RAVENS
The Raven continues to be used as a symbol in areas where it once had deep mythological status: The continuing fascination evidenced in not only contemporary stories and folk tales but throughout many areas of artistic expression across innumerable cultures. Many Native American tribes are known to hold the Raven as a key symbolic creature in creation myths. The Haida and Tlingit being two prominent ones. What is represented most powerfully throughout is the tangentially related elements of a mythic age when spirits freely transformed from animal to human and back.
An example of one of the most celebrated and beautiful of the myths is that of The Box of Daylight, in which Raven steals the stars, the moon, and the sun from Naas-sháki Yéil or Naas-sháki Shaan, the old man of the raven's tribe at the Head of the Nass River. The Old Man is very rich and owns three legendary boxes that contain the stars, the moon, and the sun; Raven wants these for himself (various reasons are given, such as wanting to admire himself in the light, wanting the light to find food easily, etc.). Raven transforms himself into a hemlock needle and drops into the water cup of the Old Man's daughter while she is out picking berries. She becomes pregnant with him and gives birth to him as a baby boy. The Old Man dotes over his grandson, as is the wont of most Tlingit grandparents. Raven cries incessantly until the Old Man gives him the Box of Stars to pacify him. Raven plays with it for a while, then opens the lid and lets the stars escape through the chimney into the sky. Later Raven begins to cry for the Box of the Moon, and after much fuss, the Old Man gives it to him but not before stopping up the chimney. Raven plays with it for a while and then rolls it out the door, where it escapes into the sky. Finally Raven begins crying for the Box of the Sun, and after much fuss finally the Old Man breaks down and gives it to him. Raven knows well that he cannot roll it out the door or toss it up the chimney because he is carefully watched. So he finally waits until everyone is asleep and then changes into his bird form, grasps the sun in his beak and flies up and out the chimney. He takes it to show others who do not believe that he has the sun, so he opens the box to show them and then it flies up into the sky where it has been ever since.
In Norse mythology the power to understand the language of the birds was a sign of great wisdom. The god Odin had two ravens, called Hugin and Mugin, who flew around the world and told Odin what happened among mortal men.
The legendary king of Sweden Dag the Wise was so wise that he could understand what birds said. He had a tame house sparrow which flew around and brought back news to him. Once, a farmer in Reigotoland illed Dag's sparrow, which brought on a terrible retribution from the Swedes.
In the Rigsbulo Konr was able to understand the speech of birds.