The swimmer, a tale from Labrador

Source: 
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo 
by Henry Rink 
[William Blackwood and Sons] 
Edinburgh and London, 1875

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► Themes of the story

Transformation: The son is raised to adapt to life in the water, embodying a seal’s abilities, which is a significant physical transformation.

Revenge and Justice: The mother’s actions lead to the demise of her enemies, serving as retribution for the loss of her other children.

Supernatural Beings: The mother’s ability to summon a storm by whipping the water’s surface suggests a connection to supernatural powers.

► From the same Region or People

• North America
  • Arctic Region
    • Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

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Abridged version of the story.

A mother, who lived at a solitary place, successively lost all her children, who were killed by enemies. Finally, she got a son, whom from his babyhood she brought up with the aim of making him fit for dwelling in the water like a seal. The enemies once went to the place with the intention of killing him also. But the mother, seeing the kayakers approach, told him to make his escape through the water. The enemies, who observed him jumping into the water, had no doubt they would get hold of him; but, swimming like a seal, he seduced them far out to sea, when the mother whipped the surface of the water with a string, causing a storm, by which they all perished, her son being the only one saved.