A seagull in human form abducts a woman’s young daughter, taking her to a nest on a nearby islet. The mother searches and hears her child, now transformed into a seagull, singing to her. Despite recognizing her mother’s presence, the child flies away with the other seagulls whenever her mother approaches, leaving the mother unable to retrieve her.
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
Loss and Renewal: The mother experiences the loss of her child, who is renewed in a different form as a sea-gull.
Conflict with Nature: The human characters face a direct conflict with a creature from nature that has supernatural abilities.
Family Dynamics: The story centers on the relationship between the mother and her child, highlighting themes of separation and the enduring bond between them.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tahltan people
Some people were camped near a lake, and among them a woman who had a little girl (or baby?). Near by, on an islet in the lake, seagulls had their nests. One day a sea-gull came in human form and stole the little girl from the people’s camp, and took her to her nest. Her mother searched for her, and came to where the sea-gulls were. The girl recognized her, and sang:
Mother, here I am, here I am!
The mother followed the voice, and saw her child in the form of a little sea-gull in the nest. She tried to catch her child, who continued to sing; but she did not succeed, for the sea-gulls always flew away when she came near, and the child went with them.
► Continue reading…
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Dreamtime Whispers 