A talking bird? A raven called Elifelet to boot?
Well… why not? Wasn’t the serpent in the garden of Eden a smooth talker? Didn’t he manage to talk Eve into disregarding God’s blunt warning not to eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge? And what about the ass of the sorcerer Balaam? Didn’t she complain to him vehemently for having beaten her mercilessly, only because he, the renowned sorcerer (even a prophet to some), could not see initially the threatening angel blocking their way, but whom his humble beast had seen all along?.
Would it be far-fetched, then, to assume that the raven’s amazing mastery of all things Hebrew, especially the Hebrew language, clinched him the much-coveted job of server/companion to the illustrious and awe-striking prophet Elijah?.
Of course not!
And would it be far-fetched to assume that the battles of the mind that frequently raged between these two rivals were bound to reveal to the world a plethora of ideas and opinions about gods and humans, justice and fairness, hope and despair, love and lust, spirituel self-assuredness and tormenting doubts?
Not at all.
So, what about their blood curdling adventures, fighting off hired killers or voracious birds of prey who, at the command of the seductive and vindictive Queen Jesebel, spread out all over the country to trap Elija or hunt him down, whatever came first?
For the prophet and the raven, it was all in a day’s work, my friend, all in a day’s work.
