One for Sorrow Document in Darkness Moon Chronicles | World Anvil
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One for Sorrow

Ravens are the go-to holy symbol of Vulyeva, Fate of Shadows. Whenever a raven is seen, it is said the Vulyeva is watching closely. Gossip is her favorite passtime, and ravens make for excellent spies. For Vulyeva, the ravens are also the brings of prophecy. She sends out her ravens in flocks of one to nine and when seen, it is said that some sort of prophecy is to follow, whether that be death, a birth, or wealth.
  Closely watched for centuries, Vulyeva's ravens have been written into a special nursery rhyme about these prophecies. However, on Earth, this nursery rhyme wasn't unknown to humans until 1780 AD, when it was found as a note in John Brand's Observations on Popular Antiquities on Lincolnshire. The was written incorrectly with half of the rhyme missing for an unknown reason. It was written as:
 

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a funeral,
And four for birth.


  The version taht John Brand wrote was about magpies and it seemed that John Brand saw that the number of magpies predicted if one would have bad or good luck and with the rhyme now written (incorrectly) into one of his books, humans had semi-knowledge of Vulyeva's ravens. Magpies were always seen as superstitious, considered the bird of ill omen in some cultures, and in Britain, at least as far back as the early sixteenth century.
  Another version of the rhyme was published in 1846 by Michael Aislabie Denham with the intentions of adding in mentions of "God" and the "Devil" to the rhyme:
 

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a funeral,
Four for birth,
Five for heaven,
Six for hell,
Seven for the devil, his own self.


  There have been times when jackdaws, crows and other Corvidae are associated with the rhyme, particularly in America where magpies are less common, but the truth still remains that ravens are the true Corvidae in the rhyme, not magpies. Vulyeva tolerates the misinterpretation of the rhymes and the changing of her favored bird.

Table of Contents


 
by Sponchia (Pixabay)
 
 
Quick Facts
 
Type:
Text, Literary (Nursery Rhyme)
 
Medium:
Paper
 
Authoring Date:
Sometime during TDRE
 
The original and true rhyme is as follows:  

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a funeral,
Four for a birth,
Five for girl,
Six for boy,
Seven for silver,
Eight for gold,
Nine for a secret never to be told.



Cover image: by Amelia Nite (Canva)

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