This essay discusses the intelligence of ravens, an intelligence which,
according to current research, declares ravens to be the most intelligent
birds. The differences to human and artificial intelligence are shown. After a
digression to the ancient Greeks and Germanic tribes, it becomes clear that
ravens were respected as intelligent in various cultures. Both the Greek poet
Aesop – e.g. with the fable The Eagle and the Crow – and the Germanic Raven God
Wodan with his two ravens Hugin (sense) and Munin (memory) worshipped crows. In
our western world, however, ravens were almost wiped out at the beginning of
the twentieth century as they were considered pests for agriculture and
livestock. This essay uses raven poems to show how the perception and respect of
ravens is slowly changing in our latitudes.
