The TOWER RAVENS Balakina Nataliya Nickolaevna, an English teacher, Moscow 

 The common raven is a large black bird in the crow family. At maturity, it is between 56 and 69 cm (from 22 to 27 inches) in length. 

 Ravens became associated with the dead and with lost soul, and thus, in Sweden are known as the ghosts of murdered persons and in Germany as the soul of the damned. 

 HM Tower of London EC3N 4A ENGLAND  Opening hours 1 March- 31 October Monday –Saturday: 09.00 – 18.00 Sunday: 10.00 – 18.00 Last admission 17.00 

 1 November – 28 February Tuesday – Saturday 09.00 – 17.00 Sunday – Monday 10.00 – 17.00 Last admission 16.00 

 The Tower of London keeps a group of ravens because of a legend: Should all the ravens ever leave the Tower, the British crown and British kingdom will fall. 

 We don’t know how the ravens’ legend really began, but the official story is as follows. When John Flamsteed, the astronomical observer of King Charles II, tried to take measurements from the White Tower he encountered interference from ravens who lived among The TOWER of LONDON towers. Exasperated, he appeared to the King who ordered the ravens killed. 

 However, someone unknown warned Charles that should all the ravens ever leave, the White Tower would fall, and with it the British monarchy and kingdom. 

 King Charles II believed it and ordered six ravens were to be kept at The Tower at all time. That tradition has been honoured for more than 300 years.  The ravens are now encouraged to stay by clipping their wings – so they can’t fly off. 

 The Ravens: Six ravens, plus a number of reserves, are still kept at The Tower. The current group consists of three males, called GWYLLIN, BRAN and CEDRIC and three females, called HUGINE, MUNIN and BRANWEN. 

 The latter was named via a competition on a leading national children’s TV programme. 

Visitors will probably see ravens on The Tower Green. 

 Cared for by a dedicated YEOMAN WARDER called RAVENMASTER – with whom they usually bond – ravens receive a healthy diet of a raw meat, special biscuits, eggs and the occasional rabbit (the fur is good for them). 

 The ravens’ names/gender/age are (as of November 2006):  GWYLLIN (M/18 yrs), THOR (M/15), HUGINE (F/11), MUNIN (F/11)  BRANWEN (F/3 yrs), BRAN (M/3), GUNDULF (M/1), BALDRICK (M/1). 

 Ravens can live to a ripe old age. The oldest raven to live at The Tower was Jim Crow, who died at the age of 44.  The oldest raven currently living at The Tower is Hardy, who is 26 years old. 

IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW…  Some ravens have been replaced because of unruly behavior. There are also still a few escapes: ‘Grog’ was seen outside a London pub… 

 Ravens Odin and Thor have been at The Tower since 1997.  Thor is a very good mimic… On a quiet day he will repeat things the Ravenmaster had said to him exactly the right tone to create all sorts of confusion! 

 In 2006, ahead of the H5N1 avian flu scare, the ravens were moved indoors; as of JULY 2006, they are once again free to roam about the grounds within The Tower complex. 

HOW CLOSE HAS BRITAIN COME?  Officially, at least, the ravens have been a continuous presence at The Tower since Charles II’s orders.  The closest they’ve ever came to being absent was during the Second World War, when The Tower suffered heavy bombing and only a single raven remained (called ‘Grip’). 

 However, the sheer level of symbolism within this does make us wonder if it’s true! 

 Now The Tower Ravens are a national icon for the British.  A lot of tourists make a special effort to see them. 

USE YOUR COMPUTER  (from ROBERT WILDE) http://european historyabout.com /od/ukandireland/ p/prtowravens. htm  http://www.towerof londontour.com  www.hrg.org.uk