This painting of a raven reproduces the original manuscript illumination as you can find it on fol. 49r of the Ashmole Bestiary. The painting uses white egg tempera mixed with mineral pigments and 24 karat gold leaf for the background.

Ravens in the bible

When considering the raven as a symbol, it often carries associations with evil. However, in the Old Testament, ravens are not specifically mentioned as wicked or evil creatures. On the contrary, Noah releases a raven from the ark after the great flood, and Moses prohibits the Israelites from consuming them. The bird is also referenced elsewhere. Such as the story where Jesus uses a raven as an example of God’s gracious provision in Luke 12:24. Nevertheless, during the 1st century AD, Philo of Alexandria compares the raven to evil, writing that:

“[…] as a raven is a black, and arrogant, and speedy animal, it is a sign of wickedness, which brings night and darkness over the soul, and it is also swift to meet all the things of the world in its flight. […] But those birds, the raven and the dove, are symbols of wickedness and virtue: for the one, whether it is wickedness or the raven, has no house, nor habitation, nor city, being an insolent unsociable bird; but the other, namely virtue, has a regard to humanity, and to the public good”

Questions and answer on Genesis II – Philo of Alexandria.

Ravens in medieval literature

However, medieval authors do not make this comparison. For instance, Pliny the Elder (1^st century CE) and Isidore of Seville (7^th century) describe the behavior of the raven in a more-of-less factual manner, not applying any ‘evil’ attributes to it. Neither do English authors in the twelth of thirteent century. In addition, we can read in both the bestiary Bodley 764 and the Aberdeen Bestiary that:

“The crow is a bird which lives to a great age. […] They say that it can reveal the purpose of men’ s actions: it can disclose the whereabouts of an ambush, and predict the future. This is a great offense, to believe that God entrusts His counsels to crows. […] Men should teach teach themselves to love their children from the crow’ s example. When their young are learning to fly, they follow them assiduously, and in case they should weaken, they bring them food. They do not give up the task of feeding for a long while.”

“Barber, Richard; “BESTIARY”, The Boydell Press, 1993 (p.160)”

Continuing the story contrasts man’s propensity to ignore or reject their children when they are bothersome with the commitment of ravens to tend to their offspring, even when weak after leaving the nest. In conclusion, we should not traditionally assign the symbol of evil to the raven.