Cool Stuff On Ravens - The Tower of London

It case you missed our previous post, let us introduce you again to the Tower of London Ravens...

Marley, a male, born in North Somerset, age 3

Erin, a female, born in North Somerset, age 3
Merlin, a female, born in South Whales, age 4
Baldrick, a male, born in Dartmoor, age 4
Munin, a female, born in North Uist (Scotland), age 14
Thor, a male, born in Hampshire, age 14
Hugine, a female, born in North Uist (Scotland), age 14
Gwylium, a male, born in Welsh Mountain Zoo, age 21

Source: The Historic Royal Palaces website, hrp.org.uk

Superstition of the Week - Clocks

There is a superstition that says if a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

Cool Stuff on Ravens - Learn a New Language

Is one of your 2011 New Year's resolutions to learn a new language? If so, here is your bilingual Raven....

Bilingual Ravens

Cherokee....Kalanu
Cree....Kahka'kwi
English....Raven
Danish....Ravn
Dutch....Raaf
Finnish....Korppi
French....Corbeau
Gaelic....Bran
German....Rabe
Greek....Korax
Hopi....Adoko
Icelandic....Hrafn
Inuit....Tulugaq
Irish....Fiach
Italian....Corvo
Japanese....Karasu
Latin....Corvus
Polish....Kruk
Portuguese....Corvo
Scots Gaelic....Fitheach, Fhitich
Spanish....Cuervo
Swedish....Korp
Turkish....Kuzgun
Welsh....Cigfran
Yiddish....Woron
Zuni....Kotollo-ah

Superstition of the Week - Rabbits

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2011 is the year of the Golden Rabbit, which begins on 2/3/11 and ends on 1/22/12. Here are a few superstitions on our fine floppy-eared friends.

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.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It - Skulls

Raven on Skull Statue from Goery Details

Superstition of the Week - Happy New Years Food

Lucky Food for the New Year (adapted from myrecipes.com)

Japanese tradition calls for eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve to ensure a long life.

It is customary in Spain to eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.

Juicy pork is the lucky food of choice for Germans.

Brazilians associate red lentils with wealth, so it's common to feast on these satisfying seeds at New Year's celebrations in Brazil.

In China, Chinese potstickers or fried dumplings symbolize wealth since they resemble coins.

Happy Holidays

Wishing you a Ravenous Holiday!

Superstition of the Week - Mistletoe

Mistletoe, also known as Celtic-All-Heal was popular by the 19th century. Since the times of druids, it was associated with fertility and kissing.

Luck favors those who kiss under the mistletoe but turn against those who avoid it.

Unmarried girls used to steal sprigs of mistletoe from church decorations and hid them under their pillows as a charm to dream of their future husbands.

Burning old mistletoe was said to predict marriage prospects of an unmarried girl. Steady flames ensured happy marital life while the spluttering flames predicted bad tempered and cross husbands.

The Bean Plant Studio Holiday Art Sale

For those you live in Northern Colorado we would love for you to stop by and take part in a festival of eye candy created by local artist this Friday from 5-8pm and Saturday from 10-4pm.

Cool Stuff We Found With Ravens On It - More Ravenous Music

The Darkest Pieces of Classical Music, MP3 Download from Amazon $1.99

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 - Turkey Jerky

Raven Brand Products & Deli Turkey Jerkey

Superstition of the Week - Hearses

It is considered bad luck to unexpectedly meet a hearse coming towards you and even worse, if the hearse is empty.