Winged guardians of the British monarchy (7 photos)

Nowadays, the monarchy in the UK is just a tribute tradition: the government is headed by the prime minister. But the inhabitants Foggy Albion are very jealous of their conservation. What even was reflected in an interesting legend.





One of the most mysterious buildings in the country is the London Tower. At various times it served as a palace, fortress, prison, observatory, mint and more. Such a variety of meanings the load, apparently, contributed to the birth of the legend.



Great Fire of London

For three September days in 1666, London was on fire. burned in literally - the Great Fire of London engulfed the central regions cities. As a result, almost all buildings in the boundaries of the ancient Roman city wall. The number of victims of the fire was in the thousands, but there is no exact data on the dead - there was simply no one to record them.





Tower

King Charles II ordered the destruction of animals that avalanches flowed onto the ruins in search of food and shelter. After all, cats, pigs and birds could begin to actively spread the infection. And then life the surviving townspeople would have already been carried away by disease.

But then the royal astrologer got out with a prediction and said, that ravens cannot be harassed. For if the latter disappears, then the monarchy Britain will fall. And the state will cease to exist.



Whether the king believed him or not is unknown. But apparently he decided play it safe. And ordered to leave alive six ravens, and in The Tower assigned them as their place of residence. The order was enshrined in the relevant decree and received the status of law.

Now the crows are not just at full contentment, but are also considered full members of the royal families. A special post of custodian has been created to take care of the birds. Birds eat dry food, but since crows are still predators, their The daily diet necessarily includes raw meat.



By the way, the superstitious British keep in addition to the six main players and one spare bird. In case of unforeseen death of someone of the main guardians. The castle also contains a young bird in the status student.

The main task of the inhabitants of the Tower is the periodic flashing in public and posing for photos with tourists. What are birds with they do it with brilliance, because in terms of intelligence they are close to a three-year-old to kid.



Of course, the status of a royal raven is prestigious. Birds even in the army. But the status has another side of the coin, sad side. After all, one wing of the royal guards is clipped so that they couldn't fly. Of course, they do it carefully and under anesthesia. AND crows even retain the ability to fly short distances.



But heaven for them after the appointment remains out of reach. And the black guardians with dignity fulfill the assigned on them against their will duties, entertaining the public and keeping the foundations.