As Raven flew in the darkness he kept bumping into things and eventually found himself at the lodge of the old man. He overheard the old man gloating that he alone had the light of the whole world and he would not share it with anyone. It was then that the Raven began to plan the theft of the sun for himself.

Raven waited until the young woman came to the river to gather water. He then changed himself into a single pine needle, dropped himself into the river, and floated down just in time to be caught in the basket, which the girl was dipping in the river. The maiden drank form the basket and swallowed the pine needle. As Raven slowly traveled to he stomach, he transformed himself into a human being. As Raven settled in and began to sleep, he also began to grow.

After a time, the young woman noticed she was changing, but because it was dark, her father could not see a thing. Eventually, Raven emerged as a very beautiful boy child who looked very much like a black bird, but it was so dark it was not apparent. What was apparent was that this new baby cried loudly. The grand father could do nothing to make this child happy until he let him play with his medicine bag. The baby was now quiet for the Raven had what he wanted.

As the light of the sun began to glow and light up the room, the old man and his daughter began to see the creature they had lavished with so much love. The Raven snapped up the sun in his mouth, thrust his great wings downward, and flew through the smoke hole of the lodge. Higher and higher the Raven flew into the darkness and for the first time, he could see his path. Little did Raven know, the Eagle saw the light and decided to have Raven for his meal. They collided in space and parts of the sun broke off and scattered in to the sky creating the first stars. Another large chunk became the moon and Raven flew to the east until he placed the sun high in the sky so only he could reach it. From then on, the world never knew darkness again.

For thousands of years and around the world, human culture has created seasonal rituals about the Winter Solstice. In Ireland, a Neolithic tomb named Newgrange c. 3300 BCE gives testimony to our ancestor's connection to this yearly event. At the dawn of the Winter Solstice, a beam of light shines through a narrow slit above the main entrance to the burial chamber. This ray of light shoots all the way to the rear of the chamber where the royalty of the region is buried. This is the only sunlight that tears through the twelve months of darkness within the tomb. The sunlight from the Winter Solstice sun is not only a promise of resurrection to those buried within; it's a promise of spring returning to the land surrounding the site.