Odin's two ravens, Thought and Memory, who fly out each morning to gather knowledge of the world.
Huginn and Muninn are Odin's ravens, bearing the names Thought (Huginn) and Memory (Muninn). Every dawn they fly out across the world and return to Odin's shoulders at breakfast to whisper all they have seen and heard into his ear. This account appears in Grímnismál 20, where Odin himself speaks of his ravens.
In Gylfaginning 38, Snorri Sturluson quotes the poetic source and adds that Odin sometimes worries more for Muninn than for Huginn, suggesting that the preservation of memory is particularly valued. The ravens are among the most prominent attributes of the all-wise god and appear also in skaldic poetry as kennings for Odin.
Sources in the Eddas
- Grímnismál 20
- Odin describes the ravens Huginn and Muninn. Own translation.
- Gylfaginning 38
- Snorri quotes the verse and explains the ravens' function. Own translation.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Huginn and Muninn are Odin's scouting ravens, well attested in Grímnismál and Gylfaginning.
B What we think we know
Their names reflect a shamanic conception of the seer sending out aspects of his consciousness in bird form.