An old man possessed a prehensile, toothed penis that could extend great distances, burrow underground, and gnaw through obstacles. He used it to feed on sleeping women without impregnating them. One night, a vigilant girl caught and severed the appendage. The man confessed his actions, stating he would die without it, and passed away, explaining why men today lack such features.
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
Cunning and Deception: The old man secretly uses his unique ability to prey upon unsuspecting women, deceiving the community about his actions.
Divine Punishment: Upon discovery, the community’s decision to let the old man die without restoring his organ’s severed part can be seen as a form of retribution for his transgressions.
Transformation: The narrative explains a change in human anatomy, suggesting that if the old man’s organ had been restored, men today would possess small teeth there; its absence accounts for the current human form.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tahltan people
An old man had a penis that could reach a long distance. The end of it was provided with teeth which chewed like mice. It could cross water like a snake, and go under ground like mice and moles. When it met any obstructions, such as the roots of trees, it gnawed through them and went on. The man could distend or project it at will. When he thought he was observed, he drew it back, and it assumed ordinary proportions. It would attack women when they were asleep. They were not rendered pregnant, as the penis simply fed on them. When they awoke, they felt sick, but the feeling soon wore off. Once two young girls were sleeping together. The elder girl woke up feeling sick, and thought she had felt something touching her. She found that her breeches had been gnawed as if by mice. She put on breeches of thicker skin and watched. The penis came and began to chew them. She seized it and held on.
► Continue reading…
The old man tried to pull it back, but he could not do so. The girl called for her knife, which was made of an animal’s rib. It would not cut. She asked for a sharper knife. The men came and cut off the end of the penis. The girl told them her story, and said that she thought the penis must belong to the old man who slept at the end of the lodge, for he was moving about. The next morning the old man was sick. He told the people that he was going to die. He said, “I am very sick and am going to die. I cannot eat any food, for I have lost my teeth. I don’t mind telling you everything, for you have found me out. Women’s privates are my food. If you give me back the piece that you have cut off, I may live some years longer, but I do not care very much.” The people let the old man die. If they had given him back the end of his penis, then men at the present day would have had small teeth there; but, as they withheld it, it has its present form now.
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Dreamtime Whispers 