Sky Raven and Sea Otter
 |
| Add caption |
When I was in college I had a hyper-realistic dream that has stuck with me for 40 years. As a child during the 1960s and 70s, I was very inspired by space exploration. I was also aware of various incidents of pollution disasters (Love Canal, Three Mile Island, etc...) My dream was simple. In the far distant future humans have spent hundreds of years exploring the universe while polluting and overpopulating our home. After centuries exploring multiple universes mankind finally became aware that we were actually alone and that there was only one planet that was capable of sustaining our species. Sadly by this time, we had irreversibly corrupted our world. We were truly alone on this small ruined planet.
I used my dream as the basis for my own myth.
Ancient people often found Human traits in the animals around them. The Elephant is loyal and intelligent. The Lion is strong and courageous. The Moose is steadfast and easygoing. The Mouse is timid and quiet. The Coyote is a prankster and a shape-shifter. The Eagle is a gift-giver and wise. The Fox was clever. The Otter is a symbol of loyalty, honesty, well balanced, and sensible. The Raven is a trickster but is passionate and impatient.
Among ancient people, Otter and Raven had similar traits. Both were playful characters. They were both seen as Gods, as Human Beings in animal forms, and as symbols for the heavens and the oceans. Otters and ravens are also used as clan animals in some Native American cultures. In my imaginary mythology, Otter is skeptical of religion, she is a pragmatist while Raven is an idealistic dreamer.
Sea Otter was a realist; she believed the world was flat, the moon and sun were eternal, and that real knowledge rested in the mind and not in the spirit world. Sky Raven was a dreamer; he spent his days imagining remote vistas, seeking vast gardens of perfect flowers, enchanted beings, and undiscovered gods. They were as different as night and day and yet they were lovers.
One day Otter looked into Raven’s dark eyes and said, “Prove to me that the world is ruled by gods, and we shall mingle together forever. “
Excited, Raven flew into the stars. He searched and searched, then searched more. Days turned to months and months to years, years into centuries.
Finally, an exhausted Raven wept, despite his long search he found nothing but emptiness. He understood that they were alone, there were no gods. Wearily he traveled through time and space to find his lover awaiting him.
“I failed. I went as far as the farthest star. There is no god out there.” wept Raven.
Otter smiled and said “I wanted you to see for yourself. Now you know we are alone. We must love each other; we must love our home, our sky, and our lake because it is the only one we will ever have. “
Raven and Otter loved together forever.
“Sky Raven and Sea Otter”.
Intaglio etching 5" x 7" 2016.
I used my dream as the basis for my own myth.
Ancient people often found Human traits in the animals around them. The Elephant is loyal and intelligent. The Lion is strong and courageous. The Moose is steadfast and easygoing. The Mouse is timid and quiet. The Coyote is a prankster and a shape-shifter. The Eagle is a gift-giver and wise. The Fox was clever. The Otter is a symbol of loyalty, honesty, well balanced, and sensible. The Raven is a trickster but is passionate and impatient.
Among ancient people, Otter and Raven had similar traits. Both were playful characters. They were both seen as Gods, as Human Beings in animal forms, and as symbols for the heavens and the oceans. Otters and ravens are also used as clan animals in some Native American cultures. In my imaginary mythology, Otter is skeptical of religion, she is a pragmatist while Raven is an idealistic dreamer.
Sky Raven and Sea Otter
Sea Otter was a realist; she believed the world was flat, the moon and sun were eternal, and that real knowledge rested in the mind and not in the spirit world. Sky Raven was a dreamer; he spent his days imagining remote vistas, seeking vast gardens of perfect flowers, enchanted beings, and undiscovered gods. They were as different as night and day and yet they were lovers.
One day Otter looked into Raven’s dark eyes and said, “Prove to me that the world is ruled by gods, and we shall mingle together forever. “
Excited, Raven flew into the stars. He searched and searched, then searched more. Days turned to months and months to years, years into centuries.
Finally, an exhausted Raven wept, despite his long search he found nothing but emptiness. He understood that they were alone, there were no gods. Wearily he traveled through time and space to find his lover awaiting him.
“I failed. I went as far as the farthest star. There is no god out there.” wept Raven.
Otter smiled and said “I wanted you to see for yourself. Now you know we are alone. We must love each other; we must love our home, our sky, and our lake because it is the only one we will ever have. “
Raven and Otter loved together forever.
“Sky Raven and Sea Otter”.
Intaglio etching 5" x 7" 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment