The Legend(s) of Raven

Who is Raven?Raven has been referred to as the “Master of life.” In mythology form the Northwest Coast of the U.S.A, Raven is honored as a hero and a transformer of the world. He is said to have bought about the light in the world, helped to create the land, brought humans the first berries and salmon, and discovered the first human babies within a clamshell. Nevertheless, he is also a trickster. He often goes into selfish and mischievous situations in order to collect new foods, deceiving others in the process.

Raven is used to help explain the unfolding of the natural world, as well as conveying stories of how certain behaviors can be either negative or positive.

Where is Raven?Raven is depicted in much art and in many written and oral

stories, especially on the Northwest coast of the U.S.

What States are What States are highlighted?highlighted?

Washington

Oregon

California

Alaska

 How Raven Brought Light to the

World"At that time the whole world was dark. Inky, pitchy, all-consuming dark, blacker than a thousand stormy winter midnights, blacker than anything anywhere has been since.""The reason for all this blackness has to do with the old man in the house by the river, who had a box which contained a box which contained a box which contained an infinite number of boxes each nestled in a box slightly larger than itself until finally there was a box so small all it could contain was all the light in the universe."

In the story, the old man hides the light because he's afraid to see whether or not his daughter is ugly. In a ploy to steal the light, Raven shrinks himself to become a hemlock needle in a basket of drinking water so that the daughter swallows him. Soon Raven is reborn from her as a raven/human child.

The old man accepts him as a grandson, and soon Raven begins begging that he open the boxes, one after another, each time pleading and crying until the old man yields.

When the old man finally opens the box containing the light, Raven grabs it and flies out of the house---causing light to spread throughout the world and revealing that the old man's daughter is as beautiful as the fronds of a hemlock tree.

As Raven flies away, Eagle sees him and tries to steal the light, causing Raven to drop some of it, which becomes the Moon and the stars.

How else has Raven been depicted?

The Many

Faces of The Raven

The Many Appearances of Raven: Raven and the World

Raven does not only appear in Native American Stories and Folklore. Here are some other region in the world who have had Raven as a central character.

Nordic and Viking Legend

Nordic and Viking Mythology

The Vikings are known for having many birds in their tales, histories, and mythologies. Many Viking flags included the Raven on it, and the way these flags moved was said to indicate if a battle was going to be won or lost.

In Nordic mythology, the head god Odin (who was the Nordic version on the Greek god Zeus) is often depicted as being accompanied by 2 ravens. These two ravens were said to be Odin’s eyes and ears, and they are named Huginn and Muninn.

The Raven is has been associated with warfare in Celtic folklore, with Ravens appearing near battles being taken as a sign of what was to come. The Raven is also associated with gods: the welsh god, Lugh,

who is the god of sun and the creator of art and science, is associated with the bird because his name translates to Raven.

In England, Ravens were associated directly with death, because Ravens often appeared on battle fields or around places of execution.

Celtic and British Mythology

The Ravens in the TowerOne of these places of execution in England is the Tower of London. Legend says that if there are no Ravens on the Tower grounds, then the kingdom of England will fall. For this reason, Kings and Queens of England over the last few hundred years have made sure that ravens are always at the castle. To this day, specially trained ravens are kept by the Tower’s guards (yeoman), keeping the legend of the raven alive

Click the Raven to find out more!

Is the legend true?...

Is the Legend True?There was one event where the ravens did flee from the tower. Following the Blitz (continuous bombing of London by the Germans) in WWII, all but two of the ravens died of shock from the bombings. After the war ended, one of the remaining ravens, Mabel, fled from the tower never to be seen again. Just a few weeks later, Mabel’s mate Gabe flew away to find her, leaving the tower

without any Ravens. This event coincided with the British Empire being dismantled in 1946; many believed supported the myth carried by the ravens

of the tower.