A man discovers his wife and nephew’s betrayal. In a fit of rage, he kills the boy, giving his head to the woman. Keeping her vow to die with the boy, she flees to a seaside bluff and leaps into the water, transforming into a sea otter. The man watches in despair as two sea otters emerge, leaving him alone.
Source
Aleutian Stories
collected by F.A. Golder
The Journal of American Folklore
Vol. 18, No. 70, Jul. – Sep., 1905
► Themes of the story
Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on a man’s discovery of his wife and nephew’s betrayal, leading to tragic consequences.
Revenge and Justice: The man’s act of killing his nephew serves as retribution for the betrayal he suffered.
Tragic Love: The wife’s commitment to die with the nephew highlights a sorrowful and doomed aspect of love.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Aleut people
This story differs but little from the one before it, and was told me by an old Aleut of Belkofsky (Alaska Peninsula). I give all the versions I have of this same story in order to show how it differs from village to village.
In a certain place there lived a man with his wife and nephew. One day the man went away, and on his return learned that the two had dishonored him during his absence. When he went away a second time the woman said to the boy, “I will die when you die.” On his return the man noticed a number of sticks (used as tools) and asked his wife, “Who made these for you?” “Your nephew,” she replied, “made them.” Observing some wooden clamps, he inquired once more, “Who made these for you?” Again she answered, “Your nephew made them.” Then the man began to prepare some roots for eating, and when he had finished he called to his wife and nephew to eat. The boy tried to eat the food, of which he was generally fond, but somehow he could not swallow it. This was so funny that it made the man and woman laugh. The man then upbraided the boy and his wife with their criminal conduct, and ended by cutting the boy’s head off and giving it to the woman.
► Continue reading…
She turned to it and said, “I promised that I would die with you and I will.” Putting on her parka, she took the head and started for the bluff close to the sea. The husband, seeing the way she was going, started in pursuit, but she was already on the summit before he could come up to her.
She waited until he was quite close and then turned to the head and repeated, “I said I would die with you and I will.” This said, she threw herself off the bluff and disappeared in the water. The man stood there watching, and very soon he saw emerging two sea-otters who went out to sea.
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