Pendant the Guide of the World the Dead

As a black corpse bird with an ominous cry, the raven is chthonic, demonic, associated with the realm of the dead and death, with bloody battle (the motif of the raven pecking out the victim’s eyes is especially developed), and acts as a messenger of evil. Since the raven digs in the ground in search of food, it is associated with it; like any bird, the raven is associated with the sky. The connection of the raven with these three spheres determines that it (this is especially evident in Paleo-Asian mythology and Native American mythology) is endowed with shamanic power and, in particular, performs mediating functions between the worlds – heaven, earth, and the afterlife (underground or overseas), thus mediating between the top and the bottom.