Crow Nursery Rhyme

One Crow Sorrow
Two Crows Joy
Three Crows a Wedding
Four Crows a Boy
Five Crows Silver
Six Crows Gold
Seven Crows a Secret
Never to be told.

Can you find Mortimer?

Superstition of the Week - Knitting

KNITTING

• It's bad luck to leave a project unfinished. The intended recipient will get bad luck from the unfinished item.


• Stabbing your needles through your yarn balls brings bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn.


• Don't knit a pair of socks for your boyfriend or he will walk away from you. (Or perhaps an easy way to get rid of an unwanted guest?)


• Don’t knit anything for your love until a tie such as marriage binds them to you, or they will leave you. (Refer to above comment)


• Conversely, if you knit one of your own hairs into a garment, it will bind the recipient to you.


• Knitting for children you may have in the future, but before you are pregnant, is bad luck as it may prevent one from getting pregnant, or could bring ill health to the baby.


• Knitting on the side of the stage or on stage by an actor or actress is regarded as unlucky.


• Never hand knitting needles to a friend, they can stab the friendship. Put them down and let the friend pick them up.


• Never cast on knitting on a Friday or you’ll not finish it. (Friday's just keep on getting a bad wrap)

Raven Stealing the Sun

We found a couple of different versions of a Native American story about the Raven stealing the sun. Since we did a post on the White Crow a couple of weeks ago, we thought we would first share the version of the White Raven from the Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest.

Accordingly, this is an old tale from the Queen Charlotte Islands on how Raven brought the sun, moon, stars, fresh water and fire to the world.

The story goes that when the world was created, Gray Eagle was the guardian of the sun, moon, stars, fresh water, and fire. Unfortunately, Gray Eagle hated people. His hatred towards them was so deep that he kept his possessions hidden and the people were forced to live in darkness without fresh water or fire.

Gray Eagle also had a beautiful daughter and upon seeing her, Raven fell in love with her. Raven was a handsome snow-white bird and Gray Eagle’s daughter was quite smitten by him. Thus, she invited him to her father’s longhouse.

Upon reaching the lodge, Raven noticed the sun, moon, stars and fresh water hanging from its sides. He knew right away that these resources needed to be shared with the people. As soon as no one was looking he snatched these things as well as a brand of fire from Gray Eagle’s house. When he reached the sky, he placed the sun there and when the sun set, he positioned the moon and then scattered the stars. Afterwards, he kept on flying, still carrying with him the fresh water and brand of fire.

When he saw just the right place on land, he poured out all the water he had stolen. The water fell to the ground becoming fresh-water streams and lakes. As Raven flew on the smoke from the brand of fire he held in his bill blew on his white feathers making them black. Then the fire he held began to burn his bill causing him to drop the firebrand. It landed on the rocks and hid itself within them. That is why, if two stones are struck together, sparks of fire will fly out.

Raven’s feathers remained black from the smoke of the firebrand making the ebony bird we know today.

Superstition of the Week - Rats

First, make sure it is the tooth fairy who gets those teeth because folklore says if a rat finds a tooth that has been discarded, a rat’s tooth will grow in its place. Unless it is a baby’s tooth, then you need to drop it directly into a rat hole, and a beautiful tooth will grow in its place. Another belief says that a significant increase in rats is a sign war is coming. Supposedly gypsies called rats “long tails,” as it is thought to be bad luck to say their real name out loud.

An old sailor superstition says if all the rats suddenly desert a ship just before it sails the ship is doomed to perish at sea. The same was said true for a house or building; if the rats would abruptly leave then the structure or those living within would meet a terrible tragedy. The origin of this superstition is thought to pertain to the old belief that rats possessed the souls of the dead and could predict disasters. Thus according to Chinese folklore, a rat in one’s house is a sign of financial good fortune.

We think we will take our chances without.

The Raven

A little Raven musical interlude for your day:

Bunnies on Vacation

Bunnies on Vacation

Superstition of the Week - Rabbits

RABBITS

• A rabbit running through your yard is a sign of fertility either meaning it is a good year to have children or to grow a garden.


• A rabbit running down the street means there will be a fire in the neighborhood.


• Dreaming about a rabbit means you could soon be confronted by misfortune.


• Seeing a white rabbit is a death omen, this might stem from British folklore where it was believed that wicked witches turned themselves into white rabbits or hares.


• Seeing a black rabbit is unlucky. Not sure if this is related to the black cat superstition or that in some folklore it was thought that black rabbits host the souls of human beings.


• A superstition to gain good luck, usually a present, that was also common in many part of Great Britain, with several variants, was saying ‘Rabbits’ three times before going to sleep on the last day of the month, and then ‘Hares’ three times first thing when waking in the morning. Another version of this myth states that on the first day of the month you should shout out ‘White Rabbit’ when you wake up in the morning and then shout out ‘Black Rabbit’ right before you go to bed that night and you will have good luck throughout the month. A more modern version states the person should say “rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit” upon waking on the first day of each new month, and doing so will bring good luck all month long. Yet there are other versions that say instead of the first day of the month it should be the first day of the new moon.


• And finally...the rabbit’s foot. The most common superstition of this supposed lucky charm says the rabbit’s foot will bring luck and protect the owner from evil spirits if carried in the pocket. Though some versions say the original owner must give their rabbit’s foot away and the recipient of the gift would have good fortune. If the owner were to keep the foot for themselves, they would in turn have bad luck. Also if the recipient loses the rabbit’s foot, they would also have bad luck. Oh but there is more....


• In American folklore, the foot of the rabbit is considered an amulet of good luck originating from African-American folk magic known as hoodoo. But not just any rabbit’s foot will do. It needs to be the left hind foot. Here is where it gets sticky. Some say the rabbit must be shot by a silver bullet in a cemetery while others say the rabbit should be captured alive in the cemetery and the foot needs to be cut off while the rabbit is still alive. Also the phase of the moon is important, but again, some say the rabbit should be taken in the full moon where others say it should be taken in the new moon. There are even others that say it should be a Friday, preferably rainy.

We think we will just let them keep their furry little feet and we will find our good luck someplace else.

Raven Astral Travel

We stumbled upon this traditional Scottish chant for astral travel (as one does) by turning yourself into a raven or crow for traveling. It is from the witch trial of Isobel Gowdie and should be chanted or sung while holding a raven or crow’s feather. Let us know how it works.

I shall go into a crow
with sorrow and such and a black thraw
And I shall to in the Devil's name
Until I come home again!

To change back:

Crow, crow, crow God,
Send Thee a black thraw
I was a crow just now
But I shall be
in a woman's likeness even now
Crow, crow, crow God,
Send Thee a black thraw!

Superstition of the Week - Peacock Feathers

In Eastern countries, the feathers of a peacock are thought to be hopeful and protective. Peacocks in India are considered sacred and in northern parts of the country their feathers may be burned to ward off diseases. However, the same sentiment towards this bird and its feathers did not emerge in the Western culture and it all has to do with the eye-looking mark in its tail.

One myth says that Argus, the Greek legend, told a tale of a hundred-eyed monster that was turned into a peacock with all its eyes in its tail. Another story in the Mediterranean area says the eye is the ever watchful and envious glance of she-demon, Lilith, who was blamed for mysterious deaths of infants and other misfortunes.

In the Elizabethan times it was thought that the eye on the feather allowed the devil to see you and thus it was unlucky to keep feathers of a peacock in your home. It is also thought to be a bad omen to use peacock plumage in any form or fashion in a theatrical production. Again this was due to the “evil eye” in their tail feathers. Supposedly seeing a peacock in or near a theater is bad luck.

Perhaps something you might want to keep in mind when going to see a theater production. Better be on the look out for that...“evil eye.”

White Crow Goddess

Branwen is the Manx/Welsh Goddess of love, fertility, and beauty. Bran means crow and the suffix wen means white, together in the feminist form, Branwen, translates to White Crow. The ancient Welsh worshipped her as the daughter of sea, and as Goddess of the moon and love.

Though a symbol of love and beauty, the myth behind the White Crow is of war, grief and death. Branwen is the daughter of the sea God Llyr and Penarddun (translates to chief beauty or most fair), sister of Bran and Manawydan, and half-sister of Nisien and Efnisien, whose father was Eurowydd, who conceived the sons with Penarddun while he held Llyr captive for 3 years.

Her story begins with Matholwch of Ireland seeking her hand in marriage to create an alliance between Ireland and Wales. Her brother Bran grants this union. During the celebration feast, her half-brother, Efnisien arrives home. Furious that his half sister had been given in marriage without his consent, he mutilates all of Matholwch’s horses. Matholwch deeply insulted by this act, commanded his men to return to Ireland. In order to appease Matholwch, Bran ended up giving him the most prized possession of Wales: a magical cauldron that would restore the dead to life. Matholwch and Branwen were then wed.

They returned to Ireland and within a year she bore him a son, Gwern; however, Matholwch was still insulted by Efnisien’s act and the Irish began to complain about their foreign queen. Branwen was soon banished to the kitchen, where she was a slave and daily boxed on the ears by the butcher. Matholwch banned all ships from sailing to Wales and imprisoned any incoming Welsh crews in order to keep Branwen's situation from reaching Bran. During this time Branwen trained a starling to speak and sent it to Wales, where it told Bran of her plight. He immediately sailed to rescue her.

It was then that Matholwch was told of an unusual sighting in the sea, a forest moving towards Ireland. Branwen explained to him this was her brother’s army coming for him. Alarmed, Matholwch devised a plan to get rid of Bran and his army. He built Bran a magnificent house and from every pillar of the home he hung a sack containing an Irish warrior that during a banquet would emerge and slaughter Bran and his army. On Bran’s arrival, he was impressed with the house but Efnisien was suspicious of the sacks. Matholwch told him that they were just sacks of flour. Upon closer inspection of the bags Efnisien felt the shape of a man’s head. Efnisien squeezed the head between his thumb and forefinger until they met in the middle. He did the same for all the remaining sacks and Matholwch had to abandon his plot.

They then had the banquet in which Matholwch agrees to abdicate his throne to his son Gwern. Efnisien asks if he may caress the child and as Gwern approaches, Efnisien grabbed him and threw him into the fire. A bloody brawl immediately ensued of which the Irish soon had the upper hand because they possessed the magical cauldron that would restore the dead to life. Efnisien then sacrificed himself by hiding under a pile of Irish corpses and being thrown along with them into the cauldron. Since no living thing could be placed into the cauldron it shattered into 4 pieces killing Efnisien at the same time.

After 3 days of battle, Bran's army was victorious, but his huge army had been reduced to only 7 and a poisoned arrow fatally wounded Bran. On the Irish side only 5 pregnant women remained to repopulate the whole island. Realizing that the two kingdoms had been destroyed on her account, Branwen sailed to Aber Alaw and died of grief.

Hmmm, talk about your killjoy mythical tales.