Hugin’s Predicament

One day, on my way home through the woods of Vejle, I came across a young raven named Hugin.

Beneath a large beech tree, where a pair of ravens had nested for years, he sat below the tree on what could best be described as a midden of leftovers discarded from the nest above.

What I encountered was dignity, calm, and an air that was at once fatalistic and abandoned.

I was not discouraged by this unexpected encounter with the young raven and cheerfully remarked to my new friend:

“Hugin, I hope you make it through the night and end up as a presidential adviser.”

For a moment, I considered taking the bird under my care and acquiring an adviser of my own. The idea was quickly abandoned, however, when I heard ominous sounds from the parent birds some fifteen metres above.

The Box

I kept an eye on him for a few days. His dignity and presence remained intact.

Soon afterwards, I had business in western Jutland and was away for several days.

When I returned, a disheartening sight awaited me.

Hugin survived the first night, but apparently not the last.

The bird had been torn apart into skin, feathers and bones.

With some sadness, I gathered the remains of the proud bird and took them back to my studio.

The Monument

The sense of abandonment and the fatalistic calm with which the bird met its end had stayed with me.

I therefore decided to erect a monument in his honour.

I arranged the feathers and bones in different ways and made a number of sketches.

The beak in particular caught my attention.

Like a Japanese samurai sword — a Masamune blade of the finest kind — it had to play a central role in the painting.

And so it did.

Guilt and Punishment

Or perhaps Scenes from a Marriage.

At this point begins a somewhat inappropriate metaphorical reflection on our own existence, with its betrayals, abandonments, and the courage required to face whatever fate may have in store for each of us.

The parent pair, who to this day still disagree about who bears responsibility for Hugin’s predicament.