Edible Raven Magazine - Sneak Peek #3

Here is this week's sneak peek of the upcoming debut issue of the Edible Raven.

The Curious Curse by Icats Nitram and
illustrated by Pamela McCarville.

Superstition of the Week - Wedding Month

Wedding Month

Marry when the year is new, always loving, always true,
When February Birds do mate, you may wed or dread your fate
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know
Marry in April when you can, joy for maiden and for man,
Marry in the month of May, you will surely rue the day,
Marry when June roses blow, over land and sea you'll go,
They who in July do wed, must labour always for their bread,
Whoever wed in August be, many a change are sure to see,
Marry in September's shine, your living will be rich and fine,
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry,
If you wed in bleak November, only Joy will, remember,
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.

Raven and Seagull

Raven and Seagull

Much of European folklore portrays the Raven as a dark entity, a creature associated with the Devil and a harbinger of death. Yet in Native American folklore, the Raven is seen as a creator and the one who delivered light to darkness such as in this tale, Raven and Seagull.

When the Great Spirit created all things he put them in separate boxes and gave them to the animals who came before humans. As the animals opened their gifts, the world’s creations were released such as wind, fire, mountains, water, and plants. However, the box of light was given to Seagull, who coveted his box and refused to open it. Thus in the beginning there was only darkness.

After pleading with Seagull to no avail, the other animals went to Raven, Seagull’s cousin, and asked if Raven would try to persuade Seagull to put an end to darkness. Raven tried everything: asking, begging, demanding, pleading, coaxing, and flattering. But nothing worked, and Raven grew angry at Seagull's refusal to release the light. Raven thought that it would deserve Seagull right if Seagull had a thorn stuck in Seagull’s foot. Of course, whatever Raven thinks, happens, and Seagull suddenly cried out in pain.

Seagull yelled that something was stuck in his foot. Raven, pretending he did not know what happened, offered to help. But when Raven reached for Seagull's foot, and found the thorn there, Raven did not pull it out, instead, Raven pushed it in. 
"Oh, I am sorry, Seagull, but I can't see what I am doing. If I only had a little bit of light." 
And so, Seagull lifted the lid of the box underneath his wing just a crack, to let out as little light as possible. The specks of light lifted into the heavens and Raven was the first to see the stars.

Once more, Raven reached for Seagull's foot and again pushed the thorn in deeper. The Seagull let out a sharp yelp. Raven said, "I'm sorry, but there is still not enough light. I can’t see what I am doing!" The Seagull lifted the lid a bit more, just enough to let out a round, pale light. It floated up to the sky and Raven was the first to see the Moon. 
Then Raven reached down for Seagull's foot one more time, and pushed the thorn in even deeper. The Seagull screamed in agony, both wings came flying up, and the box came crashing to the earth. The lid flew off and a great ball of fire blasted out. It rocketed up high into the sky, and even Raven could not look directly at the bright glare, that great light which is the Sun. And so it was then, that the first day came.

An Edible Raven Sneak Peek

Here is another sneak peek from our debut issue of the Edible Raven coming out later this summer. If you missed last week’s post, we have also set up an Edible Raven E-Announcements sign-up you can join to get the latest on the publication dates as well as some fun contest and give aways we will be doing for the debut issue. You can find the sign-up either on the right-hand side here or on the Edible Raven web page at the bottom. We would also love to have you as a fan on Facebook or to share tweets on Twitter.

Now without further ado, another Edible Raven sneak peek of The Curious Curse by Icats Nitram and illustrated by Pamela McCarville.

Superstition of the Week - Wedding Day

WEDDING DAY

Monday: Brides will be Healthy.
Tuesday: Brides will be Wealthy.
Wednesday: Brides do best of all.
Thursday: Brides will suffer losses.
Friday: Brides will suffer crosses.
Saturday: Brides will have no luck at all.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It

An Edible Raven Sneak Peek

For the next few weeks we will be posting a some sneak peeks for our debut issue of the Edible Raven due out later this summer. If you would like, you can also sign up for Edible Raven E-Announcements for publication dates as well as exciting contests and give aways for our debut issue, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and visit the Edible Raven website. The count down is on!!

Here is the first Edible Raven sneak peek of The Curious Curse by Icats Nitram and illustrated by Pamela McCarville:

Come back next week for more sneak previews.

Superstition of the Week - Wedding Dress Color

WEDDING DRESS COLOR

Married in white, you have chosen alright.
Married in green, ashamed to be seen.
Married in red, You will wish yourself dead.
Married in blue, you will always be true.
Married in yellow, ashamed of your fellow.
Married in black, you will wish yourself back.
Married in pink, of you he'll think.

Mortimer's Weekend

Sketching in the garden

Great wealth will find you this summer...with a Raven.

Did you knock?

Honey Moon

Did you know that the full moon in June was called the honey moon?

The name comes from ancient times where tradition holds this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives when they should be full. This was also the traditional month for weddings, between the planting and harvesting of the crops. Many ancient people believed that the union of the Goddess and God occurred in early May. Since it was considered unlucky to compete with the deities, couples would delay their marriages until June.

This remains a favorite month for weddings today. In some traditions, the honey harvested in June would have been fermented and made into mead to drink after the wedding ceremonies held on Summer Solstice. Newly wed couples were also fed dishes that featured honey for the first month of their married life to encourage love and fertility. This is how the holiday immediately after the ceremony derived its name: Honeymoon.

King Arthur the Raven

There are many superstitions and folktales associated with Ravens. One legend says King Arthur was transformed into a Raven or a crow upon his death.

In early western culture, some believed after death human souls would inhabit birds. These birds would be able to foresee danger and death. The supposed rationale for this thought was that the spirits of the dead had lived through harsh times and thus had the knowledge to predict when the end was near. These birds were also alleged to appear to warriors foretelling them of their death. Therefore it may have been considered that the great warrior himself, King Arthur, was enchanted into a Raven.

A more mythic version is that Morrigan, a goddess of battle and death associated with Ravens, who some saw as a precursor of Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s sister, transformed him into a Raven, for her own bird and harbinger of death. A variant of this tale is that King Arthur existed as a man in Avalon but would manifest himself in our world as a Raven.

This belief that King Arthur could reveal himself in this world as a Raven continued to be held in Cornwall till the early nineteenth century where it was considered a strict taboo to kill a Raven because it could be King Arthur. It is also thought that there is probably a connection between this tradition of his transmigration and the custom of keeping six Ravens at the Tower of London. It has been said that as long as there are Ravens at the Tower, Britain cannot be conquered.