In
the beginning the world was in total darkness.
The
Raven, who had existed from the beginning of time, was tired of groping about
and bumping into things in the dark.
Eventually
the Raven came upon the home of an old man who lived alone with his daughter.
Through his slyness, the Raven learned that the old man had a great treasure.
This was all the light in the universe, contained in a tiny box concealed within
many boxes.
At
once the Raven vowed to steal the light.
He
thought and thought, and finally came up with a plan. He waited until the old
man's daughter came to the river to gather water. Then the Raven changed himself
into a single hemlock needle and dropped himself into the river, just as the
girl was dipping her water-basket into the river.
As
she drank from the basket, she swallowed the needle. It slipped and slithered
down into her warm belly, where the Raven transformed himself again, this time
into a tiny human. After sleeping and growing there for a very long time, at
last the Raven emerged into the world once more, this time as a human infant.
Even
though he had a rather strange appearance, the Raven's grandfather loved him.
But the old man threatened dire punishment if he ever touched the precious
treasure box. Nonetheless the Ravenchild begged and begged to be allowed to hold
the light just for a moment.
In
time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm and glowing sphere,
which he threw to his grandson.
As
the light was moving toward him, the human child transformed into a gigantic
black shadowy bird-form, wings spread ready for flight, and beak open in
anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him, the Raven captured it
in his beak!
Moving
his powerful wings, he burst through the smokehole in the roof of the house, and
escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure.
And that is how light came into the universe.