While she’s known for her battle-role, there are those who also say she is a fertility goddess and values sovereignty above all. In the The Ulster Cycle, the Morrigan turns into a crow on a few occasions. She will shapeshift into the form of any animal she chooses, including a wolf, eel, and crow. The Morrigan is well-known for being a warrior and fate goddess. This crow goddess is the daughter of Ernmas, one of the Tuatha de Danann, and is one of a trinity of deified sisters. The Morrigan is an Irish Celtic goddess who’s able to shapeshift. Get our practical guide to working with the old gods here: 4. Crows are known scavengers on the battlefield, and hence are linked to death gods and goddesses in ancient times. Dhumavati is depicted riding a large crow or being pulled in a chariot by two blackbirds. Moreover, it comes as no surprise that Dhumavati’s animal guardian is the crow. She carries the death god Yama’s horn, and sometimes wears a garland of severed heads. Many depictions show her on a cremation ground looking like death itself (decaying teeth, long fingernails, hag-like appearance). She’s associated with death and transformation. Dhumavati: Hindu Crow Goddessĭhumavati is the Hindu crow goddess of “the void”, which is the place before time and the place after time ends. The ravens keeping watch over the Tower of London are there because of Bran the Raven God. The White Tower in London was located where the Tower of London stands today. Bran is associated with crows and ravens. So he could forever guard his people and watch the coastline for foreign invaders. He requests for his men to sever his head and take it to the White Tower in London and point it east. When Bran and his men go to rescue his sister, Bran is mortally wounded. Bran’s sister, Branwen, was married off to a king of Ireland who goes onto mistreat her. Bran’s name translates to “crow” in Welsh, though some debate its etymology. Bran: The Welsh Raven Godīran the Blessed is well-known in Welsh mythology as a giant king of ancient Wales and England. A crow fits Baba Yaga’s personality – wise and yet a trickster. But in another version of the tale, Baba Yaga transforms into a crow in the end. In the tale of Vasalisa and Baba Yaga, three horsemen are key components – so we assume horses are one of Baba Yaga’s animal familiars. Baba Yaga’s Relation to Crowsīaba Yaga’s role in this story and in others is the feared, trickster witch who grants blessings to those who prove themselves worthy. She finds the old hag and impresses her with humility and hard work. She searches out Baba Yaga to ask for light for her family’s cottage. In the tale Vasalisa the Fair, a young woman goes into the forest at night. Her wooden cottage has a chicken foot as its foundation, and Baba Yaga herself flies around in a mortar with a pestle in hand. She is typically depicted as an old hag who lives in a hut in the woods. Baba Yaga: Slavic Crow Goddessīaba Yaga is a popular folkloric figure in Slavic countries who was once venerated in ancient times as a goddess. And now, onto the Raven and Crow Deities… 1. Ravens and crows are particularly linked to witches and shamans, which makes sense when we realize how many gods are also linked to these witty creatures. Black is a magical color and represents the darkness, the night, space, void, mystery, the occult, disguise and magick. The reason? I’m sure there are many, but the few we can think of include the intelligence of these birds. The raven and crow have been sacred animals to various cultures all over the world for as long as humans have existed. Why are the Raven and Crow Considered Sacred Animals? Here we present raven gods and crow goddesses from around the world including Odin, Baba Yaga and more. Raven medicine is strong medicine, or so they say. All over the world, shamans of various cultures have revered the raven for its intelligence, but also for its curiosity and pluckiness. Dating back thousands of years are stories of these cunning corvids. Some of the smartest creatures are the crow and the raven.

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