The Chilling Folklore Behind ‘One for Sorrow’ - Magpie Secrets

[@jackpayne4658]

When my wife was a child, an old sailor lived next door. He had a tame magpie called Peter, which talked - but only in obscenities. When the old man died, my wife's family inherited Peter. This caused some consternation when the local vicar popped in...

[@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391]

It could be worse, imagine if a local brothel had previously had the magpie, and when the vicar came in it call his name and said "in for your usual ?"

[@krisindaboyce2747]

😂

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Oh my goodness, what a tale! 🖤 I can just imagine the vicar being greeted by Peter’s colourful language! 😂

[@isthereanybodyoutthere9397]

I was always taught to salute a single magpie and ask how they and their amily are which I d to this day. It hasn't made my life better,but..

[@tonkasfinest7780]

​@@isthereanybodyoutthere9397 I greet magpies, too. 😅

[@omiai]

I'm always greeting magpies...but I also greet basically any animal I come across, usually with 'hello buddy, how are you?' but it's just because I want to be friends with them all xD

[@FrancisHatton]

They understand kind gentle voices..and will remember you.... especially if you give them a treat...

[@ArachnerdGC]

Nice to know I'm not the only one who does this... although... do you also greet spiders? I do, most people run the other way. (from spiders, not from me!) 😂

[@ArachnerdGC]

@@FrancisHatton They also remember the faces of those who threaten or harm them, and they also tell all their friends that you're a bad'un! All the corvids remember faces.

[@saeveth]

I do this too, like others in the comments. I made “friends” and named the squirrels at the bus stops. We played hide and seek around tree trunks while I waited for the bus. 😂

[@jamescaron6465]

We don’t have magpies but lots of crows and I talk to them. I swear sometimes they answer me.

[@ringo4419]

I like magpies and crows They're amazing

[@bernadettelinfoot]

I like them too

[@The-Resurrectionists]

🖤 Their intelligence and beauty are just captivating. I’m glad to hear they have so many admirers!

[@josmith6684]

crows 🐦‍⬛ ate magic ✨ magpies to many and ate bullies to the little birds 🦅 🌅

[@Lisa-x3n5x]

Aussie here. I went away for a year, and when I returned, the minute "our magpies" (they'd been visiting us for 2 years) heard my voice they set up a cacophony of welcome. It was amazing. And they're great parents. They play with their young. I think I prefer this hemisphere's version. 😊

[@The-Resurrectionists]

What a heart warming story! 🖤 It’s incredible how magpies can recognise us and form such strong bonds. I love that they welcomed you back with such enthusiasm :) Thank you for sharing your experience! 🕯

[@YT-to6ok]

Happy if you keep them all 😂 This side, they're vicious, nest-wrecking, chick-killing bullies. Carrion feeders with harsh, raucous croaking, have you guessed I don't like them at all ? 😅😅😅

[@mikej365]

Ring a rin a roses, a pocket full of COVID, atishoo, atishoo, we all fell down !! (in other words, the GOVT LICENED flower seller, with her ring of roses, and her front pouch pocket full of posies, was the one who delivered the plague, to the people). All nicely wrapped up in a nursery rhyme, taught to the kids, so that down the road, we would know WHO WAS SPREADING THE DISEASE ! If you want to see such a flower seller, watch Oliver Twist - theres one ini there, she sings a song "will you buy my roses, my lovelly sweet roses etc"..... A ricg of roses, in her hand (thats what hey used to call them). As i say, you had to get a licence to sell flowers, off the council/govt.............. so she worked for the govt.

[@jeangenie5807]

Sadly despite being beautiful and clever birds, they time their egg hatching to take advantage of other birds fledglings. My mother was incandescent with rage every year as she watched the ducks on a nearby pond lose almost everyone of the ducklings to Magpies each year. I swear if she had had an air rifle or something, she would have taken pot shots.

[@creepingdread88]

Australian magpies aren't real magpies, they aren't Corvidae, members of the crow family.

[@johnnycooper7019]

As an Ex-Londoner when seeing a single Magpie ''Good Morning Mr Magpie, how is your lovely wife?'' is still being used in my Family.

[@infin8ee]

I say it too, and I'm in Australia. I also say (particularly at this time of year) please don't swoop, I'm a friend .😂

[@DirkGently1972]

I’m an atheist and not superstitious at all, yet I still recite the rhyme “ Good morning Mr. Magpie, how’s your family” in my mind if I see only one. Amazing how indoctrination as a child still impacts the mind of a rational (?) adult in the 21st Century! 😊

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Such a charming tradition, isn’t it? 🖤 ‘Good Morning Mr Magpie’ is still alive and well in many families. It’s lovely to see these little rituals passed down! 🕯

[@Betty_Virago]

We’re northern, we always said hello Mr Sheep 😂

[@brubeck1]

in s york we say "aye aye magpie" and salute the bird . I still see people doing it today.

[@countesscable]

While I was sitting in my dining room with the French doors to the kitchen wide open, I was amazed to see a magpie standing there just looking in at me, then walk in and go straight to the cats food bowl and eat the food. The next day, a pair of magpies along with their baby walked in, and the parents were feeding the youngster from the food bowl. This went on every day, even if I was actually in the kitchen. They did this all summer, then just stopped coming. It was so amazing.

[@Raven-qj8xk]

Superb! One of the parents was probably hand reared and released or perhaps cared for as an injured juvenile. I've been lucky enough to raise and release back to the wild. If they take food and survive the first 3 days then it usually goes well and they can return for a number of years!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

What a magical experience! 🖤 Thank you for sharing! :)

[@scousemouse9715]

They are clever birds.

[@marietighe6328]

Why is that AMAZING? They are opportunistic and bold so they'll take advantage of any food source. I've had many funny encounters with birds and wildlife but come on now. AMAZING is losing its meaning if you apply to every bloody thing that happens 🙄

[@countesscable]

@@marietighe6328wow you’re a bundle of fun aren’t you? When you live in a built up urban setting like I do, I can assure you that having wild birds randomly walking into my kitchen while I am there really is amazing. Maybe my life isn’t quite as exciting as yours, so I can still find pleasure and excitement in what you deem to be humdrum and banal.

[@WeerdWulf]

I think a huge part of what has been lost with today's youth is these old superstitions and rhymes. In the 80s we grew up with parents and grandparents who regularly dropped such things into casual conversation and explained them to us, igniting in many a love to learn more about superstitions and folklore of our country

[@Swordfrenzy1]

Im a ranger, magpies normally mate for life, one of the pair will sit up in a vantage point and watch as the other gathers food - ready to give a warning cry if needed. So, if you are aware enough of your surroundings, you will not (usually) see an odd number of magpies... and the even numbers are all positive

[@canopusstar5157]

Thank you! You have confirmed what I thought about magpies’ mating habits. I thought if one saw a magpie alone, it was because it had lost its mate but I only suspected they might mate for life. I know crows grieve when their mate is lost. So two for joy makes perfect sense too.

[@TheParkAttendant]

I had a pet magpie for 16 years. He could say what?, hello, how are you?. He could imitate every bird in the neighborhood. I was dosing on the couch when I heard cough, cough, cough, mom! He was imitating the kids in the neighborhood.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

16 years with a magpie as a companion-how incredible! 🖤 They really are remarkable birds, and it sounds like yours had quite the personality! I love the thought of him imitating the children, what a clever little soul. 🕯

[@rtmsound1877]

This rhyme is where the band Counting Crows took their name and is mentioned in the song A Murder of One.

[@LewisLittle66]

There's a bird that nests inside you, sleeping underneath your skin... One of my favourite albums of all time.

[@EleanorPeterson]

All I know is that, at school, it was considered unutterably naff to watch 'Blue Peter' on the Beeb when there was 'Magpie' and 'How?' (both programmes being much more cool...) on the other side.😁

[@sandyhenderson441]

Oh my that takes me back! How! with Fred Dineage wearing a headband & feather, holding his open hand up, fully convincing 8-10yr old me that he really was an Indian brave. Blue Peter was the programme everyone watched but no-one talked about. I had a Blue Peter badge, just the ordinary white one because my drawing was shown in the gallery of some art contest they'd run... and the BP pets were fun, until the sad announcement that the tortoise had died during his hibernation. And seeing John (Noakes?) & a zookeeper being dragged through pee & poop by a baby elephant who'd had enough of the studio & was leaving right now, was more than vaguely memorable. Yes, I liked How! & Magpie, but BP also had its charms, even if you didn't talk about them with your friends.

[@douglascharnley8249]

You never fail to amaze me..... This reminds me of another rhyme related the days of the week a child is born. "Thursday child has far to go." I took the Queen's Shilling at 15 and have never been home.

[@brendasmart553]

This one would be great to do a deeper dive into it! Thanks, I'm a Tuesday full of supposed grace! 🤣

[@douglascharnley8249]

@@brendasmart553 My wife is full of these rhymes and one-liners of folklore.

[@brendasmart553]

@@douglascharnley8249 Well bring them on, so we can all benefit in her unique interest keeping them alive! 💖

[@sandyhenderson441]

​@@brendasmart553 I'm Wednesday's child, "full of woe".

[@brendasmart553]

@@sandyhenderson441 Right? Oh woe is me- is the only phrase I can think of for that one, doesn't sound fun, sorry my friend. 🎭🤣

[@bedrockbloke619]

one for sorrow, two for joy! I was led to believe that magpies mates for life, therefore, seeing a lone magpie meant that it's searching for its life partner! I love being a darkling. ❤

[@The-Resurrectionists]

🖤I've since found out that there are many wonderful names for a group of magpies-whether it's a 'conventicle,' 'mischief,' 'gulp', 'tidings,' or even a 'tribe.' Thank you for being part of our own little 'mischief' of darklings! 🕯

[@paulboucher806]

This rhyme has always been positive in content for me. Any dark connotations have come by virtue of my experience as a woodsman where the overwhelming prescence of magpies represented an ill omen because as members of the crow family they are nest robbers and depleted the smaller species leading to an influence in the ecologic composition

[@The-Resurrectionists]

That’s such an interesting perspective. 🖤 As a woodsman, you must have a very different relationship with magpies than most of us. It’s amazing how folklore and nature can intertwine! 🕯

[@melissapinol7279]

I'm a Folksinger, and there is a haunting tune to this rhyme. One time I sang it at an open mic, and a member of the audience burst in afterwards with a frantic chorus I hadn't heard of "I devil, devil, I defy thee". I did some research and yes, this sometimes is a chorus. I got the impression that yes, this is a magical divinatory song, and that the "devil, I defy thee" part was added on in case someone overheard and thought you were practicing magic by singing it. Weird.

[@karenchristinewise7833]

In a book that I read in early childhood, there was a counter charm. It was, One bird unlucky cleansed by two, The Dove in Heaven, Is the one that I choose. I once knew a very superstitious person who freaked out when seeing single magpies. I told them about this charm and they wrote it down. Also, the Irish Goddess of Death, Mor Righan/ Morrigan was symbolised by a Raven.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

What a fascinating counter charm! 🖤Thank you for sharing! :)

[@saddaddrummer]

One of the best versions of the Magpie song was on the TV show The Detectorists, sung by the UnThanks, the video for it is brilliant as well. Really loved this one L, thank you.

[@ajd8558]

Yes!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

It's a brilliant version of the song, isn’t it? The Unthanks have a way of bringing folklore hauntingly to life. I’m so glad you enjoyed this episode! 🖤 Hope you're well :)

[@saddaddrummer]

@@The-Resurrectionists Thank you L, we are good, and hope that you are feeling much better. I have always believed that there are only two types of music, good or bad, I only listen and play the good stuff.😊

[@patrickrose1221]

Red sky at night... "MY BARN'S ALIGHT"! 😆

[@jimmaule1388]

I am constantly amazed with the amount of research you do. Do you have access to a mythological research library? Being from the States my thoughts are Cambridge, Oxford and their Bodleian Libraries.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much for recognising the work that goes into my videos! 🖤 I take research very seriously and always seek out original publications rather than rely on second-hand sources. Thankfully, most libraries offer online resources now, which is incredibly handy if you don’t live nearby. Some even offer Skype-style sessions where a librarian, wearing gloves, will handle the older documents for you, and you can read the book via webcam. I’ve done this several times with some of the larger English libraries. It’s a fantastic way to access rare materials! 🕯📚

[@jamescaron6465]

“Have you ever considered the origins of nursery rhymes?” I do now….

[@Armantianne]

I had checked if you had something about this rhyme, and couldn't find one. So now, I am glad and grateful you published a video for it. ❤😊

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I’m so glad I could cover it at just the right time for you! 🖤 This rhyme has such a fascinating history, and I’m thrilled you enjoyed the video :)

[@Armantianne]

@@The-Resurrectionists I always enjoy your videos, this one particularly 🥰

[@LadyWolf6692]

I haven't heard this rhyme before and also didn't know the folklore behind magpies. I haven't seen a magpie since I was a child growing up in California (US based darkling). Has anyone else from the USA heard this rhyme? As usual, I really enjoyed the video and learned something new 😊

[@MelissaThompson432]

Yes, but with crows. Remember the band, Counting Crows? They named the band after the rhyme because it was supposed to be a thumb of the nose to superstious people. I don't think Adam Duritz was a very good communicator, honestly.... Mostly people thought he was a fan of the counting rhyme.

[@13_13k]

I'm from California also. I have heard this rhyme before because my mother always read to myself and my older siblings which made me into an avid reader to this day. We don't have magpies but we do have Mockingbirds which are very loud and very aggressive towards anything that gets near their nests. I would watch them attack my cat flying down and pecking at her as they squacked because she was a a kitten of a stray that lived under a building and the mother had been hit by a car and she was the only kitten who would come and get food left out for the litter and my dad grabbed her to bring home and we raised her as a pet and she was so sweet but she liked to hunt. And she would always bring "gifts" into the house, much to my mother's dismay. My mother who also grew up in Los Angeles had a mynah bird as a pet when she was a teen and it talked and whistled.

[@omiai]

There's also the version for sneezing (apologies if you mentioned this in the video, I've literally just started watching and immediately thought of this and wanted to put it down before I forgot: Ones a wish Two's a kiss Three's a disappointment Four's a letter Five is something even better. I always seem to sneeze three times in a row xD Edit: ah you did mention it, but it's slightly different from the one I know

[@The-Resurrectionists]

🖤 It’s fascinating how these little rhymes have so many variations-it’s lovely to hear yours!

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

Good stuff! "Hello Mr Magpie, how are you today, and how are Mrs Magpie and all your Magpie babies?" Current in Modern Suffolk.

[@LizilleLiz]

Your videos are so interesting. Thank you for the hard work. 😊 Did you do a video on the "bless you" after a sneeze?

[@brendasmart553]

Ring around the rosy...

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 I haven’t done a video specifically on ‘Bless you’ after sneezing… yet! But now you’ve got me thinking that could make for a very fun deep dive!

[@christabelleblue9901]

Be Less You

[@BerylForrest]

Years ago when I used to go to see the horses, I would hear this chirping and then noticed it more and more until I noticed a little magpie a few feet from me and she'd follow me around. Every time I went, there she was, she was so sweet i loved chatting with her. One day, she was missing 😢 I found her drowned in a dustbin 🗑 that collected the rain water off the stable roof, 😢 i was heartbroken, it still makes me cry when I remember.

[@user-gq3ip8kr5r]

😢

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I'm so sorry for your loss 🖤 Magpies are such special creatures. I can imagine how heart-breaking that must have been🕯

[@BerylForrest]

@The-Resurrectionists it was, it was her that sort me out to chat to & she followed me around. 🙏🌟🙌

[@JamieCurranthemagnificent-z7h]

Beautiful story, I'm sorry for your loss!😢

[@brendasmart553]

Loved this one!!! In fact, it might be my favorite! The irony of the religious creating a witchy themed ritual curse, to offset whats thought to be a witches curse, all the while despising & forbidding anything supposedly witch related???!!! Gotta love that, right? 😂🤣😂

[@speleokeir]

Religion doesn't tend to go in for logic or reason.🤔😀

[@brendasmart553]

@@speleokeir Agreed, tho they sure seem to enjoy more than their share of hypocrisy don't they?! 🤣

[@farpointgamingdirect]

​@brendasmart553 Anyone ever tell you that you can be an atheist without bashing religion?

[@brendasmart553]

@@farpointgamingdirect "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians." - Gandi Even in the Bible, Jesus addressed my point of all too common religious hypocrisy when he said, not to focus on the speck in another's eye, while ignoring the plank of wood in your own eye. There were no Christians in his time. Hypocrisy of religious followers has always been a common theme or hurdle if you will. I bash no religion as you imply that I have here. ✌️☯️🙏

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Yes, the irony is absolutely delicious, isn’t it? 🖤 A witchy curse to ward off witches! It shows how deeply superstition was embedded in everyday life, even when it was condemned! 🕯

[@bugsby4663]

In the Midlands we salute a single magpie with "morning general" whereas my wife who was from London saluted and said "give my regards to Mrs magpie".

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Love the regional differences in how we greet magpies! 🖤 Thank you for sharing!

[@iainmulholland2025]

😍 while walking down the street I heard lots of chitterlings, looking up I saw 14 magpies on the rooftop happily talking to each other. I love magpies.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

14 magpies! 🖤 That’s truly a sight to behold! I wonder what 14 birds would mean in divination terms?

[@iainmulholland2025]

A friend said, a parliament of magpies, although he does get things wrong sometimes. Divination wise I have no idea.

[@Jacob-W-5570]

I love how the UK/GB still holds on to their ancient cultural tales and such. I don't know any nursery rimes myths or legends like that from my own country, the netherlands.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! 🖤 The UK does have a rich tradition of keeping hold of these ancient tales and rhymes, but I’m sure the Netherlands has its own treasures too! Dutch folklore is full of fascinating myths-think of The Flying Dutchman, or the legend of Lady White (Witte Wieven). Maybe there’s a whole series of legends we could look into on this channel at some point :) ✨

[@auggiet8380]

I love magpies so much, they hold a very special place in my heart. We had a family of them that got to know us very well, and would occasionally venture into our mud room on days that we had the front door open when the weather was nice. I plan on eventually getting a tattoo of a magpie and a fox with a mountain background (I lived in the High Rockies for 12 years, it was a very formative and important part of my life). I no longer live in a place that has magpies, and I miss them.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

What a beautiful connection to magpies you have! 🖤 A tattoo of a magpie and a fox sounds incredible (I love foxes too!) Thank you for sharing with us :)

[@hebbyhope2094]

Another very interesting video, I didn't think there would be so many theories! Thank you L.❤❤❤❤

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 Theories and superstitions around magpies seem endless, which makes exploring them all the more fascinating. I’m so glad you found the video interesting! 🕯

[@heatherinparis]

This was interesting and reminded me of a "nursery rhyme" that I've always wondered re origins and possible meanings. Do you know anything about "one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go"?

[@Lisa-x3n5x]

Blue suede shoes?

[@The-Resurrectionists]

@@Lisa-x3n5x It was used in "Rock Around the Clock" as well; though it was a nursery rhyme first (recorded in the 1800s I believe) :)

[@The-Resurrectionists]

It likely originated as a counting rhyme used in children’s games or even vaudeville acts. I’ll have to look into the deeper origins for a future video! 🕯

[@andydavis8437]

Best video so far. Some fun facts: The magpie is the national bird of Korea; seeing a magpie is believed to bring luck Magpies are known for stealing shiny things and the ability to speak so it's no surprise they were thought to be other worldly. They are also attracted to charcoal and will carry embers to their nest which sometimes leads to wild fires. in most cultures they are bad omens

[@sapphirejade5029]

So fascinating!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you, I'm so happy to hear that! 🖤 Those are some fascinating facts-magpies really do seem to have one foot in the mystical world, don’t they? They certainly have a reputation!

[@joec.9591]

Counting crows, as it came to me as a child - 1 for sorrow 2 for joy 3 for a girl 4 for a boy 5 for longing 6 for dearth 7 for plenty 8 for a birth 9 for a funeral 10 for a wedding 11 for remembrance 12 for forgetting

[@peterburgess5974]

FYI "One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding and four for a birth, six for rich, and seven for poor, eight for a witch, and I can tell you no more." This is the rhyme I know from growing up in the Ribble Valley near Pendle and the trials of 1612. Ad altiora!

[@Robert-cr8bq]

Well! That was very interesting and quite coincidental. Last week, I heard for the first time the song Magpie sung by the Unthanks, and a lovely song it is too. Written by Davy Dobbs. It contains all you references to the 'Devil Devil I defy thee' and suggest in the words that it sung by witches. But no mention of spitting. As for myself, I alway greet a magpie with respect, and have found that the number I see at anytime of the day does portain wether my plans will be good or bad (I used I Ching, and Tarot cards, so I have leaning towards divination). Apart from this the magpie is my favourite bird on land, and love all corvids (even the rook). Thank you for this episode. ❤

[@The-Resurrectionists]

How wonderful to hear you mention Magpie by the Unthanks! It’s such a hauntingly beautiful song, perfect for capturing the mystery around these birds 🖤✨

[@Robert-cr8bq]

@The-Resurrectionists My pleasure. The song reflects the haunting beauty of these birds. Blessing for this Sabbat.

[@kimwilson3863]

Very interesting folklore. This could however be down to something much simpler. Country folk would know about the habits and life of magpies. They mate for life, so when one was seen it was sorrow for it may have lost it's mate. Two seen would be happy as it was a pair mates for life. Three for a girl bring the first blessing as the female bears the offspring continuing their line, four is a boy who will go off to have his own mate and diversify the species. Five for silver six for gold probably because these would have been shiny coins irresistible to magpies who love to collect and hoard shiny objects. Seven for a secret never to be told because unless you knew where they kept their hoard they would not tell you,it was secret. Sometimes these rhymes would be sung to children's games such as skipping and were nothing more than observations put into rhyme. It's amazing what you come up with when there's no books or tv lol. Love your videos. 👍🇬🇧

[@staceygallard7999]

I live in Pasadena , California and I never seen a magpie - I love your channel and the history involved in each nursery rhyme!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much for watching! 🖤 I’m so glad you’re enjoying the history in each nursery rhyme! 🕯📚

[@heatherconner1125]

I grew up with this rhyme being about crows. I assumed the odd numbers being relatively less good than the even numbers to be reflective of crows mating for life, so seeing an odd number meant something bad had happened.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

And don't forget Nanny Ogg's version....7 for the Devil, his own self.

[@Lisa-x3n5x]

I KNEW I'd read a version of it somewhere! Thankyou!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Ah, Nanny Ogg! 🖤Pratchett always had a way of taking the traditional and giving it his own mischievous twist!

[@sarahudson108]

My dad taught me it as a kid, in the UK as he watched a programme growing up called " Magpie" it was the theme tune .

[@AnnieNelson-m4j]

I've only recently found this channel, and am very happy I did! Years ago I dived into the origin of children's nursery rhymes. I never did get far, so this channel delights me!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Welcome to the channel, darkling! 🖤 I’m so glad you found us and are enjoying the dive into the origins of nursery rhymes. There’s so much more to uncover, and I hope the journey continues to delight you! 🕯📚

[@Carolakapiewacket]

I just love magpies 😊

[@FrancisHatton]

In Lancashire they would doff their Cap n wish all the best to u n y family.

[@ProfessorChaosKitty]

Aussie magpies can be trully frightening. They have longer beaks than the UK ones and will swoop passersby during nesting season in Spring. I always say hi when I walk past one, my thought process is hopefully they get to recognise me and know I'm not a threat. So far, the local maggies have left me alone, but that could just be luck

[@Lisa-x3n5x]

Perfect procedure. You're correct!

[@marathorne6821]

My mother always greets a magpie with "Good morning, Captain!"

[@kathiejones1236]

Me too.... Good morning/afternoon Captain, how's your wife? Whilst saluting of course!

[@lisafish1449]

I identify with magpies because I have "bright shiny object syndrome", just like the bird.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

🖤 I think many of us share that ‘bright shiny object syndrome’!

[@LewisLittle66]

"One for sorrow" makes sense from a naturalistic point of view. Magpies are very social birds, they live in pairs or groups. To see a magpie alone, often means that the bird is in some sort of trouble, either its group has driven it away or they have died, and that could indicate such hazards as potential disease or famine.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? 🖤It’s amazing how these natural behaviours feed into folklore and superstition! 🕯

[@ChavJag]

I always say ' Eye eye Mr Magpie i do not believe in superstition unless there is one with you'

[@MsStack42]

Such BEAUTIFUL birds.

[@hellofolks1762]

7for a wish never to be told

[@pamcullen537]

Amazing that this folklore has lasted to this day

[@The-Resurrectionists]

It really is amazing! 🖤 These old traditions and superstitions have a way of sticking with us through the centuries. 🕯

[@PaulSmith-zx2ru]

So as a child in Yorkshire the old folk said the rhyme had a meaning. Magpies mate for life so seeing one alone could mean it was a widow and in the old days you always doffed your cap to a widow as a sign of respect. The rest of the rhyme makes sense like this too because two for joy means the magpie has found a mate 3 for a girl etc is the family growing as magpies teach their young for a long time after fledgling because they are very clever and inquisitive.

[@monicacall7532]

As always I learn something new every time a new video comes out. Thanks!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I'm so glad you're learning something new with each video! 🖤 Thank you for watching and for your support. 🕯📚

[@norfener]

Anyone else remember coming home from school and watching the programme "Magpie" in the TV, which always started with a musical version of the poem. All my schoolmates preferred it to the stuffy, condescending, middle class BBC alternative "Blue Peter!"

[@lynzilancaster-xx9jf]

I have always, on seeing a lone magpie, said "Morning Mr Magpie, I salute you" and saluted the single magpie. It's what my Mum and Nanna always did. Really don't know how or when it originated from, might be a Lancashire and or Cumbria (Lake District U.K.) saying. Wish I'd asked while they were still here. Moral of my comment is don't leave it too late, as once they're gone, you can never ask. X

[@boreksz82-cf7ze]

The lady who runs this channel has the most beautiful voice, I imagine her as a Victorian beauty

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for such a lovely compliment! 🖤 :)

[@taffykins2745]

With all these fears, it's amazing they are not extinct!

[@brendasmart553]

If only, right?!! Religious right are soooo against humanity, they makes no good sense...

[@taffykins2745]

@@brendasmart553 humanity? What do you mean? This story is about superstition, not religion. 🤔

[@brendasmart553]

@@taffykins2745 Religion is very much included in this story! Who do you think were the fearful ones & putting the everyday women on trial as witches on trial & then burning them? ✌️

[@taffykins2745]

@@brendasmart553 Hahahaha! This story is about magpies and how many means what, not hanging witches! How many of these stories did you watch today? This is all superstition - lol! Religion never played into how many magpies... Come on, man!

[@brendasmart553]

@@taffykins2745 I appreciate your humor taffy, yet halfway thru, at 4:30 minute mark, begins the dark turn where in 16&17th century's, the religious's witch focus regarding the magpies I address, begins. I am rewatching from there now! 🧹

[@davidarundel6187]

They make excellent pets , who watch over their 'dopted' family , and giving chase to unfamiliar faces - only 2 people , we had to cage "whiskey" to 'protect' the visitor from their paranoia .

[@paulboucher806]

Lovely intake of breath at 6.50

[@WeLiveByTheSea]

The sneeze counting rhyme I learned as a child, and later taught my children. The version I know is: 1 for a wish 2 for a kiss 3 for a disappointment 4 for a letter 5 for something better Although it's not included in the rhyme I always commented that 6 or more is hay fever

[@DonP_is_lostagain]

Spoke the Raven to the Magpie....Nevermore.

[@TukikoTroy]

Good to see you sticking more to traditional illustrations.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! 🖤 I do my absolute best to source historical illustrations and traditional artworks to stay true to the stories' origins. I’m glad to hear you appreciate the effort! 🕯📚

[@richardhoward7503]

For me it's 'Good day Captain, best wishes to the family.'

[@noreenclark2568]

I got told seeing a single magpie to salute it i do this when i see just one, i never knew about the saying Good morning mr magpie etc. Once many years ago a magpie came up to my doorstep but didnt come inside i followed it but it just kept in front of me then flew away. They are sent by the spirit world in warning of bad news as i always had one chattering ouside my bedroom window and i got bad news afterwards. Thankfully i haven't heard them lately. Great to be told these stories i thank you for them ❤

[@upapaepops]

Great explanation. I was told as a child that magpies used to be very uncommon birds and so it would be rare get past Two for Joy. It would have been unusual to see seven of the birds together, hence the rhyme with it's increasing levels of predicted good luck as the numbers of birds increased.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

That’s a fascinating bit of history! 🖤 Thank you for adding this insight! 🕯

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

My Lady of the darklings. I, for one, enjoy the Magpie because of their beautiful color or colour. It's interesting that in medieval times, different birds ment different things. The native American Indian believed that eagles were Devine messengers between humans and God. They carried the prayers of the people on their feathers to heaven. The raven were the birds associated with Oden and Norse mythology. The raven and crow are associated with death and dark magic. I believe that this rhyme, as you have so wonderfully indicated, was righteous because of so much superstition during times when things that were not understood or could not be explained were blamed on witchcraft or dark magic, or Diablo himself. And since these birds are so intelligent their actions could be mistakenly taken for human actions. Thus rendering them the targets of much persecution and fear. Poor birds. They only were having fun. Edgar Allen Pole's "The Raven" is a good example of 19th century fascination of these birds and death.

[@andydavis8437]

Romans saw Eagles as a bad omen, Owls as messengers of death. Ancient Greece they were wisdom, in Africa they are demons. in Japan Magic.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

What a beautiful reflection on birds and their meanings across cultures! 🖤 Thank you for sharing! And thank you for being here, I really appreciate your support :)

[@peggywalker4081]

I loved it! As always I am left more educated and well entertained. Thank you! 💙

[@BritishBeachcomber]

In the rural Southwest, we believe that magpies are lucky. Whenever you see a single magpie you say "Hello Mr Magpie, how's your wife and kids?" It prevents bad luck.

[@nixswatson]

Excellent! I did not know there were that many different versions....

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤

[@ActuallyDoubleGuitars]

I never knew the full rhyme and changed the first two sentences to be something positive. When I see magpies, I say "One for Joy, two for Joy Joy."

[@johnbower7452]

To her dying day my sister hated seeing a single magpie; she was superstitious like that. She would actually start looking for a 2nd one, though I told her it didn't work like that.

[@djrichylaurence8991]

Well this was far more interesting than I thought it would be.

[@BobChancer]

I tought that rhyme to my daughters, i also taught them to great magpies and say good day to them.....

[@The-Resurrectionists]

That’s a wonderful tradition to pass down! 🖤 There’s something so charming about teaching respect for these creatures, greeting them like old friends. I love hearing these little rituals! 🕯

[@bekkakay8573]

Thanks. I’m so glad to have learned truths beyond these superstitions. It just makes me wonder what people hundreds of years into the future will think of the beliefs we hold now.😅

[@doodles3075]

I have a young magpie that visits my garden every day. I aways say good morning and ask him how he is😊

[@krisindaboyce2747]

My first time hearing this one. The origins are surprising .

[@peterdickens2832]

I still salute the first magpie I see each day

[@TorvusVae]

I have never heard this rhyme before. Maybe explains why I love crows, nobody ever taught me to fear them

[@The-Resurrectionists]

It’s wonderful to hear that you weren’t taught to fear crows/magpies! 🖤 These birds are intelligent and mystical creatures, often misunderstood. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@ChelleLlewes]

This is a new one for me. Magpies are not found where I live, so I've never heard this rhyme. Oddly enough, it's the third mention of magpies I've seen in one week -- I just finished watching Magpie Murders...and I had to look up the word, "conventicle," in a different context.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Oh, I’m so glad you mentioned Magpie Murders! 🖤 I’m a huge fan-I’ve read the book (and it's sequel!) and thought the TV adaptation was fantastic. It’s funny how magpies seem to be fluttering into your life lately! Thank you for watching and for sharing your thoughts. 🕯📚

[@ashleymckeever4752]

I hadn’t thought of this one in years, until earlier in the week I ran across a short/ reel either here or on fb of this rhyme. One of those one person arguing both sides of the issue. The guy on there went all the way to 20 which was definitely interesting since I don’t think I had ever heard past 7. Now I want to find out how far the counting goes. Lol. Love these videos they’re amazing! Ok I actually found the short it was posted by a musician/actor by the name William Moore here on youtube. The higher the number the creepier it gets.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

How fascinating to hear the rhyme all the way to 20! I'll be sure to check it out! 🖤 Thank you for sharing that, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos! 🕯

[@ashleymckeever4752]

@@The-Resurrectionists I love folklore and mythology. I’m not as obsessed as I was in school but it’s fascinating to learn more about the things from my childhood that I never really thought about as part of those subjects. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

[@billybovril8992]

My family always used to say 'good morning Mr magpie'. Then spat on the floor... Never knew why.

[@phillwainewright4221]

Round here, if a magpie is spotted, we salute it and say "Good morning, General."

[@morriganwitch]

Excellent thank you xxx

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 I’m glad you enjoyed it-your support means the world! 🕯

[@ScowlingWolf]

thank you🍒

[@The-Resurrectionists]

You’re very welcome! 🖤 So glad you enjoyed it!

[@mickmacgonigle5021]

The modern world is cleaning up old stories ..its nothing short of appaling

[@MacCionnaith]

Ive been conditioned by my mum from childhood to count the magies when I see them. ..And if I saw one i have to say hello "Mr. Magpie"three times im middle aged now and still find myself doing it out of habit

[@My2up2downCastle]

We used to say one for sadness, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth...

[@OceanSkyDragon]

All your videos are lovely, this one especially.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed this one! :)

[@andreasrensen6465]

On seeing a single magpie, in Yorkshire, we were told to spit, then cross our fingers, and say “Good morning, Mr Magpie. How’s your wife and children.” Although I don’t spit any more, I still have to do the rest!🤣🤣🤣 We also had a different ending to the rhyme - “eight’s a wish, and nine a kiss, ten is a chance you must not miss.”

[@mauricebate5069]

When I have was a child if you saw 1 magpie you had to spit 🤔 but even today I always count magpie out superstition and I'm in my 70s but I don't spit now 😂 but your stories aren alway thought provoking as usual so a massive thank you for all the hard work you put into your video MORE please

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 It’s fascinating how the magpie traditions like spitting have lasted so long! I’m glad you find the stories thought-provoking, and I’ll keep bringing you more! 🖤 :)

[@creepingdread88]

I still don't leave anything shiny in my window. When I was a kid, my neighbour had an earring stolen by a magpie, from her open window while she was in the room. They used to take the foil lids from the milk bottles too, but most birds used to peck a hole in the lid to try and drink the cream from the top, not take the whole lid. I used to poke a hole in the lid and drink the cream too, then tell my Mum the birds have been at the milk again. hehehe I owned up to it recently, but she didn't believe me, she still blames the birds, even though robins, tits, sparrows etc, don't have beaks long enough to drink that much milk!

[@hellofolks1762]

the magy is a one bird if the mate dies then it will live its life alone

[@speleokeir]

The same with ravens. Both mate for life.

[@norkieuppercrusty1]

I always thought it was because they pair for life and if you see a solitary magpie then it was full of sorrow for not having or losing a partner

[@Sam-zu5mr]

Being from Wales myself. It is not what I have learnt. One for sorrow means a magpie has no mate. Two for joy means they are partnered. 3 for a girl means they have produced one female offspring and 4 for a boy means they have a girl and boy offspring. As it is, I have 3 Magpies that live in a tree at the top of my garden. There was four last year, but It clearly grew up and moved on. The bigger male magpie always comes to the bottom of my garden path, where he stands there squawking until bird food gets taken out for him and his family. Then they all fly down to eat. In my garden this year was put a fountain bird bath and the magpies love to fly down drink the water or even bath in it. Iv even spotted bits of wet bread in the fountain- to my amusement😂. These birds have so much personality, I can see why such stories and fables are made up about them. A stand out unusual bird species.

[@Mulletmanalive]

One thing you’ve interpreted differently to how I would is the church’s relationship to witches and folk/ground religion. Simply put, after maybe the 12th century, the church just thought it was childish flailing. They assumed that false idols, which everything not of them was equated to, had no power. That said, they still opposed anything that could be viewed as a sacrifice or graven idol because of the commandments. There was a sudden shift when the maleus maleficarum was published (with its “if you claim there are no witches, you are one” logic no one was apparently able to deflect at the time) and Christendom was suddenly informed that apparently witches are a thing and you can be burned or hung for talking to one. Obviously there was panic and paranoia. Small difference, but it’s an important one.

[@lindarichards2218]

Thanks! Really enjoyed this one. Love magpies, always salute them. I feed two of them and a crow in my garden and either the crow or one of the magpies leaves me little piles of stone now and then 😁 Loved the episode can't wait for the next. Will you be doing anything for Halloween 🎃?

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! 🖤 It’s wonderful to hear about the connection you have with your garden magpies and crow! I love the little stones they leave for you-it’s like their way of saying thank you :) And yes, I do have something special planned for Halloween-stay tuned! 🕯🎃

[@leonfairhurst7597]

You haven't added that the colouring of the Magpie's plumage was that chosen by the Dominican order of monks, an incredibly powerful force in the medieval world

[@williamnethercott4364]

I heard about the sneezing version before the magpie version.