Skip to main content

Take Off the Mask... || Reading Notes: Alaskan Legends Part A


And become human...

  • I've always been a fan of these stories where it's not just an animal personified as a man, but where there is an actual transformation back and forth.
  • The fact that the story says that Raven pulls his beak up and down like taking off or putting on a mask is really cool.
  • In this first story, Raven is really a helpful person and a seemingly benevolent creator of so many things.
  • He takes the time to tell Human about all of the animals that he is creating and what each of them is good for.
  • I find the fact that flies and mosquitoes were made to make the Earth more "cheerful" woefully ironic.
  • A-mi-kuk. Can't have a good story by the ocean without a good sea monster.
  • I'm really curious about the variations that Raven mentions that I can't seem to find a good real life companion for. Such as the sea fox or the dog walrus.
  • Reindeer with sharp, dog-like, teeth with an appetite for human flesh? Sounds like a good horror story to me.
  • So Man seems to have a greater perspective then the rest of "mankind" and works well with Raven. I like this two-man team.
    • Especially since it appears that Raven's creation of Man was entirely accidental.
  • "So Raven's brother thought a long time. Then he died." What a roller coaster.
  • Interesting origin for the "lesser" ravens that live on the Earth. Not like the original Raven.
  • ANOTHER, rain/flood story that involves the death of many. Again sent by a god. Why is this so omnipresent in every culture?
  • So I guess there are different iterations of Raven. But his true origins seem a mystery? It is said that he has/had a mother.
  • Burial feasts also seem to be a cross-cultural phenomenon.
  • I wonder if all birds in these Alaskan legends have the ability to "push up their beak like a mask" and become human.
  • This later Raven seems more the trickster. Unconcerned for the lives of the people he meets.
  • Also, Raven falls into the broad category of tricksters who ultimately end up being tricked multiple times.
  • An interesting explanation for the inconstant cycle of day and night that people in the far North would experience. They may have times of the year when the days are incredibly long and other times of the year when the nights are incredibly long.
  • So Raven is still higher than Eagle in some ways.
Raven Man



Bibliography:
By: Katharine Berry Judson

Photo Credits:

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hobbies, Hopes, and... I'm Out of H Words || An Introduction

Everyone keeps telling me to change my major... Welcome to the blog! My name is Rhys and I am a senior Psychology major! When I'm not scrambling to complete my degree, I work as a 3D printing student specialist for OU Libraries and as a lab assistant for the OU Visual Neuroscience Laboratory.  I'm looking forward to graduating this summer after a study abroad trip to Scotland.  Move In Day! When I'm not at work or school, I spend my time entertaining a variety of hobbies including programming, circuit building, 3D art, animation, and design, 3D printing, video production, visual effects, and cooking! I spend quite a lot of time working on all of these things, which has led to a running joke among my family and friends that I declared the wrong major.  3D World Animation I'm always looking to learn new skills. I honestly love learning and school. In fact, I plan on pursuing a career in academia as a psychology researcher. Essentially, I plan on never ...
20 comments
Read more

Week 2 Story: The Lawyer, the Plaintiff, and the Innocent?

The Lawyer, the Plaintiff, and the Innocent? "Mr. Brahms, please tell the jury how you came to meet the defendant." "Well...it was a Saturday a couple months ago. I was working late at the hospital...maybe 10:00 or 11:00? When I left work, I was walking down the sidewalk to our parking garage when I saw Mr. Tigris lying facedown on the concrete." "What happened then, Mr. Brahms?" "I....I walked up to him to check to see if he was okay. I approached and shook his shoulder to see if he was conscious. When I did, he started moaning and groaning like he was in pain. I tried to see if he was injured..." "Now, Mr. Brahms, you are a medical professional, correct?" "That's right. I'm a nurse." "So you would have been able to fairly easily identify any physical wounds on the defendant?" "Yes, I believe I would be." "But you did not find any on the defendant?" "No, I did not...
4 comments
Read more

Microfiction: Snow and Sadness

Short stories require big effort... 140-Character Story: It Bites So difficult. So painful. The snow, the wind, and the cold all bite. But not as bad as those wolves. Run faster and leave the others behind. Wolf and Snow 280-Character Story: See Them Again In the normal course of events, I would've been delighted to see my mother. Always loving and caring. I really miss her. And here she is in front of me. A happy reunion waiting to happen. But it can't happen. She's been gone too long. She's not real. So why can I feel her hug me? Author's Note: I swear I'm not a sad or gloomy person. That last story may have been a little on the depressing or hopeful side depending on how you look at it. Don't worry, my mother is alive and well and will probably stay that way for a long time. But I do know the feeling of wanting to see a loved one again. Hug them one last time. Even if it might be a dream... The first story was really a fun one to writ...
3 comments
Read more