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

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.