� 2001-2006 by Shiloh
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Last entry was spur of the moment quiz impulses, so I wanted to do a second real entry. I've mentioned Pandora's Box, the computer game I love to play, several times before. And I think I've explained the objective and background of the game before too, but I'll do it again to briefly introduce my topic.
Pandora's Box, of course, is based on its Greek myth namesake. Like from the box in the myth tricksters, seven in the case of my game, have been let loose around the world to wreak chaos and mayhem on Earth and in Heaven. Maui, Puck, Eris, Coyote, Monkey, Anansi the Spider and Raven. Each trickster is a level in the game, and the object is to solve 10 puzzles of different varieties in five cities each. In each city there is a piece of the box, which the spirits took when they escaped. You must find them, and as you do, the story of their trick is unfolded. Then, to capture the trickster and put him or her back in the box you must complete his or her challenge. (It's quite engrossing and addicting. Even the puzzles are interesting as they are photos or pieces of art from museums around the world.)
A few days ago I made it (by the bare thread of my patience) to Level Seven--Raven. His story is one I've heard before in Native American mythology and find amusing. So, I thought I'd share it with you. (I'm in a folk lore mood, folks, so beware! LOL.) But I'm going to go one step further. I remembered the raven is the favorite bird of the webmistress of Soul Food Cafe and has held certain portents or meanings in stories, such as Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. My curiosity piqued, I decided to look into the raven's symbolism, and what I found is quite interesting.
From the Vikings to the Celts to Native America, the raven plays an important part in mythology. I always thought it was a scavenger of trinkets, a loud, annoying nuisance of a bird with no real purpose. Happily, I was wrong. I now know why the raven holds fascination for some people and why it's a portent for them. A good portent.
The raven symbolizes knowledge. Knowledge is important and is often times likened to the gem(?) of the sea, the pearl. Pearls of Wisdom. We are told not to "...cast our Pearls before swine..." Anyways, I'm going off on tangents here, sorry. As knowledge is precious to many of us and catches our eye, so would a pearl be to a raven. We collect tidbits of knowledge as a raven collects bright and sparkly objects.
The raven also symbolizes good guidance. The Vikings would carry these birds aboard and when they were unsure of their proximity to land, they would release the ravens. If they came back to the longship, the sailors knew they were far from land. However, if the birds failed to return then the Vikings knew land was very near. For the Celts, the raven was a guide that, if it landed on the fallen body of a comrade, led that warrior's soul to Heaven. For some Native American tribes he (Raven) is a trickster, a god...albeit one working in their favor.
The story I wish to share with you is, I believe, the Tlingit version (Pacific Northwest Indian tribe).
Raven, a crafty trickster, thought it was high time the Sun was shared with everybody. He knew the Sky Chief's daughter went down to the river for a drink and some water every evening and formulated a plan. The next night, as usual, she walked down to the river and knelt to fill her vessel with water. Raven was ready. He'd hid himself up in a nearby tree, having changed himself into a pine needle. As the daughter filled her pot for a second time for a drink, Raven let himself fall into the pot as she lifted it. Because it was dark, the daughter didn't see the pine needle, and because it was small she did not feel the pine needle slide down her throat.
There inside her belly, Raven grew until nine months later she gave birth to a fine baby boy. As the baby, Raven cried loudly and almost nonstop, until one day his grandfather, the old Sky Chief, in desperation for peace took down the Sun's bag from his wall and showed it to his delighted grandson.
"Careful with this," he told the crafty Raven in disguise, "Don't ever take it outside or show it to anybody else."
The baby soon grew into a fine, strong child, who was smarter than his mother or grandfather knew. One day, Raven knew the time had come for him to take the Sun to the People. He waited till his grandfather and mother were sleeping later that night before he took the bag down from the wall and removed the Sun. Once outside Raven changed back into a bird and flew off. But Eagle saw him and alerted the Sky Chief, who ordered him to give chase. Eagle did, but even with the Sun in his beak, Raven was faster.
Now, in the light of the Sun, it was seen that Raven's feathers were white, but the farther he flew the more covered in soot he became from the Sun's fire. Once he reached the safety of his island and released the Sun into the heavens, he was completely black.
That is how Raven stole the Sun and gave it the People. And to this day his feathers have remained black forevermore.
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