Raven appears as an important character in many Alaskan Athabascan myths. He is depicted as a powerful shaman who transforms the world through magic. In this paper, I analyze an often-neglected motif of Alaskan Athabascan Raven stories: Raven as Dog-eaters. I use mythological texts and ethnographic data collected in prior studies and from my fieldwork in the community of Nikolai, Alaska. In some Alaskan Athabascan myths, Raven has a strong appetite for dog meat and assists his neighbors who slaughter their dogs for him. This motif seems to describe a sacrificial practice whereby Raven, as a transformer, receives gifts of food in exchange for providing spiritual services and protection. However, in real life, Northern Athabascans do not practice typical animal sacrifice involving domestic animals. In addition, they do not regard dogs as being suitable for human consumption. This raises several questions. What is the significance of dogs in Alaskan Athabascan societies? Why is Raven thought to be fond of dog meat in traditional Alaskan Athabascan stories? How can we explain this motif of “Dog as Raven's Delicacy” through an ethnography of human–dog–raven relations in Alaskan Athabascan societies? This paper addresses these questions from the perspectives of comparative mythology, ethology and the storytelling strategy.

乌鸦在许多阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡神话中都是一个重要人物。他被描绘成一个强大的萨满，通过魔法改变世界。在这篇论文中，我分析了阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡乌鸦故事中一个经常被忽视的主题：乌鸦是食狗者。我使用之前的研究和我在阿拉斯加尼古拉社区的田野调查中收集的神话文本和人种学数据。在一些阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡人的神话中，Raven 对狗肉有着强烈的胃口，并帮助他的邻居为他屠宰他们的狗。这个主题似乎描述了一种牺牲行为，瑞文作为一个变形金刚，接受食物礼物以换取提供精神服务和保护。然而，在现实生活中，北阿萨巴斯卡人不进行涉及家畜的典型动物祭祀。此外，他们不认为狗适合人类食用。这提出了几个问题。狗在阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡人社会中的意义是什么？为什么在传统的阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡故事中，乌鸦被认为喜欢吃狗肉？我们如何通过阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡社会中人-狗-乌鸦关系的民族志来解释“狗是乌鸦的美味”这一主题？本文从比较神话学、动物行为学和讲故事策略的角度来解决这些问题。s Delicacy”通过阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡社会中人-狗-乌鸦关系的民族志？本文从比较神话学、动物行为学和讲故事策略的角度来解决这些问题。s Delicacy”通过阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡社会中人-狗-乌鸦关系的民族志？本文从比较神话学、动物行为学和讲故事策略的角度来解决这些问题。