Though ravens are strongly linked to the Tower of London, the association may not go back further than Victorian times, when some beefeaters started keeping the birds as pets. Ravens became popular pets thanks to Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem. The idea some misfortune will occur if the ravens leave the Tower seems to have emerged about 1900 and the notion their departure will result in the kingdom falling doesn't seem to predate World War II. However, medieval Welsh legend says that the severed - though still talkative - head of the hero Bran the Blessed was buried on nearby Tower Hill, facing out towards Europe as a talisman against invasion. The name Bran translates as 'raven'. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #gothic #mythology #poem #poems #poetry #poets #history #London #weird