Villagers are terrorized by a malevolent water-man residing in a lake. An orphan boy, mistreated by his uncle and his uncle’s younger wife, secretly breaks the water-man’s external organ, weakening him. When the villagers confront the creature, the uncle is killed, but the boy slays the water-man, earning leadership and marrying the elder wife, while rejecting the younger.
Source:
Kaska Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.30, No.118, pp. 427-473
October-December, 1917
► Themes of the story
Trickster: The water-man uses cunning to deceive and consume people.
Hero’s Journey: The orphaned boy embarks on a transformative quest, leading to personal and communal change.
Revenge and Justice: The boy avenges his uncle’s death and brings justice by eliminating the water-man.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Kaska people
Some people who lived near a lake were troubled by a water-man who lived in the middle of the lake. He fooled and ate people. In the centre of the lake could be seen numerous very long strings, like weeds, on the surface of the water. This was his hair. On the edge of the lake was a thing growing, in substance like a stick, and in shape like a man’s penis. This was his penis. The people had tried many times to break it, but could not accomplish it. They practised bathing in cold water to make themselves strong, so that they might break it, but without avail. Among the people who were making medicine that they might attain power to break it was an orphan boy who lived with his uncle, who had two wives. His uncle and the younger wife treated him badly.
► Continue reading…
Each succeeding night the boy tried to break the penis, and at last one night he accomplished the feat. He put it together again, and said nothing. Next morning his uncle, accompanied by many men, went to try again, and it broke easily. All were glad, and went back to camp rejoicing. They composed a song on the occasion. They thought they could now conquer the water-man.
Next morning they went in a large canoe to kill the water-man. The boy’s uncle stood in the prow of the canoe to do the killing. When they embarked, he had told the boy to go home, as he would be of no use; but the boy went, nevertheless, and sat in the stern of the canoe. His uncle seized the water-man by the hair, and was about to strike at him, when the latter moved his head; and he fell out of the canoe, and was at once killed by the water-man. The boy then arose, and, running forward to the bow of the canoe, seized the water-man’s hair and killed him. He struck off his head as easily as cutting fat. The people then returned, singing a song of victory and a death-chant together. The boy’s uncle’s wives heard the singing, and began to paint themselves, as they thought their husband was the victor. The elder was doubtful as she heard the two kinds of songs; but the younger one kept on painting herself, although the paint constantly scratched her face. The boy had made it do this.
When all the people learned of the boy’s victory, they made him chief, and he became renowned throughout the country. He took his uncle’s elder wife to be his wife, but would have nothing to do with the younger one.
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