A man discovers his wife’s affair with a water-being from a nearby lake. Suspicious of her frequent absences and adornments, he disguises himself as her, lures the water-being, and kills him. He then cooks the creature’s flesh and serves it to his wife, revealing the truth mid-meal. Overcome with guilt and horror, she becomes ill, leading to her demise.
Source:
Tahltan Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.32, No.124, pp.198-250
April-June, 1917
Vol.34, No.133, pp.223-253
July-September, 1921
Vol.34, No.134, pp.335-356
October-December, 1921
► Themes of the story
Forbidden Love: The woman’s secret affair with a supernatural entity defies societal and marital norms.
Cunning and Deception: The husband’s use of disguise and trickery to uncover and punish the affair showcases themes of wit and deceit.
Revenge and Justice: The husband’s actions represent a form of retribution for his wife’s betrayal.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tahltan people
A man had a wife who fell in love with a water-being who lived in a lake near their camp. The husband noticed that his wife was always sick and could do little work. When she went for fire-wood, she brought only a little. Yet every day she painted her face and combed her hair as young girls do. He became suspicious; and one day, instead of going hunting, he watched her. She went to the edge of the lake, where the roots of a stump extended into the water. Here she gave a signal. The water-being looked up in the middle of the lake, disappeared again, and came to the tree, where he made love to the woman. Afterwards she went home lame. The next day the man asked his wife to bring in some meat of the game that he had killed; but she protested, claiming to be too sick. Finally she went. Then the man painted and dressed himself to resemble his wife, went to the tree at the lake, and gave the signal.
► Continue reading…
The water-being came out of the lake and embraced the man, who at once stabbed and killed him. He cut off his large privates and carried them home. He boiled them with pieces of fat and other meat. When his wife returned, he said, “I am sure you must be tired and hungry. I have cooked something nice for you.” When she had been eating a short time, he remarked, “Women now eat their lovers’ privates.” She looked, and recognized a piece of the meat, and at once became very sick. Her husband killed her and cut off her head. He then returned to where the other people lived, and told them what had happened.
Second version. A man’s wife always went to the shores of a certain lake to gather roots, and brought back hardly any. She would not go to any other place. Her husband became suspicious. She complained of being sick and lame. One day he told her he was going hunting, but instead sat down on a hill above the lake and watched. His wife came along; and when she reached the shores of the lake, she began to sing a love-song. A water-being came out and played with her. The husband told her he would go the next day and gather the roots, as she was sick and not able to gather much. He disguised himself. When he sang a love-song as his wife had done, the water-being came out. The man cut off his privates with a knife which he had concealed in his bosom. He boiled them, and gave them to his wife to eat. When she saw what she had been eating, she vomited, and afterwards, through shame, committed suicide.
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