Locals say a mason once hid a stone with a raven's beak behind the hearth for luck; the beak was chipped off during a riot but the tavern kept surviving. Superstitious patrons leave small coins for luck beneath the bar. There's an old rhyme: 'When rooks cry at the ram's late bell, trouble rides where ruffians dwell' — often muttered when gangs pass through town. Some travelers claim the tavern sits on the crossing of two ley-lines, which explains why brawls escalate faster and strange luck favors desperate gambles.