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Are Robins Symbols Of Dead Loved Ones?

Though in fact Robins are common all year round. I think the myth they only come out at Christmas has something to do with the fact they look cute against the snow. :D
 
Yup, and they are also associated with Victorian postmen who wore crimson waistcoats and were nicknamed Robin Redbreast, unless I've overdone the shoe polish again.
 
Going back to the stories of how the Robin got it's red breast....I was told that when Jesus was born everyone was asleep in the stable, obviously the excitement of all the shepherds, sheep and wisemen took it's toll. Anyhoo, there was a small fire burning in the stable as the lone source of heat, however the fire started to die and the temperature began to drop in the stable.

A Robin which had been watching the days events flew down to the fire and fanned the flames by beating it's wings. The result was it getting scorched and that is how Robins got their redbreasts.

Much nicer then the hell thing.
 
As a kid, I figured out that all these 'burning robins' stories were very cute, but obviously way off target.

For one thing, the stench of burning feathers would've encouraged someone to chuck a bucket over water over our little frazzled friend.

For another, things that singe don't go red, they go brown or black.

I proved this empirically by leaving my new red mittens on the fireguard for too long when I was 8. :?
 
Yet more for the database:

A friend writes..."I have a friend who is writing a children's book and I read the first three chapters and there is an incident of a robin appearing to a small child who is going through trauma.

I asked her why she wrote this and she said she didn't know only that it happened to her once and it was strangely comforting.

I told her your story/ies and she immediately assigned a dead loved one to her robin and realised who it was... she has since rewritten that section of her book giving it more weight."

Also:

I found online a book written in 1912 by Frances Hodgson Burnett , who wrote The Secret Garden.

This book was called My Robin and is her account of the relationship she had with a robin in her garden, subtly taming it..or being tamed by it..so she felt she communicated with it as a "little soul".

It would feed from her hand and so forth. (Apparently this is not unheard of among robins, by the way, which accounts for their seemingly spooky curiosity and lack of timidity..its simply in their nature)

Anyway apart from it being a very moving account, the first thing that struck me was the title page of this book printed at the top of the screen.

My Robin by Frances Burnett Illustrated by... Alfred Brennan. Brennan is of course my surname!

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ ... robin.html
 
Elsewhere, Graylien posted about Scare Eye balloons
http://www.biconet.com/birds/scareEye.html
(used as bird scarers).

I noticed this interesting snippet
Scare-Eyes come in three colors.(yellow, black & white) Research shows maximum effectiveness is obtained by rotating colors. No color should be used more than 3 weeks or they will lose their effectiveness. Scare-Eyes are effective with all species of birds except Robins.
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:shock:
 
Have we had Blake yet? :D

A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
 
Urban noise makes robin a night bird
Lewis Smith

Incessant noise made by people in towns and cities has turned the robin into a night owl, a study shows.

The birds are so desperate for their singing to be heard that, like partygoers, they will burn the candles at both ends.

The study, by the University of Sheffield, raises concerns that noise is drowning out the males’ mating calls in the day, forcing them to call at night when the females are asleep.

The change illustrates the robin’s adaptability, said Rich-ard Fuller, who led the study, but it has worrying implications. It is likely to mean that the nocturnal robins will have to eat more to make up for the extra energy burnt at night, when it is colder. Disruption of sleep patterns may also have adverse effects.

The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, was carried out by recording noise levels, light levels and bird calls at 121 locations within Sheffield.Noc-turnal singing was recorded at 18 sites.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 701342.ece
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:(
 
Nightingales are a type of robins, aren't they? Maybe staying up all night is in the genes.
 
Robins do seem to have an affinity to humans and follow them, watching. Perhaps they associate us with free food, either turned over grubs and worms or crumbs from a shared snack.

Reading the robin thread I was reminded of a time a couple of years back when my youngest son got permission from a local farmer to go down a particular dell to photograph the river. He went down there a couple of times a week at various times of the days for several months.

As he always went alone a friend asked him if he was ever afraid, being alone in a fairly remote place. He replied that he was not alone as a robin was always there by the path waiting for him and kept him company, following him about, only leaving him at the spot where he had entred the dell. The robin appears on a lot of the photographs he took.
 
Awww! That's lovely, Tilly! :D

I'm not sure about him placing trust in the protective powers of a robin, though. I mean, they're hardly butch, are they? ;)
 
Bird of pray: Meet the most vocal member of St Mary's flock... a tame robin who has made the church his home
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:16 AM on 31st January 2011

It might not be the largest member of the flock, but this bold robin can easily outsing all the other churchgoers.
The bird has become a fixture at 12th-century St Mary’s in Portchester Castle, Hampshire, after fluttering in during the worst snow of the winter.

Reverend Charlie Allen, 31, is delighted with her new red-breasted friend whose vocal contributions to sermons and hymns are easily audible.
Rev Allen said: 'This robin is just so wonderfully tame - and also wonderfully noisy.
'If there is a service going on in the church he will be right in the middle making as much racket as he can'

The vicar first spotted the bird inside St Mary's Church at Portchester Castle, Hampshire, when there was a heavy snowfall last month.
Since then the chirpy chappy has made the 12th Century Anglican church overlooking Portsmouth Harbour its home and has received considerable attention from the other parishioners.

Not only does the friendly male bird enjoy seeds and water left out for it by the vicar, but he is even treated to crumbs of cake by people who are visiting specifically to take its picture.
The vicar said: ''We have put bird seed and water out for him at the back of the church and the children like to feed him after Sunday service.
'Some visitors have been coming into the church after visiting the nearby tea rooms with little bits of cake.

Rev Allen has also revealed how the robin makes a delightful contribution to service with his 'beautiful birdsong'.
She added: 'the church has very good acoustics so he is always heard.'

'He is generally very nosey. He really likes to get amongst things and some days he goes to sit with the choir.
'The regular congregation are all quite at ease with him flying around during a service.
'For weddings it has been very touching and poignant to have him with us. Sometimes I think more pictures are taken of him than anyone else.
'And even at funerals he has lightened the atmosphere.'

Rev Allen added: 'I don't know a lot about birds but I have been astonished just how tame he is.
'He eats out of people's hands and visitors to the church are delighted.
'He moved in when we had a cold snap. He will occasionally fly outside but if he comes back to find the door closed, he'll wait by it to be let back in again.

But while the bird has become a welcome addition to the church, the Reverend does have to tidy up after the little fellow, but she doesn't mind.
She said: 'He's a pleasure to have around and we don't mind clearing up after him,' adding:'He has become quite a fixture.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1Chc3fdiq
 
A similar thing happened to me with a bee. My grandfather died in December 2002 and whilst we were in the churchyard at the end of December burying his ashes in a church service a huge bumble bee buzzed around each one of us. I thought it was so strange, a bumble bee in the middle of winter that I associated the bee with my grandfather who was a keen gardener.

Whenever I see a bumble bee I now say 'Hiya Bampa'

I'd like to think it was him paying us a visit .....xx
 
jessbob said:
A similar thing happened to me with a bee. My grandfather died in December 2002 and whilst we were in the churchyard at the end of December burying his ashes in a church service a huge bumble bee buzzed around each one of us. I thought it was so strange, a bumble bee in the middle of winter that I associated the bee with my grandfather who was a keen gardener.
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There are lots of stories about bee behaviour following a death.

Try this thread - The Bee In Lore & Legend
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7956

And maybe Bees:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26363
 
Someone I met recently told me about her sister and daughter's private joke about robins.

The sister/aunt disliked robins, probably having some objection to cute robin images on xmas cards, and the daughter/niece would always pick out robin-themed cards to send to her. She'd even draw on extra robins for emphasis!

Unfortunately, the daughter died suddenly, leaving young children.

The aunt kindly took the family on holiday to Spain. It was burning hot on the beach one day, when they spotted a robin! It perched nearby for quite a while, accepting scraps of food from the family's picnic.

The aunt said to it 'I know that's you! I might know you'd find a way to carry on tormenting me!'

A robin on a beach in summer in Spain? I don't know how rare that is, but it seems unusual to me. It certainly comforted the family.
 
Tweet Of The Day - Robins

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

David Attenborough presents the robin. Christmas cards became popular around 1860 and robins often featured, carrying letters in their beaks or lifting door-knockers and were often referred to as the 'little postmen'. Until 1861, postmen wore red coats and were nick-named redbreasts or Robins, so the association between a familiar winter bird and the person who brought Christmas greetings was irresistible.
Click to expand...

:D
 
Theres been a Robin coming and going all weekend on my front lawn. I just got home and there he is again, perched on the wall and eying up the grass. Also, last night around 9.20pm I saw a couple of bats flying in circles above my back garden.

I wonder what that combo of robins and bats means...anyone got a book of superstitions?
 
GeorgeP said:
I wonder what that combo of robins and bats means...anyone got a book of superstitions?
Click to expand...

I have one and just had a quick look. I was astonished to find that bats aren't included at all (!), it goes from 'basin upturned' to 'beans' without mentioning them. Perhaps there are too many superstitions associated with them to mention.
Robins seem to be mostly benign unless they are in your house or tapping/calling at your window. That means certain death apparently. And it seems it was once thought unlucky to have them on Christmas cards (!!) as mentioned by Escargot upthread.
No bats but it does have superstitions about peonies and horseradish. :confused:
 
Are there any superstitions about ladybirds? I lost my dear old cat to cancer in Oct 2013. I'd had her since she was a kitten, we spend 16 great years together and I loved her very much. I cried for two weeks solid after I buried her in the garden.
The strange thing was for weeks after I kept finding ladybirds everywhere in the house, not just one or two there were lots of them! I know it's drifting from robins but thought this would be the best thread to add to.
I had such a connection with my dear old puss and I think I grieved more for her than I have some humans, I did find comfort in the ladybirds appearing...that and the rainbows I kept noticing.
 
There was a film, Kevin Costner I think, about someone whose partner dies and they keep seeing dragonflies everywhere as some kind of sign.

A psychologist or a sceptic would obviously suggest the great variety of things grieving people read signs into is evidence for wishful thinking/pattern spotting or whatever.

But maybe its just that you're seeing what you personally need to to have meaning to you.
 
I've never found any since that year, probably a coincidence but it helped me at the time.
 
honeyplanet said:
Are there any superstitions about ladybirds? I lost my dear old cat to cancer in Oct 2013. I'd had her since she was a kitten, we spend 16 great years together and I loved her very much. I cried for two weeks solid after I buried her in the garden.
The strange thing was for weeks after I kept finding ladybirds everywhere in the house, not just one or two there were lots of them! I know it's drifting from robins but thought this would be the best thread to add to.
I had such a connection with my dear old puss and I think I grieved more for her than I have some humans, I did find comfort in the ladybirds appearing...that and the rainbows I kept noticing.
Click to expand...

Well, according to this book I have (The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland by Steve Roud), the Ladybird receives consistently positive press and is generally thought to be lucky. Used in a love-divination procedure to predict the direction of a future lover's home.
It doesn't bode well to harm a ladybird.
If one should land on you consider it very lucky indeed.
They are also deemed excellent predictors of the weather.

Variant names include, Lady-cow, Bishop Barnabee and God Almighty's Cow.
 
For me when the robin thing was prevelant..and I still make the association whenever I see one in the garden..it wasn't ever a belief that the bird was anything but a "dumb animal" going about it normal bird like business, it was more a perception that the "coincidence", the synchronicity, of encountering them was guided and personally meaningful. So perhaps once the ide of lady birds being relevant to your cat had entered your mind they were indeed being provided by whatever power or principle there is at work in the universe to comfort you.
 
gattino said:
For me when the robin thing was prevelant..and I still make the association whenever I see one in the garden..it wasn't ever a belief that the bird was anything but a "dumb animal" going about it normal bird like business, it was more a perception that the "coincidence", the synchronicity, of encountering them was guided and personally meaningful. So perhaps once the ide of lady birds being relevant to your cat had entered your mind they were indeed being provided by whatever power or principle there is at work in the universe to comfort you.
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Its alot like the sighting of a solitary Magpie over here in the UK being classed as bad luck. But say, in China such a sighting equates to bucket loads of blessings and good luck.
 
davidplankton said:
Well, according to this book I have (The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland by Steve Roud), the Ladybird receives consistently positive press and is generally thought to be lucky. Used in a love-divination procedure to predict the direction of a future lover's home.
It doesn't bode well to harm a ladybird.
If one should land on you consider it very lucky indeed.
They are also deemed excellent predictors of the weather.

Variant names include, Lady-cow, Bishop Barnabee and God Almighty's Cow.
Click to expand...

They're little bastards when they swarm though but fortunately, they're so aggressive, they end up eating each other .. my last home town's invasion ... there were so many of them that most of the cafe's were forced to close and other store owners were sweeping them off their windows and the steets with brooms ..

 
My dad is terrified if seeing robins, I remember ever since I was a kid he would tell me never to let one land on me. Apparently 2 or 3 close relatives died the day after a robin landed on their heads.
 
I can't imagine a sequence of untamed robins landing on different people's heads! Let alone in the same family. If that really happened I'd see someting spooky in it, with or without the deaths.
 
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