I’ve been investing hard in my Odin complex lately, and as of yesterday (at the artist’s guess) am a little more than two-thirds through a fair-sized tattoo project, reppin’ my boys Huginn and Muninn.

Corvids are cropping up everywhere in sympathy, it seems. (Let’s call it syn-crow-nicity, why not?) For instance, Icelandic legend Baldur Bjarnason posted some great photos of his neighbourhood at the top of the week, including a bunch of raven portraits, of which this is one:

Photo credit Baldur Bjarnason

And here’s Maura McHugh with a reminder of the fantastic collective names that have accreted to corvids over the years:

The collective nouns for Corvidae informs us about their unsettling reputation:

Crows: the most common is a Murder of crows, but they are also known as a Mob, a Horde or a Parliament.

Ravens – usually referred to as an Unkindness of ravens, but also a Conspiracy, a Treachery and a Rave.

Magpies — the most used is a Mischief, as well as a Conventicle, and a Tribe.

Jackdaws — they are often referred to as a Clattering, but also as a Train, and a Band.

Rooks — they are frequently called a Parliament, but also a Building, a Clamour, and a Storytelling.

Malmö features all five families, though sightings of my namesake are pretty rare; they prefer the solitude of the countryside, apparently. Maybe there’s a lesson for me there, eh?