Why does Odin have a pair of ravens?

“Huginn and Muninn fly each day over the spacious earth.
I fear for Huginn, that he come not back, yet more anxious am I for Muninn.”

Quote from Grímnismál from the Poetic Edda

Huginn and Muninn are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to Odin. Although they appear as common ravens, Odin has given them magical powers, and they are able to travel around Midgard in a day. They also have the ability to understand and speak in the language of men. They are wise and don’t just observe. They give counsel to Odin and even advise him.

In battle, Huginn and Muninn inform Odin of his enemy’s movements and help him guide and heal his horse, Slepnir.

Quality of Ravens in Nature

It is no wonder that Odin chose ravens as companions. Ravens are, in fact, one of the smartest animals. For example, ravens have actually pushed rocks onto people to prevent them from climbing to their nests. They have stolen fish by pulling the fishing line out of ice holes and play dead beside carcasses to scare other ravens away from their feast. In actuality, if a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. They don’t confuse for long though because other ravens are smart too.

In captivity, ravens can actually talk better than some parrots. In the wild, they imitate wolves to attract them to carcasses that are difficult to break open. Ravens and wolves have a special relationship. When wolves finish eating, they leave the leftovers for the ravens. Ravens even play with wolves, sometimes mischievously by taunting with food or mocking them.

Ravens are found throughout the Earth. They are so adaptable and can live in environments ranging from snow, desert, mountains and forests. They have a huge diet and will eat anything from fish, meat, seeds, fruit and carrion. Working together in pairs, they often trick animals out of their food. Whilst one raven distracts the other animal the other will steal its food. Ravens have few predators and live up to 17 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity. The importance of the Raven to the Norse and Vikings is found in images on golden amulets, helmet plates, and shoulder brooches, dating all the way back to the fifth century. They appear on the Oserberg Tapestry, which was discovered onboard a ninth-century Viking funeral ship. Artefacts of ravens have been discovered all over Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and even England.

Other cultures from Tibet to Greece have also seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare (such as the Morrigan) often took the form of ravens during battles. The Chinese believed ravens caused bad weather in the forests to warn people that the gods were going to pass by. And native American tribes worshipped the raven as a deity. The Norse and Vikings sought out Huginn and Muninn for guidance, and wearing amulets would be a constant reminder of the importance of these ravens.