Mother Carey's Chickens

Mother Carey's Chickens is a phrase I learned today from a dear friend. Tony is a long-retired Royal Navy officer and apparently these words are (or at least were) much used by mariners. They refer to storm petrels, which are small birds - a little larger than a sparrow - common in the world's oceans, migrating to warmer climes in the southern/northern winters. There are 24 species of storm petrel.

Mother Carey is supposed to have been some kind of supernatural figure, definitely of a seafaring ilk. Here's John Masefield's take on her:

She's the mother o' the wrecks, 'n' the mother

Of all big winds as blows;

She's up to some deviltry or other

When it storms, or sleets, or snows;

The noise of the wind's her screamin',

'I'm arter a plump, young, fine,

Brass-buttoned, beefy-ribbed young seam'n

So as me 'n' my mate kin dine.'

This painting by the late 19th century Dutch bird illustrator Johannes Gerardus Keulemans.

Philip Carteret, Commander of his Majesty’s Sloop the Swallow noted this in his diary of 18 April 1767:

we saw also a great many pintado birds, of nearly the same size, which are prettily spotted with black and white, and constantly on the wing, though they frequently appear as if they were walking upon the water, like the peterels, to which sailors have given the name of Mother Carey’s chickens

Mr Wiki tells me that "Storm Petrels' presence in rough weather at sea has led to various mariners' superstitions, and by analogy, to its use as a symbol by revolutionary and anarchist groups."

Not sure that this, by the band Alive 'N Kickin', is either of those. However, Stormy Petrel (formerly known as Virus) is the Anarchist Communist Group’s theoretical journal. Whatever a theoretical journal is. The latest issue claims to be a "bumper 60 pages of revolutionary anarchist communist thought and ideas". It contains the following: 

• Building Resilient Communities: The Challenges of Organising Locally
• Community Activism in South Essex
• Mutual Aid during the Pandemic
• Charity or Solidarity?
• Covid Mutual Aid: A Revolutionary Critique
• ACORN – no mighty oak!
• Anarchist Communists, anti-fascism and Anti-Fascism
• Women: Working and Organising
• What is Anarchist Communism? (excerpt from Brian Morris’s forthcoming book)
• Poll Tax Rebellion – Danny Burns
• Book Reviews – Putting the poll tax rebellion in perspective
• We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-War Britain
• Class Power on Zero Hours
• McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality

Frankly that doesn't sound very anarchic to me but each to their own. I couldn't find out how many members they have but I declined to join their mailing list. Dunno why I'm publicising them really. It's as long way from John Masefield.