In the mythologies of cultures worldwide, Raven, or his smaller cousin, Crow, is often portrayed as an ever—selfish, ever—hungry trickster and destroyer. In this collection, John Smelcer has crafted Raven as all these things, but also as an Instigator who was present at key moments of human history when things went awry. This is the collection that Hughes considered to be the American cousin to his Crow.