Origins
The word 'raven' descends from Old English 'hræfn' (raven), from Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz, a word attested in all the Germanic languages: Old Norse 'hrafn,' German 'Rabe' (from Middle High German 'raben'), Dutch 'raaf,' and Gothic *hrabns (reconstructed). The Proto-Germanic form is generally considered onomatopoeic, imitating the raven's distinctive deep, resonant croak — one of the most recognizable bird calls in the Northern Hemisphere.
The possible connection to PIE *ker- (to make a harsh sound, to croak) would link the raven to Latin 'corvus' (crow/raven, source of 'corvid' and 'corvine'), Greek 'korax' (raven, source of the name Corax), and Latin 'cornīx' (crow). If this connection holds, the English raven, the Latin crow, and the Greek raven are all 'the croaker' — named independently by different Indo-European peoples for the same harsh vocalization. However, the precise phonological pathway from PIE *ker- to Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz involves difficulties that keep this etymology in the 'probable but not certain' category.
No bird held greater mythological significance in the Germanic world than the raven. In Norse mythology, Odin (the Allfather, god of wisdom, war, and death) was accompanied by two ravens: Huginn (from 'hugr,' thought) and Muninn (from 'munr,' memory, mind). Each morning they flew across Midgard (the human world) and returned at evening to perch on Odin's shoulders and whisper everything they had witnessed. Odin himself bore the kenning 'Hrafnaguð' (Raven God) and 'Hrafnáss' (Raven God). The ravens symbolized Odin's omniscience — his intelligence network, quite literally, was avian.
Development
Viking armies carried the 'hrafnsmerki' (raven banner) into battle, a triangular flag bearing the image of a raven. According to Norse sources, if the banner fluttered, victory was assured; if it hung limp, defeat was coming. The raven's association with battle was practical as well as symbolic — ravens are carrion birds, and they gathered in great numbers on battlefields. A flock of ravens circling overhead meant death was near or had already arrived.
The raven appears prominently in English literature, most famously in Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' (1845), where the bird's single repeated word 'Nevermore' drives the narrator to despair. Poe chose the raven specifically for its associations with death, wisdom, and prophetic speech. Charles Dickens kept a pet raven named Grip, who appeared as a character in Barnaby Rudge (1841) — a book Poe reviewed, and which may have inspired his poem.
The Tower of London has maintained a flock of ravens since at least the 17th century, attended by a dedicated Ravenmaster. Legend holds that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall. Today, the Tower ravens have their flight feathers clipped to ensure they remain — a practical precaution dressed in superstition.