Meeting the mythological raven

We walked as usual in the forest, my dogs and I. Not now, there’s too much snow. When we were in a deep forest at the most distant part, that’s where the 15 km running track starts to return, I heard a strange crow, but I couldn’t see the illusive bird. One day a Lady passed walking in the opposite direction and I dared to ask her. That’s the raven she explained! Later I did see it, but very briefly. Since then I’ve been fond of that raven and his thrilling crow, I mean of the sound he makes! Maybe the hiatus of the crow of the raven was a cue? Sudden thoughts filled me with foreboding that the crow came from the malignant forest on the other side of the river Styx, where the boat waits to get me to Hell. Well, then it will be appropriate to say, Apollon and his son, two Great Masters together couldn’t cure me, their Art has betrayed me… (Ronsard). The river Styx echos the short stories in prose by Baudelaire. Ref. Note 323-5 in The Tempest by The Arden Shakespeare: “the raven is called corvus of Corax…it is said that ravens birdes be fed with deaw of heaven all the time they have no black feathers by benefite of age”. Douce believes that this is the origin of the name Sycorax. Sycorax was a mythological witch, Caliban was her son, half human, half devil. Sycorax and Circe, maybe the same witch with two names. Comus was the son of Circe. About Circe in ‘Le petit Larousse’: Circé, magicienne qui joue un grand role dans l’Odyssée d’Homère. Ulysse ayant abordé dans son ile, la magicienne fit boire à ses compagnons une liqueur enchantée, qui les transforma en pourceaux. Ulysse se fit aimer d’elle et obtint qu’ils fussent rendu à leur premier forme. Spring will arrive, then we’ll see if the raven is still there.