Celtic Raven Tattoo Meanings
Raven meanings for Celtic Tattoos
(at-a-glance)
- Military
- Magic
- War
- Oracle
- Prophecy
- Shadow
- Memory
- Secrets
- Warning
- Protection
- Solitude
Raven meaning for Celtic tattoos is based on Celtic myth and legend. Tales of the heroic Chuhulian, Bendegeit Bran, Lugh all speak of the raven in a prophetic capacity as well as power and protection. Meanings of retribution come into play with female Celtic figures of power such as the raven goddesses Morrigan, Macha and Badbh.
Legend conveys the powerful Celtic goddess, Morrigan descending upon battlefields in the shape of 100s of ravens. Morrigan, in the form of these shimmery black winged legions, would consume the souls of fallen warriors in battle and carry their souls appropriate spiritual realms.
Raven meanings of wisdom, prophecy and knowledge-keeping is connected with the Welsh hero Bran, the Blessed whose name means raven.
Bran was the holder of ancestral memories, and his wisdom was legendary. So much so, that he had his head (the vessel of his powerful wisdom) removed and interred in the sacred White Mount in London.
Ravens are still roosting there (in the Tower of London), and they’re thought to keep Bran’s wisdom protected and alive by their presence. This plays in nicely with symbolism of protection the raven has in Celtic symbolism.
Raven meanings are also associated with the Celtic high king, Lugh who is considered a masterfully skilled in smithing, crafting, prophecy, swordsmanship, art and generally, an all-wise king.
In their association with the mighty Lugh, ravens take on a prophetic capacity. Ravens were an oracle for Lugh, forewarning him of invasions and other information that allowed him to lay clever military strategy.
To be sure, raven meanings speaking of keeping and protecting sacred wisdom and mystic law. It is thought ravens consume the soul upon physical death so that soul-knowledge will not die with the body – but rather lives on while carried aloft raven wings.
For more information on raven meanings click here.
Find even more inspiration for your Celtic tattoos by visiting my Celtic Animal Meanings page (according to the Ogham) here.