Story of the fish-woman

A poor man caught a fish-girl named Sherkala with an old hook and took her home. She cleaned his house and prepared meals, but he caught no fish. One day, he secretly watched her transform into a girl and reveal her fish skin. He burned it, and Sherkala, heartbroken, melted away into the sea.

Source
Tales of Yukaghir, Lamut, and Russianized Natives of Eastern Siberia
by Waldemar Bogoras
The American Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Papers, Vol. 20, Part 1
New York, 1918

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The man’s discovery of Sherkala’s true nature and his subsequent actions lead to irreversible consequences, underscoring the dangers of uncovering hidden truths.

Supernatural Beings: Sherkala herself is a mythical creature, embodying elements beyond the natural world.

Love and Betrayal: The bond formed between the man and Sherkala is broken by his betrayal when he burns her fish skin, leading to her departure.

► From the same Region or People

North Asia
- Yukaghir Lore

Learn more about the Yukaghir people

Told by Innocent Korkin, a Russianized Yukaghir man, in the village of Pokhotsk, the Kolyma country, summer of 1896.

There was a poor man who lived alone. He had no fish nets, nor even a fish hook. So he went to the merchants, asking for a hook. The first and the second merchant gruffly refused him. A third one gave him an old hook, without point. He took it and prepared a long fishing-rod for it. Armed with this, he went every day to the sea to angle. He was fishing the whole day long, and caught nothing. The next day likewise he caught nothing. The third day he cast his fishing rod, and could not pull back the line, it was so heavy. “Ah!” thought he, “it must be some large fish.” He pulled at it with all his might, and at last he brought to the surface Sherkala, the fish-girl. “What is it?” said he to himself. “Is it my good luck, or is it my bad luck?” He was ready to throw her back into the water; but then he bethought himself, and said, “I am very poor. I can lose nothing by it, let me take her home!” He took Sherkala home and laid her down in the corner of his house.

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The next morning he went fishing again. He caught nothing at all; but when he came home, his house looked quite festive. Everything was well cleaned and in good order; a good meal stood ready on the table; but nobody was there, and Sherkala lay in the corner just as before. From that time on everything continued in that manner. He caught no fish; but somebody kept the house in good order, and cooked excellent meals of nothing. When he stayed at home, the dinner would not appear, so that he was obliged to go out every morning. One day he pretended to depart; but, instead of going away, he lay down on the earth bench close to the window. He lay there very quietly; but after a while he lifted his head and looked through the window. Sherkala arose as far as her tail, and then turned into a young girl. She ripped up her own belly and took out fish-roe, which she put into the kettle. Then she swept the floor and put everything in good order. The man suddenly rushed in and caught the fish skin of Sherkala, which lay on the floor. He threw it into the fire, and burned it. “What have you done,” said the girl. “We lived so happily, and now I must go away.” She fell down and melted away into sea water.

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Yukaghir tale

A man and his wife announce their daughter’s name will secure her a husband, but it remains a secret until a weary servant unwittingly reveals it to a hareskin-clad Monster. The Monster marries the girl, taking her to his eerie underwater home of terrifying beings. She escapes on her winged horse and marries a hunter in a distant land. However, the Monster’s prophecy comes true — he returns after the birth of her three children. Using wit and magic, the woman and her fox ally thwart the Monster’s attempts to destroy them. The fox cleverly disposes of the Monster’s weapons, while the husband and the winged horse ultimately defeat him. The family moves to a safer land, ensuring a new beginning.

Source
Tales of Yukaghir, Lamut, and Russianized Natives of Eastern Siberia
by Waldemar Bogoras
The American Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Papers, Vol. 20, Part 1
New York, 1918

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The daughter’s name is kept secret, and the revelation of this hidden truth sets the events of the story in motion.

Trials and Tribulations: The daughter faces numerous challenges, including her abduction, escape, and the Monster’s subsequent return, testing her resilience and resourcefulness.

Cunning and Deception: The daughter and her fox ally employ wit and cleverness to thwart the Monster’s attempts to destroy them, showcasing the use of deception to achieve their goals.

► From the same Region or People

North Asia
- Yukaghir Lore

Learn more about the Yukaghir people

Told by Nicholas Kusakoff, a Russian creole, in the village of Pokhotsk in the Kolyma country, summer of 1895.

There lived a man with his wife. They had a daughter. The name of this daughter was kept secret. The father announced that whoever should guess her name should have her for a wife. There came traders and hunters and all kinds of able young men, but nobody could guess her name.

The couple had only a single female servant. The suitors were too many, and the housework was too hard for her. The servant had to fetch water, chop wood, and cook food. She had no rest at all. She toiled and toiled. One time she went to an ice hole to draw water, feeling wearied and unhappy. She wept and a tear fell into the water. At the same time she whispered to herself: “What is her name? They cannot guess it. Her name is, Kutika Mutika.” All of a sudden some air bubbles danced on the water; and a Monster appeared from the ice hole, clad in hareskin.

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So the Monster inquired, “What was it you whispered when crying over the ice hole?” At first the girl refused to answer; but after a while she said, “It is so and so. I feel wearied almost to death. And what is in her name, that they cannot guess it? Her name is simply Kutika Mutika.” The monster jumped out of the water and rushed off, so that the ice resounded. He came to the house of the girl. All the people laughed at him, “This ugly old man also wants to guess her name.” He hopped around on one leg, and said, “Her name is Spoon, her name is Ladle, her name is Big Fork, her name is Kettle-Hook.” Then suddenly he said, “Her name is Kutika Mutika.” All the people jumped up in wonder. The old father slapped himself on the mouth with the palm of his hand. The other suitors from mere shame and anger, left immediately without waiting for dinner to be served. The old Monster remained there. The next morning they were married. The father of the girl was wealthy and generous. He had a winged horse with a natural saddle and a natural bridle. He gave this horse to his daughter as her dowry, so she mounted it. The Monster held the halter of silk, and led the way down the river directly through the ice hole. He went down, and she followed him. They descended into the river and found a trail. They followed it for a long time. At last the girl said, “O, old man! I feel hungry and thirsty. Is it still far to your houses?” — “Why,” said the Monster, “Look there! Our houses are there.” She looked, and saw a number of large bunches of grass which were standing like so many houses. From under every bunch smoke ascended. He took her to the largest of the bunches and helped her down from her horse. All kinds of monsters jumped out from under the grass. One had no trunk of the body, another was without a nose, a third even without a face. Last of all there jumped out a one-eyed old woman clad in hareskin. She hopped about on one leg, and cried, “Oh, oh! he has brought a reindeer and a doe withal.” The young woman was frightened, so she cut the halter of the horse. The horse immediately flew up. It bolted through the ice-hole back to earth. It did not go back to the house of the bride’s father, however, but flew on steadily. The old Monster followed it, running below. After a long time the Monster was left behind. Then he shouted with all his might, “Mind, woman! You will marry somebody else, and you will have three children by him. The first one shall be a boy, and the second a girl, and the third again a boy. Bear in mind that then I shall come to you again!”

She wandered on, and came to a wild country unknown to any one. There she married a man, who was a mighty hunter. Not a single living thing could escape his skill. They had three children, — a boy and a girl, and again a boy. When the last was still an infant in the cradle, the husband one day said to his wife, “Give me your horse, I want to use it to go hunting.” The woman said, “Take the horse! but be careful when stopping in the woods! Tie it only to an old dry tree. Be sure not to tie it to a green tree.”

He used the horse once, twice, several times. At last one day he went into the woods. About the middle of the day he stopped for dinner, and quite forgot his wife’s warning about tying the horse, and tied it to a green tree.

In the meantime the woman busied herself about the house. She cooked food, then she raked up the burning coals and covered them with ashes, as is customary. The children were playing near the fireplace. All of a sudden something fumed and smouldered among the coals. She thought it was the children’s fault: so she grew angry, and said to the older boy, “Now, just scrape that off with a piece of wood and throw it on the floor!” He scraped it off on to the floor; and, lo! there was the Monster, clad in hareskin, sitting near the fireplace. She was so frightened that she nearly had a fit. Then she came to herself, and said, “I will bring some food from the storehouse.” She went off, and the older boy followed her. The Monster said, “Be quick! Hardly step out of the house, and you are back again!” So she took off one of her boots and squeezed it between the door and the doorpost. They had in the storehouse an old box clamped with twelve iron hoops. The woman said to the box, “You were a box clamped with twelve iron hoops. Now become a raised storehouse with twelve iron supports, and every support as thick as a man can embrace!”

So the box turned into a storehouse raised on twelve supports, each support as thick as a man could embrace. The woman and the boy were on top of the storehouse. Then she shouted, and called for her husband; but he was so far away, he could hardly hear her voice. When he heard it, he ran for the horse; but the horse had been left in the woods quite a way behind. The horse also tried to make itself free, but the green tree held it fast, notwithstanding all its efforts. The Monster went out of the house, and saw the iron storehouse. He grew very angry. First of all, he caught two of her children and swallowed them. The girl’s legs just passed through his mouth like a flash. “You also shall not escape,” said he, and began to vomit. After a few efforts he vomited out a large ax and attacked the iron supports. He chopped at them with supernatural force, and big iron splinters flew about. At this time a little She-Fox came and said, “O, granny! you are so tired, let me relieve you and chop a little in your stead!” He gave her the ax. She ran away and threw it into the sea. The monster vomited again and threw up a hatchet. With this he chopped at the supports with greater force than before. The Fox thought a little, then she wallowed in white clay and turned white, just like an arctic fox. She came to the Monster, and said again, “O granny! you are so tired, let me work in your stead for a while!” — “And who are you?” asked the Monster. “Methinks you are the same fox.” — “Oh, no!” said the Fox, “don’t you see! I am an arctic fox.” He gave her the hatchet, and the Fox threw it into the sea. The Monster vomited again and threw out a large lance. With this he chopped at the iron supports harder than ever. Eleven supports were cut down. Only the last was left, and the storehouse swayed to and fro upon its base. Then the winged horse with a last effort uprooted green tree and ran home. It rushed straight to the storehouse and with the iron hoofs it broke the Monster’s back. Then the husband also came home. He cut up the Monster and chopped its body into small pieces. He put what remained on a leather sledge cover and dragged it toward the sea. Then he threw all the remnants of the Monster’s body into the sea. After that they left, and wandered to another country. They lived there and had more children.

The girl in the stone chest

A poorly dressed orphan suitor seeks a girl locked in a stone chest, receiving magical help from a Mouse-woman to enter. After obtaining mysterious wolf-skin trimming through a cunning encounter with a giant, he consummates his marriage, with his father-in-law dying shortly after his return.

Source
The Jessup North Pacific Expedition
edited by Franz Boas
Memoir of the American Museum
of Natural History – New York
Volume VIII
1. Chukchee Mythology
by Waldemar Bogoras
Leiden & New York, 1910

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The suitor gains secret information from the Mouse-woman on how to access the stone chest, leading him to the concealed girl.

Cunning and Deception: The suitor uses cleverness to outwit the giant, obtaining the desired wolf-skin trimming through stealth.

Supernatural Beings: The Mouse-woman and the giant represent otherworldly entities that influence the suitor’s journey.

► From the same Region or People

North Asia
- Chukchee Lore

Learn more about the Chukchee people

This tale is probably borrowed from the Russian or from the Yukaghir, or at least is strongly influenced by the folk-lore of these peoples.

Told by Nikon Rite’greu, a River Chukchee man in a settlement “By the Cliffs,” on the Middle Anadyr.

There lived an old man who had an only daughter. He kept her in a large stone chest. Although her suitors were many, they could not do anything, since the girl was shut up in the chest. She was sitting there, with a lamp. She was very pretty. All the time she was sewing and preparing new clothes for herself. An orphan, poorly dressed, also wanted to be a suitor. He lost his way, however, in a storm. At last he saw a house. “Who is there?” — “I am here.” — “Who are you?” — “I lost my way in a storm.” — “Indeed!” The woman returned to the sleeping-room. “He, you! There is meat in the store-room. [Ya’nak, “in the background of the tent, behind the sleeping-room”] Take some and eat it.” — “I will.” He went to the store-room. A Mouse-woman come out from there, and asked him, “Who are you?” — “I am a suitor.” — “All right! I will give you some of my saliva. Rub that upon the stone, then you will find a nail. Press that nail down. The chest will open, and let you in.” He rubbed. The trunk opened. He saw a naked girl, who was lying on her back fast asleep. He pressed her down. “Ah, ah, ah!” cried the girl; and the father cried from the sleeping-room, “I knew he was not a stray visitor, he is a suitor. — Well, then, if you have become my son-in-law, go and procure some good trimming for my fur-shirt collar.”

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“All right!” But he did not know what kind of trimming was wanted. He set off, and at last was out of the bright world, and entered the dark one. He walked in the dark, and soon heard noise and thunder. A man was snoring. He came nearer, and found a house as large as a mountain. His ears rang with the noise. He entered, however, and saw a man as big as a tall tree. He was asleep and snoring. He had a very long beard. He caught him by the beard and wound his hand twice in it. Then he pulled up his head and drew the pillow from under the sleeping one. He emptied the pillow-bag, and rummaged among the contents. He found a piece of wolf-skin all clotted. He put it into his bosom; then he caught the sleeping man by the beard, just as before, and put his head upon the pillow. After that, instead of going out, he jumped up, caught hold of one of the roof-poles, and passed through the vent-hole to the top of the tent. There he also lay down to sleep, and snored too. The large one awoke. “Who is snoring there on top of the tent, disturbing my sound sleep so shamelessly?” He looked for the footprints; but all of them led only to the tent, and none led out. The large one was puzzled, then he lay down and snored again. Then the other one left. Before he returned home, he grew old. Just as he came, his father-in-law dropped down and died.

The end.

The woman who married the Moon and the Ke’le

A deserted woman stumbles upon the home of the Moon Man and becomes his wife. Forbidden from opening a mysterious trunk, her curiosity releases a dual-faced woman, unraveling harmony. Cast out, she marries a ke’le (spirit), enduring grotesque hardships. Rescued by the Polar Star, she ascends to safety, while the ke’le’s torment reveals cosmic justice, preserving balance for humanity.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The woman’s curiosity leads her to open a forbidden trunk, releasing a dual-faced woman and disrupting her life.

Divine Intervention: The Moon Man and later the Polar Star play significant roles in her journey, influencing mortal affairs.

Transformation: The woman undergoes significant changes in her circumstances, from being deserted and starving to marrying the Moon Man, then a ke’le, and finally being rescued by the Polar Star.

► From the same Region or People

North Asia
- Chukchee Lore

Learn more about the Chukchee people

Told by Rike’wgi, a Maritime Chukchee man, at Mariinsky Post, October, 1900.

There was a house. A woman of the human people (who lived in it) was deserted by her husband. She was starving, and (at last) was crawling on all fours from mere starvation. She was very hungry. Then she saw a house, entered it, and looked around. Ready-made clothes were hanging there. A dish was filled with tallow. She ate of it. As soon as she finished, she fled to the open country.

A man came (who was in the open), walking on foot. It was the (Man in) the Moon. “Oh, how very extraordinary! Who was that who came around and ate the tallow? The whole dishful is gone.” The next morning he went away again. He changed his boots and put on other ones. Still no wife was to be seen. As soon as he went away, the woman came, and again found the tallow. She ate abundantly of it, and felt much better.

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The man came home. “Oh, it is bad! How very extraordinary! Who is it that (steals) so much food? Well, now, let me stay at home (literally, ‘let me be not walking’) tomorrow morning!” Noon-time came. Then the woman appeared again. She entered the house and made for the food. Before she had time to begin eating, he caught her.

“Ah, ah, ah! Don’t! Off!” She struggled. “Oh, then it is you!” — “Off, off! Let me go!” — “Be quiet! I shall not harm you. I want to question you. Oh, why are you wandering about? You have a master?” — “I have not.” — “How is it?” — “I have been deserted by my husband, cast off and starved.” — “Have you seen nothing here in the house?” — “Nothing at all.” — “Oh, then I will marry you!”

He married her. Again he went away. In the evening he came back. He said to his wife, “Do not come out from the inner room. Let us enter (both), (and then) simply throw my boots out to the outer tent.”

She threw the boots outside. Immediately after that the dish appeared, quite by itself, filled with cooked meat. They ate, and then they put the dish outside. They awoke in the morning. The woman looked towards the dish. It was (clean and) in (good) order.

He went again, and killed a wild reindeer. “Oh, tomorrow we will arrange a thanksgiving feast! Do not carry the charm-strings yourself.” Then they came to the wild reindeer prepared for the feast, and the charm-strings were there.

Oh, they slept! They awoke in the morning, and he departed again. (She asked herself,) “For what reason did he say to me, ‘Leave that trunk there unopened! Do not pry into (its contents). Do obey this (order of mine)’?”

Oh, as soon as he went away, she opened the trunk. Another woman was sitting there: the two halves of her face were of different forms. One half was black, the other half was red. The new-comer made a sound with her tongue: “Pr!”

The other one looked up, and all of a sudden died and fell down. The new-comer closed the trunk, because she felt great fear, [of course]. The husband came home. They entered the house. She told him nothing, because she feared his (anger). She threw the boots out to the outer tent, but they waited vainly for the dish.

Then the husband thrust (his head) out from under (the cover of the sleeping-room). “Oh, oh! How extraordinary! Where is she? (You are) sure that you have not opened the trunk?” — “I have not!” — “Then where is she? Listen (to reason), and tell (the truth)!” Then she said, “I looked on her. She would not look on me. Then I made a creaking sound with my mouth. And she fell down.”

“Oh, how very strange you are! Why could you not obey? Not without reason, then, were you deserted by your husband. Give me my drum!” He drummed on it, and the other woman revived. Only she was quite angry, and shoved in the dish (with all her might).

The next morning they awoke, and he sent (the woman) back. He said, “Not without reason were you deserted by your husband. You have a home, let me convey you there.” He conveyed her to her father, took her there, and said to his father-in-law, “Oh, but I cannot keep watch of her!”

They wanted to marry her to an (earthly) man. But she refused. Then the father said, “Whom will you marry, a ke’le will you marry?” On the next day, when she was (walking) in the (open) land, a man came to her. He said to her, “There, let us go home!” — “I do not want that!” — “Your father has invited me to marry you.” He took her to his home. The home was of stone. There were worms in it. This man was feeding on worms.

The woman felt disgusted. “Why do you not eat?” — “We do not feed on such things!” — “On what, then, do you feed?” — “We feed on meat.” — “Oh, well! I will go and procure meat.” He killed a mouse. “Why do you not eat?” — “We do not feed on such things.” — “On what, then, do you feed?” — “We feed on seal.” — “Oh, well! I will bring that.” He brought a sea-worm.

“Why do you not eat?” — “How can I eat a worm? It is disgusting.” — “What, then, do you feed on?” — “We feed on meat of the wild reindeer.” He brought a marmot. “Why do you not eat?” — “We do not feed on such things. Why, it stinks of marmot!” — “What, then, do you feed on?” — “We feed on walrus-blubber.” — “Oh, well! I will bring that.”

He brought one from the sea, a stranded carcass. Of this she ate. “Oh, what do you wish for now?” — “For a root of Polygonum Polymorphum out of the ground.” — “Oh, well! I will bring it.” This time he brought a lady-bug. “We do not feed on such things. They are disgusting. How can I eat it?” — “Oh, well! I will bring another one.”

Very soon she brought forth a child. He brought a human body (for food), it was her brother’s. Next morning she was crying near [the corner of] her house. Then a small Fox visited her. “Oh, you! what is the matter with you?” — “It is bad! I have been married to a ke’le. My father gave me to a ke’le.”

“Oh, make [those — what is their name? Make] some ornamented boots. And when he would come back from somewhere, [when he would come back from the open land], you must give them to him (with your hand) [from hand to hand]. Just throw them down (before him). Let him examine them. Then the thread of a spider-web will descend.”

Indeed, he came from the (open) country. “Why are you crying?” — “It is only because of some birds (of passage) that came from my country, that I am crying. — There, change your boots!” He took them. When he was examining the ornaments, the woman tried to speak to him, but he did not hear. Then she went out. Just then she saw the thread of a spider-web hanging down.

Then she was hauled up. Her husband gave pursuit. She was to the (house of) Small-Spider (-Woman). And just then he also came. “Oh, where is my wife?” — “Which wife?” — “Again you have made me an object of ridicule.” — “Oh, but she has passed by to the Upper People.”

He ascended upward, and came to the Upper People. That woman came to the Polar Star (literally, “motionless star”). “Oh, a pursuer is overtaking me!” — “Oh, then, what is the matter with you?” — “My father gave me to a ke’le.” — “Oh, well! stay here, I will conceal you.” — “There was a ray of light of elongated shape, like a funnel. [Koivi’lqan means literally “glacier-top”. Glaciers of the country are usually small, every river coming from the hills having some ice in the valley in which it rises. The funnel in question is probably only the small funnel of the Russian samovar (tea-urn), which is also called koivi’lqan. It is often made of bright copper. Perhaps the lustre of the copper called to mind the sheen on ice. I got this explanation from the Chukchee, though I do not consider it very plausible.]

He put her there. Just then her husband came, quite tired.

“Oh, where is my wife? The Zenith said, “She is here. Take her out yourself.” — “Oh, give her to me!” — “I will not give her to you. Take her out yourself.” — “And where is she?” — “She entered [into] this ray of light.” And (the ray) was quite long.

Then he began to ascend. Before he reached the middle, he slid (down); so that even the nails of his fingers were covered with blood. “Oh, give me my wife!” — “Indeed, I will not [give her to you]. It is too bad. I have been given by her (people) fine dishes (with food).” And (he spoke) simply of sacrifices. “It is too bad. Her parents have (indeed) fine dishes.”

“Let me give you a spell!” — “Oh, I do not want it.” — “Then take also my house of stone.” — “I do not want that, either. This house of mine is also hardly accessible to the winds. This house of mine is also a good one. The wind blows (only in regions) lower than (where) I (live). Nevertheless dishes of everybody reach here (all right). I am [also] greater than you.”

“Oh, give me my wife! [Then also] I will give you the Game-Substance.” The Zenith said, “I also am (a possessor of) the Game-Substance. I distribute it among the Lower People. To the (possessors of) good dishes I give wolverene. To the (possessors of) bad dishes I give fox, and polar fox to those (whose) dishes (were) sniffed (at by) dogs. To those (whose) dishes (were) not sniffed (at by) dogs I give wolverene. Also to the (possessors of) good dishes I give wild reindeer.” [Some of these details seem to be misplaced. They break the course of the narrative, and later on they are repeated.]

“Indeed, give me my wife! Then will I also give you an incantation of (noiselessly) creeping (toward) man.” — “Oh, but why should I desire to kill man, who is protected in life by me.” — “Oh, indeed, give me my wife!” — “Oh, I will not give her to you. You ask in vain. I also do not (find) it impossible to kill any game whatsoever.”

“You are so greedy! Why should you kill all the game? What are you doing it for? I will put you into a trunk. You scoundrel! You make every kind of game your quarry. I always look to (the wants of) the Lower People. I bring back to life those wronged by the ke’let.”

“Indeed, give me my wife! Then also will I give you the means of walking around in secret.” — “There, I do not want it. You may walk in secret. I know you well. Not even a single hair (sent by you) would reach me here.” — “Then I will also give you the incantation for making one lame.” — “No, you are only the cause of my anxiety. So the incantation for making people lame is of your making. And probably also it is you who cause the vomiting of blood.”

“Oh, indeed, give me my wife!” — “I will not!” — “I also am (capable) of stealing men.” — “You also steal men. Therefore (their) promised gifts do not come to me. You are simply a source of anxiety to me.”

“Then will I also give you an incantation for weakening (people).” — “But to what purpose shall I use it? Evidently it is you who lie in ambush (trying to kill) every (living) thing. From this time on I shall know you. You are only a source of suffering for other people, a source of anguish to them.”

“Oh, give me my wife!” — “Oh, I will not give her to you. Get her out yourself.” — “Then I will also give you the whale incantation.” — “I am not in need of hunting animals. I myself give food also to the whale.”

“Oh, give me my wife! I will give you [this one, what is its name?] epilepsy.” — “But, surely, I have no desire for this thing. You are an object to be shunned by other people. I was saying, ‘Oh, my! what being acts like this?’ And it is you.” — “Oh, give me my wife!”

Then at last the Creator said to his wife, “Open the trunk!” He said, “Gracious! you are truly a murderer of men. Why (in truth) are you living? Look here! I am really a god. Look here! I will put you in.”

Then he put him in. And the sky was obscured. It grew dark. No light was left. (The Zenith) asked him, “Well, now, are you still so (importunate) as before?”

Then (the ke’le) spoke quite low: “Really, you are killing me.” — “Well, now, I tell you once more, ‘I am keeping watch on the Lower People.’ Well, now, are you still as importunate as before?” — “Oh, truly, (no!) I am even defecating into my own trousers.”

The Polar Star spoke to his wife, (and then said,) “Open (the trunk) a little!” She opened (it), and it grew somewhat brighter. “Well, then, are you still as importunate as before?” — “Indeed, give me my wife!” He said again to his wife, “Close the trunk.”

Then a tempest of snow came. [Even] the sky was full of whirling snow. (Creator) asked (the ke’le) again, “Well, now, will you disown me still?” — “Oh, not from this time. It is bad. I am cold.” And he trembled from cold. “Well, now! How are you now?” — “You kill me altogether.” Again he said to his wife, “Open the trunk a little.” The storm subsided again. (The weather) cleared.

“Well, now, you disown me still? Once more I say to you, ‘I keep watch on the Lower People.’ You are no match (for me).” — “Oh, indeed, make me your slave, but get me out of this!” — “Indeed, I will not get you out. It seems, you will continue your violent doings against human people.”

“Oh, not from this time. You may have me for your servant.” — “Oh, indeed, you will still continue your claim for your wife?” — “Oh, I have ceased.” — “And should I make her descend, will you pursue her?” — “Oh, no!”

He said to his wife, “Open (the trunk)!” She opened (it). “Well, now, do you still want to have your wife?” — “Indeed, I have ceased. You may use me for your servant.” He took him out. After that he would fetch fuel, everything. And even the chamber-vessel he would carry out (of the house), full of urine.

Oh, he took out the woman. Then her husband, the ke’le, saw her, and said, “Oh, I wish I could eat of your liver!” The Polar Star asked, “What do you say?” — “I am only saying this: ‘Go to your father!’” — “Perhaps you want her still.” — “Indeed, no! I am only saying this: ‘Go to your father.’” He lied.

Then the other one opened a lid, and there (appeared) all the world, settlements of every country. The distant (things were) quite near, from there right down. And even the people were visible a little. He said again to her, “There, close it, open another one.” She opened it again. And there were her parents quite close, right there. (The father) was working with a hatchet.

(The Zenith) said to her, “Yonder is your father.” He said again, “There, close it.” Then he said to the woman, “You feel lonesome? Open the trunk to the eastern side.” (It was full of) seals. He said again to her, “Close it.” This time the next one. Oh, thong-seals.

Again (he said), “Close it.” He said, “These I am giving without distinction to the possessors of bad dishes.” Again she opened another one. (It was full of) white whale. “These I am giving to (those whose) dishes (are) sniffed (at by) dogs.” Again she opened another one. (It was full of) walrus. “These I give to those who bring sacrifices.

Again she opened another one. And (it was full of) gray foxes. “These I give to the possessors of good clean dishes.” Again she opened another one. This time there were blue foxes. “These I give to the possessors of dishes newly made.” Again she opened another one. Oh, fur-seals! She opened another one. It was filled with squirrels. “These I give without distinction.”

Again she opened another one. This time it was filled with hares. “These I give to the hungry ones.” She opened another one. This time it (was full of) wild reindeer. “These here I give without distinction to the poor ones.” She opened another one. This time it (was full of) wolves. “These I give to those in need of fur trimming.”

Then the western side. Again she opened another one, and they saw a group of houses. “Yonder is your country.” Her father was rich in reindeer. And they saw also his herd. (The Zenith) spoke thus: “Yonder white-haired barren doe I do desire to have. It is an object of my old desire, because I have none such. Also the buck of yellow and white mixed. And that, too, with one leg white.”

“Oh, you feel lonesome! Return home.” And before evening came he made her descend. The woman was seen by one who came out at her call. Then (the person) re-entered the house. “What woman is there?”

The father went out. “Oh, whence, from what land, do you come?” — “At one time I belonged to this land.” — “Oh, what kind of a woman are you?” — “It seems that you have given me in marriage to a ke’le.” — “Oh, then it is you!” — “Indeed, I.” — “Where do you come from?” — “I come from the god [being].” — “From what being?” — “From the Polar Star. He must be given a barren doe, also one with, a white leg.”

They slaughtered (these reindeer) and (gave) [threw] them (as a sacrifice). The father died. The daughter carried him (to a funeral-place). Before returning home, she fell down and died.

The end.

The Brother and Sister Who Became Hair-Seals

In a family of twelve brothers and one sister, the sister discovers her secret nightly visitor is her eldest brother. Marking him with red paint and wounding him, she exposes his transgression. The siblings, shamed, leave their family and throw themselves from a bluff. Transformed by their act, they reappear in the sea as hair-seals, their story echoing in nature.

Source
Aleutian Stories
collected by F.A. Golder
The Journal of American Folklore
Vol. 18, No. 70, Jul. – Sep., 1905

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The siblings undergo a physical change, turning into hair-seals after their leap from the bluff.

Forbidden Knowledge: The sister’s pursuit of the truth about her nocturnal visitor leads to the revelation of a hidden and taboo reality.

Divine Punishment: The siblings’ transformation into hair-seals can be interpreted as a form of retribution for their transgressions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Aleutian Lore

Learn more about the Aleu people

This story was told me by the chief of Unga Island.

In a certain family there were twelve brothers and one sister. She lived in a hut away from the rest of the family. There were no other men living in the neighborhood, and so she was somewhat surprised when some man came to see her at night. She did not know who it was, but suspected that it was one of her brothers, and in order to find out which one of them it was, she prepared some red paint, and when the man was about to leave she dipped her hands into the paint and put them on his shoulders. The next day, as all her brothers were outside playing, she went among them and detected marks of paint on the shoulders of the oldest. Going back to her barrabara, she sharpened her knife and placed it alongside of her.

► Continue reading…

That night, as usual, the man came and slept with her, but as he started to leave she threw her knife at him and cut the sinews of one of his legs. The following morning she went about her work as customary, when some one came to announce that her oldest brother was sick, the sinews of one of his legs being cut.

She went to him, got him out of bed, and set off with him. Their mother, learning the state of affairs, said, “We reared them that they might be a help to us and work for us; but now they have gone and ruined themselves.” The two went a long distance until they arrived at the bluff, over which they threw themselves, and a short time after they appeared as hair-seals.

The Boy Who Became a Mink

An old woman teaches her grandson survival skills, gifting him a magical mink skin and protective charms. Disobeying her warning, he explores a forbidden bay, facing supernatural trials, including a vengeful shaman, dangerous creatures, and a monstrous whale. Overcoming each with courage and wit, he ultimately chooses a life of freedom as a mink, blending into the wild yet retaining his unique identity.

Source
Tales from Kodiak Island
collected by F.A. Golder
The Journal of American Folklore
Vol. 16, No. 61, Apr. – Jun., 1903

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: Despite his grandmother’s warning, the boy’s curiosity leads him to explore the forbidden bay, uncovering hidden dangers and supernatural challenges.

Trials and Tribulations: Throughout his journey, he faces numerous challenges, including encounters with a vengeful shaman, dangerous creatures, and a monstrous whale, testing his courage and wit.

Magic and Enchantment: The story features magical elements, such as the enchanted mink skin and protective charms, which play crucial roles in the boy’s survival and transformation.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Aleutian Lore

Learn more about the Aleut people

These tales were obtained by the author at Unga Island, Alaska, during a three years’ residence. They were told in the Russian language by Mrs. Reed, Nicoli Medvednikoff, Corneil Panamaroff, all natives of the island of Kodiak where they had heard them, and translated some literally, others more freely. The natives of Kodiak speak Russian almost as freely as they do their mother tongue. They call themselves “Aleuts,” and wherever that word is used, it refers to them, and not to the real Aleuts to the west. The author has but lately returned from Alaska.

In a small barrabara, away from other barrabaras and other people, lived an old woman and her young grandson. While the boy was small, the grandmother supplied both with food and clothing by hunting and fishing. She also taught him how to hunt and fish; and when nearly full grown, she surprised him one morning by telling him that a one-hatch bidarka (which she had made unbeknown to him) was on the beach ready for him.

It was there, sure enough, equipped and ready for hunting. He was supremely happy; for he had obtained that which for years he had been looking forward to. Every morning he went out hunting and fishing, and in the evening returned loaded with fish and game. In a little while he became very skilful in the handling of the bidarka, and daily ventured farther and farther out to sea.

His grandmother called him one morning, and said to him: “Son, you may go anywhere, except into yonder bay, and you will be safe; if you ever go there, you will never return to me. Take this mink skin, put it into your bidarka; this bag containing four tiny bows and arrows keep about your person. Should you ever be in trouble, turn to them, and they will help you.” He promised never to venture inside the bay, accepted the gifts, and disposed of them as he was told.

► Continue reading…

In those days, when this boy lived, there were no winds at all; the waters were always smooth and calm. One could go long distances from shore, and not be in danger of the winds and the waves.

Not many days after the promise to his grandmother, the boy, while pursuing a seal, went much farther from shore than one would dare go now, and when he finally stopped paddling, after killing the seal, he found himself at the mouth of the bay.

The interior of the bay looked so inviting and alluring that he laughed at his grandmother’s fears, and steered for the beautiful island in the middle of the bay. He beached his bidarka, took the mink skin, and started for the summit of a hill where he noticed a barrabara. As he began to ascend, large rocks came rolling down, blocking his way and nearly crushing him. The farther up he went the more difficult and dangerous it became. In order to save himself he jumped into a hole. The rocks fell over the hole, covered and blocked it.

He tried vainly to get out; the rocks were too heavy to be pushed off, and the openings too small to crawl through. While thinking over the situation, the mink skin occurred to him. Seizing it, he commenced chewing and stretching it until he pulled it over his head. As he did that, he changed into a mink. By scratching and squeezing, leaping and dodging, he escaped from his prison, and reached the summit, where he was surprised to see that all the rocks came from the barrabara.

Taking off the mink skin and becoming a boy again, he went into the barrabara. On the floor sat a very large woman making mats. When she saw him, she screamed in a loud and angry voice :

“Who told you to come here !”

Reaching behind her, she pulled out a long, sharp spear and threw it at him. Before the spear reached him, he changed himself into a mink; the spear went over his head, sticking into the wall. Quickly assuming his boyish shape, he grabbed the spear, and called to her: “Change and save yourself if you can !” and hurled it at her, cutting her in two.

A loud report and earthquake followed his action. The barrabara trembled, tumbled in, and he was again a prisoner. His mink skin came into good use; by scratching and dodging he managed to crawl out and run down to the shore, and, after pulling off the skin, pushed the bidarka out and started homeward.

He had not gone very far when he heard some one calling, and on looking around saw people on the shore motioning to him. An old man greeted him as he landed, and taking him by the hand, led him into a barrabara where sat several girls. Pointing to one of them, he said : “You can have her for a wife.”

This made him very happy, and glad he did not obey his grandmother. A dish of seal meat was placed before him, and after eating, they all lay down to sleep. The following morning the old man asked him to go to the woods, and bring wood for sled runners. In his position of prospective son-in-law he could not refuse any request of his prospective father-in-law, so he went.

A gruesome sight met his gaze on entering the woods. Human bones and skeletons were scattered everywhere; and he began to fear lest another trap was laid for him. He went about his work, however, and the woods soon rang with the reports of his axe.

A very frightful and horrible noise coming from the interior of the woods made him stop. The nearer it came the more terrible it sounded. “It must be a wild beast coming to eat me up,” he thought.

Soon a very ferocious beast appeared and came running towards him. The boy looked for his mink skin; it was not about him, for he had left it in the bidarka; but still he had his bows and arrows. Quickly pulling them out of the bag, he sent one tiny arrow into the side of the monster, knocking him over; and when another arrow pierced the other side, he ceased kicking. Approaching him to withdraw the arrows, the boy found him dead.

On his return to the barrabara, after finishing his work, the old man looked surprised and uneasy — the old man was a shaman, and had been in the habit of sending strangers into the woods to be killed by the monster, and then eating them —and asked the boy :—

“Did you see or hear anything strange in the woods ?”

“No, I did not,” the boy replied.

The morning of the second day, while the boy was eating breakfast, the old shaman from outside called to him :

“The girls want you to come out and swim with them !”

To refuse would have been unmanly, so he went to the beach, undressed himself, taking, however, the mink skin; for he suspected trouble, and swam after the girls, who were some distance from him. As he advanced, they retreated; and when almost up to them, a big whale appeared between them, and before he knew what to do, he was in the whale’s mouth. In there, the boy put on the mink skin, and when the whale appeared on the surface, the boy escaped through the blow-hole, and swam for the shore.

When the shaman saw him, he was vexed and troubled, saying to himself : “He is the first one that I could not overcome, but I will.”

That evening he had again a supper of seal meat; his bride sat where he could see her, but he dared not talk to her.

Early next morning the old man called him to have another swim with the girls. On the beach was a large whale, and the girls were climbing on his tail. When they were all on, he switched his tail, sending them through the air some distance into the sea.

The girls dared the boy do likewise. Stripping himself, and unnoticed by them —they were quite a distance from him — he took a tiny arrow in each hand. Instead of at once climbing on the tail, he approached the head of the whale. Sticking the arrows into the head, he asked the girls : —

“Am I to get on here ?”

“No, further down,” they answered.

He stuck the arrows into the whale, as he moved down towards the tail, repeating the same question and receiving the same answer. When he finally stood on the tail, it did not move; for the whale was dead. The girls, after waiting some time, swam to the shore to report to the shaman, who returned with them only to find the whale lifeless. Furious was the shaman; and in his heart he swore he would yet eat the boy.

The following morning the old man asked the boy whether he had any relatives, mother or grandmother, whom he would like to go and see before he settled down with them.

“I have a grandmother,” said the boy, and went off that day.

Paddling first on one side of the bidarka, and then on the other, he was making good progress, when all of a sudden the mink skin startled him by calling to him : “Look out, you are in danger !” He looked ahead; there was nothing dangerous there, so he paddled on. Again the mink skin called to him : “Look out, you are in danger !” Ahead everything was safe; but as he looked behind, he was almost overcome with fear; for a huge wave, high as a mountain, was coming his way, and would soon overtake and overwhelm him. As quickly as he could, he shot one of his arrows into the wave, breaking it, and he was once more safe.

Towards evening he steered for the shore, in order to eat and rest there, and when near the shore, a large sea monster appeared and swallowed bim, bidarka and all. He pulled out and put on the mink skin, and when an opportunity offered itself, he escaped through the monster’s gills, and swam to the shore.

His grandmother, who was also a shaman, had been watching the grandson’s doings, though far away, punished the monster by sending two large ravens to peck his eyes out.

Being on shore, and without a bidarka, the boy started to walk home. He did not take off the mink skin, and so was still a mink. On the way he came to a large lake, abounding in fish; there he stopped, fed on the fish he caught, and in a short time became acquainted with the minks of the neighborhood. This easy life pleased him so well that he decided to remain there; and there (in the neighborhood of Kodiak) he is at present. The shamans, only, can tell him apart from the other minks.

The Girl Who Married the Moon

Two cousins, enchanted by the moon, declare their love and play under its light until one is whisked away by a mysterious moon-man to become his wife. Curious and defiant, she disobeys his warnings, discovers celestial secrets, and faces consequences that bind her to share the moon’s labor. Thus, myth explains the moon’s waxing and waning.

Source
Tales from Kodiak Island
collected by F.A. Golder
The Journal of American Folklore
Vol. 16, No. 60, Jan. – Mar., 1903

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The girl is cautioned against looking behind certain curtains but succumbs to curiosity, uncovering hidden aspects of the moon’s existence.

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the moon’s waxing and waning phases, attributing them to the shared labor between the moon and the girl.

Love and Betrayal: The initial affection between the girl and the moon-man is tested by her disobedience, leading to a complex dynamic in their relationship.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Aleutian Lore

Learn more about the Aleut people

Two girls, cousins, lived in a large village; and those evenings when the moon was out they went to the beach to play. Claiming the moon as their husband, they spent the night in gazing and making love to him. For shelter they had a propped-up bidarka (large skin boat), and in the course of the night they changed their positions several times, so as to be face to face with the moon. If on their return to their homes in the morning their parents questioned their whereabouts, they replied that they watched the moon till he passed from sight. Many of the people heard them remark on different occasions that they loved the moon, and wished they, too, were moons.

One evening, in company with other young people, they amused themselves on the beach. Night coming on, the others returned to their homes, but these two remained. When during the night the moon withdrew from sight, one of the girls complained:

“Why does the moon hide himself so suddenly? I like to play with him, and have light.” “I, too,” said the other. Although they thought it was close on to morning, and that the moon had vanished for the night, it was yet midnight with the moon behind the clouds.

► Continue reading…

Up to this time they had not noticed their dishevelled hair, and when they now began to put it in order, they were startled by hearing a noise close to them, followed immediately by a young man. He looked at them for a moment, and then said: “You have been professing love for me since a long time. I have watched and observed you, and know you love me, therefore have I come for you. But as my work is hard, I can take only one of you, the more patient one.”

As each claimed superiority in that virtue, he said, “I will decide this point myself; I will take both of you. Now close your eyes, and keep them closed.” So saying, he grabbed each by the hair, and the next moment they were rushing through the air. The patience of one was soon exhausted, and, on peeping, she dropped down, down, down, leaving her hair behind her in his hands. In the morning she found herself near the bidarka, from which she had parted not long since. The other girl, however, kept her eyes closed, and in the morning found herself in a comfortable barrabara, the home of the moon. There as his wife she lived for a time, apparently happy in loving him. Generally he slept during the day, and was out during the night; but frequently he went away in the morning and returned in the evening; at other times he left in the middle of the day, and when he returned, it was night. His irregular going-out and coming-in puzzled her much; but he never offered to explain to her where he went and what he did in his absence.

This silence and indifference piqued her not a little. She bore it as long as she could, and then called him to account.

“You go out every day, every evening, every morning, and every night. Where do you go? What do you do? Who knows the kind of people you associate with, while I am left here behind.”

“I do not associate with the people here, for there are none of my kind here,” said he. “I have work to do, and cannot hang around you all the time.”

“If it is so hard, why don’t you take me with you to help you sometimes,” she asked.

“I have too much hard work to be bothered with you,” he replied.

“I brought you up here because I had no rest when you were down there. You and your lovely cousin were always staring and staring at me. No matter where I looked, your grins always met me. Now stop being foolish and wishing to go with me; for you cannot help me. Stay home, and be a good girl.”

“You don’t expect me to stay home all the time,” she said, weeping. “If I cannot go with you, may I not go out by myself occasionally?”

“Yes, go anywhere you like, except in the two barrabaras yonder. In the corner of each there is a curtain, under which you must on no account look.” Saying this, he left the barrabara, and that night he looked paler than usual.

Shortly after she went out for a walk; and although she went far and in different directions, she could see no people and only the three barrabaras aforementioned. Short trails there were many. Some of them she followed, and in each case stumbled on a man stretched out face down. It gave her much pleasure to kick them, which she invariably did. On being so disturbed, each would turn on her his one bright sparkling eye, and cry out : “Why do you kick me? I am working and am busy.” She kicked them till she was tired and then started home.

The two barrabaras were on her way, and of course, she had to look in. With the exception of a curtain in the corner, the first barrabara was bare. She could not resist the desire to look under the curtain, and when she did so, she beheld a half-moon, a quarter of a moon, and a small piece of a moon. In the second barrabara, she found a full moon, one almost full, and another more than half full. After thinking it over, she could see no harm in trying one on just to see how well it would become her. The one almost full pleased her best, so she put it on one side of her face, and there it stuck. Notwithstanding she cried, “Ai, Ai, Y-a-h’, Ai, Ai, Yah’,” tugged, and pulled it would not come off. Fearing her husband would arrive on the scene, she hastened home, threw herself on the bed, and covered up her face.

There he found her on his return, complaining that her face was paining her. He, however, suspected the real cause, and went out to investigate. On his return, he questioned her about the missing moon. “Yes,” she admitted; “I tried it on just for fun; and now I cannot take it off.” She expected him to fly into a rage, but he did nothing of the kind. Going up to her, he pulled it off gently. Seeing him in such unusual good humor, she related to him the adventures of the day, especially the sport she had with the one-eyed people scattered over the sky.

“They are stars,” he said reprovingly.

When she had concluded, he said to her: “Since of your own free will you put on this moon, wear it from now on, and help me in my hard work. I will begin the month, and go the rounds until the full moon; after that you will start in, and finish out the month, while I rest.” To this arrangement she consented, and ever since then the two have shared the hard work between them.