EHREMBI

Name: Ehrembi the four-winged raven

Other (celebratory) names:

The Four-Winged Beast
The Fire-Creature
Gale Beast
Steel Wings
Steel Beak
Trickster
Four-Winged Prodigy
Sun Bringer
Raven God
Torzh'r Talker
Glossback
The Sun Son

Form: A raven with four wings, these show as two sets of wings on an elongated torso. He has lightning that strikes within and from his eyes, a silver-grey beak that flashes like steel, and a forked snake's tongue. He can change his size and also the materials of which he is made, sometimes appearing as being made of steel or fire. Ehrembi often changes genders, but generally appears as 'male.' He is always smiling. Though it's not always a benevolent smile.

Alternative Forms: A larger than normal raven with two wings. A white or silver raven. Probably many other forms I'm not yet familiar with.

Known for:Over 4 years.

Presides Over: All worlds. He is able to move between the upper, middle and underworlds with ease, though he seems to prefer the middle and underworlds. He is diplomatic and able to negotiate his way past almost all troublesome spirits and demons. He is also able to find his way nearly anywhere.

He is connected to laughter, ceremonial rites, shamanising, shamanic techniques, jokes, wisdom, learning and solar ritual. He is constantly laughing, but it is often the laugh of someone who gets a joke that no one else gets, and he rarely explains the punchline.

He is quite 'alien.' He does not often act like a normal 'raven', and is quite different from the personality of my totem. It is difficult to read his thoughts, body language and intentions. He can sometimes appear cruel or callous, and he is often detached from human suffering. He does not seem willing to display compassion during healings, though he will aid me.

Assisted With: I consider Ehrembi my primary spirit helper because he appeared first, and also because he takes me nearly everywhere. He also assists with soul-retrieval and healings, and enables me to maintain my emotional distance so that I can view situations with a stronger sense of clarity.

He introduced me to the underworlds, and does almost all the negotiations with entities in the otherworlds. I think of him as a negotiator, he seems to 'get along' with all spirits, perhaps because he himself is so neutral. Maybe he tricks them.

He helps me to laugh at myself, and at the world. His energy is gentle on the outside, and both as strong as steel and malleable as fire under the surface.

Chants associated with him:

On a day of blue skies,
under the blue skies
the beast with four wings,
the ever-flapping raven
clacks his beak at the skies
and holds up the skies with his beak.

Under the sacred coloured sky
is the many coloured house.
Upon the many-coloured house
is the roof with the golden chimney.
What is in the golden chimney?
A mis-spirit covered in soot.
What is underneath the soot?
A mis-spirit wearing a golden ring.
What is on the golden ring?
A jezna droplet large.
What is in the jezna droplet?
The food of the gods!

Ehrembi - Four-Winged beast
bring to us the jezna ring
and the mis-spirit in your golden claws
and drop your talons down to us
in our wooden house with our smoke-laden skins,
and drop your talons down to us
bring us the food
that we may give it to the gods!

Ehrembi - the fire-creature,
eating the jezna with your golden beak
drop the food into our barrels
and make the magic with your wings.

Ehrembi - gale-beast
bring the wind upon your shoulders
into this house of spirits
into this house of spirits
the wind of the gods
into the wind of the gods
the blessings of the gods
into the blessings of the gods
the breath behind the blessings!

Raktumbla Raktingli!
Ehrembi and his gale-making wings
Raktumbla Raktingli
Ehrembi holds the sun in his golden beak!
He sits upon the shoulder of T'orzhr,
he is blessed upon the shoulder of T'orzhr!

Potential connection with deities or recorded lore: Trickster raven lore in much of Russian folklore. Trickster lore in general. He has connections to the sky and weather gods, and can act as a messenger for them. He has no specific affiliation to a deity, and calls himself the Raven God.