The Ravens of the Tower of London
Should the six resident ravens of the Tower of London ever abandon it, it is said that the Kingdom (and the Tower) will fall. Luckily, today there are seven ravens at the Tower, the core six...and a spare, just in case. But where did this strange legend come from, and what do ravens have to do with the crown?
Some believe the first person to ever utter this is Charles II. However, the true history behind the idea that if the resident ravens flee the tower that the crown will fall is lost to time.
If you believe the Charles II story, it is said that his astronomer, John Flamstead, complained mightily about the ravens that inhabited the Tower of London. They even stopped him from getting his work done from the White Tower. In an attempt to appease Flamstead, Charles II had the birds removed from the Tower grounds. However, before this order could be carried out, Charles received word from a (conveniently) unnamed prophet that the monarchy would absolutely crumble and England would fall should the ravens ever be removed. From there, he decreed that the Tower of London would now and forevermore be home to six ravens...whether Flamstead wanted them or not.
Clearly a presence at the Tower, and with seats to many a beheading it is no surprise these strange, clever birds seem ominous. At the beheading of Anne Boleyn in 1536, it was said “even the ravens of the Tower sat silent and immovable on the battlements and gazed eerily at the strange scene”
However, try as historians might...they can’t find much proof of the ravens and this prophecy.
The earliest official mention of the ravens, according to historians, was in 1895. In a report from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the writers discussed a nasty raven named Jenny who was infamous for chasing the cats that called the Tower home, as well as driving off all other birds until she was the only one left (so, clearly, no one was panicked at not having six ravens exactly at this point).
Raven’s, throughout folklore, have a somewhat infamous reputation so you may find it strange that they would be the heralds of London’s doom. In Celtic Mythology they’re tied to darkness and death, Indian peoples of the Pacific Northwest, the raven is a trickster (or, sometimes, a creator), and to others the raven is a messenger. If not all bad, the raven’s place in folklore is at least complicated.
The Tower of London continues to employ a Ravenmaster to look after these ominous creatures. As of the writing of this blog, the current Tower of London Ravens are: Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Georgie.
Thank you so much Richard P for this blogstonishing suggestion!
The blog image is licensed under creative commons!