Ravens are frequent characters in the legends of northern peoples around the world. In many cultures they are seen as tricksters, though often ultimately beneficial.
In some myths a Raven swallows the sun as it dips below the horizon, then flies eastward, all night, to the eastern horizon where he barfs it up; ensuring a new day.
In this tale from the Haida and Tlingit peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America, a Raven is the reason the Universe is not eternally dark.

At the beginning of the world there was only darkness. Raven, who had existed from the beginning of time, was tired of groping about and bumping into things in the dark. One day Raven chanced upon the home of an old man who lived with his daughter. Raven, who was very sly, learned that the old man had a great treasure – all the light in the universe, contained in a tiny box concealed within many boxes. Raven vowed to steal the light. But how to get inside the house?
After thinking long and hard Raven devised a plan. He waited until the old man’s daughter came to the river to gather water. Then Raven changed himself into a single hemlock needle and dropped into the river, just as the girl was dipping her water-basket. As she drank from the basket, she swallowed the needle. It slipped and slithered down into her warm belly, where Raven transformed himself again, this time into a tiny human.
After sleeping and growing there for a very long time, Raven emerged into the world once more, this time as a human infant. Despite his strange appearance, Raven’s grandfather loved him. But the old man threatened dire punishment if he ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the Ravenchild begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just for a moment.
One day the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm and glowing sphere, which he tossed to his grandson. As the light was moving toward him, the human child transformed into a gigantic black shadowy bird-form, wings spread ready for flight, and beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him, Raven captured it in his beak! Moving his powerful wings, he burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure.
And that is how light came into the universe.