The Raven is one of the most recognized poems written by Poe, the iconic (and tortured) American writer and poet whose work embraces the dark romanticism genre that invented modern detective stories and created enduring tales of horror. 

Poe, who named his raven “Nevermore,” wanted the raven to symbolize the mournful and never-ending remembrance of a love lost. 

As Poe was writing the poem, his wife, Virginia, was deathly ill due to tuberculosis. He also lost his mother, brother, and foster mother to the same illness.

12. Black Ink Benchmark

For tattoo lovers and/or the tattoo artist that prefers to work in black ink, there are few designs more interesting for developing a killer technical style than a quality raven piece.

The black raven – or a crow tattoo – allows the artist and subject many different ways to express a black ink piece, whether it’s degrees of shading and grayscale, pointillism (dotwork), the contrast of strong black ink with negative space, or utilizing versatile linework choices (thicknesses, angles, flow).

Black raven and feather ink also allow an opportunity to use white ink to highlight key characteristics of the bird or to lay more technical detail into a really heavy piece.

Conclusion

A raven provides sensational options for ink lovers, providing quality alternatives for lovers of mythology and folklore as well as those looking to get meaningful contemporary tattoos.

While thought of in some contexts as a negative symbol linked to death, superstition, and bad luck, for the Norse and Native American cultures black raven imagery is linked powerfully with wisdom and intelligence. 

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