January: Raven

As January is the Month of Beginning, I'll begin with the stories of Raven, who knows beginnings and endings. Whether you call him Grandfather Raven, Owner of the Sun, Brother Crow, Old Blacky or  just Trouble, Raven is there in the folklore of the Northeast and the Midwest. Both profound spirit and playful trickster, Raven is one of the greatest forces for creation in American folklore. This first story is from the Hadia tribe of the Northeast coast.

Raven  Begets the World

In the Beginning was Darkness. Then Raven spoke, and the world came into being. But how did He find the Word? That is the story.
Long, long ago, all was darkness, darkness and water. Nothing stirred. Then there was Raven, born from Darkness. Weak and small, Raven began to look about him. He floated on the water, watching, listening. Hearing nothing, Raven began to call out, 'Ga! Ga!'
No answer.
"Am I alone?" Raven asked Himself in His heart.
No answer.
"Then I shall make my own company."
And Raven brought his wings together: boom. And again: boom. Over and over, rhythmic as a heart. So Raven drummed. He drummed for ages, until the drumming was not enough. Then Raven opened his beak, and added his voice: Ga! Boom. Ga! Boom. Raven drummed and sang, for ages. In the sound and the silence, in the drum beat and the darkness, Raven heard a word in his heart. And so Raven opened his beak, and spoke. The Word shook the darkness, shook it to its foundations. The Word dislodged a single stone, which came floating to Raven. So Raven picked up the stone, and took off. He flew on for ages, and the stone grew heavier and heavier. Soon, the stone had become a burden. So Raven set it down in Darkness, and perched upon it.

"This perch could be more comfortable if it was larger." Raven said to Himself. And He spoke the Word. The stone expanded, larger and larger, on and on. The water came pouring in over the land, covering nearly every inch of it. Raven perched, and rested. And the world was made.