on faerie — part ii

*This is a continuation of an essay I posted last week. To read the first half of the discourse on fantasy and child-like wonder, click this link.*

Take for instance this legend told by the West Coast Native American Ohlone people of the Hummingbird restoring fire to the world:

A long, long time ago, the oceans rose higher and higher, flooding the land until nearly everything was covered by water. The Eagle, the Raven, the Hawk, and the Hummingbird watched the world drown from the safety of a...