Raven Light Saver

This is a folk story from the North western Canadian indigenous people that tells about darkness and light. They call it The Raven that Steals the Light. (but I think it was the old man)

All the light in the world has been hidden by an old man so there is only darkness. (Think of winter in the polar north). Then one day a raven decides to trick the old man into letting the light out. (he has hidden it in a box inside a box inside a box inside a box…) The raven has a whole long plan to get the man to set the light free. The reason the man has hidden the light is because he has a fear of seeing something he has never seen. What if his daughter is or isn’t beautiful?

I liked this story for all the metaphors. Who hasn’t tried to stay in the dark about a subject? Who hasn’t been afraid of something coming to light? At the same time light is so important and nessesary. Seeing the truth IS better in the long run. I love that the old man had to be tricked out of his denial by a savy raven and when he was, the whole world benifitted.

You probably guessed that this is a solstice story. One of those fables that explains why there is datkness during the long winter months in the north. A tell around the fire sort of tale about a fictional clever raven, an overly fearful man, his daughter and everyone human and animal forced to live in the darkness.

I painted this because I like the story. I like the solstice, I appreciate the sentiment of telling a story about fear of the light to take the fear out of the darkness.