HOW RAVEN BROUGHT FIRE

_Haida_

At that time there was no fire to be seen. They did not even know of

it. Raven went northward on the surface of the sea. Far out at sea a

big kelp was growing out of the water, but the kelp head was gone,

and many sparks came out of it. This was the first time that Raven

had ever seen fire.

Then Raven went along to it on the bottom of the sea. Then the big

fishes—the Black Whales, and the Dolphins, and others—wanted to kill

him as he went along. Owner-of-the-Fire was the one to whom he went.

When Raven entered his house, Owner-of-the-Fire said to him, “Come

and sit here, chief.” Raven said, to him, “Will the chief give me

fire?”

Owner-of-the-Fire gave fire to Raven, as he had been desired, and

when he gave it to him, he put it in a stone tray. A cover was over

it.

Raven went away with it. After he had gone up to the shore, Raven

put a fragment of live coal into a cedar standing there. Because he

put fire into the cedar, when people want to start a fire they use a

drill of cedar, because fire comes from it.

Myths and Legends of British North America · 第 25 / 107 题