NELSON] RAVEN CREATION MYTH 461 



The people on earth were very much frightened when the sun was 

 taken away, and tried to get it back by offering Raven rich presents of 

 food and furs, but without effect. After many trials the people propiti 

 ated Raven so that he let them have the light for a short time. Then 

 he would hold up the sun in one hand for two days at a time, so that 

 the people could hunt and get food, after which it would be taken away 

 and all would become dark. After this a long time would pass and it 

 required many offerings before he would let them have light again. 

 This was repeated many times. 



Raven had living in this village an older brother who began to feel 

 sorry for the earth people and to think of means by which he could 

 get the sun and return it to its place. After he had thought a long 

 time he pretended to die, and was put away in a grave box, as was 

 customary. As soon as the mourners left his grave he arose and went 

 out a short distance from the village, where he hid his raven mask and 

 coat in a tree; then he went to the spring where the villagers got their 

 water, and waited. In a short time his brother s wife came for water, 

 and after she had filled her bucket she took up a ladle full of water to 

 drink. As she drank, Raven s brother, by a magic spell, changed him 

 self into a small leaf, falling into the ladle, and was swallowed with 

 the water. The woman coughed and then hastened home, where she 

 told her husband that she had swallowed some strange thing while 

 drinking at the spring, to which he paid little attention, saying it was 

 probably a small leaf. 



Immediately after this the woman became with child, and in a few 

 days gave birth to a boy, who was very lively and crept about at 

 once and in a few days was running about. He cried continually for 

 the sun, and, as the father was very fond of him, he frequently \et the 

 child have it for a plaything, but was always careful to take it back 

 again. As soon as the boy began to play out of doors he cried and 

 begged for the sun more than ever. After refusing for a long time, his 

 father let him take the sun again and the boy played with it in the 

 house, and then, when no one was looking, he carried it outside, ran 

 quickly to the tree, put on his raven mask and coat, and flew far away 

 with it. When he was far up from the sky he heard his father crying 

 out to him, &quot;Do not hide the sun. Let it out of the bag to make some 

 light. Do not keep it always dark.&quot; For he feared his son had stolen 

 it to keep it for himself. 



Then Raven went home and the Raven boy flew on to the place where 

 the sun belonged. There he tore off the skin covering and put the sun 

 in its place again. From this place he saw a broad path leading far 

 away, which he followed. It led him to the side of a hole surrounded 

 by short grass glowing with light, some of which he plucked. He 

 remembered that his father had called to him not to keep it always 

 dark, but to make it partly dark and partly light. Thinking of this, he 

 caused the sky to revolve, so that it moved around the earth, carrying 

 the sun and stars with it, thus making day and night. 



