The Raven's Godson Myth

Out in a house in the wilderness, a father grew upset. His wife had birthed their seventh child, and the family could support itself no more. The father, unsure of what to do, entered into the wilderness in search of answers. While wandering, he met with two figures in the shadows of the trees, a horned creature wrapped in chains, and a wood creature with the wings of a dove. Both promised to be godfather to the child, offering their assistance and saying they would give the child a life he deserved. The man refused both, recognizing that neither cared for the lives of men and simply wanted control over the soul's fate. So, the father wandered further into the forest, until he met with a third figure, wrapped in a cloak of black feathers and with skin the color of ivory. The man recognized the figure for what it was, the Raven, the Mother of bones, Death itself. The Raven made the same offer as the other two figures, and the man, knowing that all fates were equal in the eyes of death, accepted. The Son came of age never knowing of their godmother until one day a raven nested on the roof of the house. The raven spoke in a motherly voice and gave the Son an amulet it had been holding in its beak. The amulet, the raven said, was a gift from the man's Godmother, and that with it he could heal any wound and cure any illness. The raven warned the son that if a raven were perched on the roof of the person's house, then they can be saved by the Son. However, if a raven were perched on the windowsill, the Mother of Bones had already claimed them.    The Son accepted the gift and became a renowned healer, rich and famous. One day, when the King of the land fell ill, the Son was summoned to heal him, but when the son saw a raven perched on the window of the king's room, he was dismayed. The Son, however, very much desired the fame and fortune he would receive for curing the king, so he sealed the windows of the room with wood and showed away the raven. The Raven Queen, furious at being deceived, warned the son. "If you take from me what I have claimed again, there will be consequences. For stealing from me a life, I will steal yours in its stead." The Son accepted the warning and continued healing people, being careful to obey his godmother. One day, however, the Son's father fell very ill and would die in but a week. The Son, terrified for his father, immediately cured him, failing to check for the raven on the windowsill. When his father was cured, the Son was pulled away by a mist, transported to the home of Death. All around him were lamps of black Nephrite, as far as the eye could see. The mother of bones stood next to him and spoke. "Each of these lamps is one life. Each one is one man or woman who remains alive. This one," she gestured towards the one she was holding, "is yours" Gripping the handle of it in one hand, she opened it and poured the thick white oil into another lamp. "For defying me, yours is now forfeit"    The Son cried and cried, begging to be let alive, saying that he would never disobey the Raven again. Death, turning away to hide her crying eyes, refused. The flame in the lantern burned out, and nothing was left of the Son but a pile of ivory white bones. The Mother of Bones placed them in a grand tomb with the amulet and sealed it shut so that no one could disobey her again.