Ravens Treasure

Ravens Treasure.

There’s a local legend about a RAVEN which guards a treasure at the Priory, built in 1119AD by Robert de Bruce.........

So I thought I'd have a bit of a dig around the net...

GUISBOROUGH:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890.

A monastic ruin would scarcely be complete without its legend, and here we have a slight variation of the old, old story, which obscurely hints at the existence of a subterraneous passage from the priory to Plantation field in Tocketts, wherein is a chest of gold, guarded by a raven that keeps constant watch over the precious contents; once only was the treasure invaded by a person who hoped to appropriate some of its ingots, but when he had reached the box, its guardian, the raven, suddenly became transformed into his Satanic majesty, who belaboured the intruder with such terrible severity, and otherwise excited such a fright, that neither he, nor any other person, ever ventured within the precincts afterwards. (Ord's "Cleveland.")

So it's true then?

The thing with legends is that they are based on real events, wrapped in myth and adapted to fit the "real politik" of the tellers time, thus Arthur, a Celtic King fighting the Romans back in the 1st century of the christian era, became an English King fighting the Anglo Saxon Invaders as soon as the Holy Roman Empire took, or were in fact given, the power to administrate "Communities" within Britain.(Synod of Whitby)

Weaved within these legends are constant threads, motifs that, whatever the era within which the story is told, always carry deeper meaning, thus it is with the Green Man, who creeps out from the forests of our neolithic past to stare down at us from the Mason built Temples that sprang up after the formation of the Knights Templar in 1118AD, or more correctly, after 1180AD and Chretien de Troy’s re-spinning of the British legend of Arthur, that this legend was used to promote the Crusades and the Church building boom was in effect the Templars and the Vatican dividing up the European construction market for a hundred years or so, provides jobs at home and keeps the serfs quiet whilst the brave chiverelous knights go off and plunder the wealth of the Holy Land. (does nothing ever change?)

The connection between Guisborough and the Templars starts with de Brus and his decendant Robert the Bruce who gave refuge to the Templars fleeing what was in effect the dismemberment and persecution of an institution no longer required by the Holy Roman Empire.

Whatever the Templars may have come to represent in the eyes of the many and varied Masonic societies, they were the largest financial institution in Europe at that time, with a monopoly on shipping between Europe and the Holy Land for over 100 years, the success of this Banking, Construction, Shipping and Crusading Empire was ultimately to lead to it’s downfall in 1308, when King Philipe IV of France, with the Pope firmly in tow, outlawed the Templars and attempted to seize their assets in France.

With the ending of the crusades after the fall of Acre in1291AD The Templars were left without a raison d’etre and without a home and had planned to base themselves in the Languedoc. Philipe was none too keen to have Europes most professional military force based in territory to which he already held claim, particularly not one with such great wealth and power.

All the gold and valuables that they had plundered during the crusades or had been placed in the Templars safekeeping by pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land, was secured in Templar preceptories and castles. And Philipe was in desperate need of money.

So on Friday 13th October 1307, in a series of dawn raids across France, Philipe moved against the Templars. It is fitting testement, both to the horror of that day and to the power of what Jung termed the “collective unconscience”, that mention of Friday the 13th still brings with it a shadow of unease.

None of the Templars gold was ever found, nor has the Templar fleet which was based at La Rouchelle been heard of since.

So there might be some Treasure then!!

The Power of Motif.

The Green Man, as the Green Knight, along with other symbols and signs, such as the Pentacle and the Grail were all present in the “collective unconscious” The Grail romances merely utilised emotive triggers that were already existant, in order to achieve the desired affect on the target audience, the young and rowdy noblemen of Northern Europe.

The only connection between the Green Man and the Templars is that they built the churches and cathederals, the Green Man was already there in the minds of the Pagani – the country dwellers, who were to become the Congregation. The connection with the Templars does not rely totaly on the evidence in the stone, it was woven into the story of the Grail, and reworked into the Templar PR campaign by the Grail-Spin doctors such as Chretien de Troyes.


So what of the Raven?

The Raven is a key player in legends in culture across the world, from Alaska to the middle east, it is therefore best to look local for the meaning of the Raven in this particular tale. What did the symbolic use of the Raven signify to the target audience, and will that give a clue as to the nature of the treasure?

The ravens Húgin (Thought) and Munin (Memory) are servants and companions of Ódinn--the chief god of the Norse mythology-

The Raven was so important as a symbol to the Vikings, that during a resugence of Norse Nationalism coins were minted in York in the 920’s showing Ravens with outspread wings.

A hoard of Viking coins perhaps? Or would that be too simple? And the Raven is guarding the Treasure not part of the hoard, not only that, the Raven would seem to be his Satanic Majesty in disguise.

So what is it about a Raven, and why would the people of Guisborough in 1890 be happy with the idea that a raven could turn into such a fearsome diety?

There is a myth, one that would have been popular among the Briganti, would have become a fire side story despite the “Christianizing” of the Celtic and later Nordic people of the area, one that has a raven which transmutes to a diety, not so much His Satanic Majesty, but Her Satanic Majesty.

The Morrigan – Celtic Goddess of War.

A real nightmare by all accounts.

So a Celtic Goddess to guard a treasure connected with a Norman priory. The de Brus family would certainly have had some stashed away for a rainy day, and Tocketts is half way between the Priory and Skelton Castle, site of the siege of 1215-1216 ,

The structure was the biggest and most impressive of its time and was known as 'crazy castle' because of its maze of rooms and secret tunnels.

None of which have ever been excavated or explored in any way and now lie underneath the present structure built in 1788.

But the legend speaks of a tunnel from the Priory. I am going to assume, until convinced otherwise, that the de Brus family would have, at various times have had good reason to connect the Priory to Skelton Castle, if indeed it wasn’t on the plans from the beginning. Both being build by Robert de Brus. I know I’d of had one, I luv tunnels me!!.

So that put us back to the time of the Templars and a man with connections to the Scottish / Celtic King David. A man who’s decendant, Robert the Bruce gave haven to the Templars during the purges in France.

Tbc.

Uncle Nick
28/06/02
www.unclenicks.net