Happy New Year

Wishing All A Ravenous New Year!

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Raven Poe Ornament

Raven Poe Ornament made by Jaenne.com

Superstition of the Week - Holiday Food

Holiday Food Superstitions

• You will have as many happy months in the coming year, as the number of houses you eat mince pies in during Christmastime.


• To have good health throughout the next year, eat an apple on Christmas Eve.


• Into the mince pie mix, a sixpence coin for luck; a thimble for prosperity; a ring for marriage and a bachelor's button were also added. The things that one got into their piece predicted the year ahead.


• Since the Victorian Times, people stirred the cake mix thrice and make a wish for a gift from Santa.


• It was considered unlucky to refuse a mince pudding on Christmas Eve.


• Three sips of salted water before Christmas dinner was said to bring good luck.


• The dumb cake was made at midnight on Christmas Eve is prepared in complete silence by the bachelors and spinsters. One who made it left their initials on the upper surface of the cake. If the silence remained unbroken, the future partner was believed to come and leave their initials on the cake. If one walked backwards to bed after eating dumb cake, a dream about a future spouse was sure to visit them.


• One must never cut the Christmas pie as it cuts the luck.


• It was a bad omen to eat mince pies before Christmas Eve and after Twelfth Night.

Happy Holidays

WISHING ALL A RAVENOUS HOLIDAY!

Superstition of the Week - Holiday Decorations

Holiday Decorations Superstitions

• In Germany, the last ornament on the tree is a pickle shaped ornament. In the morning, the child who finds the Christmas pickle gets a special present.


• Most homes were decorated on Christmas Eve to avoid the anger of capricious forces.


• Traditionally, the doors of the home were thrown open at midnight on Christmas Eve to let the trapped evil spirits out.


• The Christmas candle was left burning in a window all night to enlighten the path of the good luck for the coming year to the household.


• Lucky birds are welcome on Christmas and signify good luck.


• The first person to visit the household should bring the evergreens or coals with him and gets the privilege to kiss all the women of the house.

WISHING ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY!!!

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

ALL US ALL THE TIME'S SANTA RAVEN

Superstition of the Week - Holly and Ivy

• Christmas evergreens represent endurance while the berries represent resurrection of life. Since the 15th century, holly and ivy were essential part of Christmas decorations for church.


• If the holly used for Christmas decorations is smooth the wife will be master. If the holly used for Christmas decorations is prickly the husband is the master. Prudent couples use both kinds of hollies on Christmas to assure balanced and harmonious home.


• Holly was used as a protection against witches and thunder.


• Holly leaves were scratched with the initials of the close admirers by the unmarried girls and sown into night clothing or kept under their pillow. It was said that it would bring them dream of their future husband. For this charm to be more effective, a borrowed wedding ring was worn on the third finger of the left hand.


• Holly is regarded as a masculine plant and ivy a feminine one, hence, too much ivy is believed to bring bad luck.


• A leaf of ivy was left in a bowl of water on Hogmany (New Years Eve) until the eve of Twelfth Night (Little Christmas) on 6th January. If it remained fresh and green a good year was expected. If it withered and had black spots by the end, ill health was prophesized.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Our Mom's Deck

Superstition of the Week - Tis the Season

• Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.


• It is believed that on the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, animals can talk but it is bad luck to eavesdrop to what they are saying.


• No major housework should be attempted on this day. Washing clothes should especially be avoided on Holy Innocents Day.


• A loud cheery party on this day is said to chase away evil spirits.


• If you do not give a present on Christmas Eve, prosperity will leave you.


• Singing Christmas carols at any time other than during the festive season is unlucky.

Superstition of the Week - Black Friday

Here is a good luck ritual to prevent one from being trampled in the Black Friday Shopping Crowds:

• Get out of the bed on the left side
  
• Turn around 3 times
• Pat your stomach twice
• Hop on your right foot 5 times
• Hop on your left foot 6 times
• Count backwards from 20 to 1
• Twitch your nose 7 times
• Take 3 deep breaths
• Get back into bed and sleep until Saturday morning

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

RAVEN GRAFFITI

From the Art of the State blog, "We're going on a Roa hunt"

Superstition of the Week - Kissing Kitties

Kissing Kitties

In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat to bring good luck.

For more fun kitty and puppy daily trivia, visit freekibble.com and help feed hungry animal shelter dogs and cats.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens on It

SWEET AND ZESTY TORTURED RAVENS











Tortured Orchard, A Spirited Rebellion of Flavors, Seasoning Sauces.

P.S. Perhaps something to make those left-over turkey sandwiches from Thanksgiving not seem so torturous?

Superstition of the Week - Friday the 13th

TGIF!!! Oh no wait a minute, it is Friday the 13th. Well darn, now I am torn. Should I be elated the weekend is almost here, or paralyzed in infinite fear of the dark sinister forces lurking around every corner seeking out prey (perhaps me, okay, probably me) to wreck their devious havoc on? How does one of the most looked forward to days of the week turn to doomsday when if falls on that particular number?

It turns out that both Friday and the number 13 have gotten a bad wrap throughout history. Unfortunately for 13, it is partly due to the fact that we humans tend to tire after 12. In school they tend to stop at 12 in their multiplication tables, there are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. Adding 1 to 12, please, scary stuff.

There is also a Norse myth attached to the superstition of the number 13. Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla, their heaven. The god of mischief, Loki, was excluded from the guest list, but came anyway, bringing the dinner party to a total of 13. Loki then proceeded to provoke Hoder, the blind god of winter, to shoot Balder, god of joy and gladness. Balder died instantly cloaking the earth in darkness. Don’t you hate it when that happens at your dinner parties? The Hindus also believed the gathering of 13 people in one place was unlucky and in ancient Rome it was said that witches gathered in groups of 12 with the devil. Then later in history the superstition associated itself with the Last Supper of Jesus and the 12 disciples.

Now interestingly, in ancient goddess-worshipping cultures 13 was considered a lucky number because it corresponded to the number of lunar cycles in a year. However, according to some historians, 13 got a bad rep among early Christian patriarchs because it represented femininity. Hmmm....

Friday also ended up on the wrong side of Christianity, mainly because it is believed that Jesus was crucified on that day. But some historians have dated the superstition back to yet again Norse mythology and the sacrifices made to the goddess Frigg, goddess of marriage and fertility, or Freya, goddess of sex and fertility. Their emblem was the fish, which was associated with worship of love that was offered by the Scandinavians to their goddess on the sixth day of the week, Friday. With Christianity this act was considered indecent and Freya was recast as a witch in folklore. During the Middle Ages, Friday was known as the Witches’ Sabbath.

Then it appeared that early Christians started attributing about everything bad to Friday such as Eve offering Adam the apple, Abel killing Cain, the stoning of St. Stephen and the Great Flood. Oh, another little interesting tidbit, it is said that in Britain Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and how many steps supposedly led up to the noose, yep, 13.

Thus when you put the two together, Friday the 13th, you can see why it is not exactly seen as your sunshiny day. The Knights of Templar found this out on Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France ordered their torture and execution.

But really, I am sure there is nothing to worry about today, it is just a superstition, right? Now did I just see something peaking around the corner...?

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

ANOTHER GRATEFULLY DEAD RAVEN

From dead.net, Back Album Art from Wake of the Flood

Superstition of the Week - Owls

OWLS

It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.

We always new it was better to be a night owl.

**Illustration from The Curious Curse, one of the featured stories in the debut issue of the Edible Raven, coming soon

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

GRATEFULLY DEAD RAVEN

Grateful Dead 1973 Poster from dead.net

Happy Halloween

The Night of All Hallows Eve
as interpreted by I. H. Nitram

Twas the night of All Hallow’s Eve, when all through the cemetery
All the creatures were stirring, and all quite merry.
Shrunken heads were hung on tree branches with care,
In hopes that a great demon would soon be there.

The witches were starting to rise out of their beds,
While visions of spells and magic danced in their heads.
The mummy was nestled all snug in his wrap
As he began to awake from his eternal nap.

When out by the crypt there arose such a clatter,
They all hovered over to see what was the matter.
When, what to their demonic eyes should transpire,
But a flying black hearse and a very well dressed vampire.

With a skeleton driver, so lively and quick,
They knew in a moment it must be Vampire Nick.
More rapid than vultures his bats they came,
And he moaned, and wailed, and called them by name!

“Now Dagger! Now, Slasher! Now, Lasher and Scratchen.
On, Blade! On, Spade! On, on Slicer, and Gashen.
To the top of the tombstones! To the top of the cemetery walls!
Now hunt away! Hunt away! Hunt away all!”

Then like those bats that vampire did fly
Like a soaring eagle against a moonlit sky.
So up to the crypt-top he flew
With his undead driver and his bats too.

They landed on the crypt in a furious gale
And you could hear the screeching of each little nail.
As the shrunken heads screamed and turn around
Down the crypt Vampire Nick came with a bound.

He was dressed in black from his cape to his shoes
And on his spiked collar dripped liquid red ooze.
A bundle of oddities flung on his back,
And he looked like a wolf just about to attack

He reached is long fingers into the pocket of his suit
And his hand reappeared holding fresh eye of newt.
The witches were thrilled as they grabbed their brooms.
They chanted spells as they danced on the tombs.

The zombies started to arise from their graves
And the night dwellers emerged from their caves.
A banshee played harp and began her song
As a trio of bridge trolls sang along.

Then he presented the werewolf with a giant bone
And the mummy a purple velvet lined casket of his very own.
The cemetery was filled with eerie laughter and shrills
All the creatures of the night were getting their thrills.

They shrieked and danced and partied away,
The zombies all got new limbs for the ones lost from decay.
All the undead received brand new toys
And one was given a couple of obnoxious teenage boys.

Then Vampire Nick reached into his cape and without a word
Pulled out an extraordinary beautiful raven black bird.
You could hear it call as it flew into the moonlit sky out of sight
“Happy All Hallows Eve, and to all a very frightening night!”

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

FURNITURE

Night Stand from Saint Rooster Furniture Restoration

Superstition of the Week - Cats

Illustration from The Curious Curse, one of the featured stories in the debut issue of the Edible Raven, coming soon.

CATS

For thousands of years, cats have been regarded as mysterious creatures with supernatural powers and were associated with witches and death. In the Middle Ages, cats were held to be demonic. It was believed that witches could change into cats; in fact, they could make that change nine times.

Cats were said to help out sorcerers and midwives with their herbal magic, adding to their reputation as witches' helpers. Accused witches were usually single women – often widows – who probably kept the animals more for companionship than anything else. But village gossip made the relationship far more ominous. Witches changed their shapes, transforming themselves into cats. In a witch trial in Scotland, one supposed witch explained how the women managed this trick, saying that her coven assembled in human form to work their spells. As they gathered, the Devil appeared among them, shaking his hands above their heads and turning them into snarling four-legged beasts.

Across the Atlantic, the transformation theory was taken up during the Salem witch trials. As the local hysteria heated up, Sarah, the 7-year-old daughter of accused witch Martha Carrier, testified that "a cat, identifying herself as Martha Carrier, had carried her along to afflict people while her mother was in prison." Ultimately, Martha was convicted; along with four others, she was hanged on August 19, 1692.

The animal's habits and grace – prized today – didn't help her image either. Moving silently along, merging seamlessly into the gloom of night, the cat seemed to appear and disappear at will. While most people feared the darkness, the animal, with her natural nocturnal habits, seemed to seek it out. The cat's pupils – narrow slits in the daytime, but luminous globes at night linking them to the moon and emphasized their ability to see into the future. Her unearthly yowlings in the dark only added to her fearsome reputation. Some people believed that cats were the spirits of the dead.

If a black cat chanced to cross someone's path and through some trick of fate nothing happened to him, that, too, was a sure sign of the cat's complicity with the devil. That person was clearly protected by the King of Darkness.

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens

LADY RAVEN

Gladiator Bird, Lady Raven from Anthropologie

Superstition of the Week - Apples Part 3

APPLES AND TRUE LOVE

In a group of unmarried girls and boys, each should mark an apple and place it in a bucket or tub of water. Apples that are not marked should also be added into the group. Each person should try to bite an apple floating in the water without using their hands. The apple one is able to bite is the person who they are fated to marry. This is probably where the custom of bobbing for apples came from.

However, the American custom does not have the apples marked. And, whoever snags an apple first will be the first to marry.

Think of 5 or 6 names of boys or girls you might marry. As you twist the stem of an apple say the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you said when the stem fell off. The number of seeds inside an apple you cut in half is the number of children you will have.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

A RAVEN WINE THAT'S A KEEPER

2007 Corvidae Wine Co. Cabernet Franc The Keeper

Superstition of the Week - Lucky Cats

LUCKY CATS

Normally it is thought you need to avoid that black cat crossing your path, but there are also cases of lucky cats. You could cure a sty by rubbing it with the tail of a black cat or find a lover by dreaming of a tortoiseshell cat. In France, it was thought black cats were particularly good at sniffing out buried treasure. All you had to do was take a cat to an intersection where five roads connected. Then, you turned the cat loose and moseyed along behind her until she found you a fortune.

Of course those of us who have the honor of being cats' humans, know how lucky we truly are.

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

LAUGHING WINE

Laughing Raven Wine

Superstition of the Week - Apples Part 2

THE APPLE OF MY EYE

The apple has been associated with predictions of love for many years. Apples are thought to help one find true love. There are many superstitions concerning finding out who a future husband will be. To see the image of her future husband, a girl should stand in front of a mirror while eating an apple. She should do this while combing her hair at midnight on Halloween. The image of her future husband will be reflected over her left shoulder.

Another way to find out who she will marry also involved apples and a mirror. The girl should cut an apple into nine pieces at midnight on Halloween. Then, she should pick up each piece with a knife one at a time. This should be done while looking into a mirror. The apple pieces should be held over her left shoulder. As the ninth piece is held up, the image of the future husband will be seen in the mirror.

Apple peels can also predict the identity of a future partner. While peeling an apple, one should do their best to keep it all in one long piece. Again, this should be done at midnight on Halloween night. Take this long piece of peel and toss it over the left shoulder. The shape that the peel lands in will reveal the first initial of one's future partner's name. Or, take that apple peel and hang it by the front door. The first initials of the first man to enter the home will be the same as the future lover.

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

SANGRIA

Raven's Glenn Sangria

Superstition of the Week - Cats, Marriage, Sailors, and the Weather

In the 17th century, a cat washing her face meant a storm was brewing. But if the cat washes her face in front of a group of people, the first person she looks at will get married.

Sailors, believing that they forecast the weather and the hardships of upcoming voyages. A loudly meowing cat meant a dangerous trip; a playful one, easy sailing. If a cat licked her fur against the grain, hailstorms were likely; if she sneezed, there would be rain. Storms were started through magic stored in the animals' tails. Good luck was guaranteed if a cat ran ahead of a sailor; but if she chanced to cross his path, disaster was sure to follow. Aboard ship, the most egregious crime was tossing a cat overboard. Punishment, so the sailors said, was swift and sure: Killer storms that would send the vessel to the bottom.

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

WINE

Corvidae Wine Company, Lenore Syrah, 2006, Columbia Valley, Washington

Superstition of the Week - Apples

APPLES

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
It is thought this saying may have originated from Wales
as a Prembrokeshire proverb:

“Eat an apple on going to bed, And you'll keep the doctor
from earning his bread."

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

Nevermore Zipper Hoodie

Nevermore Zipper Hoodie from Binarywinter's Shop.

Superstition of the Week - Dogs and Babies

There is an old superstition that says if your newborn is licked by a dog, he or she will always be a fast healer.

Another shout out to FreeKibble.com for this superstition that was one of their trivia questions. Every day you can go to FreeKibble.com and play Meow or Bow Wow trivia. For everyone that plays, they donate free kibble to animal shelters to help feed hungry cats. An easy and fun daily way to support our furry four-legged friends.

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

Golf Courses

The Raven Golf Club At Three Peaks, Silverthorn CO

Cool Stuff We Have Found With Ravens On It

Tea Bags

Eastern Shore darkly delicious blackcurrant Black Raven Tea Bags

Superstition of the Week - Black Cat Crossing

When a black cat crosses in front of you it's thought to be bad luck in the USA and Germany but good luck in Britain.

Once again we want to thank Kibblekat.com for this trivia question. Every day you can go to FreeKibble.com and play Meow or Bow Wow trivia. For everyone that plays, they donate free kibble to animal shelters to help feed hungry cats. An easy and fun daily way to support our furry four-legged friends.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Postage Stamp

Raven postage stamp from Iceland found on For the Love of Crows website.

Superstition of the Week - Armadillos on Your Head

Peruvian Superstition

To clean away all demons, sorrows and to absorb all bad thoughts and feelings, a stuffed armadillo (or “quirquincho”) is placed on your head before it touches your whole body.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Drinkable Raven?

Collectible Black Raven stoneware Dinner Mug

Superstition of the Week - Chickens

Chickens

In the 1800’s it was said that if raining in the morning and chickens are out and about in the yard doing their usual chicken stuff, then it is said that the rain will continue all day. However, if the chickens are huddling under cover, the rain should stop soon.

Another interesting tale we came across is that if an egg is laid on Good Friday or Easter, it will never rot. It may dry out, but supposedly it will never actually decay.

Cool Things We Found About Ravens

Superstition of the Week - Sneezing Cats

It is an Italian superstition that if a cat sneezes it's a good omen for everyone who hears it.


This was a Meow Trivia question from Freekibble on Kibblekat.com. Every day you play they provide free kibble to animal shelters to help feed hungry cats. They also have Bow Wow Trivia to help fee hungry dogs. An easy and fun daily way to support our furry four-legged friends.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens

Official film made by M. Sweet & S. Shearing for the song "27th Raven's Head (Darkness Showing Through the Head of the Raven)" from the Boduf Songs album "Lion Devours the Sun" on Kranky.

Superstition of the Week - Clocks

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

A neighborhood bar in San Francisco, Blackbird Bar.

Superstition of the Week - Butterflies

BUTTERFLIES

• Inside the house - good luck
• First butterfly of the season (white) - good omen
• First butterfly of the season (brown) - misfortune
• To see three butterflies together - bad omen
• To see a butterfly at night - approaching death
• Any butterfly flying in one’s face – cold weather is coming
• A yellow butterfly flying in one’s face – sufficient frost within ten days
• Scottish belief - red butterflies are manifestations of witches
• Serbian belief – butterflies are the souls of witches

And interestingly, a white butterfly that flies into your house and then flies around you is considered good luck in Louisiana, but an omen of death in Maryland.

We are pretty sure here in Colorado, it means you should eat a cupcake or cookie, thus a very good omen.

Aesop’s Fable: The Crow and the Pitcher

A crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a pitcher which had once been full of water; but when the crow put its beak into the mouth of the pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. The crow tried, and tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to the crow and it found a pebble nearby and dropped it into the pitcher. The crow continued to search for pebbles and dropped them one by one into the pitcher. After many pebbles, the crow saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few more pebbles the crow was finally able to reach the water and quench its thirst thus saving its life. The Moral? Little by little does the trick.

Superstition of the Week - Fishing

FISHING

• Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.
• If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.
• It's bad luck to say the word "pig" while fishing at sea.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

From the site roadside scholar, a sculpture from Mark Orr.

Superstition of the Week - Goldfish

Goldfish

Did you know that having goldfish in a pond is thought to bring good luck, but bringing a goldfish in the house is believed to bring bad luck? How tricky is that?

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Raven's Brew Coffee

Superstition of the Week - Wedding Day Omens

WEDDING DAY OMENS

Good Omens

• Seeing a rainbow
• Having the sun shine
• Meeting a black cat
• Meeting a chimney sweep

Bad Omens

• A pig, hare, or lizard running across the road
• Seeing an open grave
• Meeting a nun or a monk foretell barrenness

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

Raven Hangers

From Ingibjorg Hanna Bjarnadottir
Available at Birkiland