Raven Steals the Light

A Tinglet Tale

Raven has always had a love of shiny things. Often it gets him into trouble, but there was a time when Raven's passion for all things bright brought joy to the world.

Long ago, the world was in darkness. Not a spark was to be seen, and all the creatures of the world moved without light. In the darkness, Raven flew, though not as he flies today; he flew carefully, straining to see. And then, bang! He flew into a cedar tree.
"Ga," Raven said, shaking his head, " How can I fly without light? How can I tell if a girl is pretty or not? I need some light for that!"  So Raven flew high, high into the air, and looked down on a world of darkness. But there, far off to the east, was a spark. And Raven flew towards it.
At the head of the Nass river he found a lodge standing, and a bright glow coming from within."Ga!" said Raven, "I must get inside!"
So Raven perched and thought. He had learned that the man of this lodge was Grey Eagle; a selfish, cruel man. Raven would get no welcome at the door as a visitor. But he had to get that light!
Just then, Grey Eagle's daughter came out of the lodge to take water from the river. And Raven became a pine needle, and slipped into the girl's pitcher, then into her cup, then into her.

Nine months later, a baby was born to Grey Eagle's daughter, bright of eye and raven-haired. As soon as the baby could, he began to crawl towards the light.
"No," said his mother, "That is fire. You will burn yourself." But the baby only laughed. "Fire!"

Soon Ravenchild noticed carved cedar boxes, ma, on the walls, and he reached  for them. When he could not touch them, he began to cry. And Grey Eagle, hard as he was, softened. "Give the child what he wants." he said, "Let him play with the ma of the moon."
So Ravenchild was handed the ma, and laughed with joy. He played with it for a time, rolling the bright moon round and round. And then, he rolled it out the door, and it sprang away into the sky.

Soon Ravenchild began to cry again. "Give him what he wants," said Grey Eagle, "Give him the ma of the sun. But first, close the door."
And Ravenchild gurgled and held his new toy in his hands. Then, when no one was watching, he threw it high into the air, and the sun floated out the smoke hole.
Grey Eagle frowned, and made to slap the child. And that was when Raven spread his wings. He snatched up a brand of the fire in his beak, and escaped out the smoke hole, trailing fire in his wake. He flew back to the people, though much of the fire fell to the ground and soaked into the stones. Even today, if you hit the right stones together sparks will fall from them.
And so light and fire came into the world.