[kj] A Letter from Jaz to the Gathering

[Bob Barathy]

Or Kate Beckinsale!


  Series is a must watch for any fan of Bill Nighy.



  From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net]
On Behalf Of folk devil
  Sent: Friday, 12 February 2010 1:37 PM
  To: gathering at misera.net
  Subject: Re: [kj] A Letter from Jaz to the Gathering



  For those who don't know the reference (from wiki)


  ..At least six Ravens are kept at the Tower, at all times, in accordance
with the belief that if they be absent the kingdom will fall.[18] To be on
the safe side ten ravens (6 on duty and 4 young spares) are actually housed
at the Tower of London at the expense of the British government. A Yeoman
Warder, or Beefeater, has the specific role of Ravenmaster at the Tower and
takes care of their feeding and well being. The Ravenmaster builds this
relationship with the ravens as he takes the fledglings into his home and
hand rears them over a period of about six weeks. Ravens live up to an
average of 25 years, but have been known to reach the age of 45 years. To
prevent the birds from flying away one of their wings is clipped by the
Ravenmaster. This does not hurt or harm the raven in any way. Clipping their
wing unbalances their flight ensuring that they don't stray too far from the
Tower. Ravens are members of the crow family, Corvus, and are eaters of
carrion and live mainly on dead flesh. The Raven's lodgings are located next
to the Wakefield Tower and are kept at the Tower of London at the expense of
the British government.
  It was said that Charles II ordered their removal following complaints
from John Flamsteed, the Royal Astronomer.[19] However, they were not
removed because Charles was then told of the legend that if the ravens ever
leave the Tower of London, the White Tower, the monarchy, and the entire
kingdom would fall (the London Stone has a similar legend). Charles,
following the time of the English Civil War, superstition or not, was not
prepared to take the chance, and instead had the observatory moved to
Greenwich.
  The earliest known reference to a tower raven is a picture in the
newspaper The Pictorial World in 1885.[20] This and scattered subsequent
references to the tower ravens, both literary and visual, which appear in
the late nineteenth to early twentieth century place them near the monument
commemorating those beheaded at the tower, popularly known as the
 "scaffold." This strongly suggests that the ravens, which are notorious for
gathering at gallows, were originally used to dramatize tales of
imprisonment and execution at the tower told by the Yeomen Warders to
tourists.[21] There is evidence that the original ravens were donated to the
tower by the Earls of Dunraven,[22] perhaps because of their association
with the Celtic raven-god Bran.[23] However wild ravens, which were once
abundant in London and often seen around meat markets (such as nearby
Eastcheap) feasting for scraps, could have roosted at the tower in earlier
times.[24]
  During the Second World War most of the Tower's ravens perished through
shock during bombing raids, leaving a sole survivor named 'Grip'.[24] There
is evidence that the ravens were used as unofficial spotters for enemy
planes and bombs during the Blitz.[25] Before the tower reopened to the
public on 1 January 1946, care was taken to ensure that a new set of ravens
was in place.[26]
  The ravens' names/gender/age are (as of June 2009):[27]

    a.. Gwylum (male, 18 years old)
    b.. Thor (male, 15 years old)
    c.. Hugin (female, 11 years old)
    d.. Munin (female, 11 years old)
    e.. Branwen (female, 3 years old)
    f.. Bran (male, 3 years old)
    g.. Gundulf (male, 1 year old)
    h.. Baldrick (male, 1 year old)
    i.. Fleur (female, 4 years old)
    j.. Colin (male, 2 years old)
  The oldest raven ever to serve at the Tower of London was called Jim Crow,
who died at the age of 44.[28]
  In 2006, during the H5N1 avian influenza scare, the ravens were moved
indoors for some months.




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  Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:34:24 +0100
  From: nortonfelix at googlemail.com
  To: gathering at misera.net
  Subject: [kj] A Letter from Jaz to the Gathering





  The Ravens flown and left the Tower


  and Albion feels all abandoned


  A desecrated cenotaph - surveillance state and waning choices


  Guarded by warriors we knew


  Guided by our ancestral voices







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