Ilvermorny School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry

The Raven

Another resident at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the Common Raven (Corvus corax).

They can be found all over the school grounds and they are very friendly. Since Ilvermorny does not use owls for the post (They do still but are rarely used these days), they use ravens instead. Hawks, eagles, and falcons are used as well. And first-year students are required to take a class in which they are assigned a raven and have to learn to take care of it. You are allowed to name it anything you want. Once you graduate, you can either keep it or release it into the wild. It's also the Patronus of Ilvermorny founder Isolt Sayre and would eventually be passed down to her descendants James and Melissa Evercreetch. There is also a spell used to turn ravens into writing desks. Ravens can be purchased at Ebbingdale's in New York City.

Some interesting facts about ravens:

These birds are highly intelligent and remarkably adaptable, living as both a scavenger and a predator, and can survive all seasons in surroundings ranging from the Arctic tundra to the scorching desert. Ravens have also been known to use tools to obtain food and aid in defending their territories. Ravens and other corvid species are the subject of multiple cognitive research studies focusing on their ability to learn and use tools. They can even imitate human speech. Perhaps one of the most impressive, and unsettling, facts about ravens is that they have what is called "episodic memory," much like humans and other primates. This allows them to remember human faces and other characteristics, particularly in association with emotion or an event. They will eat almost anything, including mice, baby tortoises, eggs, grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, fish, dung, grains, buds, berries, and even pet food. 

Often associated with death, illness, or a bad omen, ravens have been featured in ancient stories from around the world and in almost every culture. For example, Swedish folklore has it that ravens are the spirits of murdered people who weren't given Christian burials. Irish folklore sees ravens as symbols of warfare, and the Hindu deity Shani is often visualized as mounted on the back of a giant raven. 

In the mythology of many Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest, ravens are considered wise, cunning heroes. They're also thought to be tricksters who are susceptible to gluttony, greed, and patience, but they are mainly seen as amazing symbols of honor.

Ravens are a bit like watchers of the night, quiet and observant, waiting for the precise moment to show themselves. Chances are they don't want you to see them, then you want, as they are very good at hiding themselves. Equally, they can be incredibly charismatic when they need or want something, swooping in out of nowhere and shocking you with their mysterious presence. They have a fire to them that represents their need for freedom, and this mostly coincides with their somewhat greedy nature. They are inwardly emotional and can turn off what they are feeling almost as a switch if need be. Ravens are, more than anything, associated with magic and the supernatural. Sometimes they're seen as agents of good luck – in Ancient Greece, they were associated with the god Apollo and prophecy, and in Norse mythology, two ravens served as the eyes and ears of the god Odin. Other times they are seen less favorably – according to Islamic tradition, it was a raven who taught Cain how to bury his brother Abel's body after Cain murdered him, and sometimes in Christian tradition ravens are symbolic of sin. Regardless there is a strange kind of mysticism that surrounds ravens, making them seem otherworldly. Even today in England there is a widely held belief that should the ravens that live at the Tower of London ever be removed, the Tower will fall.

Raven as a Patronus

Having a Raven as your Patronus means you find comfort in mysticism. You are a spiritual person – not meaning that you are necessarily religious, but that you are very in tune with your inner self and the world around you. It makes it so you are a very insightful person (which greatly benefits and appeals to a Slytherin, since they are generally known for cleverness) and are sharp enough that you can easily predict human behavior. You also tend to enjoy your solitude and give off a faintly enigmatic air, which also is appropriate for Slytherin, the house that revels in mystery. If you ever find yourself blinded by depression and falling into the abyss, this Patronus will swoop to your rescue, becoming your eyes and ears and showing you the future that still awaits you. This bright and exciting future will bring life back into your cheeks and the light back to your eyes, and you will face your present danger with the utmost confidence. Knowledge is your greatest comfort. Knowing and learning always bring you great joy, and you feel as though you can never gather enough knowledge. Just as they say, knowledge is power. Not only do you like to know things for yourself, but you take great joy in sharing what you've learned with those around you. Besides, what's the point of having this head full of thoughts and facts if you're the only one who knows them? The Raven can remind you that in death there is hope, as rebirth may follow soon after. You can rest easy knowing that the end of your chapter may be the beginning of someone else's, and feel nothing to fear from fear itself.