Why is a raven like a writing desk?

ravengfairy006Mad Hatter: “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Alice: “I think you might do something better with the time than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers.”

——

Thank you, dear Alice. Though there are various answers speculated to that riddle, I have none, though my thoughts today are on ravens. Disney included them in their animated version of Sleeping Beauty, as well as in their more recent retelling of Maleficent. I’ve felt the need to include a raven in my own retelling, partly because it feels like a fun nod to other culturally classic versions and fairy-tale lore in general, and partly because ravens are incredibly interesting and I found that one fit my plot perfectly.

It’s been fun doing a bit of amateur research on them. Read this, if you’re a nerd like me. Here’s a fact to arm yourself with for that next round of a useless trivia game you’ll play someday: A flock of ravens is called an “unkindness.” You can’t make that stuff up, people. (Well, I’m guessing some creeped-out medieval person did. Can you hear them now? “Quick, my son! Run! A vile unkindess of ravens has descended upon the village!”)