The Raven Steals the Light

The Raven Steals the Light is a collection of stories by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst.  There are ten stories all about ravens.  I have never really read raven myths before, but I found them to be pretty interesting.  Ravens and crows are generally seen as pests in our society.  They are a little scary looking and loud.  They have also been known to kill weak lambs on farms.  In mythology they are often seen as “harbingers of doom or death, because of their dark plumage, unnerving calls, and tendency to eat carrion.” (wikipedia) However, they are often portrayed as quite intelligent.  They calls and communication has not been very thoroughly studied, but when they are, is bound to lead to some interesting finds.  Another aspect of the stories that I found interesting was the transformations that crows are able to do.  Transformation seems to be a common idea in old children’s stories. 

Bill Reid was born in 1920 in Victoria British Columbia.  He studied jewelry making and developed an interest in Haida sculpture while in Toronto.  He was half First Nation Indian, a status he claimed later in life when Canadian law allowed him to.  He created many beautiful sculptures and his work can be seen on a 20 dollar note in Canada.  Reid died of Parkinson’s disease in 1998.