Since then young Poppy has joined the feathered residents of the Tower of London. Sadly, the oldest one (born in 1995), Munin, died in the spring of 2018, during the publication of the book. At the time of writing there were these seven, Munin, Merlina, Erin, Rocky, Jubilee II, Gripp II and Harris. And then there are the ravens, always minimum of six of them. Then there are pet cats and pet dogs and all kind of other living creatures. If you didn’t know – well, I didn’t – there are about 140 residents at the London Tower.

In practice, we act as tour guides and as custodians of the rituals of the Tower.Īs the Ravenmaster he leads a team of Yeoman Warders who assist him in caring for the ravens.

In principle we’re responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the Crown Jewels. We are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. Yeoman Warders are all former soldiers with at least 22 years of unblemished service, he writes, both male and female. But what about the Ravenmaster, Chris Skaife? He tells in the beginning of the book that his official title is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and member of the Sovereign’s Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary. So, Merlina (originally Merlin, as she was thought to be a he for a long time) is a raven, Corvus corax. I read Raven Enclosure, Merlina’s Night Box, Wall of the inmost Ward… Wait, Merlina’s Night Box? This map cannot be that old I’ve seen Merlina on Facebook! Yes, Merlina is a raven, a very well known character on social media. There is of course the Map Key giving you an idea about the locations of the towers etc. I started to familiarize myself with the book by studying the map.

The book starts with an old map of Tower of London.

The current Ravenmaster, Christopher Skaife has occupied the post since 2011. The Ravenmaster is looking after the birds and thus preventing the Kingdom from falling down. If they fly away the Crown and the Britain will crumble down. The book was originally published last year, but now it’s released as a paperback.Īccording to the legend the ravens protect the Crown. And the author, Christopher Skaife knows what he is writing about as he IS the Ravenmaster. It’s about living with the ravens at one of the most popular tourist attraction in London. My life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. The whole name of the book is The Ravenmaster.

Christopher skaife