An old man lives blissfully with his daughter until she marries, prompting him to attempt repeatedly to kill his sons-in-law through freezing or drowning. Each victim survives his treachery using cunning. Eventually, the younger son-in-law crafts an exquisitely decorated canoe as a gift; entranced, the old man ventures out in a sudden storm and vanishes, finally undone by the device meant to test its craftsmanship.
Source:
Folk-Lore of the Cree Indians
by Fred Swindlehurst
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.18, No.69, pp. 139-143
April-June, 1905
► Themes of the story
Good vs. Evil: The old man’s repeated, malicious attempts to kill his son-in-law pit pure malice against the young man’s struggle for survival.
Revenge and Justice: Ultimately, the son-in-law turns the tables on his father-in-law, ensuring the old man’s disappearance as retribution.
Cunning and Deception: The narrative hinges on strategic deceit: ambush in woods, canoe sabotage, and swapped boots.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Cree people
Long ago an old man and his daughter lived by the shore of a river. They were very happy until an Indian came along and married the daughter.
The old man resolved, however, not to be so easily deprived of his only comfort, so he took his son-in-law out into the woods and left him to freeze to death.
To the dismay of the old man the daughter married again, so he at once set about treating this young man as he had done the other. In the spring at the time the sturgeon spawns he invited his son-in-law to go out with him to spear the fish.
► Continue reading…
The young man happened to step on the edge of the canoe, and the old man, taking advantage of the chance thrown in his way, jerked the canoe to one side, and the young man fell into the rapid. When he came to the surface he saw the canoe in the distance, but managed by swimming hard to reach land in safety. When the old man came ashore he was questioned as to the whereabouts of the young man, and replied that he supposed his son-in-law must be drowned, as he fell out of the canoe. To his astonishment they told him that his treachery was discovered and that the young man was alive in his tent.
The old man next invited his son-in-law to go hunting with him, and again he agreed. They journeyed far from their tent and camped in the woods. At night-time it is the custom of the Indians to hang their boots before the fire to dry. The old man and his son-in-law did this, but the young man, suspecting treachery, changed the position of the boots and hung his own where his father-in-law’s had been placed. The old man arose in the night, took his son-in-law’s boots and put them in the fire, never dreaming that he was about to become the victim of his own treachery. He then aroused the young man and told him his boots were on fire. The young man on coming out of the tent said, “These must be your boots. Mine are on your poles and are all right.” He then put on his boots and left his father-in-law to freeze to death. He had not gone far before he heard footsteps behind him, and upon waiting saw that the old man had tied brush (twigs of fir-tree) upon his feet, and was all right.
The young man saw that there would be no peace until he could rid himself forever of his father-in-law’s company. He made a canoe and painted the inside more beautifully than any canoe had before been painted. He also made handsome paddles and presented these to the old man, who was delighted and became so anxious to try the merits of his new canoe that he went out without noticing the threatening weather. He was so taken up with the beautiful way in which the canoe was decorated that he gave no heed to his course. A storm sprang up, and he was never seen nor heard from again.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 