The term ‘corvid’ refers to crows, ravens, rooks, magpies, jackdaws, jays and choughs; to name our native corvid species. In England, you are most likely to see crows, rooks, magpies and jackdaws, in your daily life. Most people, though, probably don’t know the difference between crows and rooks, however, an old English saying goes, "a flock of crows are rooks, and a rook on its own is a crow." Ravens are to be found in more hilly, mountainous areas, avoiding towns and cities. There are a number of places they can be easily spotted in the Peak District though. Jays are shy birds and tend towards dense woodland areas, but can be spotted in parks and gardens. The chough, however, is limited to western coastal areas of Britain.
Sadly for corvids, in folklore and mythology, they are overwhelmingly associated with bad luck and ill omens, though there are a few exceptions. In their defence, however, they are the most intelligent of creatures; particularly ravens. They have high resolution sight and their hearing is able to discern different sounds from different individuals and the very nature of their calls. Corvids are emotional creatures and have good and bad moods. They display a wariness of new objects or people they have not met before, but will come closer to people they know. This is a behaviour they share with humans.
Most remarkable about corvids is their staggering self-awareness - they can recognise their own reflections - and their ability to comprehend the future; a trait which many psychologists maintain is exclusive to humans. Corvids often hide their food, in common with other species. However, corvids can not only remember where they hid the food, but also what kind of food it was and how long ago they hid it. Their memory, in this respect, outstrips that of humans, in that some have been recorded as hiding more than a thousand items in a month. They are capable of planning ahead, with some storing tools, such as spoons - magpies are renowned thieves, for later use. Corvids have even been observed to move hidden food, when they know they have been observed hiding it in the first place. Male jays have even been observed to watch a female’s preferred eating habits, so they can present her with her favourite food, during courting.
Sadly for corvids, in folklore and mythology, they are overwhelmingly associated with bad luck and ill omens, though there are a few exceptions. In their defence, however, they are the most intelligent of creatures; particularly ravens. They have high resolution sight and their hearing is able to discern different sounds from different individuals and the very nature of their calls. Corvids are emotional creatures and have good and bad moods. They display a wariness of new objects or people they have not met before, but will come closer to people they know. This is a behaviour they share with humans.
Most remarkable about corvids is their staggering self-awareness - they can recognise their own reflections - and their ability to comprehend the future; a trait which many psychologists maintain is exclusive to humans. Corvids often hide their food, in common with other species. However, corvids can not only remember where they hid the food, but also what kind of food it was and how long ago they hid it. Their memory, in this respect, outstrips that of humans, in that some have been recorded as hiding more than a thousand items in a month. They are capable of planning ahead, with some storing tools, such as spoons - magpies are renowned thieves, for later use. Corvids have even been observed to move hidden food, when they know they have been observed hiding it in the first place. Male jays have even been observed to watch a female’s preferred eating habits, so they can present her with her favourite food, during courting.
Crow: Alexa from Pixabay
CROWS
Known correctly as Carrion Crows, in Britain, I love these cheeky, slightly arrogant and incredibly intelligent birds. Most of us can readily recognise these glossy, jet black birds, though many may confuse them with rooks (see above). Crows can grow quite large, causing some to mistake them for the larger raven. Crows mate for life and are considered monogamous, though, sometimes somewhat promiscuous, as well. In Britain, you are most likely to see crows either singly, in a pair or a small family unit; before the young leave to find their own territories.
One crow behaviour that I am personally amazed has never made it into crow folklore, is their ability to seemingly mourn their dead; almost appearing to have a ‘crow funeral’. It has been recorded, on a number of occasions, that crows will gather around a fallen comrade; thus giving the appearance - to a human mind, at least - that they are mourning their dead. This is probably not the case, though, as stated above, crows are capable of a high degree of emotional intelligence. Research has shown that this behaviour is likely to be a teaching behaviour; where the crows gather around the corpse to learn about the potential danger of the place and predator involved. Experiments into this behaviour have shown that crows will recognise a human close to the corpse and, in some cases, attack them. The same research showed that crows recognise this human for up to six weeks after the event. This is not random anti-human behaviour, as the crows did not react to humans not associated with the crow corpse.
Sadly and despite all their positive traits, crow folklore is almost exclusively as dark as these birds’ plumage. Crows are generally seen as birds of ill omen or impending death. The mildest Derbyshire belief in crows suggests that when a crow sits on a wall it will rain. A crow crossing one’s path or gathering upon the roof of a house was always considered to be a sign of bad luck to come, if not, death. However, there existed a simple rhyme to avert this misfortune; common across Britain, but also recorded in Derbyshire, it goes thus: “Crow, crow, get out of my sight or else I’ll eat thy liver and lights.” This was commonly chanted until the offending corvid left.
The Drakelow Vampires
There is one Derbyshire story that involves a crow, albeit in spirit form and this is the unusual tale of the ‘Drakelow Vampires’. The name Drakelow means the ‘mound of the dragon’. Vampires are a rarity in British folklore, so to have one such story in Derbyshire is remarkable indeed. I won’t recount the whole tale here, but I have included it in our stories section (click here to read the full story). This story takes place around the year 1090 and purports to be an account of actual events: Two peasants, living in the village of Stapenhill, under the rule of the Burton Abbey, escape to the nearby village of Drakelow, taking all the crops they had grown with them and spreading evil tales of the Abbot at Burton. The very next morning, both men mysteriously die suddenly, whilst at breakfast. Their bodies are taken back for burial at Stapenhill. That very same evening, though, the two men appear in Drakelow, carrying their crude wooden coffins with them. They wander the village, banging on walls, beseeching the villagers to follow them into death and spreading fear. This was followed by a plague sweeping through Drakelow, killing many of the villagers. The vampires continued to visit the decimated village each and every night, at times the undead transformed into bears, dogs, and other beasts. Eventually, action was taken. The lord of the manor, Nigel de Stafford, went to Burton Abbey to pray for divine help. Along with the villagers and the Abbot, they visited the graves of the two peasants; digging them up, severing their heads, whilst placing them between their knees and, eventually removing their hearts and taking them back to Drakelow, where they were burnt on a great pyre. At the height of the conflagration, both the hearts finally burst and a great black crow was seen to rise from the flames and fly away. Drakelow was abandoned from that day and a new village was founded at Gresley.
Known correctly as Carrion Crows, in Britain, I love these cheeky, slightly arrogant and incredibly intelligent birds. Most of us can readily recognise these glossy, jet black birds, though many may confuse them with rooks (see above). Crows can grow quite large, causing some to mistake them for the larger raven. Crows mate for life and are considered monogamous, though, sometimes somewhat promiscuous, as well. In Britain, you are most likely to see crows either singly, in a pair or a small family unit; before the young leave to find their own territories.
One crow behaviour that I am personally amazed has never made it into crow folklore, is their ability to seemingly mourn their dead; almost appearing to have a ‘crow funeral’. It has been recorded, on a number of occasions, that crows will gather around a fallen comrade; thus giving the appearance - to a human mind, at least - that they are mourning their dead. This is probably not the case, though, as stated above, crows are capable of a high degree of emotional intelligence. Research has shown that this behaviour is likely to be a teaching behaviour; where the crows gather around the corpse to learn about the potential danger of the place and predator involved. Experiments into this behaviour have shown that crows will recognise a human close to the corpse and, in some cases, attack them. The same research showed that crows recognise this human for up to six weeks after the event. This is not random anti-human behaviour, as the crows did not react to humans not associated with the crow corpse.
Sadly and despite all their positive traits, crow folklore is almost exclusively as dark as these birds’ plumage. Crows are generally seen as birds of ill omen or impending death. The mildest Derbyshire belief in crows suggests that when a crow sits on a wall it will rain. A crow crossing one’s path or gathering upon the roof of a house was always considered to be a sign of bad luck to come, if not, death. However, there existed a simple rhyme to avert this misfortune; common across Britain, but also recorded in Derbyshire, it goes thus: “Crow, crow, get out of my sight or else I’ll eat thy liver and lights.” This was commonly chanted until the offending corvid left.
The Drakelow Vampires
There is one Derbyshire story that involves a crow, albeit in spirit form and this is the unusual tale of the ‘Drakelow Vampires’. The name Drakelow means the ‘mound of the dragon’. Vampires are a rarity in British folklore, so to have one such story in Derbyshire is remarkable indeed. I won’t recount the whole tale here, but I have included it in our stories section (click here to read the full story). This story takes place around the year 1090 and purports to be an account of actual events: Two peasants, living in the village of Stapenhill, under the rule of the Burton Abbey, escape to the nearby village of Drakelow, taking all the crops they had grown with them and spreading evil tales of the Abbot at Burton. The very next morning, both men mysteriously die suddenly, whilst at breakfast. Their bodies are taken back for burial at Stapenhill. That very same evening, though, the two men appear in Drakelow, carrying their crude wooden coffins with them. They wander the village, banging on walls, beseeching the villagers to follow them into death and spreading fear. This was followed by a plague sweeping through Drakelow, killing many of the villagers. The vampires continued to visit the decimated village each and every night, at times the undead transformed into bears, dogs, and other beasts. Eventually, action was taken. The lord of the manor, Nigel de Stafford, went to Burton Abbey to pray for divine help. Along with the villagers and the Abbot, they visited the graves of the two peasants; digging them up, severing their heads, whilst placing them between their knees and, eventually removing their hearts and taking them back to Drakelow, where they were burnt on a great pyre. At the height of the conflagration, both the hearts finally burst and a great black crow was seen to rise from the flames and fly away. Drakelow was abandoned from that day and a new village was founded at Gresley.
Magpie: hello_world_2022 from Pixabay
MAGPIES
Magpies are easy to spot and hear; their black and white plumage, with metallic hints of blue and green are clear to all and their distinctly unmelodious rattling cackle call is unmistakable. Their name - contrary to popular belief and Shakespeare’s influence - does not derive from ‘maggot pie’, instead, the first part, ‘mag’, is the diminutive of Margaret and, in the 16th century, referred to women in general. This was applied to the magpie as it was considered that the magpie’s vocalisations were like the chattering of women. The second part of the name, ‘pie’, refers to the bird’s piebald, black and white, colouring.
Probably the most well-known piece of magpie folklore is to be found in the classic rhyme, “One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told.” There are a number of darker variations of this, including: “Eight for Heaven, Nine for Hell and Ten is for the Devil’s own sel’ ” and “Seven for a bitch, Eight for a whore, Nine for burying, Ten for a dance, Eleven for England, Twelve for France.” In all cases, though, seeing one, lone magpie is bad. However, folklore does offer a number of remedies to avoid this bad omen. As a child, I remember people would doff their hats - if they wore one - and say “Hello Mr Magpie, how are you today?” They might, alternatively, blow it a kiss, spit over their left shoulder or turn around three times. There are even a couple of rituals that could be enacted to avert bad luck: Firstly, draw a cross on the ground and pronounce: “Magpie, magpie, chatter and flee. Turn up thy tail and good luck fall me.” Secondly, you could cross your fingers and say: “I cross the magpie; the magpie crosses me. Bad luck to the magpie and good luck to me.”
Despite these negative connotations, in many parts of the country, it was considered bad luck to harm or kill a magpie and it would certainly bring you far more misfortune to do so, than seeing one lone bird would do. The earliest folklore (c. 12th century) surrounding magpies, has them as predictors of news or the arrival of strangers. For example, if you were to hear the chattering of a magpie, near to your house, then you would expect a letter or the arrival of a stranger. Similarly, a magpie hopping around your garden would indicate the impending arrival of good news.
Whilst I have been unable to find any magpie folklore that can be found to derive specifically from Derbyshire, in Sheffield, magpies were disliked because - apparently - they refused to go on Noah’s Ark - though this may simply be because they don’t live in the Middle East. However, our neighbouring county, Nottinghamshire, seems to have a number of examples of magpie lore. Interestingly, Notts County football team, known as the magpies, is one of the original teams in the English football league. Whether there is a connection here, I know not.
Raven: Gabor MOHOLY from Pixabay
RAVENS
Of all our native corvids, ravens are the most drenched in ancient myth and legend; from the original Celtic Britons (Welsh), through to the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, and beyond.
Brân the Blessed
Most entwined in British folklore is the legend of Brân the Blessed, also known as Bendigeidfran (pron. Ben-dig-eyed-vran), in Welsh and he first appears in the collection of British medieval legends known as the Mabinogion. The name Brân, in Welsh, means raven. Brân was the king of the Britons and ruled over what is now mainland UK. He was also a giant and held his court in an enormous tent; as no building was big enough to contain his mighty stature.
To condense his lengthy and somewhat complex myth: Brân was mortally injured in battle and instructed his men to cut off his head and take it with them. The ancient Celts believed that the head was the seat of the soul and, under the right circumstances, could live on, independent of the body. This was the case with Brân. He instructed his seven remaining men to take his head with them, as they wandered the realm and it would provide them with wisdom and companionship, without them ever noticing the passage of time, and without the head ever corrupting. As is usual with Celtic myth, Brân lays a curious condition upon them, in that, at every location, there will be a door that must not be opened.
For the next eighty years, the band of seven warriors and Brân’s head roam the country, inevitably, at every location, the forbidden door is opened and the band have to leave. Finally, they arrive at White Mount, in London (believed to be the location of the Tower of London); this is to be Brân’s final resting place, where Brân instructs his men to bury his head, facing towards France and, as long as it is never dug up, it will protect the island of Britain from invasion.
From Brân’s story, we must now consider the ravens at the Tower of London. The first written accounts of the ravens are to be found in the 17th century, when the Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed (Derbyshire born and bred), complained that the ravens were interfering with his observations. We can assume that, at the time, the ravens were a local population and had no special status. However, it generally believed that, when Charles II inquired about removing them, he was warned of the dire consequences that would befall the realm and the monarchy, were he to do so. He therefore decreed that six ravens should always be present at the Tower. Whilst there is no verifiable historical link, I believe it is no coincidence that a legendary king, called Brân - the raven, should be buried here and that his legend transferred itself to the presence of the ravens there, to this day.
Odin’s Ravens & the Vikings
Ravens are hugely significant in the legends of our Germanic ancestors. The chief of the Viking gods, Odin, also known as Woden or Wotan to the Anglo Saxons, had two ravens; Hugin and Munin (thought and memory). Odin was known as a god of magic and wisdom, and every morning he would send out his two ravens, to fly throughout the realms and report back to him at night, with all that they had seen and heard.
Known for their great seafaring prowess, Vikings were rumoured to have taken caged ravens with them on their voyages. If Viking ships became lost or fog-bound, they would release the raven, which, they believed, would unerringly fly towards land, enabling them to follow it. There is also the legendary raven banner, "Hrafnsmerki". Carried into battle, this mythical flag was believed to be imbued with magical properties, meant to ensure victory and was famously borne by Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons.
Whilst all the corvids are subject to some quite dark and ominous folklore, they are, nevertheless, treated with a certain amount of reverence and spiritual awe. They occupy a liminal space between life and death, probably due to their carrion natures. As with Brân and Odin, they are attached to the gods and whilst almost always associated with death, they are also known for their wisdom and, in some cases, can act as a guide into the unknown.
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Of all our native corvids, ravens are the most drenched in ancient myth and legend; from the original Celtic Britons (Welsh), through to the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, and beyond.
Brân the Blessed
Most entwined in British folklore is the legend of Brân the Blessed, also known as Bendigeidfran (pron. Ben-dig-eyed-vran), in Welsh and he first appears in the collection of British medieval legends known as the Mabinogion. The name Brân, in Welsh, means raven. Brân was the king of the Britons and ruled over what is now mainland UK. He was also a giant and held his court in an enormous tent; as no building was big enough to contain his mighty stature.
To condense his lengthy and somewhat complex myth: Brân was mortally injured in battle and instructed his men to cut off his head and take it with them. The ancient Celts believed that the head was the seat of the soul and, under the right circumstances, could live on, independent of the body. This was the case with Brân. He instructed his seven remaining men to take his head with them, as they wandered the realm and it would provide them with wisdom and companionship, without them ever noticing the passage of time, and without the head ever corrupting. As is usual with Celtic myth, Brân lays a curious condition upon them, in that, at every location, there will be a door that must not be opened.
For the next eighty years, the band of seven warriors and Brân’s head roam the country, inevitably, at every location, the forbidden door is opened and the band have to leave. Finally, they arrive at White Mount, in London (believed to be the location of the Tower of London); this is to be Brân’s final resting place, where Brân instructs his men to bury his head, facing towards France and, as long as it is never dug up, it will protect the island of Britain from invasion.
From Brân’s story, we must now consider the ravens at the Tower of London. The first written accounts of the ravens are to be found in the 17th century, when the Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed (Derbyshire born and bred), complained that the ravens were interfering with his observations. We can assume that, at the time, the ravens were a local population and had no special status. However, it generally believed that, when Charles II inquired about removing them, he was warned of the dire consequences that would befall the realm and the monarchy, were he to do so. He therefore decreed that six ravens should always be present at the Tower. Whilst there is no verifiable historical link, I believe it is no coincidence that a legendary king, called Brân - the raven, should be buried here and that his legend transferred itself to the presence of the ravens there, to this day.
Odin’s Ravens & the Vikings
Ravens are hugely significant in the legends of our Germanic ancestors. The chief of the Viking gods, Odin, also known as Woden or Wotan to the Anglo Saxons, had two ravens; Hugin and Munin (thought and memory). Odin was known as a god of magic and wisdom, and every morning he would send out his two ravens, to fly throughout the realms and report back to him at night, with all that they had seen and heard.
Known for their great seafaring prowess, Vikings were rumoured to have taken caged ravens with them on their voyages. If Viking ships became lost or fog-bound, they would release the raven, which, they believed, would unerringly fly towards land, enabling them to follow it. There is also the legendary raven banner, "Hrafnsmerki". Carried into battle, this mythical flag was believed to be imbued with magical properties, meant to ensure victory and was famously borne by Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons.
Whilst all the corvids are subject to some quite dark and ominous folklore, they are, nevertheless, treated with a certain amount of reverence and spiritual awe. They occupy a liminal space between life and death, probably due to their carrion natures. As with Brân and Odin, they are attached to the gods and whilst almost always associated with death, they are also known for their wisdom and, in some cases, can act as a guide into the unknown.
<Folklore main page>