Flood legends from St. Michael

The Norton Sound Eskimo tell of an ancient flood that submerged the earth, sparing only a high mountain. Some animals survived by climbing its slopes, while a few humans lived in an umiak, relying on fish until the waters receded. As the floodwaters shaped the land into mountains and valleys, survivors descended, repopulating the earth. Similar legends exist among other Bering Sea Eskimo groups.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Creation: It explains how the current world, with its mountains and valleys, came into being after a great flood.

Origin of Things: The story provides an explanation for natural phenomena, specifically the formation of the earth’s topography.

Loss and Renewal: It depicts a cycle of destruction through the flood and subsequent rebirth as survivors repopulate the earth.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Legends very similar to this are widely spread among other Eskimo on the coast of Bering sea.

The Norton sound Eskimo have a legend that in the first days the earth was flooded except a very high mountain in the middle. The water came up from the sea and covered all the land except the top of this mountain; only a few animals were saved, which escaped by going up the mountain side. A few people escaped by going into an umiak and subsisting on the fish they caught until the water subsided.

Finally, as the waters lowered, the people who were saved went to live upon the mountains, eventually descending to the coast; the animals also came down and replenished the earth with their kind. During the flood the waves and currents cut the surface of the land into hollows and ridges, and then, as the water receded, it ran back into the sea, leaving the mountains and valleys as they are today.

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The owl and the raven

The owl and the raven were close friends who exchanged gifts—a dress for the owl and boots for the raven. When the owl tried to fit the raven with a white dress, the raven’s restless hopping led to the owl’s anger. In frustration, the owl poured oil over the raven, turning it black forever. The raven’s cry, “Qaq! Qaq!” marked the moment.

Source:
The Central Eskimo
by Franz Boas
[Bureau of American Ethnology]
Sixth Annual Report
Washington, 1888

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The tale explains the physical change in the raven’s appearance from white to black feathers.

Trickster: The raven’s restless behavior and the resulting transformation align with the trickster archetype common in many myths.

Origin of Things: This story provides an explanation for the natural phenomenon of the raven’s black coloration.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

The owl and the raven were fast friends. One day the raven made a new dress, dappled white and black, for the owl, who in return made a pair of boots of whalebone for the raven and then began to make a white dress. But when he was about to try it on, the raven kept hopping about and would not sit still.

The owl got angry and said: “Now sit still or I shall pour out the lamp over you.” As the raven continued hopping about, the owl fell into a passion and poured the oil upon it. Then the raven cried “Qaq! Qaq!” and since that day has been black all over.

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The constellation Udleqdjun

Three hunters and a boy pursued a bear across the ice. As the chase intensified, the sledge and bear were mysteriously lifted skyward. The boy fell off, witnessing the men transform into stars: the bear became Nanuqdjung (Betelgeuse), the hunters Udleqdjun (Orion’s Belt), and the sledge Kamutiqdjung (Orion’s Sword). The boy returned to recount their fate, while the celestial chase continues eternally.

Source:
The Central Eskimo
by Franz Boas
[Bureau of American Ethnology]
Sixth Annual Report
Washington, 1888

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The metamorphosis of the hunters, the bear, and the sledge into celestial bodies highlights a profound change from earthly beings to stars.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative involves interactions with supernatural elements, as the characters ascend to the sky and become part of the constellation.

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the appearance of certain stars in the night sky, attributing their origins to the hunters’ eternal pursuit of the bear.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Three men went bear hunting with a sledge and took a young boy with them. When they approached the edge of the floe they saw a bear and went in pursuit. Though the dogs ran fast they could not get nearer and all of a sudden they observed that the bear was lifted up and their sledge followed. At this moment the boy lost one of his mittens and in the attempt to pick it up fell from the sledge. There he saw the men ascending higher and higher, finally being transformed into stars. The bear became the star Nanuqdjung (Betelgeuse); the pursuers, Udleqdjun (Orion’s belt); and the sledge, Kamutiqdjung (Orion’s sword). The men continue the pursuit up to this day; the boy, however, returned to the village and told how the men were lost.

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The woman who married a dog

A legend tells of a woman who, after refusing suitors, married a dog at her father’s curse. Exiled, she lived on an island where the dog provided for her. They bore children, both human and canine. She later ordered her children to kill their father and assigned them identities, creating mythical beings like Europeans, dog-men, wolves, giants, and dwarfs, shaping the mythical origins of these groups.

Source:
Tales of the Smith Sound Eskimo
by Alfred L. Kroeber
[The American Folklore Society]
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.12, No.46, pp.166-182
July-September, 1899

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The woman transitions from human society to a life with a dog, leading to the birth of offspring that are both human and canine.

Origin of Things: This tale explains the mythical origins of various beings, including Europeans, dog-men, wolves, giants, and dwarfs.

Forbidden Knowledge: The woman’s union with a dog, following her father’s curse, delves into the pursuit of hidden or taboo relationships and their consequences.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Near the head of Qangirdluxssuang Bay (on Inglefield Gulf) lived a man and his daughter. The girl, however, refused to marry any one. Finally, when she refused suitor after suitor, her father grew angry and threatened to make her marry a dog. She warned him that if he said this often she might take him at his word. Indeed, one of the dogs just then broke his line and came into the house. She soon married him. When she grew pregnant her father and the other people drove her away, and the dog carried her across the water to an island, named Qemiunaarving, off the mouth of the bay. The dog used to bring her food from her father, floating it over by means of a skin of a ground-seal, which was prepared like an ordinary seal-skin float.

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One day the father, desiring to kill him, filled the skin with stones and tied it to him, hoping thus to drown him. But the dog was so strong that he kept on swimming in spite of the stones (which would have drawn down any other being), and finally, although he almost sank, reached the island in safety.

The woman gave birth to a great many children, both persons and dogs. When they were somewhat older, she one day ordered them to kill their father, the dog, which they did, devouring him. [In all other Eskimo versions the woman’s father is thus killed; there are also only two kinds of beings produced, the Qavdlunat (Europeans), and the Adlet, Timerset, or Erqigdlit (dog-men), generally five of each. The tornit (giants) and the inuaudligat (dwarfs) are well-known fabulous Eskimo tribes, though ordinarily not connected with this tale. What the nakassungnaitut are I could not ascertain. The introduction of wolves is curious.] Then she called her children in pairs, a male and a female together. “You two be qablunat (Europeans), and go away from here, and dress in clean clothes, and do not inspire fear.” “You two be nakassungnaitut, and be savage, and also go away,” she said to the next two. “You two be wolves,” she went on to another pair; “do not pursue people nor frighten dogs, and go away.” “And you two be tornit,” she said, “and go away from here; but you shall have no dogs, and shall fear them, but you shall not make people afraid.” “And you be inugaudligat,” she added to the last pair. Thus she sent them all away. The qablunat sailed away in the sole of a boot. And then she went back to live with her father.

How the caribou lost their large eyes

The Eskimo tell of a time when caribou had large, keen eyes, making them savage and difficult to hunt. After seeking help from their Torngak, one thoughtful caribou sewed up the corners of its species’ eyes, using a bone from its foreleg, to appear less fierce. This act made caribou tamer and easier to hunt, providing the Eskimo with sustenance and materials for survival.

Source:
The Labrador Eskimo
by E.W. Hawkes
[Canada, Department of Mines]
Geological Survey, Memoir 91
Anthropological Series no. 14
Ottawa, 1916

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The story explains why caribou have smaller eyes, attributing it to a deliberate change to aid human hunters.

Cunning and Deception: The caribou’s act of sewing their eyes to appear less fierce involves a form of self-deception to alter their behavior and relationship with humans.

Harmony with Nature: The tale reflects the interdependence between humans and animals, highlighting how changes in animal behavior can lead to a balanced coexistence.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

When the caribou were first found by the Eskimo, they had very large eyes. They could see a long distance and were very savage. So the Eskimo found it exceedingly difficult to get near enough to shoot them with their bows and arrows. Consequently they often went hungry. They asked their Torngak to help them, and to make the caribou tamer. One of the caribou grew very thoughtful. He said to the others, “I wish our eyes were not so large, then we should be better looking.” So the other caribou said, “Sew our eyes up then.” So the thoughtful caribou took a little bone out of its foreleg and a piece of sinew and sewed up the corners of their eyes. The caribou became tamer and could not see so quickly, and the Eskimo were able to take them more easily.

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The Eskimo say that it is because the Torngak of their forefathers helped them that the caribou are not so savage and cannot see so far, and they are able to kill them and eat their meat and wear their skins for clothing. They always show the bone in the foreleg that was used by the caribou that their Torngak made thoughtful, when they tell the story. It is a bone in the ankle that seems to be loose under the skin.

The owl and the raven

The owl and the raven quarreled, leading to the owl tipping a lamp over the raven, covering him in soot. Ashamed, the raven flew away, crying “kaq, kaq.” This explains why ravens are black in this tale.

Source:
The Labrador Eskimo
by E.W. Hawkes
[Canada, Department of Mines]
Geological Survey, Memoir 91
Anthropological Series no. 14
Ottawa, 1916

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the raven’s black coloration.

Conflict with Nature: The quarrel between the owl and the raven represents a struggle between natural creatures.

Cunning and Deception: The owl’s act of tipping the lamp over the raven involves a deceptive action leading to the raven’s transformation.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Once the owl and the raven had a quarrel.

The owl became angry and tipped a lamp over the raven.

He was completely covered with soot.

He was very much ashamed, and flew off, crying, “kaq, kaq.”

That is why he is black.

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Origin of the winds and rain

A giant spirit in the north breathes violent snowstorms, while spirits in the east and west bring soft winds and warm weather. Female spirits in the south send flowers and summer rain, storing water in sky bags. When they run, the water escapes as rain, and thunder echoes as the sound of their movements across the sky.

Source:
The Labrador Eskimo
by E.W. Hawkes
[Canada, Department of Mines]
Geological Survey, Memoir 91
Anthropological Series no. 14
Ottawa, 1916

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The story provides a rich explanation for natural phenomena like snow, wind, rain, and thunder, rooting them in a spiritual framework.

Supernatural Beings: It highlights the spirits as powerful entities controlling the weather, bridging the natural and spiritual worlds.

Harmony with Nature: The tale reflects an intrinsic understanding of and reverence for natural forces, showing humanity’s connection to and respect for the environment.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There is a giant spirit who lives in the north. When he blows his breath, violent snowstorms occur.

Other spirits live in the east and west. They breathe soft winds and summer weather. Female spirits dwell to the south. They send the flowers and summer rain.

They live up in the sky and keep the rain in big bags. When they run across the sky the water escapes.

The thunder is the noise of their running across the sky.

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How the fog came

A cunning man feigned death to expose a Mountain Spirit that stole corpses. Using a hidden stone for protection, he endured a treacherous journey to the Spirit’s lair. After killing the Spirit and its children, he fled, raising hills and flooding a stream to escape the pursuing wife. Tricked into bursting her belly, she transformed into the mist that lingers in the hills today.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The protagonist employs cunning and deception to outsmart the Mountain Spirit, feigning death and using clever tactics to survive and ultimately defeat the Spirit.

Transformation: The narrative culminates in the transformation of the Mountain Spirit’s wife into fog, explaining the natural phenomenon of mist in the hills.

Origin of Things: This tale provides an explanation for the presence of fog in the hills, attributing it to the events involving the Mountain Spirit and his wife.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was a Mountain Spirit, which stole corpses from their graves and ate them when it came home. And a man, wishing to see who did this thing, let himself be buried alive. The Spirit came, and saw the new grave, and dug up the body, and carried it off. The man had stuck a flat stone in under his coat, in case the Spirit should try to stab him.

On the way, he caught hold of all the willow twigs whenever they passed any bushes, and made himself as heavy as he could, so that the Spirit was forced to put forth all its strength.

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At last the Spirit reached its house, and flung down the body on the floor. And then, being weary, it lay down to sleep, while its wife went out to gather wood for the cooking.

“Father, father, he is opening his eyes,” cried the children, when the dead man suddenly looked up.

“Nonsense, children, it is a dead body, which I have dropped many times among the twigs on the way,” said the father.

But the man rose up, and killed the Mountain Spirit and its children, and fled away as fast as he could. The Mountain Spirit’s wife saw him, and mistook him for her husband.

“Where are you going?” she cried.

The man did not answer, but fled on. And the woman, thinking something must be wrong, ran after him.

And as he was running over level ground, he cried: “Rise up, hills!”

And at once many hills rose up.

Then the Mountain Spirit’s wife lagged behind, having to climb up so many hills.

The man saw a little stream, and sprang across.

“Flow over your banks!” he cried to the stream. And now it was impossible for her to get across.

“How did you get across?” cried the woman.

“I drank up the water. Do you likewise.”

And the woman began gulping it down.

Then the man turned round towards her, and said: “Look at the tail of your tunic; it is hanging down between your legs.”

And when she bent down to look, her belly burst.

And as she burst, a steam rose up out of her, and turned to fog, which still floats about to this day among the hills.

A woman who was mated with a dog

A woman mated with a dog and bore ten children. As they grew, she commanded them to devour her father. Dividing them into two groups, she sent five inland, where they became erkileks, while the other five received an old boot. Placed in the sea, it transformed into a ship, leading them away, where they became kavdlunaks (Europeans).

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The woman’s offspring undergo significant changes, with some becoming erkileks and others transforming into Europeans (kavdlunaks).

Origin of Things: This narrative offers an explanation for the emergence of different groups, such as Europeans, within Inuit mythology.

Supernatural Beings: The story features elements beyond the natural world, including the woman’s union with a dog and the subsequent birth of extraordinary children.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

A woman who was mated with a dog got ten children.

When they had grown larger, she ordered them to devour her father, whereupon she divided them into two parties and sent them off from home to seek their subsistence henceforth by themselves.

Five of them, who were sent up the country, grew erkileks; and to the other five she gave the sole of an old boot, and put it in the sea, where it rapidly expanded and grew a ship, in which they went off, turning into kavdlunaks (Europeans).

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Tradition of a Flood

According to legend, stone boats found in forests are remnants of the P’us, tiny folk who thrived with the help of a magical, inexhaustible chest. Neglecting to worship God, they faced a divine flood. Anticipating the deluge, they crafted stone boats, believing them impervious to decay. Tragically, stone does not float, and the P’us perished, leaving their vessels scattered across the woods.

Source
Ethnology of the Mayas of
Southern and Central British Honduras
by John Eric Thompson
Field Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Series, Pub.274, Vol.17.2
Chicago, 1930

► Themes of the story

Creation: This story ties to the theme of creation as it reflects an ancient understanding of how divine forces interact with and shape the mortal world. The flood serves as a transformative event that resets or alters the balance of existence, a recurring motif in many creation myths.

Origin of Things: The story provides a cultural explanation for phenomena or beliefs, such as why reverence to divine powers is necessary or why humanity might fear the consequences of neglecting sacred duties. This aligns with myths that aim to explain traditions or natural events.

Divine Intervention: The flood is a direct act of divine will, sent as punishment for the P’us’ failure to worship God. This showcases how gods or higher powers influence human (or, in this case, non-human) affairs, asserting their control over creation and morality.

► From the same Region or People

Central America
- Maya Lore

Learn more about Maya people

Often when hunting in the forest one comes upon old rubbing stones that have no legs. They are not really rubbing stones, although our people often take them home and use them as such. They are the boats of the tiny folk — the P’us.

Long ago these little people lived very happily, for they possessed a magic chest, from which issued an inexhaustible supply of everything that they needed. On account of this they forgot to worship God. God sent a flood to destroy them. They knew beforehand that there was going to be a big flood, but they did not know when it would come.

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Accordingly they made themselves little stone boats, so that they would not rot in the wet season, as might have happened if they had made them of wood.

When the flood came, they got into their stone boats, but they were all drowned as the stone would not float. There they lie to this day in the woods, often near holes in the ground where they sank when the big flood swept everyone away.