Illustration by Zuza Misko
Ravens are pretty impressive creatures - clever, cunning and physically powerful. Here are six reasons why you should never upset a raven.
1 They hold grudges. Studies into experiments with ravens show that they can remember whether the human doing the experiment with them was fair or not in a reciprocal exchange and remember that information for anything up to a month or more.
2 They are VERY big, on average two feet tall, about the size of a buzzard. You wouldn’t want to meet one down a dark alley.
3 Ravens are incredibly skilled aerialists. They’re able to turn upside down in mid-flight and lock talons with another raven in incredible courtship displays. Imagine getting into a fight with one of those!
4 Ravens can mimic human voices better than parrots. They’ve also been known to make the sounds of other animals in order to lure prey. We really don’t want to hear a raven calling our name, thank you.
5 They’re collectively known as a conspiracy, an unkindness or a treachery. That can’t be for no reason.
6 Ravens are generally a portent of bad news or even death. Okay, mostly in fiction we will admit but still. We’d rather not take the chance.
Ravens aren’t all bad, we promise. In fact, if you’d like to read about what makes ravens one of our favourite magical creatures, turn to page 35 of our October issue, which is on sale now.
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