It was bitter cold. Snow fell nonstop; water turned into ice. The animals had never seen snow before. At first, it was something new, something exciting to play in. But as the cold got high, the animals could not stand it. They began to worry. Little by little, the snow buried the little ones and made it hard for the larger ones to move around. It seemed that all life would disappear, unless something drastic happened.
“We must send a messenger to the creator, the one who creates everything” said the Owl and the animals thought and thought and agreed that this was the only solution. The wiseOwl added “We must ask the creator to warm the world again and tell the Snow Spirit to leave us in peace”.
The animals began to discuss among themselves who to send up to the Creator. It was going to be a dangerous journey and there were problems. The wise Owl, for example, could not see well during the daylight, so he could not go.
The Coyote easily lost attention and liked playing tricks, so he could not be trusted.
The Monkey could not be trusted either. He thought everything was a joke. He would certainly mess things up.
The Turtle was steady and stable but was much too slow.
The birds were too afraid to suggest anything. The bravest, the strongest and the best had to go to the Creator and explain that without the sun’s warmth they would have nothing to eat. So, the question was who would be the one to go up.
Finally, Rainbow Crow offered to go. In those days Rainbow Crow had the most beautiful, the most colorful, the most amazing wings. And the Owl said:
“We all thank you. You are the most beautiful bird with the most shimmering feathers, and your sweet voicewill charm the creator”.
So, of all the birds, the rainbow crow was the one to go to the creator. It was an extremely hard journey; two days up and up into the heavens. The Rainbow crow passed the trees, the clouds, the winds, the stars, the moon; It flew past the sun and went above it. There was nowhere to rest but the Rainbow Crow carried bravely until he reached Heaven. When Rainbow Crow reached the Holy Place, he called out to the Creator who was busy with his thoughts and gave no answer. So, the Rainbow Crow began to sing his most beautiful song. It was then that the Creator noticed him. His thoughts gave way; he turned, drawn by the lovely sound. The creator saw who was making the song and spoke. “Noble bird you have lovely singing voice. Thank you for coming all the way up here and brightening my thoughts. What gift can I give you in exchange for your song?
So, the Rainbow Crow asked the Creator to stop the Snow Spirit so that the animals of Earth were protected. The Creator told Rainbow Crow that the Snow and the Ice spirits would be unhappy to be given orders. The Creator did not think that this was a good idea. But the Rainbow Crow insisted that all the animals would be buried and freeze to death covered under the snow.
The creator reassured him: “You will not freeze. I will give you Fire. Fire is something that will warm all creatures during the cold times”
And the Creator stuck a stick into the blazing hot sun. The end of the stick got fire and the bright, glowing fire which burned brightly gave off heat.
The creator handed Rainbow Crow the cool end of the stick and said: “This is Fire. You must hurry to Earth as fast as you can fly before the stick burns up”.
Rainbow Crow thanked the Creator and flew as fast as he could. It was a two-day trip from Heaven back to Earth and he was worried that the Fire would burn out before he reached the Earth. The stick was large, and heavy and the fire kept Rainbow Crow warm as he came down to the bright path of the stars. But the Fire grew hot as it came closer to Rainbow Crow’s feathers. As he flew the rainbow passed the Sun and his tail caught fire, turning the shiny, beautiful feathers black. By the time he flew past the Moon, his whole body was black with soot from the hot fire. When he entered the Sky and flew through the clouds, the smoke got into his throat, destroying his beautiful singing voice. By the time Rainbow Crow landed among the freezing-cold animals of Earth, he was black. Black as tar and he could only caw instead of sing. He delivered the fire to the animals, and they melted the snow and warmed themselves. The little animals were rescued from the snow drifts where they lay buried.
It was a time for happiness because fire had come to Earth. But Rainbow Crow sat alone, sad and depressed. His feathers were dull and ugly. His voice was hoarse. When he felt the touch of wind on his face, he looked up and saw the Creator. The creator saw him sad and depressed and said.
“Do not be sad, Rainbow Crow. All animals will honor you for the sacrifice you made for them. And when the people come, they will not hunt you. They will not harm you because your flesh tastes of smoke. So that it is no good to eat. They will not hunt you. Your feathersare black and your voice is hoarse. This means they will not put you into a cage to sing for him. You will be free. And look at your feathers. Your feathers are shiny and black from the outside but if you look closely from the inside, you can see all the colors of the rainbow. Glistening black but with a little light all the colors of the rainbow come out. This will remind everyone who sees you of the service you have done to your people. That you brought fire to earth, and your sacrifice has saved them all.”
Activity 1. Word tree.
Here are some words from the myth. They are verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs. Chose five and put them in sentences to show their meaning using your own words.
Activity 2. Are the following sentences True or False?
- Rainbow Crow originally had bright, colorful feathers.
- The animals needed fire because the weather became hot.
- The Great Spirit told Rainbow Crow that people would admire his beauty.
- The story tries to explain why crows are black today.
- Rainbow Crow’s singing voice became even more beautiful after the journey.
Activity 3. Elaborate on the meaning of the myth
- Why did Rainbow Crow fly to the Great Spirit?
- What was the flight on the way up like?
- How did Rainbow Crow’s voice and feathers change on the way back?
- Why did the Great Spirit say no one would hunt Rainbow Crow?
- What is the message you got from this myth?
Activity 4. Match the word (a – d) to the correct meaning (1 – 4), then use each word in your own sentence.
| 1.A long trip2.To stay alive3.Powerful being4.Soft covering on a bird’s body | |||
Activity 5. Pause and think about the meaning of this myth.
- What makes someone beautiful? Is beauty something others see on the outside, or something we show through our actions?
- Is it better to help others even if it means losing something important to us?
- Should we value bravery even when it leads to putting ourselves at risk or suffering?
- Rainbow Crow loses his colors. How does he gain safety? How can loss also be a form of protection or a gift?
Activity 6. Which adjectives below describe Rainbow Crow’s journey, actions and character before and after his journey?
Colorful. Proud. Graceful. Elegant. Brave. Helpful. Caring. Selfless. Plain. Determined. Loyal. Black-feathered. Rough-voiced. Smoky. Changed.
Zafi Mandali holds a BA in English Language & Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Essex. Retired from Director of studies, Department of English, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, she works as an active educator, teacher trainer, storytelling coach, educational consultant and serves on the Tesol Greece Board. She is a presenter, article contributor and published author. Her soft point is Storytelling in Education with samples of work uploaded on www.eltstorytelling.com and Eltstorytelling facebook group.
