Ravens: Protectors of the Realm?

The Tower of London, on the north shore of the Thames.

The Tower of London holds a prominent place in the history of Great Britain. Founded in 1066, the historic castle has served many purposes over the years: as a prison, an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. However, it is some particularly surprising inhabitants of the Tower of London that are the subjects of today's FactRoulette.

If you watch The Game of Thrones or have read A Song of Ice and Fire, you know that ravens play a large role in the fictional land of Westeros. However, did you know that ravens supposedly play a role in the protection of the real-world British monarchy?

A flock of ravens are among the permanent residents of the Tower of London. It is not known precisely when captive ravens were placed in the tower, but they have played a role there through the reigns of many kings and queens, appearing in legends and stories over the centuries. In fact, one superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the crown will fall and Britain with it."

London during "the Blitz."

That superstition was very nearly put to the test when most of the flock of ravens died due to stress during the "Blitz," the bombing of London during World War II. In fact, all but one of the Tower ravens died during due to the bombing. Winston Churchill, the prime minister during this period, ordered more ravens to be delivered to the tower in order to return the flock to the proper size.

The ravens continue to be a tourist attraction at the Tower of London to this day, drawing crowds when they are out and about around the tower.

Sources: 

"The guardians of the Tower". The Tower of London.

Jeffrey Vallance (November 2007). "Myths of the Raven. The myths and meanings of the Tower of London ravens". forteantimes.com.

Kennedy, Maev (15 November 2004). "Tower's raven mythology may be a Victorian flight of fantasy". The Guardian (London).



Images:

"Tower of London viewed from the River Thames" by Bob Collowân - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_London_viewed_from_the_River_Thames.jpg

"St Paul after the Blitz" by H.Mason - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342305/The-Blitzs-iconic-image-On-70th-anniversary-The-Mail-tells-story-picture-St-Pauls.html. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Paul_after_the_Blitz.jpg

"London tower ravens" by ingo zwank (iz) - Own work (own picture). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_tower_ravens.jpg