sight of the beloved.

Unidentified artist, Richard de Fournival, Bestiaire d'amours, France, 13th-14th centuries, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Français 12469, f. 5r.

The raven is also seen as a symbol of gluttony, eating meat every day and a symbol of pride, believing itself to be a beautiful bird. However, if it does become aware of its own unsightliness, it steals the feathers of other birds to cover itself.

It was also believed that the raven didn’t feed its young immediately after they were born, since they were white in colour and it didn’t recognise them as its own. The young were supposed to survive only on dew until their black feathers grew and their parents recognised them. As vengeance, once the parents were too old to feed on their own, the children would let them die or even kill them.

Unidentified artist, Richard de Fournival, Bestiaire d'amours, France, 13th-14th centuries, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Français 12469, f. 5r.

Certain bestiaries, despite depicting the raven so badly, gave the crow more positive attributes, as a sort of opposite to the raven, while others simply consider all ravens to be male, and crows their female counterparts.

Unidentified artist, Bestiary, France, 13th century, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Latin 11207, f. 26r. (the raven is above and the crow below)

Lastly, ravens also appear in many fables, among which the most known is Aesop’s, which led to the frequent association of ravens and foxes, also known for their cunning.

Unidentified artist, Marie de France, Fables, France, 13th century, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. Français 24428, f. 94r.

Anyway, my hand slipped and I wrote much, much more than I initially intended. My main sources were:

Heck, Christian, Le bestiaire médiéval : l'animal dans les manuscrits enluminés, Paris, Citadelles & Mazenod, 2011.

Pastoureau, Michel, Bestiaires du Moyen Âge, Éditions du Seuil, 2020.

The images are mostly taked from Mandragore (the BnF site which I absolutely adore), though some are also taken from the books I mentioned earlier.

#i should have added augustine as well #but then this post would have never ended #maybe i should have made two posts #anyway i'll make another one to talk about how fitting the symbolism of the raven is for waleran specifically #notably the interpretation from Hugues de Fouilloy #which is funny because if waleran would have been real they would have been more or less contemporary #anyway i'll stop yapping now #medieval #medieval art #bestiary #bestiaire #medieval history #the middle ages #manuscript #enluminure #art #illuminated manuscript #history #my post

En l'honneur du Nouvel An Chinois qui nous fait passer dans l'Année du Serpent, en voici quelques-uns !

Ici des serpents romans et médiévaux.

Azérat (Auvergne)

Douai, Musée de la Chartreuse - crosse, Saint Michel combattant le Dragon - Limoges, XIIIe s.

Blesle, Auvergne

Louvre-Lens, expo "Animaux Fantastiques", Théodore Pélékanos - traité d'alchimie, l'Ouroboros - Corfou, 1478

Ponteix, Auvergne

Louvre-Lens, expo "Animaux Fantastiques", bestiaire latin - Angleterre, 1250

Marseille, crypte de l'Abbaye Saint-Victor