31 The Eternal Flame

The eternal flame

Haida Gwaii |

Canada

English

Behind the scenes

The inspiration for this text came during a journey along the Pacific coast of Canada, in those misty and particularly wild lands. It was there that I discovered the history and traditions of the Haida people, whose culture is deeply connected to nature: the sea, cedar forests, and wind-swept islands.

In these regions, fire holds a special place. It warms, illuminates, and brings people together, but also invites contemplation. Watching a flame can easily carry us elsewhere, to other places and other times.

I imagined this fire as a gateway between the visible world and the realm of imagination: different eras intersect, and great figures appear like sparks rising from the swirling flames – Confucius, Mozart, Aristotle, and Imhotep.

The illustration extends this idea by depicting animal silhouettes from Haida legends emerging from the flame.

Echoes of the world

The text evokes Raven, a central figure in Haida traditions. In these stories, Raven is at once a creator, a messenger, and a mischievous spirit. One legend tells how he stole the light from the spirits to give it to humans, bringing forth the sun, the moon, and the stars.
The setting of the story is now called Haida Gwaii, a name from the Haida language meaning “islands of the people.” The archipelago was once known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. The return to its Indigenous name reflects a recent effort in Canada to better recognize the cultures and territories of First Nations peoples.
In these cultures, fire is not only a natural element: it is also a place of memory and storytelling, where stories are passed down from one generation to the next.

Listen to an audio excerpt of the text