Danish folklore Danish folklore consists of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs, myths and traditions communicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mout ...

, a valravn (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

"raven of the slain") is a supernatural

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

. Those ravens appear in traditional Danish folksongs, where they are described as originating from ravens who consume the bodies of the dead on the battlefield, as capable of turning into the form of a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

after consuming the heart of a child, and, alternately, as half-wolf and half-raven creatures.

Folklore

According to Danish folklore recorded in the late 1800s, when a king or chieftain was killed in battle and not found and buried, ravens came and ate him. The ravens became ''valravne''. The valravne that ate the king's heart gained human knowledge and could perform great malicious acts, could lead people astray, had superhuman powers, and were "terrible animals".Kristensen (1980:132). In another account, a valravn is described as a peaceless soul in search of redemption that flies by night (but never day) and can only free itself from its animal countenance by consuming the blood of a child. This is reflected in a Danish

traditional song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

that describes how, after refusing offers of riches, the Valravn makes an agreement with a maiden to take her to her betrothed after she promises the valravn her first born son. After the agreement, the valravn flies away. In time, the couple have a child and the Valravn returns, and asks the maiden if she has forgotten her promise. The valravn takes the child away, and tears into the chest of his won wager and consumes the blood contained within the child's heart. As a result, the valravn transforms into a

. This traditional song was reinterpreted by the electro-folk band

Sorten Muld Sorten Muld is a Danish folktronica band, formed in 1995. They have won two Danish Grammys for ''Mark II''. The English translation of "Sorten Muld" is "Black Soil" (or "Dark Ground"). Their music can be characterized by elegantly composed rhythm ...

and became a hit for them in 1997, under the title ''Ravnen''. Other accounts describe valravns as monsters that are half-

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

and half-raven.Olrik (1909:43–46).

Interpretations and theories

According to 19th century scholar

Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of th ...

, the "''vilde ravn or vilde valravn''" ("wild raven or wild Valravn") take "exactly the place of the diabolical '' trold''" in Danish folk songs. Grimm proposes an

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

equivalent to the Danish ''valravn''; *walahraban.Grimm (2004:997).

Modern influence

The Valravn has inspired occasional

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

references, including an early 20th century book of short storiesStuckenberg (1908). as well as the Faroese musical group bearing the name, who play a form of traditional music.Valravn online

/ref> ''Valravn'' was the title of a Danish Germanic Neopagan magazine published from 2002 to 2007.''Valravn'' magazine online

All issues for download

/ref> The name is also mentioned in Danish children's books.For example Bjerre (1991:10). The 2017 video game '' Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice'' features Valravn as "god of illusion", a stage boss the player must defeat to proceed in the game. Valravn appear as an enemy in the 5th bestiary of the ''

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game The ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) that was published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing. The first edition extends and modifies the System Reference Document (SRD) based on the revised 3rd edition ''Dungeons & ...

'', using Grimm's ''Vilderavn'' moniker for the creature.

Valravn In Danish folklore, a valravn ( Danish "raven of the slain") is a supernatural raven. Those ravens appear in traditional Danish folksongs, where they are described as originating from ravens who consume the bodies of the dead on the battlefield, a ...

is the name of Cedar Point's 2016 dive roller coaster. Valravns feature in the fantasy novel The Absolute Book (2019) by

Elizabeth Knox Elizabeth Fiona Knox (born 15 February 1959) is a New Zealand writer. She has authored several novels for both adults and teenagers, autobiographical novellas, and a collection of essays. One of her best-known works is ''The Vintner's Luck'' ( ...

. A valravn named Val is featured as a companion to a reaper in the supernatural thriller novel Bleed More, Bodymore (2021) by Ian Kirkpatrick. Valravn's Claw is a short sword available in the Ubisoft title Assassin's Creed Valhalla as a redeemable reward on Ubisoft Connect. The 2020 album and song by Gealdýr is called "Valravn".

Notes

References

* Bjerre, Birgit (1991). ''Skovtrolden i Lerbjergskoven''. Høst & Søn. * Grimm, Jacob (James Steven Stallybrass Trans.) (2004). '' Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix by James Stallybrass''. Volume III.

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

. * Kristensen, Evald Tang (1980). ''Danske Sagn: Som De Har Lyd I Folkemunde''. Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busck, Copenhagen. * Olrik, Axel. Falbe, Ida Hansen. (1909) ''Danske Folkeviser''.

Gyldendal Gyldendalske Boghandel, Nordisk Forlag A/S, usually referred to simply as Gyldendal () is a Danish publishing house. Founded in 1770 by Søren Gyldendal, it is the oldest and largest publishing house in Denmark, offering a wide selection of bo ...

. * Stuckenberg, Viggo Henrik Fog (1908). ''Valravn og Sol: smaa romaner''. Gyldendal. * Senua {{Scandinavian folklore Legendary birds Scandinavian folklore Scandinavian legendary creatures

Folklore

Interpretations and theories

Modern influence

See also

Notes

References