Station of the Raven V:
Old World Lore
Featured in legends across the globe, the raven has captured the imagination of people from many cultures. Five raven stories are depicted in this station:
In German mythology, the one-eyed god Odin had two ravens who sat on his shoulders. Each day, Odin sent the ravens, Hugin and Munin, out to circumnavigate the earth and report back to him with their observations. The central circle in station V represents this earth, night and day.
The Viking ship represents Norwegian explorers who used the raven as a navigation tool. The explorer Floki had three ravens on board his ship when he embarked on the voyage which led to the discovery of Iceland.
Edgar Allen Poe’s literary raven croaks from his perch atop the bust of Pallus.
The raven flies on the flag of Danish warriors who believed that they would be victorious in battle if the raven flew.
Finally, in Northwest coast legends, where raven is trickster and creator, it was Fog Woman who gave salmon to the raven.