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Meet The Ravenmaster At The Tower of London
Quirky birds with character — not just omens of death!
Ravens have a reputation for being omens of death or misfortune, making frequent appearances in gothic horror movies and dark tales of untimely death. Their impressive black plumage gives the birds a brooding appearance, which lends itself to frightening stories and sits nicely with the Tower of London’s dark history of hangings, beheadings, and murder.
Ravens have a haunting reputation around the world. Swedish folklore says that ravens are the ghosts of murdered people, and in Germany, they’re said to be the souls of the damned. Some cultures, in parts of America and Asia, maintain that the raven is godly and has magical powers.
According to British legend, if the six ravens at the Tower of London were to leave, then the kingdom would fall; the White Tower would crumble and the ruling monarch would be dethroned.
King Charles II’s astronomer, John Flamsteed, complained that the ravens got in the way of his observatory work in the White Tower, but when the King considered eradicating the birds from the grounds, he was warned that he would lose his crown. So the King ordered that the birds should be protected instead.
