Raven (Spirit of the Wild)

This article is about the Spirit of the Wild. For other uses, see Raven.

Raven

Race

Spirit of the Wild

Location

Means to an End
(The Great Lodge)
The Invitation
(Jora's Keep, Frozen Pass, Raven Sanctum)
One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion
(Frost Citadel, Hall of Monuments)
Wildfire
(Hall of Monuments, Inner Titan's Throat, Primal Kiln)

Image(s)

Appearance in Wildfire.

“

May Raven bless you with the vision to see, and the wisdom to understand.

— Raven Shaman in The Great Hunt

Raven, also known as the Spirit of Raven or Raven Spirit, is a Great Spirit of the Wild and the natural embodiment of all ravens. He is revered by the norn, who build shrines and lodges to honor him, the most notable being the Raven Lodge and the Raven Sanctum. According to his Speaker, Moda the Quick, Raven represents the facets of our mind that grant us understanding: wisdom, cleverness, clarity, and perspective. Raven is associated with wisdom, cunning, trickery, knowledge, the Underworld, ghosts, and mysteries. He is fond of riddles and wordplay.

Biography

Early years

Carvings inside the Raven Lodge.

As the Spirit of knowledge and foresight and the natural embodiment of ravens, Raven is said to be a trickster who is fond of riddles and wordplay and likes to test the wits of his followers and anyone else who wishes to uncover his secrets. He calls his followers fledglings, inspires artists, and also favors acts of kindness towards ravens who are viewed as his flock. In some cases Raven is believed to personally come to take the life of a norn who was about to die and guide the soul to the Mists.

The norn believe that Raven sees and knows all, and requires nothing but the petitioner's promise to always seek wisdom to grant them his blessing of swiftness. He only views someone unworthy in his eyes if the person does not learn from their mistakes, and he rewards the clever, the sincere, and those who seek out new experiences such as traveling the world. Although Raven represents the facets of mind that grant beings the vision to see and the wisdom to understand, his teachings also contain a darker side which some of his wayward shamans such as Vilnia Shadowsong would cruelly embrace in their quest for knowledge and power at the expense of others.

According to Jhavi Jorasdottir's theory, Raven might have bestowed the mystic Raven Lenses on the norn several centuries ago so they could defend themselves against attackers, possibly as a counter to the Elder Dragon Jormag. The lenses served the purpose to protect, reveal and teach: they reacted to the Raven shrines scattered around the northern wilds, revealing guiding light in the dark, granting access through magically sealed passageways and providing protection from both the bitter cold and poisonous haze. The lenses also allowed their wielders to view echoes of the past by revealing traces of the spirit essence which norn leave behind.

At some point, the maze-like Raven Sanctum was built into mountaineous terrain in Bjora Marches. It was where Raven could test his havrouns-to-be with complex philosophical questions and puzzles that required access to his spiritual magic as well as keen awareness of one's surroundings to survive the hazards within. The replies to the trial's three questions, which did not have right answers, would reveal the initiates' true nature to Raven and whether they were worthy of the sanctum's mysteries. The seekers of knowledge needed two Raven lenses to enter the sealed sanctum.

Following Jormag's awakening in 1165 AE, the norn tried to defend their lands in the Far Shiverpeaks from its corruption and destruction, but they were no match for the Ice Dragon. Raven was one of the Spirits of the Wild who aided the norn in their exodus to the south. It is said that he was one of the four Spirits—along with Bear, Snow Leopard, and Wolf—who revealed themselves to the norn hero Asgeir Dragonrender over the field of battle after Jormag had devoured Owl and instructed him to lead the surviving norn south to a sanctuary while Ox, Eagle and Wolverine stayed behind to distract and battle the Ice Dragon. Asgeir's personal journal, however, included additional information not known by the rest of the norn about the circumstances of him severing Jormag's fang and his reasons for leading the exodus south.

At some point, all Spirits became aware of a prophecy involving a chosen norn who would either slay or fall to Jormag after cracking the Fang of the Serpent.

Thanks to his actions, Raven became one of the four most highly regarded Spirits of the Wild and had the Raven Lodge built in his honor in Hoelbrak. Although the four Spirits had worked together to help the norn survive Jormag's attacks, they—or their followers—were not always on the best of terms. Followers of Wolf scorn Snow Leopard's stealth as "cowardice," and the shamans of Bear are known to mistrust Raven's adherents, calling their deceptions dishonorable and weak. In the present day, some norn believe that Raven has urged them to think beyond their mountains and join forces with other races to prepare for the challenges that await them.

In the past, Bear, Raven and Snow Leopard gave their respective blessings to Wolf's map which was in Captain Romke's possession. When the Spirits were invoked, the map could display everything between the traveler's current position and the destination they wanted to reach. However, the boastful norn crew's voyage came to a sudden end due to the Rising of Orr which was caused by the Elder Dragon Zhaitan's awakening in 1219 AE. The map was lost in the crew's battle against the Risen, and the slain crew members' ghosts were cursed to haunt the shores of Orr until the map was retrieved and the Spirits had forgiven the crew's pride.

Personal story

“

Raven, my spirit guide, teaches that there is a time for action and a time for thought.

— Player character during character creation

In 1325 AE, the Slayer of Issormir, Eir Stegalkin and Garm sought the help of Raven's Havroun Weibe. After the trio had helped Weibe retrieve a spiritual artifact from dredge thieves and Weibe had learned the important quest they were on, he promised to offer his aid. Weibe returned to Hoelbrak and assisted the trio and Snow Leopard's Havroun Svena in exploring the Mists. They discovered that a group of Sons of Svanir led by Styrr Frostblade had targeted Wolf's Apprentice Valda and Havroun Solvi in an effort to use the Wolf havroun's power to invade the Mists and hunt down the Spirits of the Wild in Jormag's name. After gathering enough evidence to act on, they returned to Tyria where Weibe bid the party farewell as he had to return to his duties as havroun. Before leaving, Weibe invoked Raven's name, believing that the Spirit would watch over the party in their quest to find Solvi and bless them with foresight to thwart the plans of the Ice Dragon's minions.

Some time later, the Slayer went on a quest to retrieve their ancestor Romke's horn from the Sons of Svanir and was given a choice to either destroy the horn or keep it. If the Slayer chose to return to Hoelbrak with the horn in the company of Eir and Garm, the trio were ambushed by a group of Sons of Svanir led by Niilo Wolfskinner in the Great Lodge. The horn had been corrupted by Jormag's magic, however, and its powers burst out during the battle. Despite its corrupted state, the horn also manifested what appeared to be ghostly visions of the four Great Spirits of the Wild, including Raven, as it repelled the Sons of Svanir although the horn was depowered when it shattered during the battle.

During the Pact's campaign against the Elder Dragon Zhaitan later that year, the Pact Commander and Trahearne retrieved Romke's lost map from Risen-infested waters and lifted the curse which had affected the crew's ghosts. As the map was brought to the grateful Romke, he was able to invoke the Spirits' magic on the map to help the pair locate the Artesian Waters while avatars of the four Great Spirits watched on in approval.

The Icebrood Saga

Jormag's influence spread into Bjora Marches as more Icebrood, Sons of Svanir and other beings aligned with the Ice Dragon, such as the Aberrant and the Fallen, began appearing in the region in greater numbers to amass an army for the Fraenir of Jormag by 1332 AE. In preparation for a full scale invasion, the fraenir invaded the Raven Sanctum, trapped Raven's shamans in ice pillars and began leeching their magic to both empower his spells and strengthen his stranglehold on the region.

Once the Vigil became aware of the fraenir's actions, Jhavi Jorasdottir and General Almorra Soulkeeper began searching for ways to get to the fraenir who had sealed himself inside the sanctum. While exploring the Darkrime Delves, the pair found two Raven lenses which would grant them access to the sanctum. Jhavi sensed Raven's strong presence in the region and believed that the discovery of the lenses had been part of the Spirit's plan to thwart Jormag's ambitions.

Jormag's forces pushed back, however. Strange whispers began influencing male norn in the region, leading to several norn turning against their comrades and joining the Ice Dragon's cause. The persuaded norn betrayed the Vigil in the dark of the night and opened the gates of Jora's Keep, allowing the Sons of Svanir to enter and massacre most of the Vigil in the keep. Almorra and Jhavi were captured and taken into the wilderness where Jormag wished to speak to them in order to convert the pair to its cause. Jhavi left her Raven lens in the keep while Almorra held onto the other lens so any ally who found the lens in the keep could use it to reveal spiritual echoes of the past and use these echoes to trace Jhavi's steps.

After being separated from Almorra, Jhavi asked Raven to guide any would-be rescuers to save them both. Raven answered Jhavi's plea but in an unexpected way: he led both the Pact Commander and Braham Eirsson, whom Jhavi and several norn had begun calling Braham Vowbreaker after his departure from the region in the aftermath of his failed attempt to slay Jormag, to rescue her.

After acquiring the other lens from Almorra's corpse in the Darkrime Delves, a party consisting of the Commander, Braham, Jhavi as well as the charr Crecia Stoneglow and Rytlock Brimstone entered the Raven Sanctum to take down the fraenir. While there, they had to go through Raven's trials, and heard what appeared to be Raven's voice coming from magically potent totems.

After answering Raven's questions and solving his puzzles, the party entered the heart of the sanctum where they battled and defeated the fraenir. During the fight, they managed to free several trapped Raven shamans who sacrificed their lives to weaken the fraenir and empower nearby shrines with Raven's magic which the party used as protection from the fraenir's deadly blizzard. Although the sanctum was liberated, it soon fell under the power of various powerful beings aligned with Jormag whom brave adventurers defeated one after another.

Meanwhile, Vigil reinforcements had entered Bjora Marches to bolster the defenses of Jora's Keep. Raven's havroun Weibe used Raven's blessing to cast a barrier over the keep to defend it from the assaults of Icebrood Constructs and protected the defenders from the fraenir's freezing blizzard. As the fraenir's forces were pushed back, Weibe successfully completed the ritual and summoned what appeared to either be an avatar of Raven or the Spirit himself. A huge, magical Raven was seen in the sky, casting a protection spell over the keep as he flew over the Marches and cleared the blizzard in his wake.

During the campaign against Jormag's forces in Bjora Marches in 1332 AE, the Vigil made a shocking discovery within the frigid, mountainous confines of Asgeir's Legacy: the personal journal of Asgeir Dragonrender himself. In the journal's pages, Asgeir revealed that he had had a private conversation with Jormag after rending the Elder Dragon's fang, and that Jormag had explained how its violent actions had only been a form of self defense. Jormag had come to view Asgeir as a worthy warrior and had realized how much he cared for the norn, so the Ice Dragon let him leave alive with a choice: Asgeir could return with more warriors and watch them all die as the dragon continued defending itself, or he could use the severed fang to convince the norn to move south and live in peace with Jormag promising not to follow them as it had come to view them as a race worthy of being preserved. Realizing that the norn would stand no chance against the Elder Dragon even with the enchantments of the jotun scroll and the blessings of the Spirits of the Wild, Asgeir had lied that the Spirits, not Jormag, had instructed him to lead the norn to a southern sanctuary. Despite believing that the lie had been necessary, Asgeir couldn't help but wonder if he had been tricked by Jormag to give up the fight and if he could have been capable of slaying the Elder Dragon; that uncertainty was a burden he would carry for the rest of his life.

In 1333 AE, Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer of the Blood Legion led his Dominion army to the Drizzlewood Coast where he intended to awaken and subjugate Jormag deep within the hallowed site known as the Sanctum of the Wild. He came to realize that he needed to corrupt his soldiers into the Frost Legion with Jormag's blood in order to hasten the Elder Dragon's awakening. The Blood Imperator set aside his initial animosity with the Sons of Svanir and allied with the cult who then helped him capture the totems of Bear, Raven, Snow Leopard, and Wolf. Bangar positioned the totems before the slumbering Jormag in a twisted ritual, planning to corrupt the Great Spirits of the Wild and use them as a carrot to control the Ice Dragon by infusing their magic into himself.

The Great Spirits' essence was trapped within the sacred totems so they were unable to call for help at first, remaining silent to any norn trying to invoke them. Once Braham, Crecia, Rytlock and the Commander had successfully used the lesser Spirits' power instead to open the enchanted door to the Sanctum of the Wild, Braham was finally able to hear the Great Spirits calling to him in pain. Upon reaching Bangar deep within the Frost Citadel, they learned his plans to leech the Great Spirits' magic. In the ensuing battle, the party managed to sever Bangar's link to the Spirits although Ryland arrived on the scene soon after to direct the Great Spirits' magic straight to Jormag instead much to Bangar's frustration.

The Commander was ultimately able to release the Great Spirits from the totems, preventing them from being corrupted. However, Jormag had siphoned enough magic from the Spirits to finally awaken, letting the Ice Dragon resume their delayed campaign on Tyria.

Rituals

Petitions

Petitioners who seek Raven's wisdom often stop by at the Raven Lodge. While there, they ask for advice from Raven's shamans to perform specific ritualistic acts to improve their standing in the eyes of the Spirit. Although Raven seeks no offering for himself and is pleased when people think for themselves, his shamans often demand tributes to the Spirit from the petitioners as a symbolic act.

Those who pass on false information which leads to others dying must bring a symbol of their shame to the lodge, place most of these symbols with Raven's treasures and keep one symbol to remind them of their mistake so they can learn from it.

Those who wish to earn Raven's favor for themselves or their loved ones must put a trophy of their cleverness with his treasures to honor the Spirit's teachings, after which Raven's shaman will tell him of the petitioner's needs.

Those who bring gifts to honor Raven must first approach his shaman and answer what they consider to be worthy of the Spirit. If the shaman deems the gift as a suitable representation of the petitioner's cunning, the petitioner may add it to Raven's treasures.

Those who begin apprenticeship under Raven must entrust their most cherished possession to the Spirit as a first step to learn to trust him with their lives as well.

Norn spiritcallers are able to invoke Raven's name in order to summon spirits of the dead from the Underworld to Tyria via a ritual.

Mysteries

Raven Sanctum

The heart of the Raven Sanctum.

The Raven Sanctum, located in Bjora Marches, is a maze-like temple which serves as a lengthy initiation trial for Raven's havrouns-to-be. The initiates have to navigate the maze, question their perceptions, and ponder the solutions to three hypothetical dilemmas. There are no right answers to these dilemmas; their purpose is to improve the havroun's wisdom by demonstrating the complexity of life and its lack of straightforward solutions to problems. Raven has infused his power into magical totems which activate in the presence of initiates and present the dilemmas. The answers show Raven what sort of a person the seeker of wisdom truly is deep inside before they are allowed into the heart of the sanctum to be initiated into the Spirit's sacred mysteries.

The first chamber contains the Trial of Providence during which Raven presents the following dilemma: A mortally wounded man lies helpless in the wilderness while hungry beasts and unarmed healers, who remain unaware of both the man and the beasts, are nearby. A flock of ravens can be summoned to aid them, and the initiate must either send the flock to save the wounded man or the healers. Regardless of the choice, one life—either the wounded man or one of the healers—is traded for another as death cannot be cheated.

After the first trial, the initiate must pass through the maze while their mind is cloaked in shadows and separated from anyone potentially accompanying them. While in this mindset, the initiate must activate nearby magical shrines and let Raven's light guide the way through the darkness to enter the second trial while avoiding phantasms who stalk them in the shadows.

The second chamber contains the Trial of Wisdom during which Raven presents the following dilemma: A fire spreads through Tyria's greatest library where a scholar must decide between saving one of two surviving books which have no other copies. The first book contains a detailed record of Tyria's history before human arrival while the second is a book of arcane spells that can turn the tide against the Elder Dragons. Regardless of the choice, valuable knowledge is irreversibly lost: either one forgoes peace to preserve what came before, or values a winning hand over ancient knowledge and risks the cycle of conflict repeating itself in the future.

After the second trial, the initiate must continue through the maze as the corridors are now filled with hazardous miasma. They must attune to the Raven lens near certain totems to activate Raven's protective nullifier against the poison so the initiate can reach the third trial safely.

The third chamber contains the Trial of the Beyond during which Raven presents the following dilemma: A plague ravages a kingdom, making both the old and wise queen and the young and petulant prince fall ill. The initiate must choose to guide one soul to the afterlife to save the other. Regardless of the choice, the kingdom enters an uncertain future: saving the queen while losing her sole heir keeps the kingdom safe until the queen's passing and eventually leads the kingdom in turmoil as a stranger takes the throne, while saving the prince and losing the queen leads to the possibility that the prince's inexperience leads to his rule being shaky as he may grow into a less benevolent or more easily manipulated ruler whose reign will make people suffer.

After the third trial, the initiate must pass through the remainder of the maze to enter the heart of the sanctum where Raven's shamans welcome the initiate into the Spirit's mysteries. These teachings eventually lead to the initiate becoming Raven's latest havroun.

Other mysteries

Aside from the Raven Sanctum, Bjora Marches has other sacred locations accessed via Raven Gates such as the Mystery of the Hidden Tower, the Mystery of the Labyrinth, and the Mystery of the Raven Gate Ruins. Each of these contains maze-like temples where initiates and fortune seekers alike must use Raven's barrier shrines, light shrines, locks and gates to both navigate through the halls and open pathways so Raven's light may reveal hidden chests which contain treasure.

Location

Shiverpeak Mountains

• Bjora Marches (During related events only)
  • Frozen Pass
  • Jora's Keep

Story involvement

Personal story

• Chapter 2: Everyone Makes Mistakes
  • Means to an End (as "Raven Spirit"; only if you chose Raven during character creation)

The Icebrood Saga

• Episode 1: Whisper in the Dark
  • The Invitation (voice only)
• Episode 4: Jormag Rising
  • One Charr, One Dragon, One Champion (as energy)
• Episode 5: Champions
  • Chapter 3: Balance
    • Wildfire

Event involvement

[Group Event] Defeat the icebrood construct before it reaches Havroun Weibe (80)

Combat abilities

• Spirit of the Wild (in Wildfire)

Followers

• Birgalf
• Esmet Ravenswhisper
• Havroun Weibe - Havroun
• Jhavi Jorasdottir
• Moda the Quick - Speaker
• Raven Acolyte
• Raven Shaman
• Raven Shaman Hallveig
• Raven Shaman Heinze
• Raven Shaman Tait
• Raven Shaman Vidar
• Shaman Freygirr
• Shaman Sigrytha
• Vilnia Shadowsong

Places of worship

Raven Lodge in Hoelbrak.

Bjora Marches

• Eaglewatch Rise
  • Mystery of the Hidden Tower

• Fallen Mountains
  • Mystery of the Labyrinth

• Raven Ruins
  • Mystery of the Raven Gate Ruins

• Raven Sanctum

Dredgehaunt Cliffs

• The Wide Expanse
  • Raven's Wing Shrine

Hoelbrak

• Raven Lodge
  • Raven Hallow
  • Raven Hearth

Lornar's Pass

• Nentor Valley
  • Ravenbeak Shrine

Snowden Drifts

• Angvar's Trove
  • Raven Totem

Wayfarer Foothills

• Snowlord's Gate
  • Heart of the Raven

Gallery

Concept art

• 

  Shrine concept art.

• 

  Champions Chapter 3: Balance wallpaper with Braham Eirsson, Bear, Raven, Snow Leopard, and Wolf.

Screenshots

• 

  The projection of Raven that appears over the Raven Lodge.

• 

  Shrine to Raven at Raven's Wing Shrine.

• 

  Shrine to Raven in Bjora Marches.

• 

  Heart of the Raven.

• 

  A charr communing with a Raven Barrier Shrine in the Far Shiverpeaks.

• 

  Anja near a Raven Light Shrine.

• 

  Raven Gate in Bjora Marches.

• 

  Raven Lock

Renders

• 

  Render of the projection of Raven.

• 

  Raven guild emblem.

• 

  Shamans of Raven.

• 

  Overhead icon for his blessing.

Related achievements

• Astralaria IV: The Cosmos: Star Chart: Great Spirit Raven — During the night, use the Celestial Cartographer's Gear near the chest of the Griffonrook Run in Lornar's Pass.
• Howler III: Howl: Raven's Wisdom — Kneel before the Ravenbeak Shrine in Lornar's Pass.
• The Moot III: The Energizer: Celebrate Raven — Set off fireworks at Ravenbeak Shrine in Lornar's Pass.
• Legendary Weapons: Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit — Take upon yourself the responsibility of raising a raven from egg to chick to adult, while you work toward taming the wild raven spirit you have already caught. With the blessings of the Great Spirit, Raven, these two are destined to join together, earning you the Gift of the Raven Spirit, the penultimate step to attaining the legendary staff, Nevermore. (3)
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Blessed by Raven — Take your Raven Egg to the Ravenbeak Shrine in Lornar's Pass to gain the blessings of Raven.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Bow to Raven — Begin taming the captured wild spirit by visiting the shrine to Raven in the Raven Lodge of Hoelbrak to bow and pay your respects.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Combine Raven and Spirit — Take your Primed Raven and a Vision Crystal to the Raven Shaman's Power Source hidden within Darkhoof Heights in Snowden Drifts and use it to meld your Raven with the tamed spirit you have cultivated.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Consecrated by Raven — Take your Raven Egg to the Raven's Wing Shrine in Dredgehaunt Cliffs to consecrate it for melding with the wild raven spirit.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Friend of Raven — Answer riddles posed by Raven's Statues around the Heart of the Raven in Wayfarer Foothills.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Prepare Raven — After feeding, housing, and teaching your raven to fly, speak to Moda the Quick in the Raven Lodge in Hoelbrak.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Raven's Power — Slay the evil Raven Shaman, Vilnia Shadowsong to gain access to the Raven Shaman's Power Source hidden within Darkhoof Heights in Snowden Drifts.
  • Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: Tamed Spirit — Upon completing the spirit's tests of power, friendship and putting mists items to rest, visit the Heart of the Raven to ponder Raven as you prepare to meld this tamed spirit with a primed raven.
• Whisper in the Dark: Luminary — Complete all the light puzzles in East Bjora Marches. (5)
• Whisper in the Dark: Mysteries of the Raven Sanctum — Unlock the mysteries of the Raven Sanctum. (10)
• Whisper in the Dark: Raven Lens Scholar — Find all of Jhavi's Raven lens research notes. (3)
• Whisper in the Dark: Raven's Favor — Claim victory in the Storms of Winter. (25)

Trivia

• Raven is voiced by Graham McTavish.
• The first mastery of The Icebrood Saga, Raven Attunement, which debuted in Whisper in the Dark, is inspired by Raven. The other masteries were not inspired by any Spirit.
• Raven is featured in many common norn phrases such as "Let Raven guide [one's] thoughts and Bear guide [one's] strike," "May Raven peck out [one's] dead eyes," "May Raven's wings carry [one] forward," "May Raven's wisdom guide [one]," "Speak with Raven's wisdom," "Raven's acorns," "(By) Raven's beak," "(By) Raven's black heart," "(By) Raven's bony knees," "Raven's claws," "Raven's eye(s)," "Raven's feathers", "Raven only knows," "Raven's talons," "(By) Raven's wings," "Raven's wit." and "Sing like Raven." Those with keen sight and sharp aim are said to "have Raven's eye," while those who cannot sing well are said to "have a voice that only Raven could love." Injured or sick norn who are about to die or witness someone else dying tend to say that "Raven is already here for [one]," while stupidity is said to be caused by offending Raven somehow.
• Raven has inspired the naming of norn beer called Raven's Best.
• The "Call of the Raven" and "Raven Speaks" tracks on the Guild Wars 2 soundtrack are named after Raven.

Raven's ties to the Underworld may be alluded to by Your Purpose, which guides the Pact Commander's soul in the Domain of the Lost, taking the shape of a white raven.

See also

• A Spirit of Legend

Associated items

• Raven Ceremonial armor
• Nevermore
• Raven Helm Skin
• Raven Gloves Skin
• Raven Mantle
• Raven Totem
• Ravensoul Dagger
• Ravensoul Greatsword Skin
• Raven's Eye
• Raven's Spirit Glider
• Research Notes: Ancient Raven Lens
• Spirit of Raven Harvesting Tool

Associated NPCs

• Raven Spirit
• Vision of Raven

Associated objects

• Raven Barrier Shrine
• Raven Gate
• Raven Lens
• Raven Light Shrine
• Raven Lock

Associated effects

•  Raven's Blessing
•  Raven's Wings

References

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Religions of Guild Wars 2