Yes - today I was attacked by Ravens, or rather, Chester, the family Labrador, was.
I'd taken Chester to the local green (Seven Acre Green in Castle Bromwich), and having let him off his leash, was enjoying watching him chase the sticks I was occasionally throwing for him.
As we passed under a low hanging cherry blossom tree, he took a great deal of interest in the corpse of a Raven at the base of the tree. After shooing him off from picking the body up, we continued around the green.
I noticed that a pair of Ravens had started flying towards him and, in turn, straight down, legs outstretched, as though they meant to strike him. The larger of the pair appeared to actually hit him, but he had no mark upon him when I quickly checked he was all right.
I've never seen a bird, even one as formidable as a Raven, go after such a large target. Chester is only eleven months old - but he's already quite big, and is almost fully "fleshed" out.
I wondered what the Ravens story was, and if they were "protecting" the corpse at the bottom of the tree. Either because it was a family member or even perhaps "lunch".
The pair of them working together made me think of my two favourite Ravens from mythology, Thought and Memory, Odin's Ravens from the Norse myths.
I'm not sure what being "dive bombed" by Ravens portends... but I'll just have to wait and see.
Posted by Wayne Horkan's weblog: eclectic on February 21, 2008 at 12:27 AM GMT #