Why Are There Ravens at the Tower of London? The Legend

What is the legend of the Tower ravens?

The legend says that the kingdom depends on the ravens. As long as there are at least six of them at the Tower, the Crown and the country are safe; if they fly away or are lost, disaster follows.

The most popular origin story involves King Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685. In one version, his astronomer John Flamsteed complained that wild ravens were getting in the way of his observations from the White Tower. When the king ordered the birds removed, he was warned that killing them would bring bad luck and the loss of his newly restored kingdom. Charles is said to have kept the ravens and moved the astronomer to a new observatory at Greenwich instead.

The idea of ravens protecting Britain draws on much older Celtic myth. In Welsh legend, the giant king Brân the Blessed, whose name means “raven” or “crow”, ordered that his head be buried on the White Hill in London, facing France, as a talisman against invasion. Later tradition places that hill where the Tower now stands.

How much of the story is true?

Very little of it can be traced back to Charles II. Historians, including the Tower’s own historian Geoffrey Parnell, think the tale is largely a Victorian invention. The earliest known pictures of ravens at the Tower date only from 1883, and there is no reliable record of captive ravens being kept there in the 17th century.

What is true is that wild ravens were once common in London. For centuries they scavenged in streets and markets and were tolerated because they helped clear away waste. During the 18th and 19th centuries they were shot and poisoned as pests, and the last known wild pair in London nested in Hyde Park in 1826. Once wild ravens were gone, the only ravens at the Tower were captive birds, possibly brought in first as pets of the staff or as a dramatic touch near the site of famous executions.

The specific warning that Britain will fall if the ravens leave is not documented before World War II. Bombing during the Blitz killed or scattered most of the birds, and records from just after the war state bluntly that none were left. More ravens were brought in when the Tower reopened to the public, and the legend has been told to visitors ever since.

The Ravenmaster and how the ravens live

The ravens are looked after by the Ravenmaster, one of the Tower’s Yeoman Warders, popularly known as Beefeaters, together with a team of assistants. Christopher Skaife held the post from 2011 until he retired in 2024, when Barney Chandler took over.

Each day the keepers release the ravens from their enclosures near the White Tower, feed them a diet based on raw meat, check their health and put them back into their night quarters in the evening, safe from foxes. In 2013 a red fox got into the grounds and killed two ravens, the only fox attack inside the walls on record, and the enclosures were later rebuilt.

The flight feathers on one of each raven’s wings are trimmed regularly, so the birds can fly short distances and perch on walls but are unlikely to leave. Ravens do still escape now and then. Over the years some have wandered off to nearby streets or pubs, and in 2021 a much-loved raven named Merlina vanished from the grounds and was presumed dead. Each bird wears a colored leg band so the keepers can tell them apart.

The ravens are officially enlisted as soldiers of the Tower, and they can be “dismissed” for bad behavior. In 1986, a raven named George was sent to live at the Welsh Mountain Zoo after repeatedly destroying television aerials.

How long do the Tower ravens live?

Tower ravens live far longer than most wild ravens. Some have lived for more than 40 years, compared with a typical lifespan of 10 to 15 years in the wild. Steady food, veterinary care and protection from predators all help.

Since 1987 the Tower has also bred its own ravens. In 2019 a pair named Huginn and Muninn, after the god Odin’s ravens in Norse myth, hatched four chicks, the first born at the Tower in about 30 years, and one of them, Georgie, stayed on. Other birds have come from a breeder in Somerset. Like their wild relatives, the Tower ravens are common ravens, and you can learn more about the species in our common raven profile.

Why ravens make good ambassadors

Ravens are clever, curious and full of character, which makes them ideal for a place full of history and visitors. Tower ravens have been known to play tricks such as pretending to be dead, to copy sounds and words, and to steal food from visitors’ hands, which is why people are asked not to feed them. They bite if they feel threatened.

Their antics reflect the natural behavior of the species. Wild ravens are among the most playful of all birds, as our article Do ravens play? shows. Ravens are also often confused with crows; if you spot a large black bird around the Tower, our guide to crow vs raven will help you tell them apart.

Are wild ravens coming back to London?

Wild ravens have been returning to southern England as persecution has declined. By the early 2000s they were nesting in the Home Counties around London, within about 50 km (30 miles) of the Tower. They are still much rarer in the capital than carrion crows, so most ravens seen around the Tower are the resident captive birds.