How Raven Stole the Sun

In the beginning, the world was shrouded in darkness. Dragon had all the light, and kept it to himself in his longhouse. Raven - who at this time was an array of all the colors in the rainbow - wanted the world to have the light, so he devised a plan to get the light from Dragon. Using his magic, he turned himself into a drop of water, and joined the water in the cup of Dragon's daughter. She drank this water, and soon became pregnant with Raven.

When she gave birth, the baby was very curious. All throughout Dragon's longhouse there were pouches and boxes, and the child pointed at one and cried and cried, until Dragon sighed and gave Raven the pouch, for he loved his grandson. The child opened the pouch, and from it came all the stars in the sky, which flew up through the smoke hole and lit the sky. Dragon was disappointed he had lost the stars, but he loved his grandson. Some time later, the child once again pointed at a container and cried. Dragon, again, gave the child the container because he loved his grandson. The child once again opened the container, releasing the moon into the sky through the smoke hole. Dragon again was saddened by his loss, but still he loved his grandson.

A third and final time, the child cried and pointed at a box, and Dragon, somewhat hesitant, gave his grandson the box. Raven opened the box, and within it was the Sun. But the sun was too heavy, so it did not leave through the smoke hole. So, the child picked the sun up and put it in his mouth. Before the daughter or Dragon could stop him, the child transformed back into Raven and flew up through the smoke hole with a muted "ga!" He flew up into the sky, but the fire from the sun burned his beak black, and then his feathers blacked from the smoke. Finally, when Raven could fly no more, he let go of the Sun and placed it in the sky.

But Dragon was enraged by the grandson who he loved so much being a mere trick, and so he released a fourth container. This one contained the World's Arch, and he set it into the sky to block out the Sun and the Moon and the Stars - for if he could not have them, none could. Raven saw this and knew it was bad, and so he swooped down to Dragon to persuade him. Raven told Dragon, "Dragon, you have been greedy and kept the light to yourself. Now, as I - your grandson - try to share this wealth with the world, you have released the rings to block the light."   Dragon, who was still unhappy with Raven, told him it was punishment for his trickery. But Raven was persuasive, and he pointed out Dargon was punishing the world by taking away the light. Furthermore, he was (technically), Dragon's grandson, and giving gifts to the world should be how wealth is shared, not hoarded, for how will others know you are truly wealthy? Dragon considered this, and agreed that the light need not be wholly taken away, but still was wronged by Raven's treachery. Dragon agreed to make the World's Arch only block some of the light in half the year, and in return it would shine the light it blocked back to the world the other half of the year.

This is where the Stars, Moon, Sun, and World's Arch come from. This is why Raven is black. This is why Dragon is greedy and vengeful. This is why we must give others gifts.

The myth serves to explain the interplay between celestial objects in the sky. In that sense, there is some basis; the planetary rings do reflect sunlight towards the world half of the year and they do block sunlight from the world the other half (at least in places that experince Ringshadow). Furthermore, some adventurers have reported of jewlery crafted of star and moonlight in draconic hoards, and in addition some corvids have a rainbow-like shimmer to their feathers when inspected closely.

All that said, the metaphysically "true" origins of the world or any of it's components are a mystery. Perhaps there was a Dragon that did have the Sun, Moon, Stars, and World's Arch in his hoard, and Raven stole them. Perhaps not. Imperial Scholars tend to dismiss jan pana stories as mere fairy tales, but Raven exists in the Spirit World. That said, Dragonkind have a rich mythology - but none of it mentions Raven taking the light from one of their great hordes.

The story of how Raven stole the Sun is widespread in Tənas Palach groups and adjacent cultures. Some Kor groups speak of it, and it has some traction among the peoples of the eastern plains. In the past two centuries, contact with and colonization by the Empire of Keoland has thinned the Tənas Palach's numbers and erased much of their culture, espeically in the Southern Coast Colonies, but the story of how Raven stole the Sun has remained as a common element of cultural heritage.

Several variations of this story exist, and as the story is told oraly, each telling is a new version of sorts. Sometimes, the character of Dragon is replaced with a Chief. In other versions, the Moon and Stars already exist (or otherwise arrive), and Raven solely steals the Sun. Some tellings omit the details surrounding the World's Arch, which either already existed or is explained by another story - usually also involving Raven. How exactly Raven becomes the daughter's baby is also inconsistent, with different tribes saying he transformed into a pine cone, a drop of dirt, a fruit, or some other object. That said, Raven is almost always ingested by the daughter. Raven is also sometimes white instead of rainbow at first, and often those groups have less of an emphasis on the Symbolism of the Rainbow in their artwork and storytelling.

The story of how Raven stole the Light is integral to the cultures of many jan pana groups. It is a popular tale, depicted in carvings and paintings on a variety of objects, from canoes to Long Houses to Totem Poles, and even the decor of everyday objects. Neighboring groups such as the Kor often do not incorporate the story into their cultures, but nonetheless respect it for it's messaging. The imperial powers of the world, meanwhile, often look down on Raven Stories, or ignore jan pana storytelling traditions altogether

As discussed, the motif of Raven holding the sun in his mouth is a common one in Tənas Palach artwork across mediums. It is also a staple in their oral storytelling traditions, and such tellings are often accompanied by music, dance, and costume. Unsurprisingly, this stories are most popular around the soltices, equinoxes, and at potlatchs, due to it's association with both the celestial cycle and the Potlatch Economy.