For all you Ravens fans out there, you probably know that the Raven’s mascot is named “Poe.” And some of you literary people may even recognize that he is named for Edgar Allan Poe, the famous poet from Baltimore. But do you know why? Read on to find out…

So Edgar Allan Poe has a popular poem called, “The Raven.” Obviously, this is where the Baltimore football team got their inspiration. But back to the poem. It tells the tale of a person, most likely crazy, who is visited by a wise raven. The narrator is mourning the loss of a beautiful woman and is driven to the point of insanity. He then sees a raven in his room and speaks with the bird. Throughout the poem, the speaker seeks solace from the raven, who simply taunts the man by replying that he will probably never see his beloved again.

Now back to the Ravens. In 1999, the Cleveland football team relocated to Baltimore, but was in need of name and mascot. So this is where Poe comes in. The raven was chosen to be the mascot since Poe spent time writing in Baltimore. However, you may not realize just how great of a mascot Poe the raven is. As mentioned above, it is based off Edgar Allan Poe’s poem. Now, the only two colors mentioned in “The Raven,” are purple and black. And what do those colors remind you of? The Ravens’ uniforms, of course! Also significant is the fact that the raven in Poe’s poem was clever, brutal, and taunting. Those would be pretty good adjectives for a successful football team, if you ask me!

Hopefully, now you can appreciate the Ravens mascot a little more, and you have some fun facts to share at the next football party you go to. Happy watching, football fans!