Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

A quick bird-flu update: The Tower of London is bringing its famed ravens indoors. 

This quote from Derrick Coyle, the Tower’s raven master: "Although we don’t like having to bring the Tower ravens inside, we believe it is the safest thing to do for their own protection, given the speed that the virus is moving across Europe."

Legend has it that if the ravens leave the grounds of the White Tower, it will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall.  King Charles II decreed in the Seventeenth Century that there must always be six ravens at the Tower.  There are six birds today, and they will be kept, for now, in custom-built aviaries.  Extra credit if you can name the ravens.

Note added late Tuesday morning: Chuck wins the extra credit for naming the birds: Gwylum, Thor, Hugine, Munin, Branwen, Bran, Gundulf, and Baldrick.  I’m afraid, though, that I’d given absolutely no thought to just what you win for getting the answer.