y ote ▁ultimately ▁medi ate ▁the ▁opposition ▁between ▁life ▁and ▁death . ▁This , ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁bel ieves , ▁explains ▁why ▁the ▁co y ote ▁and ▁ra ven ▁have ▁a ▁contradict ory ▁person ality ▁when ▁they ▁appear ▁as ▁the ▁myth ical ▁trick ster : ▁ ▁The ▁trick ster ▁is ▁a ▁medi ator . ▁Since ▁his ▁medi ating ▁function ▁occup ies ▁a ▁position ▁half way ▁between ▁two ▁polar ▁terms , ▁he ▁must ▁retain ▁something ▁of ▁that ▁du ality — nam ely ▁an ▁ambigu ous ▁and ▁equ iv ocal ▁character . ▁ ▁Because ▁the ▁ra ven ▁and ▁co y ote ▁recon cile ▁prof ound ly ▁opposed ▁concepts ▁( i . e ., ▁life ▁and ▁death ), ▁their ▁own ▁myth ical ▁personal ities ▁must ▁reflect ▁this ▁du ality ▁or ▁contradiction : ▁in ▁other ▁words , ▁they ▁must ▁have ▁a ▁contradict ory , ▁" tr icky " ▁person ality . ▁ ▁This ▁theory ▁about ▁the ▁structure ▁of ▁myth ▁helps ▁support ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁more ▁basic ▁theory ▁about ▁human ▁thought . ▁According ▁to ▁this ▁more ▁basic ▁theory , ▁universal ▁laws ▁govern ▁all ▁areas ▁of ▁human ▁thought : ▁ ▁If ▁it ▁were ▁possible ▁to ▁prove ▁in ▁this ▁instance , ▁too , ▁that ▁the ▁apparent ▁arbitr ar iness ▁of ▁the ▁mind , ▁its ▁supposed ly ▁sp ont aneous ▁flow ▁of ▁insp iration , ▁and ▁its ▁seem ingly ▁un control led ▁invent iveness ▁[ are ▁ruled ▁by ] ▁laws ▁operating ▁at ▁a ▁deeper ▁level ▁... ▁if ▁the ▁human ▁mind ▁appears ▁determined ▁even