Raven Steals the Sun
A raven shapeshifts into a chief’s grandchild to snatch the light hidden in a box, releasing the sun so people can see beyond darkness.
Story beats
- 1) A powerful chief hoards the sun inside nested boxes, keeping the world dim.
- 2) Raven transforms into a pine needle, is swallowed, and reborn as the chief’s child.
- 3) As a child, Raven cries until granted the box; once outside, he transforms again.
- 4) He opens the box and flings the sun skyward, lighting the world.
Context
Among Tlingit and other Northwest Coast peoples, Raven stories explain the origin of light and the consequences of hoarding essential goods.
Motifs
- Trickster as culture-bringer
- Nesting containers guarding cosmic objects
- Transformation to infiltrate and reclaim
Use it in play
- A heist for a hidden sun, requiring multiple transformations to reach.
- A relic locked inside boxes that open only through repeated bargains.
- An NPC child who is secretly a being of immense age and purpose.