It seems that once long ago there lived a beautiful bird with feathers as white as snow and the loveliest song you ever did hear. All was peaceful and fine until a great cold descended upon the land. One by one the people and animals began to die of the cold until the living creatures of the land were sore afraid.
In desperation the creatures approached the beautiful bird and begged her to approach the gods on their behalf to save them from the cold, this the bird agreed to do. She flew long and far to the home of the gods and there beseeched them to relinquish the grip of the cold upon the land. She spoke so beautifully and eloquently that the father of the gods was moved to compassion. He gave her a small gift to carry back to the people of the land. A glowing orange coal.
Gratefully the beautiful bird flew back carrying the coal in her beak, but the journey was long and the coal was firey hot. As she flew the coal burned her throat and blackened her feathers with soot. On her return she laid the coa l among the cold dry grasses and a great fire sprung up. The animals and people warmed themselves and the cold was banished but they knew her not for where had been her lovely song from her throat arose now only a harsh croack and her pure white feathers were now the blackened and charred from the fire.
This page was created on November 13, 2002.