A cunning marten enamored of a man’s wife repeatedly tries to lure her away during her husband’s absences. Discovering its deceit, the husband sets a boiling kettle trap, dousing the marten when it visits. Scalded, the creature flees into the woods, its burned breast driving it into the densest forests, thus explaining why martens remain elusive and shy of humans.
Source:
Ethnology of the Ungava District,
Hudson Bay Territory
by Lucien M. Turner
Smithsonian Institution
Bureau of American Ethnology
Annual Report 11, 1889-1890
Washington, 1894
► Themes of the story
Origin of Things: The tale explains why martens avoid humans, attributing their shy behavior to the scalding the marten endured.
Love and Betrayal: The story centers on the marten’s attempt to betray the marital bond.
Cunning and Deception: Repeated attempts by the marten to deceive the wife highlight this theme.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Naskapi people
A man had a wife whom a marten fell in love with and endeavored to possess. Whenever the man would go away from his home the marten would enter, sit by the woman’s side, and endeavor to entice her to leave her husband and go to live with him. One day the man returned unexpectedly and caught the marten sitting by the side of his wife. The marten ran out. The man inquired of his wife what the marten wanted there. The woman replied that the marten was striving to induce her to desert him and become his own wife. The next time the man went off he told his wife to till a kettle with water and put it on the fire to boil. The man went outside and secreted himself near the house. He soon saw the marten go into the house.
► Continue reading…
The man stole quietly to the door of the house and listened to the marten, which was talking to his wife. The man sprang into the house and said: “Marten, what are you doing here, what are you trying to do?” The man seized the kettle of hot water and dashed it on the breast of the animal. The marten began to scratch his burning bosom and ran out into the woods; and because he was so severely hurt he now keeps in the densest forests, away from the sight of man.
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 