Long ago, ravens could speak but spoke only in opposites, using abusive words to express gratitude. Their deceitful nature angered an old man who, through magic, stripped them of speech, leaving them to shriek instead. Despite losing their voices, the ravens’ character remained unchanged, and they continue to be known as ill-tempered, thieving creatures to this day.
Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921
► Themes of the story
Trickster: The ravens embody the trickster archetype by speaking in opposites and deceiving others with their words.
Divine Punishment: The old man’s magical intervention to remove the ravens’ ability to speak serves as a form of punishment for their deceitful behavior.
Transformation: The ravens undergo a significant change, losing their power of speech, which alters how they interact with the world.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Inuit peoples
Once, long ago, there was a time when the ravens could talk. But the strange thing about the ravens’ speech was that their words had the opposite meaning. When they wanted to thank any one, they used words of abuse, and thus always said the reverse of what they meant. But as they were thus so full of lies, there came one day an old man, and by magic means took away their power of speech. And since that time the ravens can do no more than shriek. But the ravens’ nature has not changed, and to this day they are an ill-tempered, lying, thieving lot.
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Dreamtime Whispers 