Amidst the ongoing fear that the Covid-19 pandemic has instilled in the hearts of people all across the globe, England has woken up to another added concern to their mountain of dilemmas. 

An old 17th century prophecy might be on the verge of becoming a reality, reports The New York Times.

The myth that first started making its way around during King Charles II reign prophecies that if the ravens were to leave the Tower of London, the building and the kingdom itself would collapse.

The recent disappearance of the queen raven, Merlina, has been classified as M.I.A. 

According to the tower's ravenmaster, it isn't out of the ordinary for Merlina to leave the tower but he also stated that she always made her way back. 

"Free-spirited raven that has been known to leave the tower precincts on many occasions but I'm her buddy, and so she normally comes back to us, but this time she didn't. So, I fear that she is not with us anymore" he told BBC in an interview. 

To confirm what the ravenmaster, Christopher Skaife, had said, the custodians of the Tower of London released a statement declaring that "continued absence indicates to us that she may have sadly passed away."

But to those who follow and believe in such myths, there is still some hope left that all might still be alright. As it would seem, the prophecy will only come true if the number of ravens kept in the Tower fall below the number of six. 

Fortunately, even with the sudden disappearance of their Queen Merlina, the Tower of London still has six— Jubilee, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Harris and Poppy. 

In order to keep the old myth from becoming a reality, "an heir and a spare" rule has been set in place. 

With a sign of relief, it is safe to say that the centuries old kingdom is still standing strong but with the tribulations of Brexit, the wary bonds that are keeping the nation united and with the added weight of the pandemic, the real question is— for how long?