Day 21 Raven Story
Today is Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The shortest day and the longest night. We keep the fires in the icicle lanterns burning through the night.
These long lights were the birth of storytelling. Long before I could tap a button and publish a page, people gathered in the firelight to exchange stories. Every culture on earth has their fireside stories. How we make sense of the world is contained in that heritage.
The Raven Story is a Creation Story. A transformation story. "Transformation stories require a really good storyteller." In the 1990s the TV show Northern Exposure featured the Raven Story as part of its Solstice celebration. I think watching this episode is a fantastic way to celebrate this season.
From Northern Exposure, Marilyn Whirlwind explains the Raven Story: A long time ago, the raven looked down from the sky and saw that the people of the world were living in darkness. The ball of light was kept hidden by a selfish, old chief. So, the raven turned himself into a spruce needle and floated on the river where the chief's daughter came for water. She drank the spruce needle. She became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, which was the raven in disguise. The baby cried and cried until the chief gave him the ball of light to play with. As soon as he had the light, the raven turned back into himself and carried the light into the sky. From then on, we no longer lived in darkness.
I mentioned earlier that I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. The small town where I went to elementary school had a totem pole outside the firestation and library. We were taught stories of the people native to those coastal areas. We visited longhouses and saw the dugout canoes. I love this culture. My Raven Story is set in the American Southwest, a place I also love for its beauty.
I've included multiple resources from other storytellers here. Please read or watch!
Northern Exposure, Seoul Mates
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