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 graye 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. Ina 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 let 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 thé 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, ‘Do not hide the sun. Let it out of the bag to make some 
light. Do not keep it always dark.” 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 thatit moved around the earth, carrying 
the sun and stars with it, thus making day and night. 
