Week 7 Story: The Wolf and the Raven

There once was a time when all of the animals spoke the same language, and they had rules that they would follow to maintain peace and to keep order in their land. One day, in a vast and prosperous forest, there came a lone wolf who began to disrupt this order. The wolf would kill any who crossed his path, regardless of whether or not he was hungry or provoked. The smaller animals all gathered for a meeting to discuss what was to be done about wolf (for the larger animals like bear could not be bothered).

“Someone has to do something!” cried the deer, who had organized the meeting, “the woods have become dangerous, and the air smells of rot from the meat the wolf wastes!”

“But the wolf is dangerous,” says the little, tawny owl, “he has sharp teeth and claws; and he’s quick and strong. Who would be willing to face him?”

“I will,” croaks the raven, “I am clever, and my wings are just as powerful as the wolf’s jaw. I shall get rid of him.”

“Yes, you are clever,” says the deer, “but how will we know you have not betrayed us, and have indeed bested the wolf?”

“I will bring back his eye as proof,” says the raven, taking off into the sky.

The raven first flies to his nest, to collect the treasures he has found from the people – pieces of metal that glint and reflect what is placed in front of them. He selects two of his shiniest pieces of metal, and one that is tarnished, and flies to the wolf.

When he finds the wolf, he lands on a tree branch just above its head, and croaks to get his attention.

“Who’s there?” snarls the wolf, “come out so I can crush your skull in my teeth!”

“Up here, friend,” says the raven.

“Who are you?” asks the wolf.

“You have not met me, but I have met many wolves,” says raven, “I am raven, the wolf-catcher.”

“Wolf-catcher?” the wolf repeats.

The raven nods, and swoops down, showing the wolf the shiny metal pieces. “These are wolves I have already caught,” he explains. He then shows the wolf the tarnished metal, “and this is the one I will trap you in.”

The wolf pleads with the raven not to put him in the metal, swearing that if he lets him go, he will never come back.

The raven considers this for a moment, then says, “alright, but you have to let me take your eye. That way, I shall know if you ever come back.”

The wolf agrees, and the raven pecks out his eye, flying back to tell the other animals of his success. Upon his arrival the animals rejoice, throwing a party in his honor. The wolf is never seen in those woods again. That is why the animals always share their food with raven, out of gratitude for his cleverness, and that is why wolves now travel in packs, out of fear that raven might catch them.

Authors Note

In the original story, it is a man and a tiger instead of a raven and a wolf. I changed it to have animals that are more familiar to most of the people who will be reading this. I decided to make them both animals because I wanted it to feel more like a myth from this area as well. That is also why I included the "explanation" for the animals' behaviors, as most Native American myths have an explanation like that in them. I also changed it from removing claws and tongue to just removing an eye, as ravens usually go for the eyes first, so it felt more fitting. I decided to experiment with writing in a Native American myth style because that is what the topic of my storybook project is based in.

-A.

Bibliography:  "The Killing of the Tiger" from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas. Story Source.

 

Image Information: Common Raven in Flight; Wikimedia Commons.