Tle’ntlendo’k

In a village, two young men secretly visited supernatural women at night—one a water-woman, the other a smoke-woman. Curiosity led each to discover the other’s liaison, resulting in mutual deception. Enraged by the betrayal, the water-woman killed all the villagers by plucking out their eyes, except a new mother who fended off the attack. She became a wanderer named Tle’ntlendo’k, believed to grant wishes to those who encounter 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

Love and Betrayal: The men’s secret liaisons and subsequent deceptions lead to betrayal and dire consequences.

Divine Punishment: The water-woman’s retribution against the villagers for the men’s actions exemplifies this theme.

Transformation: The surviving woman transforms into Tle’ntlendo’k, a wandering figure believed to possess wish-granting abilities.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

There were many people living at one place. Among them were two young men who always slept together. When the people were asleep, one man would get up and go away to sleep with a water-woman. Afterwards the other man would get up and go to sleep with a smoke-woman (the smoke from the camp-fire always changed into a woman at night). [Some people think this woman is the same as the marmot-woman or mother (see “The Man who became a Marmot”), but most people do not agree with this opinion.] The man who lived with the smoke-woman wondered where his comrade went. He watched him, and followed him to the lake where he heard him whistle. Something then came up out of the water, and the man jumped in and disappeared. The next night he arose first, went to the lake, and did as his comrade had done. He went down under the water to the water-woman’s house.

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When the other man came down to the lake and whistled, he received no reply. After waiting a while, he went back and found his comrade with Smoke-Woman. [It is said by some people that he returned and slept with Smoke-Woman himself. When the man who had gone with Water-Woman returned, he found him sleeping with Smoke-Woman, and both women found out that they had been deceived.] Water-Woman did not discover that another man was with her until he left her. That night, when the people were all asleep, Water-Woman, who was very angry, went to the houses of the people and plucked out the eyes of the two men. Then she went on and plucked out the eyes of the rest of the people, killing them all, A woman was camped outside in a shelter by herself, as she had given birth to a baby the night before. She did not feel well, and could not sleep. She often felt a hand passing before her eyes, and she always struck it away. This continued all night, and stopped only with daylight. In the morning she wondered why the people slept so long. She called to her husband, who slept near by in another lodge, but received no answer. After a while she discovered that all the people were dead, and that their eyes had been plucked out. She took her baby and journeyed towards the east. She became a wanderer, and known as tle’ntlendo’k Some people have seen her, and others dream of her. Some who have seen her claim that she is very good-looking and has long finger-nails of copper. She goes about carrying her baby. It is considered lucky to see or dream of her, and it is said that she grants people their wishes. One man asked her for riches and got them. He was not satisfied. He asked for more and more. He said, “Give me riches until I burst.” He became wealthier and wealthier, and one day he burst and died.

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The faithless wife; or, the origin of witchcraft

A wife feigns illness to deceive her husband and secretly lives with her lover. Upon discovering her betrayal, the husband attempts various methods of witchcraft for revenge, ultimately succeeding by using a dog’s bone to gain supernatural abilities. He kills both his wife and her lover discreetly, leading the community to suspect him. This event marks the origin of witchcraft among the people.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The wife’s infidelity and deception towards her husband.

Revenge and Justice: The husband’s actions to punish his unfaithful wife and her lover.

Forbidden Knowledge: The husband’s discovery and use of witchcraft to achieve his revenge.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A family lived in a large, long village in the Hutcenu’ country [a division of the Tlingit (Hutsnuwu, “bear-fort”)]. It consisted of husband, wife, and some children. The wife feigned sickness when her husband was at home. Whenever her husband was away, her lover came and staid with her. She said to her husband, “I have been sick a long time now; I am going to die soon.” Later she said to him, “I am going to die tonight. Do not burn my body, but put it on top of the ground in a house of poles.” [Some of the people in Hutsnuwu are said to have disposed of their dead in this manner.] She had already put rotten clams underneath her body. The people buried her as she had directed, and her husband went to the grave and cried for his dead wife. She was not there, however, for she had departed the first night after the pole-house had been erected over her. She went off with her lover, and was living with him in the farthest house at the end of the village.

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Some time afterwards one of her sons, who was a big boy, happened to go to this house. He was surprised to see his mother there. She never spoke to him, and feigned not to know him. When he came home, he told his father, who said, “You must be mistaken. You know that your mother is dead. The woman you saw may have a face resembling that of your mother, but it cannot be that she is alive.” The boy went back to the house and had a good look. He came back, and told his father he was sure it was his mother. His father then went, and, looking through a crack in the house, recognized his wife. He went home, and said to himself, “I wish I could do something to kill them!” He tried to bewitch them with every kind of thing, including dead people’s bones, but did not succeed. Then he tried the bone of a dead dog. When he put this bone on his body, he began to shiver as shamans do when their spirits come into them. He kept on working with the dog-bone and dog-spirit until at last he was able to fly. Now he made two arrows of hard wood [some people say that he took two hard-wood sticks and sharpened the points.], and, flying the whole length of the village, he caused everybody to fall asleep. He went to the place where his wife and her lover were, and pushed an arrow into his wife’s rectum, thus killing her. He killed her lover in the same manner. When the people woke up, they said, “Why have we slept so late this morning?” They wondered why the woman and man did not get up. They examined them, and found them stiff and dead, with arrows sticking in them. They prepared the bodies for cremation, and wondered how they had been killed. Now the husband dressed up in his best clothes. He seemed very happy, and went around laughing, and challenging people to play the stick-game. When he played, he always won. The people noticed that when he played, he always joked and called the trump toq qetz, which means “anus root-digger.” This and his changed demeanor made the people think that he was the murderer of the woman and her lover; but they said nothing about it at that time, as they did not know of witchcraft. Afterwards all the people of that place became famous as witches, and witchcraft spread from them to other tribes. In this way witchcraft was introduced.

The Water-Being as a lover

A man discovers his wife’s affair with a water-being from a nearby lake. Suspicious of her frequent absences and adornments, he disguises himself as her, lures the water-being, and kills him. He then cooks the creature’s flesh and serves it to his wife, revealing the truth mid-meal. Overcome with guilt and horror, she becomes ill, leading to her demise.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Love: The woman’s secret affair with a supernatural entity defies societal and marital norms.

Cunning and Deception: The husband’s use of disguise and trickery to uncover and punish the affair showcases themes of wit and deceit.

Revenge and Justice: The husband’s actions represent a form of retribution for his wife’s betrayal.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man had a wife who fell in love with a water-being who lived in a lake near their camp. The husband noticed that his wife was always sick and could do little work. When she went for fire-wood, she brought only a little. Yet every day she painted her face and combed her hair as young girls do. He became suspicious; and one day, instead of going hunting, he watched her. She went to the edge of the lake, where the roots of a stump extended into the water. Here she gave a signal. The water-being looked up in the middle of the lake, disappeared again, and came to the tree, where he made love to the woman. Afterwards she went home lame. The next day the man asked his wife to bring in some meat of the game that he had killed; but she protested, claiming to be too sick. Finally she went. Then the man painted and dressed himself to resemble his wife, went to the tree at the lake, and gave the signal.

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The water-being came out of the lake and embraced the man, who at once stabbed and killed him. He cut off his large privates and carried them home. He boiled them with pieces of fat and other meat. When his wife returned, he said, “I am sure you must be tired and hungry. I have cooked something nice for you.” When she had been eating a short time, he remarked, “Women now eat their lovers’ privates.” She looked, and recognized a piece of the meat, and at once became very sick. Her husband killed her and cut off her head. He then returned to where the other people lived, and told them what had happened.

Second version. A man’s wife always went to the shores of a certain lake to gather roots, and brought back hardly any. She would not go to any other place. Her husband became suspicious. She complained of being sick and lame. One day he told her he was going hunting, but instead sat down on a hill above the lake and watched. His wife came along; and when she reached the shores of the lake, she began to sing a love-song. A water-being came out and played with her. The husband told her he would go the next day and gather the roots, as she was sick and not able to gather much. He disguised himself. When he sang a love-song as his wife had done, the water-being came out. The man cut off his privates with a knife which he had concealed in his bosom. He boiled them, and gave them to his wife to eat. When she saw what she had been eating, she vomited, and afterwards, through shame, committed suicide.

The cannibal women who lured men

A cannibal woman and her daughter inhabited an island, luring men to their deaths. The daughter seduced visitors, convincing them to lie beneath her, then used her sharp forearm to slit their throats, after which the pair consumed the bodies. One man, suspecting foul play, visited the island armed with a knife. He reversed the roles, killed the daughter, and fled. The enraged mother pursued him but, exhausted from attacking his fortified shelter, was ultimately slain by the man.

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The protagonist employs cleverness to uncover the women’s plot and defeat them.

Good vs. Evil: The man’s struggle against the malevolent cannibal women.

Revenge and Justice: The man seeks to uncover the truth behind the disappearances and delivers justice by killing the cannibal women.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A cannibal woman and her daughter lived on an island. When men landed on the island, they were lured by the mother to make love to her daughter. The daughter induced the men to lie underneath her; and then she slit their throats with her fore-arm, which was as sharp as a knife. The two women then ate the men’s bodies. A man who lived on the mainland near by had noticed that no one who went to the island ever came back, and he wondered what became of them. He watched, and saw that they entered a house and never came out. He hid a sharp knife in his clothes and went to the island to investigate. He was called by some one who had a sweet, attractive voice. He followed the sound to the house. There he was met by the old woman, who invited him in, saying, “Come in and see my daughter! I have a fine daughter of great beauty.” He went in, and noticed the old woman sitting some distance away, partly concealed.

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Presently a very fine-looking young woman came in from the other side of the partition, arrayed in fine garments and nicely painted and combed. She asked him if he cared to lie with her, and he nodded his assent. She told him to follow her to the other room. She asked him to take the lower position. He said, “No, I will not do that, in my country the man always is on the top.” The old woman thought they were taking a long time. She became anxious, and called, “Are you not ready yet?” The young woman answered, “No, he wants to be on the top, he will not go underneath.” Her mother said to her, “It does not matter, you can cut him just the same.” The young woman then agreed, and they lay down. The man quickly cut her throat, and covered her mouth with his other hand, so that she could not make a noise. The old woman asked again, “Are you not through yet?” and the man answered, “No, pretty soon.” When he was sure that the woman was dead, he withdrew his hand and quickly ran out of the house. The old woman was surprised to see him run out, and went to see her daughter. When she found her lying dead in a pool of blood, she gave chase. The man ran to a strong fort in the forest. The old woman, who was in a great hurry, ran straight through the forest, cutting a wide swathe of trees and bushes with the large knives on her fore-arms. When she reached the log fort, she attacked it with her arms, the knives cutting slices out of the logs. As she kept on cutting, she became more and more tired, and the knives more and more dull. When the house was almost cut through, she became so tired and the knives so dull, that she could hardly cut any more. The man then ran out and killed her with his knife.

The origin of mountains, etc.

Two brothers flee after killing their stepfather, pursued by their vengeful mother. To hinder her, they throw various parts of a caribou behind them, each transforming into different terrains: caribou hair becomes herds, the stomach turns into boggy land, bones create rocky ground, and meat forms marshes and lakes. Finally, they throw fire-stones, which ignite and consume their mother. This tale explains the origin of the region’s diverse landscapes.

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for natural features like mountains, valleys, and other terrains.

Conflict with Nature: The brothers create natural obstacles to evade their mother, highlighting a struggle against natural elements.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the complex relationship between the brothers and their mother.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Once two lads killed their step-father and then ran away. Their mother became distracted at the loss of her husband, and chased them, intending to kill them. She became possessed of extraordinary powers of speed, and soon drew near her sons, who were travelling on snowshoes and carrying caribou-meat. They threw some caribou-hair behind them, which at once became transformed into an immense herd of caribou that dotted the plateau so thickly, that their mother could not pass through them. She then transformed herself into something very small, and rolled through. Again she drew near; and the lads threw the contents of a caribou-stomach behind them, which changed into a boggy, mossy country full of thick brush. She surmounted this and came near again. They threw the stomach or tripe of the caribou behind them, and it became transformed into a piece of country with deep gulches, canyons, and valleys.

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Again she came near; and they threw some caribou-bones behind them, which became transformed into a tract of very rough, rocky ground. Still she pursued them. They threw some meat of the caribou behind them, which changed into marshy ground and lakes. Finally they threw their fire-stones behind them. They changed into fire. Their mother ran into it and was burned up. Had it not been for these men throwing the parts of the caribou behind them, the country would now be level instead of rough with mountains, valleys, gulches, rocks, and brush, as it is now.

The woman and Otter-Man

A widow with two sons meets a mysterious man who becomes her secret lover, hiding in her pack during the day. Suspicious, her sons discover and kill the man, who is revealed to be Otter-Man. They trick their mother into eating his cooked flesh. Realizing the deception, she transforms into an otter and chases them. The sons create obstacles to impede her pursuit, ultimately leading to her demise. This tale explains the otter’s appearance and its spiritual influence on women.

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The narrative features Otter-Man, a mystical entity who engages with the human world.

Divine Punishment: The woman’s transformation into an otter and her eventual demise can be interpreted as retribution for her concealed actions.

Family Dynamics: The interactions between the mother and her sons, especially concerning trust and betrayal, play a central role in the story.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A widow had two sons. The lads hunted, and their mother always carried in the meat for them. One day when she was on her way to get meat, she met a strange man, who asked her if she had a husband. She answered, “No, my husband is dead, but I have two grown-up sons.” He asked if she had a camp and where it was, also where she was going. She told him she was going to carry in caribou-meat, and directed him where her camp was. “Well,” he said, “I shall come to your camp tonight and see you, but you must hide me.” The woman cooked for her sons every night. After they had eaten and gone to sleep, the man came. He told the woman that he would marry her, but that she must conceal him. He did not want her sons to see him. He slept with her all night, and in the morning she tied him up in her pack-sack and hung it up outside. The following night she took in her pack-sack. Her sons thought it strange that their mother always hung up her pack-sack outside, when formerly she was not wont to do so.

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They also remarked that her pack-sack was always particularly well lashed. One night they happened to hear talking. It was not their mother talking in her sleep, for there were two voices. The next night they watched. After the fire had gone out, their mother brought in her pack and unlashed it. Then they heard whispering and talking. In the morning she lashed the pack again and hung it up outside. Now the boys went hunting, and purposely killed caribou a long way off. They cut up only about half of the carcass, leaving considerable work for their mother to do. Then they covered the meat to a great depth in the snow. This was done to delay her in bringing home the first load of meat. In the morning they said, “Mother, go and bring in a load of the caribou-meat. We are tired today and want to rest.” When she had gone, they took down the pack, and found Otter-Man inside. They killed him, and put his flesh before the fire to cook. They stuffed their mother’s pack-bag, lashed it, and hung it up in the same place as before. When their mother arrived, they said to her, “Mother, you must be hungry. We killed a big bear and a little cub, but we took home only the cub. We have cooked it for you, and now it is ready to eat.” The woman was hungry, and at once began to eat. The men put on their snowshoes, saying, “There was a crust on the snow this morning, which makes walking noisy. We are going to hunt this evening, as the snow is better.” When they were outside, they shouted, “We know of a woman who is eating her husband!” The woman ran to her pack, and found it stuffed. She became angry, and changed into an otter. She ran fast and slid as otters do. She nearly caught up with her sons, who threw part of the inside of a caribou behind them. It became a canyon, which she had to cross. This retarded her. She caught up again; and they threw another part of the inside of the caribou, which became a mountain. Still she followed them. Again they threw another part, and it became water. They threw the fourth part, and it became fire. She ran into it and was burned. [Some people say that the otter could not run fast enough; and gave up the chase.] Because the otter was burned, he now has short brown hair; and because the otter had connection with the woman, otter spirits now enter women and make them very sick.

The man and his sister

A man secretly engages in an affair with his sister, neglecting his own family. When her husband discovers the infidelity, the brother kills him and desecrates his body. The man’s wife uncovers the betrayal and, seeking revenge, kills both her husband and his sister, desecrating their bodies in turn. She then moves her children to the sister’s camp, utilizing the ample meat supply, and later shares her story with their community, who commend her actions.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on the man’s betrayal of his own family through his affair with his sister and the subsequent treachery involved in murdering her husband.

Revenge and Justice: The man’s wife seeks retribution for the wrongs committed by her husband and his sister, ultimately delivering justice through their deaths.

Tragic Flaw: The man’s moral weaknesses—his lust and betrayal—lead to his downfall and death.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man lived with his wife and children near the head of a creek; and near by, at the head of another creek on the opposite side of the mountain, lived his sister and her husband. Often, when her husband was out hunting, the man went to his sister and cohabited with her. Her husband became suspicious and watched her. On several successive days he saw a man go into the camp. He asked his wife who it was that visited her; and she answered, “Only my brother, that is nothing.” The husband said no more. After this he came home one day and found him with his wife. He was angry, and they fought. The brother killed him, and, opening up his body, defecated inside. After this the brother spent more time with his sister than with his wife. The game that he killed he took to her, and nothing to his wife and family. His wife noticed that he looked tired every night, and in many ways showed that he had killed game.

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Still he always came home empty-handed, and claimed to have killed nothing. The family was starving; and the wife proposed that her husband go and see his brother-in-law, as he might have plenty of meat. He answered that he had been there, and his brother-in-law also could get no game and was out of food (he wanted his wife to starve). One day when her husband was away, the woman went to her sister-in-law’s camp, and found it full of meat. She also found the dead body of her sister-in-law’s husband, and saw what had been done to it. Her own husband was not there. She returned to camp, and made an arrow with a specially large head. The next day, when her husband was away, she went to his sister’s camp, and concealed herself in a place adjacent to the dead body in which he defecated, but at a lower level. When he came to the place to defecate, she shot the arrow up his anus. He cried out, “Come, sister! Some one is killing me!” His sister ran out, and the woman killed her also. She opened up both the bodies and defecated in them, saying, “Now I have my revenge.” As she had many children, she moved to the camp where the dead bodies were, and lived there, as there was a vast supply of meat. Later she and her children returned to the main body of the people, and told them of the wickedness of her husband and his sister. They approved of her deed.

Story of the ants

Two brothers married to two sisters hunt caribou daily. Overhearing a suspicious conversation between the sisters, the elder brother kills his wife by pushing her into a large ant nest. The younger sister, suspecting foul play, later kills both brothers. This story explains why ants have red heads and bite people.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The narrative involves marital relationships that are tested and ultimately broken through acts of betrayal.

Revenge and Justice: The story depicts acts of retribution following betrayal, leading to the demise of the offending parties.

Origin of Things: The myth explains the reason behind certain traits of ants, linking their current form to past events.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Two brothers were married to two sisters. [It is not clear that these people were ants, but it would seem so.] The husbands hunted every day, and brought home plenty of caribou-meat. When they came home, they always listened before entering the lodge. One night, when they were listening, a squirrel made a noise, as squirrels do in the evening-time. The younger sister said, “He makes a noise just like the one I make.” The elder one said to her, “Don’t say that! Our husbands might become suspicious.” Next day they moved camp, the elder couple travelling some distance ahead. They came to a place where there was a very large ant’s nest in rotten wood. The man pushed his wife into the nest; and the ants went all through her, coming out at her ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. The man then went on and made camp. When the younger sister arrived, she inquired for her sister, but the man never answered.

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Then she thought that he must have killed her. On the following day the men went hunting, each going his own way. The brother who had killed his wife then came back to camp, and wanted to have connection with his sister-in-law, saying, “Let us go to a hidden place!” The woman hid a knife in her bosom and went with him. When they embraced, she said, “I must be on top: I always do that way.” He agreed, and she suddenly pulled out the knife and cut his throat. That night she killed her husband (the other brother) in the same way. This is why ants have red heads now, and bite people. [The connection is not clear; but probably their heads are red because they were beheaded, and their heads bloody]

Story of grasshopper

A young woman disguises herself as a man and partners with Grasshopper for hunting. Upon discovering her true identity, Grasshopper marries her. However, he proves to be an ineffective provider, consuming only grasshoppers and sinew. Their child dies during a journey, but Grasshopper miraculously revives it. He later encounters a monstrous creature, kills it unconventionally, and eventually dies himself while serving as a snare trigger.

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The young woman dresses and lives as a man, embodying a physical and social transformation.

Family Dynamics: The narrative delves into the relationship between Grasshopper and the woman, their unconventional marriage, and the birth of their child.

Trials and Tribulations: The characters face various challenges, including hunting difficulties, starvation, and personal conflicts.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A young woman used to dress like a man. She and Grasshopper were hunting-partners, but Grasshopper did not know that she was a woman. She killed plenty of game, while Grasshopper did not kill anything. He wondered why she was such a good hunter, and also why she always sat down when she wanted to urinate. One day they came to a porcupine-den, and she sat down to urinate. Grasshopper ran through the porcupine-den, and, coming out close behind her, put his hand below her, and found out that she was a woman. The woman was ashamed, and went home and told her parents. They ranged up all the men, and had them pass before the girl, to find out who had done it. Grasshopper sat in the corner, laughing. All the men passed in view, but the girl could not point to any of them. Then she looked around, and, seeing Grasshopper sitting in the corner, pointed him out as the culprit.

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The girl’s father gave him the girl for his wife. Now they went out on a hunting-trip together. Grasshopper, being the husband, went out hunting every day, but never killed anything except other grasshoppers. He ate only grasshoppers and sinew of game. He ate no flesh of any kind. They were starving, and the woman herself had to go out hunting. After a time a baby was born. One day when they moved camp. Grasshopper, who was unable to carry much weight, went ahead with the baby, while his wife followed with a heavy load of camp-outfit. Grasshopper grew tired carrying the baby. He choked it, and hung it up on a tree. Then he went off hunting grasshoppers. At night, when he came to camp, he found his wife crying. He said to her, “Grasshopper, Grasshopper-Child [he always addressed his wife and child thus] is not dead. Why do you cry?” He struck the baby with his mitts, and it woke up, as though it had only been asleep. His wife was glad, and said to him, “Kill a bear for me tomorrow.” Grasshopper went out, and, while hunting grasshoppers in the grass, saw a huge monster approach. He was too late to get away, and the monster swallowed him. He tried to get out, and at last emerged through the anus. In this way the animal was killed. He went home, and said to his wife, “I have killed a bear for you. I jumped down his mouth, passed through all his insides, then came out and shot him.” She went out to see; and when she saw the huge carcass, she fell down from fright and crawled away, for her legs trembled so that she could not walk. Grasshopper came; and when he tapped her on the legs with his mitts, she became well, and walked back to camp. She said to him, “Bears are not like that: they are black, and only a little larger than a dog,” He went out hunting, and this time he killed a bear. His wife sent him to her mother. He went, and staid some time. His mother-in-law gave him plenty of meat to eat, but this was not his food. He wanted sinew to eat. He became so weak and sick that he had to crawl on his way back to his wife. He said to her, “Your mother gave me nothing but her excrements to eat, and made me sick.” They moved camp again, this time to snare caribou. Grasshopper said to his wife, “Use me as a trigger for the snare [like the trigger of a rabbit-snare].” His wife chased a caribou into the snare. The caribou went with great force and cut Grasshopper in two. He said to his wife, “Quick! put me together [join my legs to my body], that I may chase the caribou.” In her haste she joined the two parts of his body the wrong way; so that, when he ran forward, he was looking backwards. He was angry and ran off, but he could not go straight. He called to her, “Quick! break me, and join me again!” She broke him and joined him again, and now he went straight ahead. He said to her, “When you see smoke, you will know that I have overtaken and killed the caribou.” His wife saw smoke in a far-away mountain, and went there.

The bad man and his son-in-law

A man is targeted by his malevolent father-in-law, who schemes to kill him. First, he sends the man to hunt near a cannibal toad’s lair, but with the aid of his animal protectors—a grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx—the man defeats the toad. Undeterred, the father-in-law attempts other deadly plots, including transforming his own daughter into a grizzly bear to attack her husband. Each time, the man overcomes the dangers, ultimately leading to the father-in-law’s demise.

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The protagonist receives assistance from supernatural animal protectors, including the grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx.

Conflict with Authority: The story centers on the protagonist’s struggle against his authoritative and malevolent father-in-law.

Trials and Tribulations: The protagonist endures and overcomes a series of lethal challenges orchestrated by his father-in-law.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man who had married a girl, the daughter of a man of evil disposition, was hated by his father-in-law, who had made up his mind to kill him. One day he told the man to go hunting at a place where a gigantic cannibal toad lived. When the man approached the toad’s abode, he knew by the power of his protectors that he was in danger, and called on them for assistance. His four protectors — the grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx — appeared at once. The toad came out to fight the man, and opened its great mouth to bite him. Grizzly Bear, who was foremost, immediately jumped down its throat before it could bring its jaws together, and the others followed him. Then the four tore its entrails, and the man shot and killed it. The animals ate their way out, leaving four great holes in its body. When the man returned, his father-in-law was much disappointed because he had not been killed.

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The following day he asked him to go hunting on a high mountain at a place where snow-slides always came down and killed people. When he reached this place, he changed himself into something so tiny that the snow-slide could not crush it. The avalanche came and carried him down, but failed to harm him. When he arrived at the bottom, he resumed his natural form and went home. His father-in-law could hardly suppress his disappointment and anger. He said to his daughter, “I will change you into a grizzly bear. Go out on yonder side-hill and act and feed like a bear.” He put a bear-skin on her, and told her to tear her husband. Then he pointed out the bear to his son-in-law, who went to kill it. When he came near and was about to shoot, his wife called out, “Don’t shoot! Save me! I am your wife.” He never heeded, and kept on shooting until he had killed her. His father-in-law was now very angry, and pursued him. The man threw down part of the inside of the bear; and this formed a deep chasm between them, stopping for a time the advance of his pursuer. The latter caught up again; and the man threw something behind him, which again formed an obstacle and delayed his pursuer. Thus he threw down several things, which became canyons, lakes, etc., behind him. His father-in-law managed to pass them all, and again caught up. He had only one thing left that he could throw. This was a stick, which turned into fire [some people say it was a fire-drill or fire-rock]. His pursuer ran right into the fire, and was burned to death.