Sunday Symbols & their Meanings
no:2 ~ RAVEN BANNER
You might have noticed that on the front of each of our bottles is a raven. This is possibly the most popular & sacred of all the animals in the traditional Northern European faith.
THIS BANNER WAS HELD FOR THE COLLECTIVE GOOD OF THE WARRIORS
This particular style of raven is from the Raven Banner, or 'Viking Banner'. It is said that in pre-battle, if the raven flag is waving upward, then success would be coming their way, though if it was all floppy, then the fates had predicted they would lose. Battles were literally postponed because of this.
It is also said in the Orkneyinga Saga written around the year 1200 by an unknown Icelandic author, that whoever holds the banner during war would most certainly die, although all those around them would thrive in battle. When the banner barer would fall, another would pick it up, awaiting his inevitable death for the good of the collective of warriors.
The raven is strongly associated with the Norse god Odinn. In Norse religion, it is said that Odinn has 2 ravens, Huginn (Thought) & Muninn (Memory), representing the two essential tools of wisdom which Odinn constantly seeks. The 2 ravens would travel the worlds each day and come back to Odinn's hall where they would whisper to him all the secrets of the worlds.
Raven symbols were imprinted onto coins in the late Viking age at around 995 in Denmark under King Sweyn Forkbeard's rule (Scandinavians didn't have a coin based currency before this time).
Even though he was a Christian, he, along with many other Norse leaders, still used the pagan symbol due to its strong symbolic powers. King Harald Hardrada (Hard Ruler) who attempted to conquer England in 1066 also flew a raven banner during the Stamford Bridge battle, which he lost. About a week later the Normans invaded England to the south, led by William the Conqueror who also flew the banner. They of course won.
IT WAS SAID THAT WHOEVER HELD THE BANNER WOULD DIE
The raven pictured on our mead bottles with its head held up represents success in all upcoming battles, business & anything else this clown world is going to throw at us.
Hope you enjoyed this.
Skål.
