Thursday, March 26, 2009

Raven Painting



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Raven Painting
This painting is 5 x 7", oil on board, unframed

SOLD

The magic and mystery of the Raven is evident throughout literature and folklore the world over. There is a Native American legend that tells of the Sun, Creator of All Things, considering the Raven to be the smartest of all animals. A British legend tells us that as long as Ravens live in the Tower of London, Britain will not fall.

No Ravens visit us here in the Ohio River valley, but Mark and I spent many hours observing them in a remote location in Yellowstone, where they had no fear of but rather seemed genuinely curious about us. Ravens are loyal, considerate mates, devoted parents and certainly can teach us a thing or two.

Bernd Heinrich's 1999 book "Mind of the Raven" is fascinating. Heinrich is a biologist who has traveled the world studying Ravens and even becomes a "Raven father" when he adopts some.

4 comments:

  1. When we were at the Grand Canyon, the rangers there said the California condors were learning from the ravens how to mooch food from tourists and rummage in garbage cans. The rangers don't want the condors getting used to people the way the ravens have!

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  2. Oh my, being mooched by a California condor might be life-threatening---they are HUGE! I hope they are very "slow learners" or else decide to stay away from raven-hoods!

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  3. California condors are like Virginia possums: so ugly they're cute!

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