The Tasmanian Pagan Alliance’s newsletter, The Ravens’ Call, began in 1997, making it the longest running printed bulletin of esoteric interests in Australia. The Ravens’ Call is produced four times per year, with editions released seasonally.
At first, the newsletter circulated to the members was nameless. Then inspiration struck Allannah Turner (the original State Coordinator) and Jo Grant (the longest running graphic designer). It was Jo Grant who, at the time, had rescued a wild raven. This fascinating journey led her to delve into raven folklore. Allannah also had a special connection with the raven due to working with a Nordic Tarot Deck. One of the cards pictured the Norse god Óðinn, with two ravens perched upon his shoulders.
Óðinn is said to have two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, whose names’ mean thought and memory respectively. They are said to be the messengers that go out into the world each day and bring back news to Óðinn informing him of everything that goes on in Midgard, the world of humans. A perfect name inspiration for sharing pagan related news with the Tasmanian Community.
Each editor and graphic designer of the newsletter has brought their own unique flavour to the mix. This has caused The Ravens’ Call to evolve to where it is now, an important part of our pagan community.