* Mysterious Appearance: The raven is described as "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous," with a "shadow" falling upon the speaker. This emphasizes its eerie and unsettling presence.
* Unnatural Arrival: The raven appears on a "bleak December" night, during a storm, which adds to the atmosphere of the supernatural.
* Uncannily Intelligent: The raven's ability to speak, specifically repeating the word "Nevermore," is the most obvious indication of its otherworldly nature. This ability transcends the normal capabilities of a bird.
* Symbol of Despair: The raven's constant repetition of "Nevermore" serves as an embodiment of the speaker's growing despair and obsession with Lenore. This word becomes a symbol of the speaker's inability to escape his grief.
* Connection to the Beyond: The speaker sees the raven as a messenger from the "shadowy Plutonian shore," suggesting a connection to the realm of the dead. This connection further emphasizes the supernatural nature of the bird.
Beyond the Raven:
While the raven is the central supernatural element, the poem also employs other devices that create a sense of the otherworldly:
* Gothic Setting: The poem's setting is described as a dark, isolated, and haunted chamber, further enhancing the atmosphere of the supernatural.
* Speaker's Mental State: The speaker's descent into madness and despair, fueled by the raven's presence, contributes to the poem's overall sense of the uncanny and the supernatural.
The poem doesn't explicitly state what the raven represents or its true origin, leaving it open to interpretation. However, the raven's supernatural presence and its impact on the speaker's psyche serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring human fascination with the unknown and the mysterious.