Good Morning Coulterville! WELCOME to KNHA-FM, Yosemite Radio. It’s 59 degrees at 8 AM on Thursday, November 13, with a projected high of 63 and winds out of the Southeast at 10 to 20 miles per hour. Rain is expected today and over the next few days, so the California sun not be seen so much until next Tuesday.
To followup on our interview with Operation New Earth founder Jim Rhodes this morning, we want to expand on the idea that we are featuring a Raven in our logo. A few years ago, I became fascinated with ravens while photographing birds and other wildlife in national parks. I found out about a book on the social behavior of ravens written by Bernd Heinrich. So I wrote a review of his book, and included other research in a story.
But before we get started on the reading, here’s a 17th Century English Folk Song I found on YouTube. This old song first appeared in a compilation by Thomas Ravenscroft published in 1611. It is thought to originate from an earlier carol, ‘Corpus Christi,’ which indicates that it may have it’s original as far back as the 15th Century. The song tells the story of a Knight that has died. His trusty hounds and hawks protect his body from the three ravens, which is then taken and buried by a fallow doe. The doe is thought to be a metaphor for his pregnant lover. The word ‘leman’ in the final verse comes from the old English word ‘lēofmann’ which means ‘beloved’ and came to mean a sweetheart or mistress. The “lover” then dies of a broken heart.
Watch and Listen on YouTube
Read the original story.
Exploring the Mind of the Raven and the Bird’s Role in Human Culture and Evolution
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A lovely telling, and the song was sweetly stirring. Thank you for this.
We have a bonded pair (I think) of ravens living in a tree near our place and sometimes loudly on our roof — much to the annoyance of our assertive and sometimes growling watch cat.
These are big birds with auras larger still. There’s somebody home, and when they watch you, you feel it. They give a wonderful texture to mountain life!