After the oil trolls had been driven away, peace descended on Mt Grieg for Odin, Laelia and their mother. The grief they suffered following the loss of their father became a sad memory.
Years earlier, with her kindness, their mother had coaxed a clever raven into friendship and he became her constant companion. She always took pleasure in the company of the playful raven. Some days he would sit on her shoulder and in his affectionate way, with his strong beak, nibbled gently on the edge of her lips and tips of her ears. He often perched himself high in a splendid white pine to keep a keen eye on her when she ventured far from home.
In ancient times, giant glaciers carved out deep crevasses on Mt. Grieg. When the glaciers melted, the craters filled with frigid clear water and gave birth to lakes, some peaceful, some plagued with evil spirits. These deep waters lay still and waiting in the shadows of cliffs.
Steep rock walls displayed red pictographs drawn across their stones with blood, minerals and oil. Tribes of a time past drew these images to warn of this lake’s dangerous temperament. Their mother, intrigued with the messages’ secrets, was easily seduced into the lake’s bewitching moods.
In spite of not knowing how to swim, she fearlessly canoed the lake’s glassy surface where, at any moment, the cold breath of death could blow. Floating serenely in a light canoe crafted from a paper birch tree, she never tired of the bright green moss that appeared to melt and tumble down rocks to the water’s edge.
On quiet days, when the air was warm, she meandered into lush mountain meadows and gathered the fragrant white jasmine, braiding the flowers into her red hair. Looking into the watery mirror and catching the sight of her reflection, she felt pretty. On these long days, when sleep overtook her, she often lay in the cradle-like canoe and drifted for hours on the tranquil water, always arriving home with the sweet scent of jasmine in her hair and on her skin.
One morning she arose early and, with the raven upon her shoulder, headed for her favorite lake. After collecting armfuls of jasmine from the meadow, she lowered herself with light, feminine steps into the canoe. As usual, she let it drift with the lazy current. The hush in the surrounding woods and calm waters lapping up against the rocks, like a soft lullaby, induced a drowsiness. Their mother lost all sense of time as she floated into quiet sleep. Seeing she was asleep, her friend the raven flew off to search for his favorite meal of shiny seedpods.
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On this sunny day, the restful water began to churn and the cloudless sky turned dark gray. Masked in silence, the warning signs of a storm moved in with the stealth of a thief. Thunder, muffled but fighting to explode, gathered strength. When its energy was set free, the distant rumble shattered into a roar that woke their mother. Looming out of nowhere, a powerful squall swollen with water and wind, raged across the horizon. Rain pounded her small body as she fought to keep the canoe on its course. Swept into the middle of the vast lake, her canoe twitched and fluttered like a lone leaf while the wind whipped the water into threatening swells. Merciless rain and gusts of wind beat on the lake’s surface creating whitecaps and seething waves.
Torrents of rain stung her eyes as the canoe slipped down the face of a wave into a trough. Powerful walls of water rolled up and over the bow, sucking her little canoe down into the squall’s unforgiving fury. The icy water and overwhelming panic left this gentle troll powerless. Swallowed by the lake’s violent temper she drew her last breath, sinking into the graveyard of the age-old glacial waters.
The raven was busily gathering his favorite meal when the unexpected storm surprised him. Desperately fluttering his wings while fighting to stay suspended over the lake’s turbulent surface, he saw his friend tossed from the capsized canoe. He watched as her long hair waved lazily back and forth like red waterweeds, and she slowly sank into the deep, cold water. The only trace of her that the raven could see was the white petals of jasmine swirling stubbornly on the water’s surface. The old raven continued to battle the storm hoping to see some sign of her. When the tempestuous wind calmed and the waves subsided, only the jasmine remained.
Grief for this loss was so great that the raven shed tears. The sight of this noble bird’s grief swept over the wind as the sad news was carried to the banshee. Devastated by the tragic loss, the banshee questioned the wind on which she rode, “Why did you allow such a tragedy to happen to such a kind troll?” The wind answered, “Wind and water bring life to planet Ode but also death and you must accept this.”
The banshee, in her sadness, took the only thing she could from Odin and Laelia’s mother, the essence of her sweet scent of jasmine, and kept it for herself. In her grief, the messenger of the wind could not deliver this sad news and asked the faithful raven to carry the news to Odin and Laelia. She gave the raven, for this brief mission, her sad words and the power of speech. The raven flew to Mt. Grieg and in his rattling and cracking caw, told Odin and Laelia their mother had drowned.
Odin and his small sister, Laelia, seized with grief, turned to their friend Punga for his wisdom. The wise cricket comforted them, telling Odin he must become his sister’s keeper and they would develop an inner strength because of this misfortune.
Odin’s first act was to teach Laelia how to swim and save herself in the deep lakes of Mt. Grieg’s north woods. In time, the raven became Laelia’s friend, often to be seen perched on her shoulder or flying high over her head.