Thursday, October 05, 2006

Why I Love Ravens or Ode To The Raven


These magnificent ebony birds of your who have been known to croak nevermore. Mr Edgar Allen Poe wrote the famous poem "The Raven" (I paraphrase)
This lonely sad guy was sitting up late pineing for his lost Lenore when the Raven comes rapping, tap, tapping at his chamber door. He opens the door and the Raven dances in and sits on his bust of the Greek God Phallas (the Greek God of wisdom). He askes the Raven did you bring me a message from Lenore and the Raven quoth nevermore. He askes are you a prophet or devil? The Raven just quoths nevermore. Well this just totally freaked the guy out. Ravens like doing things like that.

Some old legends say the Raven created the world. The Hiatta natives have a legend that goes like this: In my words -
Raven was like this high strung ADHD kid always getting into mischief. The Raven got the idea that he would like to create a world. So with his bird feet he tried to make a ball out of mud and other stuff, it kept coming apart. Finally it sort of stayed together and Raven said AW to hell with it and that's the way it stayed. Later the Raven decided to steal tlhe light away from the sky people for his world. So he flew to the sky temple and spied on the sky chiefs daughter while she was bathing. The clever Raven turned himself into a tiny seed and dropped into her drinking water. She grew a big belly and 9 months later gave birth to a peculiar looking child. Nonetheless grandpa the Sky Chief loved and spoiled his grandson he gave into his every whim. One day the child threw a real doozy of a fit nothing grandpa gave him would shut him up. He only wanted to play with the magnificent box where the light was kept. Grandpa finally gave in and gave him the box to play with but as soon as the child had the light he turned back into a Raven and flew away with the ball of light laughing and cawing. The Sky Chief was yelling hey you shitting bird bring back our light! Raven sat the light in the sky and said "Hey this makes the world look pretty good".

I was mounting my new metal raven art I bought from
  • Cindy Shake Design Girdwood Alaska
  • on my sign post for decoration when I felt this fearful feeling on the back of my neck. Then I noticed several Ravens circling me I really don't think they liked the fake Raven.
    Another time I watched a couple of Ravens playing on the wind, they flew straight up and then just fell then went into a barrel roll having a real blast. I shouted "hey crazy Ravens don't you know its freezing out here?". They don't seem to care Ravens and people like me stay and brave the long dark, cold Alaska winters. Thank you Raven for helping me keep my winter vigil and my sanity.

    I like these great black lordy birds strutting about with some strange comical dignity. Once I was at McDonalds parking lot trying to get good picture. Every time I point my camera they scatter and fly away. So I offered some fries and they haughtily refused. They seemed to say we don't accept human charity we'd rather find it or steal it ourselves. You gotta respect that.

    Last spring I saw a whole murder of Ravens at least 100 gathered together talking up a storm and I knew they were preparing to leave for the summer going to higher ground and even more wild places. But I expect their return any day now its always good to see them again.

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