Comments on: Chris Skaife, Master Raven Keeper & Merlin The Raven

By: Kathy Peganoff

Kathy Peganoff — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 14:18:39 +0000

Does this kind and wonderful gentleman have a replacement if he were to be unable to continue caring for the ravens?

By: Don Cox

Don Cox — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 21:06:30 +0000

Dear Raven Master of the Tower
As an historian I’ve been hot on the trail of Noah and that he did see the sea cover the earth or what he could see it, for he’d gone over the horizon, an event he’d have no knowledge of, until Columbus. Now it states in Genesis that he let fly a raven and it flew to and fro, and the waters of he world abated , went down and in my scenario up over the horizon pops up Cyprus. We seem to forget Noah had two floods one for the raven and one for the dove. But Noah did not let fly the raven, the captain of the ship did, for Noah had no idea what the raven was for. How do I come to this conclusion, because the Vikings used ravens as ship to shore direction finding birds, for they can fly to 17000ft , can’t swim and can see well over the horizon and as soon as they see land, they head for it ,as straight as a crow flies. The captain down below yells to the man in the crows nest , which way did this big black bird , against a blue sky, go and he pulls the helm over and follows it. So it was, that Flogi Rogaland, let fly a raven on the storm tossed Atlantic and lost it, so let fly another and discovered Iceland in 813AD. But if we go to Minoan Akrotiri, a Minoan city on Santorini, we can see wall painting of ship, on which on their prows are perches and big birds. Did the Minoans who I say Noah was, know the potential of ravens and doves. If they did then I can see a whole new industry of people catching and then selling on these birds
It was this case of ravens and sea farers that made me think of why was it important to keep alive the Ravens in the Tower of London. What I do know is London was founded by the Romans, taken over by the Saxon, then by the Vikings, then taken back again by King Alfred, a Saxon. So why was it, the ravens were important to the Tower? There doesn’t seem to be an explanation, only that it’s traditional. Let me offer up a suggestion, that when King Alfred re-took London, he found ravens already there, most probably caged ravens. I think when London was in Viking hands, this is where you could buy your raven, as you departed for your next sea adventure and being Vikings and I suggest you departed from the city and port of London more often by ship than by horse.

Hope it’s of interest.

Yours Don Cox. also an old soldier 22872422

By: Jonathan Ferguson

Jonathan Ferguson — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 18:42:52 +0000

I don’t, but ravens have not changed size over the years 🙂 Probably it’s that you were smaller so they seemed bigger. There may well have been more of them though.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:11:21 +0000

I remember seeing the ravens in the Tower when I was a child. I remembered there being many more – 6 or 8 maybe – and that they were much larger. Does anyone else remember them from 60 years ago?

By: Debra Matheney

Debra Matheney — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 18:34:52 +0000

Had a lovely conversation with Chris on a visit to the tower. Love the lore of the ravens. Sorry to hear one died. Seeing them in person is quite a treat.

By: Bobby McPherson

Bobby McPherson — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 14:03:51 +0000

Whan asked to comment Merlin replied “Nevermore”

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 11:46:14 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, what a great story about Chris Skaife and his care of the royal ravens at the Tower of London. Who knew?

Chris and Merlin make quite a pair….

By: Paul Loften

Paul Loften — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 07:21:17 +0000

Chris is a lucky man . Thank you GA and Martin for the fantastic photos of Merlin . She is indeed a seductive beauty that could charm the birds from the trees

By: Georgina Briody

Georgina Briody — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 07:06:16 +0000

Was today’s blog a coincidence, one of the Ravens died yesterday!

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 02:21:27 +0000

I’ve seen Chris and his ravens on “Secrets of the Tower” on PBS here in the USA. Cute as a button he is , when he talks about his Merlin. Thank you for this story about him and his charges on Spitalfields Life,G.A. I’ve learned quite a bit about the Tower by reading your blog ( The Ceremony If the Keys comes immediately to mind). Thank you G.A. for sharing your adventures with us .