Intellectuals in Black Intellectuals in Black
i
Photo: Michael Jerrard/Unsplash
Nature

Intellectuals in Black

An Ode to Ravens
Adam Zbyryt
Reading
time 10 minutes

They learn fast, use tools, and beat the great apes at intelligence tests. Even so, in many cultures they’re considered a harbinger of misfortune and death. It’s time to give ravens their due. 

They’re the heroes of many beliefs, myths, and stories. References to them appear in the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the sacred Hindu and Persian texts, Scandinavian legends, and the stories of indigenous South Americans. In many cultures the raven is a devilish, clever bird, serving the forces of darkness; a messenger of death, a sign of misfortune. In certain beliefs it’s a hero; in others, a coward. It symbolizes intelligence and wisdom but also guile. Its dark legend can surely be explained by the large proportions of its body, powerful beak, dark feathers, and deep voice. Ravens’ habits are also significant, particularly their love for carrion and carcases; they appear on battlefields and everywhere human or animal remains are found. That must have caused fear in early myths and legends. 

Complex Minds 

With an average weight of 1.225 grams in women and 1.375 grams in men, the human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. That sets us apart in the animal world and has allowed us to create civilization. In a brain with a mass of 10.2 grams, ravens have more than 2 billion neurons. Is that a lot? It’s enough to compare them to mammals with similarly sized brains which usually have half as many neurons. It’s no surprise that in experiments measuring intelligence, ravens do even better than certain primates. Scientists suggest that their level of cognitive ability

Information

You’ve reached your free article’s limit this month. You can get unlimited access to all our articles and audio content with our digital subscription. If you have an active subscription, please log in.

Subscribe

Also read:

Seeing Green Seeing Green
i
Anna Wehrwein, Interior (orquídeas y naranjas) 2023, Oil on Canvas, 70 x 60 in. Courtesy of Dreamsong, Minneapolis
Nature

Seeing Green

This article is published in collaboration with Lit Hub*
Klaudia Khan

Human eyes like to gaze into other eyes—so it is easy for us to overlook creatures that do not have eyes. Even when these creatures are countless, even when they’re all around, and even when they are invaluable to human life—if they are not similar to us, we are blind to them.

*Lit Hub is the go-to site for the literary internet. Visit us at lithub.com

Continue reading