Reading Notes, Part A: Alaskan Legends


The stories I read this week come from Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson.

The first four stories were all parts of  The Raven Myth. This was a very interesting creation story. Man came from a pea pod on the beach and the creator was a man that had the ability to turn into a Raven. The Raven created Woman and all the animals. The Raven taught the people how to sleep and eat. He also taught them about each animal, and which to be careful of. More men fell fro the pea pod, but he took them to a different place and taught them how to hunt.

These stories were very entertaining and a fun legend. I would love to research this legend more! I am not sure I would want to write my own story based on this because it is so long and complex, but I loved reading it and I can't wait to research it some more.

The Raven seems to be the "God Like" creator in most of the stories. One story, The Flood , is a story about when the Raven got angry and decided to flood the plains. While this story is very different than the Biblical one, there are still some similarities. I might take another bible story and change it to fit the mold of these Alaskan Legends using the Raven as God.

Alaska Source: Pixabay Images 



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