Huginn is one of the two ravens of Odin in Norse mythology, the bird whose name means "thought." Each dawn he flies out from the Allfather's shoulder across the nine worlds, and by evening he returns to whisper all that he has seen into Odin's ear.
Who is Huginn?
Huginn — Old Norse for "thought," from hugr, the mind or intent — is one of a pair of ravens who accompany Odin everywhere. His companion is Muninn, whose name means "memory." In the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, Odin tells how the two birds range over the whole earth every day; he confesses that he fears Huginn may not come back, but he dreads still more the loss of Muninn. It is because of these two ravens, Snorri Sturluson explains in the Prose Edda, that Odin is called Hrafnaguð, the "raven-god." Huginn is the questing half of Odin's mind — perception loosed upon the world to bring knowledge home.
Symbols and legacy
Huginn embodies the active, ranging intellect: thought sent abroad to gather what a god needs to know. Together the ravens mirror Odin's own restless hunger for wisdom, and they belong to him as naturally as the rune Ansuz, the rune of breath, speech, and the mind that carries meaning between beings. Ravens appear again and again in Migration-era and Viking-age art — on helmet plates, brooches, and coins — and warriors marched under raven banners into battle. From those war-standards to modern retellings of the myths, Huginn endures as a symbol of the watchful mind and the knowledge won by paying attention.
Frequently asked questions
What does Huginn mean in Norse mythology?
Huginn is Old Norse for 'thought', from hugr, meaning mind or intention. He is one of Odin's two ravens, the embodiment of the mind sent out to observe the world.
What is the difference between Huginn and Muninn?
Huginn represents thought and Muninn represents memory. Both are Odin's ravens and fly the worlds together each day, but Huginn stands for active perception while Muninn stands for what is remembered.
What do Odin's ravens do?
Each dawn Huginn and Muninn fly out across all the worlds and return by evening to perch on Odin's shoulders and whisper everything they have seen and heard into his ears.