Tag: 24. Family Dynamics

Complex relationships within families, like sibling rivalry or parental challenges

The duck helper

In Ta’sna, a boy and his mother were the sole survivors of a smallpox outbreak. Distressed by his grieving mother, the boy ventured into the woods and became lost. After wandering and repeatedly encountering a mysterious lake, he met a magical man who transformed from a black duck. Guided by the man’s instructions, the boy finally reunited with his mother at his uncle’s village, bringing her great joy.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The boy encounters a magical man who transforms from a black duck, guiding him back to his mother.

Trials and Tribulations: The boy faces the challenges of losing his community, becoming lost in the woods, and striving to reunite with his mother.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the boy’s concern for his grieving mother and his journey to return to her, highlighting the bond between mother and son.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904

All the people in a village called Ta’sna, “just south of the mouth of the Yukon,” once died of smallpox with the exception of one woman and her son. The boy was just old enough to realize what had happened. His mother kept weeping day after day, and it so distressed her son that he went off hunting with bow and arrows and did not return until he thought she was through.

One day he went farther than he realized and on turning about was puzzled to know where the village lay. He walked for a long time in different directions trying to find it but in vain. He was lost and had to camp that night. Next morning he began looking again, and he looked all day with no better success. On the third morning, after he had looked about until he was very tired, he caught sight of water through the trees and, thinking it was the ocean, ran quickly toward it.

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When he came up to it, however, he found it was only a lake. He remained there for some time, living on roots, and afterward continued his journey. Again he traveled all day and on the following morning he again saw water through the woods. Now he felt happy once more, but when he came down to it and looked around, lo! it was the same lake he had left.

By this time the boy was too tired to walk any more, so he thought, “Well! I might as well stay right here.” He covered himself up with moss and went to sleep. Suddenly, however, he was awakened by a voice saying, “Who is this boy?” He looked around but saw no one. He was entirely alone. Then he fell asleep again, and again something said, “Who is this boy?” He thought that he was dreaming, for, when he looked around, he saw only a black duck far out on the water.

After this the boy said to himself, “Now I am going to sit up and watch.” So he seated himself against a large bush and, although he became so sleepy there that his eyes kept closing, he would open them resolutely and keep on the watch. Finally he got up and went behind the bush. While his eyes were closed, the boy heard the same voice again, but he was not quite asleep, so he opened them quickly and saw the black duck (gaxu) on the beach. Immediately it turned into a man, who stood looking at him. “What are you doing here?” said the man. Then the boy told him how he had gotten lost. “All of our village people died, and my mother cried so that I wanted to get away from her, so I traveled in the woods alone and became lost. Since that day I have not been home to see my mother.” Then the man took off his coat, gave it to the boy, and said, “Put on this coat. As soon as you have done so, stretch out your arms and keep going like that. Don’t think of me and don’t think of this lake. Think of your uncle’s house.”

The boy did as he had been told, and it seemed to him that he was flying along very rapidly far above the trees. For a long time he thought of nothing else than his uncle’s house and his uncle’s village, but at length he remembered the lake and lo! he was there once more with the man standing before him in the same place. Then the man said, “Didn’t I tell you not to think of me or the lake? Start over again. Think of nothing but your uncle’s house and the village you are bound for.” So this time the boy tried very hard, and all at once he came out back of his uncle’s house, where his mother was waiting and calling for him. When she recognized him she was very happy.

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The jealous uncle

A jealous high-caste man repeatedly lures his handsome nephews to his home, fearing they might charm his beautiful wife, and kills them through cunning schemes involving dangerous creatures. His youngest nephew, armed with magical tools and wisdom, survives the uncle’s plots, avenges his brothers by killing the uncle, and marries two sisters who find him after a perilous ordeal. The tale explores jealousy, resilience, and justice.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The uncle’s cunning and deceitful behavior to eliminate his nephews fits this theme.

Revenge and Justice: The youngest nephew avenges his brothers and restores order by confronting the uncle.

Family Dynamics: The complex and toxic relationship within the family, particularly between the uncle and his nephews, highlights this theme.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

This is expressed in a rather unusual manner, and may have been modified perhaps by white influences, but the main plot is entirely native.
Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904

A high-caste man had a beautiful wife of whom he was very jealous. He had also four sisters well married in different villages, all with sons. One morning the eldest of these sisters said to her husband, “I want to go to see my brother. I believe he would like to see our son.” Her husband was willing, because he wanted to see the man himself. When they arrived there, the woman’s brother pretended that he thought a great deal of his nephew, but really he did not want to see him for fear his wife would take a liking to him because he was handsome. He told the young man, however, that he was going to take him everywhere with him. His mother felt very happy to think that her brother thought so much of him and left him there with his uncle.

Immediately after his mother had gone, however, the uncle determined to make away with him, because his wife seemed to like him. So next morning he said, “We are going down right away to get some devilfish to eat. The tide will soon be low enough.”

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Then the boy prepared himself, for be was very anxious to go, and they set out. His uncle said, “Walk right along there,” pointing to a high ridge parallel with the beach. “Walk ahead, and I will follow you.”

The boy did as he was directed and soon saw something large on the beach, that kept opening and closing. It was a very large clam. His uncle told him to get right on top of the ridge to watch it, for it was the first time he had seen anything of the kind. As the boy was very anxious to examine it, he got up there and leaned far over. When he did so, however, the clam opened and remained open, and his uncle pushed him right down into it. Then the clam closed upon him and killed him. The boy’s parents soon found out what had happened to their son, and, although his uncle declared that it was an accident, they knew that he was jealous and did not believe him.

Some time after this the uncle turned his thoughts to his second sister’s son who was still handsomer. His wife had seen this youth, and had told her husband how fine he was. This made him very jealous, and he sent to this sister, saying that it was about time she sent one of her sons to help him, for he had no children and needed help. He knew that the oldest child would be sent, because the next was a girl. So the boy came, and he threw him down into the big clam like the other. The uncle was very jealous of his wife because he knew that everyone fell in love with her on account of her beauty.

After this the uncle sent for the third sister’s child who was older than the last he had killed, but he would not go for a long time, and his parents did not ask him to. He was a flighty youth, however, and, after his uncle had sent for him several times, he thought of his uncle’s handsome wife and made up his mind to visit them.

All of the time this boy was with him the uncle watched him and his wife very closely and would not leave the house for a minute. His wife was very anxious to give him warning, but her husband feared it and watched her too closely. She made signs to the boy, but he did not understand them. When his uncle took him down to the beach, he said, “I must go back to the house after a drink of water.” He thought that his uncle would wait for him, but instead he followed him right back to the house. Then the boy said to his uncle’s wife, “Where is the water?” She pointed it out, but as her husband stood close by, she could not say anything more. So they went down to the beach, but, when the youth saw this clam moving in the distance, he ran by it very quickly, and his uncle was disappointed. Then they went on farther, and the uncle said to him, “Do you see that hole down there?” He could see plainly a very large hole. Then his uncle said, “The devilfish that we want to get for our supper is in that.” He handed him the stick for getting devilfish and said, “Hook it. You can get it very easily.” The boy put the end of his stick into the hole, felt that the fish was there, and hooked it. Immediately he tried to run off, but his uncle was right behind him, and pushed him forward so that the devilfish seized him and dragged him under the rock.

All the time this man was killing his nephews, the youngest, who looked very much like the first one killed, had been practising. His father showed him how to make himself look like a very small ball of feathers. He had the shaman of that village make a bracelet of eagle down for him inclosing a piece of devil’s club carved by the shaman. Then the shaman said, “Just as soon as you find that you are in danger turn this bracelet around on your wrist four times as quickly as you can.” Then the shaman told him to climb a very high tree, and climbed right after him, while his father stood watching. The shaman said, “Now turn that around on your wrist four times as quickly as you can.” He did so, and just as he finished the shaman pushed him down. Then his father saw nothing but a ball of eagle down rolling down the tree. As soon as it reached the ground there stood the boy, and the shaman knew that everything was all right. He also gave the boy a knife having a handle carved like devil’s clubs, which he kept in the bosom of his shift, tied around his neck.

After this the boy’s friends took him to his uncle and remained with him for three days. On the fourth day they returned. Then the uncle’s wife cried continually to think that a boy not fully grown should be left there to be killed, and his uncle said to her angrily, “What is it you are always crying about? You are in love again aren’t you?” Then the boy said aloud so that his uncle could hear, “You are in love with the right one this time.” At that his uncle became angry and told him he talked too much. Right away he said, “Come on with me. We will get a devilfish for our supper.” So the boy prepared himself, and they started off, while his uncle’s wife came out and watched them, thinking that he was the last.

As they went along the boy saw the clam, and, before his uncle told him it was there, he stood still just above it. For a moment he forgot about his bracelet, but, just as he saw his uncle raise his hands, he remembered and turned his bracelet about once. When he reached the clam he turned it for the fourth time and fell into the clam as a ball of feathers, while his uncle went home, thinking he had disposed of him. The ball of feathers inside, however, turned back into a boy, and he cut both sides of the clam and came out.

Then he saw the devilfish-stick his uncle had given him lying there and thought he would go on and see the devilfish they were to have had for their supper. When he reached the place and saw the devilfish sitting outside of its hole he became frightened, yet he thought that he would try to kill it. Now he went up to the creature and turned his bracelet around twelve times, wishing that it become small. It did grow small, and he killed it easily and dragged it home on his stick. Reaching the house, he pushed the door open and threw it right in front of his uncle, where it reassumed enormous proportions. Then his uncle was astonished to see him and began screaming loudly, begging the boy to take the devilfish out at once. So he took it out and threw it down upon the beach. Afterward he looked back at it, and it had become the same big devilfish again.

Now the boy remained with his uncle for a very long time, and his uncle’s wife thought a great deal of him, while his uncle seemed to do so too. One day, however, he saw his wife talking to the boy and again determined to kill him. Then he put something sharp pointed on the ground, took the nephew up to the top of a very high tree and crawled up after him. The boy, who knew what was going to happen, began singing and turning his bracelet round slowly at the same time. Just as he had turned it for the fourth time his uncle reached him and pushed him over. When he landed upon the ground, however, there was nothing to be seen but a ball of eagle down.

His uncle saw this, and, feeling that he could not kill his nephew, treated him well for a very long time, but watched him closely. His wife said to the boy, “Your uncle is thinking a great deal because he can’t kill you.” But all that the boy would answer every time she said this was, “Only a ball of eagle down.” She did not know what he meant.

One day the uncle thought that he would deceive his wife and nephew, so he told the latter that he was going back into the woods and started off. Instead of going away, however, he went back of the house, looked through a hole at them and listened. Then the boy came to his wife and sat down close to her, and she said, “Let us run away. I am afraid of your uncle.” He answered that he would if he could get a canoe, and she told him of a place where there was a canoe, some distance from the town. Then the uncle came right in and wanted to kill his wife on the spot but was so fond of her that he could not. The boy sat perfectly still, moving his bracelet.

That night the uncle treated his nephew very kindly and began telling him all kinds of stories, until at last the boy fell asleep. This was just what he wanted. Then he tied the boy to a board, thinking, “I am going to get rid of him this time. The feathers will get wet, and he will be drowned.” So he took him quite a distance out to sea and set him adrift there. It was very stormy.

The boy, however, floated along for some time and finally came ashore in safety on a nice sandy beach. The tide was very low. Then he heard the laughter of some girls who were out digging clams. There were three of them, and they were sisters. Now the eldest of the girls saw something moving on the beach and went thither, thinking it was some dying animal. Instead she saw a handsome youth, who looked right up at her but said nothing. Said she, “What has happened to you?” But he would not speak. She called to her sisters, and they ran up. Then the second sister immediately fell in love with him, but the youngest had nothing to say. The eldest had formerly been in love with the Youth that was first destroyed, so she said to her second sister, “How much like my dead lover he looks.” She saw him smile because he knew her, but he did not know the others, and immediately the eldest began to cry, saying that that was her lover’s smile only that he was a larger man. Then, the second sister laughed, saying that she was going to untie him and have him for her husband. The youngest, however, said, “Well! you two can have him, for I am not going to have a man that cannot talk.” “If he comes out all right after we have untied him,” said the eldest, “we will both be his wives.” So, the two older girls untied him and started to raise his head while the youngest ran off to dig clams. They asked him if he could talk, and he said, “Yes.” As he walked between the girls, one of them said, “You shall go to my father’s house with me.” At the time they untied him the eagles were gathering around to devour him.

Then they took him into their father’s house and their father said, “Who is that fellow?” “We found him,” said the second, “and we are going to marry him.” This one was very quick to speak, while the eldest was slow and quiet. Their father consented, and he married both of the girls. Then the eldest spoke to her father of how much he resembled her dead lover, although the boy had not told anything about himself.

Those girls used to go off to hunt and spear salmon just like boys, so the younger said next morning, “I am going out to spear salmon.” She brought a salmon home. The day following both girls asked him to go with them, and he did so. They tried to teach him how to hunt, for he belonged to such a very high family that he had never learned.

On the way the younger wife acted sulkily toward her elder sister because she would never leave their husband’s side. So she started off alone, and her husband was afraid she would go away for good, for he liked her very much on account of her liveliness. In the evening, however, she came back with a salmon and said to her sister, “You can live on love. You stick by your husband and do not go to get anything to eat.” Then their husband carried the salmon back, and his elder wife came home slowly. The younger sister cooked the salmon and put it between herself and her husband. He pulled it along toward his elder wife, but the other said, “She shall not have any. She is going to live on love.” Then her husband said that if she would let her sister have some salmon he would go out and try to get another himself. It was early in the spring and the salmon were scarce. The younger wife now felt jealous of her sister because she thought that their husband thought more of her than of herself, though really the reverse was the case. He pitied the elder, however, because she had done so much for him.

When the young man saw that his younger wife was angry toward the elder, however, he determined to leave them for a time. The younger did not want to let him go, and begged him hard to remain, but the elder said nothing, for he had told her his reasons. Finally he told his younger wife that she must let him go but that he would come back. He said that she must treat her elder sister well because his cousin (lit. “elder brother”) had been in love with her. When she asked him what cousin he meant, he explained that his elder brother had died quite a while ago and that this girl had been in love with him. After that she let him set out.

At this time he thought that he would kill his uncle, so he paddled thither. His uncle saw him, knew what he had come for, and was frightened. Then the young man went to his uncle’s house, spent the evening and started away again. About midnight, however, he returned and told his uncle that he had come to kill him because he had murdered his brothers and made him himself suffer. Although his uncle begged hard to be spared, he killed him, and, after telling his uncle’s wife that he had killed her husband and why he had done so, he returned to his wives.

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Raven (Part 8)

A pregnant woman gives birth to a boy who inherits remarkable skills and power from his unknown father, a sea chief. Armed with a magical club, he provides for his starving village and defeats dangerous sea creatures. Later, a chief’s daughter marries a devilfish, resulting in a conflict between humans and sea creatures. Her return sparks a battle, but peace is restored through the intervention of her human-descended son.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The protagonist’s father is a sea chief, indicating a divine or otherworldly lineage.

Trials and Tribulations: The protagonist faces and overcomes various challenges, including defeating dangerous sea creatures, to provide for his village.

Family Dynamics: The story explores the relationship between the protagonist, his unknown father, and his mother, highlighting complex familial connections.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904

At that time the woman was pregnant, and presently she gave birth to a boy. He was very smart like his father, though they did not let him know who his father was. When he grew larger, he was a fine shot with bow and arrows, bringing in all sorts of small animals, and the other boys were jealous of him.

One time, when he was out in a canoe with other boys, hunting, he began shooting at a cormorant (yuq), which kept going farther and farther out. All of a sudden it became foggy and they could not see their way, so they fastened their canoe to the end of a drifting log which was sticking out of the water, and waited. Then some one came to them and said to the boy, “I am after you. Your father wants you.” At once the boy lost consciousness, and, when he came to, found himself in a very fine house on the mainland.

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The chief living there said, “Do you know that you are my son?” He also gave him a name, Camgige’tk, and he thought a great deal of him, but the boy thought it strange that he never inquired for his mother. Then he gave his son abalone shells and sharks’ teeth (Caxda’q) as presents. He also made him a club and said to him, “Whenever you are among wild animals and find there are too many, put this club down and it will fight for you. When you see seals or sea lions sitting on the rocks, put it down and it will kill them.” After this it seemed to the boy as if a door were opened for him, and he saw the canoe he had left with the boys in it. They said, “What happened to you? Where have you been?” But he only answered, “Did not you see me sitting on the very top of this log?” He was so smart that they believed him. Then they reached home safe and the grandparents were very glad to see him, but only his mother knew what had happened. Like his father, the boy was a great hunter and fisherman. Before he came the people of that town had been starving, but now, especially since he had obtained the club, they had plenty to eat. His grandfather’s house was always full of halibut, seal, and sea-lion meat.

Then his grandmother said to him, “Grandson, do not go over in that direction. None of the village people go there, and those who have done so never returned.” This, however, only made the boy anxious to see what was the trouble, so he went there and, killing some seals and halibut, put them into the water to entice the creature up. Finally he saw a gigantic crab (sa-u) coming up in the sea, so he put his club into the ocean, and it broke the crab’s shell and killed it. Then he and his slave pulled the big crab ashore, and he took a load of its flesh home to his grandparents. His grandparents had worried all the time he was away, but his mother knew that her son had power over all kinds of fish, because his father is chief of the sea. Everything in the sea is under him.

Another time his grandmother said to him, “There is a place over in this direction where lives a big mussel (yis). No canoe can pass it without being chewed up.” So he went to the mussel and killed that. He took all of its shell home, and the people throughout the village bought it of him for spears, arrow points, and knives.

At the same time he also brought home a load of cockles, clams, and other shellfish. In the Tsimshian country the shellfish are fine, and the mussels are not poisonous as they are here. In April the Alaskans do not dare to eat shellfish, especially mussels, claiming that they are poisonous. It is because he killed the big mussel that they are all poisonous here. Since his time, too, boys and girls have done whatever their fathers used to do.

After that the boy married and had a son who was very unlike him. His name was Man-that-eats-the-leavings (Qa-i’te-cuka-qa), and, when he grew up, he was worthless. He seemed to see the shellfish, however, and understood the shellfish language.

At the same time the daughter of the chief in a certain village not far away went out of doors and slipped on slime which had dropped from a devilfish hung up in front. She said, “Oh! the dirty thing.” About the middle of the following night a fine-looking young man came to her, and she disappeared with him; and the people wondered where she had gone. This young man was the devilfish, whom she married, and she had several children by him. Meanwhile, as she was their only child, her parents were mourning for her continually. After some time had passed, her parents saw two small devilfishes on the steps of the chief’s house early in the morning, and the people said to the chief, “What devilfishes are these here on the steps?” He said, “Throw them down on the beach.” They did so, but the little devilfishes came right back. They threw them down again, but the chief said, “If they come up the third time, leave them alone. Let them do what they will, but watch them closely.” Then they came right into the chief’s house, and one climbed into the chief’s lap while the other got into that of his wife. He said, “My daughter must have gone to live among the devilfishes.” To see what they would do, he said, “My grandchildren, is this you?” Upon which they put their tentacles around his neck and began moving about. Then he gave them some food on long platters, and they acted as though they were eating from these. Afterward he said, “Take those platters and follow them along to see where they go.” They did so and saw them disappear under a large rock just in front of the town. So the people came back and said to the chief, “They went under that large rock down there. Your daughter must be under there also.” When the people got up next morning they saw on the steps the platters they had taken down, wiped very clean.

Now the chief felt very badly, for he knew what had happened to his daughter, so he said to the people in his house, “Go down and invite my daughter, and say, ‘Your father wants you to come to dinner.’” So they went down and said, “Your father has sent us to invite you, your children, and your husband to come to dinner at his house.” “We are coming,” said the woman from under the beach, “so go back. We will be there soon.” She knew the voices of all of her husband’s servants. When these came back to the chief, he said, “Did you ask her? Did you go there?” “Yes, we were there.” “What did you say to her?” “We told her just what you wanted us to say to her. She said that her husband, her children and herself would be here soon.”

So the people watched for her, and by and by she came up along with her devilfish husband and with the two little devilfishes right behind her. Her marten-skin robe was rotten, all sorts of sea weeds were in her hair, and she looked badly, although she had formerly been very pretty. Her father and mother were very sorry. Then they set out food for them and afterward took the trays down to the place where the little ones had gone under the rock.

Now the chief invited all of the people into his house, gave them tobacco to chew, and told them how badly he felt. After they had talked the matter over for a while they said to him, “You might as well have all the devilfishes killed. When those small ones are grown up you do not know what they will do to your house.” So they invited the devilfishes again, killed the big one, threw the little ones down on the beach, and kept the girl. By and by, however, the girl said to her father, “There is going to be a terrible war. All of the devilfish are assembling. Don’t allow any of the people of your town to sleep at night. Let them watch.” So, when night came on, they could see large and small devilfishes coming in through every little crack until the house got quite full of them, and some people were suffocated by having the devilfishes cover their mouths. The devilfish that they had killed was chief among them.

Just then Man-that-eats-the-leavings came to that town, and they told him what a bard time they were having every night with the devilfish, so he stayed with them until evening. When they came in this time he seemed to have control over them, and they ceased bothering the people. The large devilfishes are called dagasa’. The small ones, which they threw down on the beach, are those that the Alaskan Indians see, but these do not injure anyone now because their grandfather was a human being.

Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page

The youthful warrior

A hunter from the Wolf clan, mistaken for a bear while wearing a black bear-skin coat, was fatally shot by his companions. His nephew, seeking revenge, grew into a fierce warrior but ultimately renounced violence after a transformative encounter with his aunt. A series of interconnected tales follows, revealing themes of honor, reconciliation, and community customs, emphasizing the cultural complexity of Tlingit traditions.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Revenge and Justice: The nephew seeks to avenge his uncle’s death, embodying the pursuit of retribution.

Transformation: The nephew evolves from a vengeful youth into a figure who renounces violence after a profound realization.

Family Dynamics: The narrative delves into the relationships within the family, particularly between the nephew, his mother, and his aunt, highlighting the complexities and influences of familial bonds.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

A man belonging to the Wolf clan went hunting with his brothers-in-law. He wore a black bear-skin coat. They went up a certain creek after grizzly bears, but one time at camp he climbed a tree with his bear skin on and was filled with arrows by his companions who mistook him for an animal. Then he said to them, “I will not say that you filled me with arrows. I will say that I fell from the tree.” So, when they got him home, he said, “I fell from a tree.” After he was dead, however, and his body burned, they found mussel-shell arrow points lying among his bones.

After this his friends told his sister’s son to go up to the place where he had been killed. The name of this place is Creek-with-a-cliff-at-its-mouth (Watlage’l), and it is near Port Frederick.

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When the hunters came into camp with a bear the boy pretended to be asleep, but really he was looking through a hole in his blanket. While they were cooking the bear some of them suggested that they say to this boy, “The bear’s soup is very sweet,” but others did not wish to. They tried to get the boy to eat some of it, but he would not. Then they started home with him.

After he had reached home he said to his mother, “Let us go down to the beach. I want you to look over my hair for lice.” But, when she got down therewith him, he said, “Mother, I want you to tell me truly what my fathers meant. They said, ‘Wake this young fellow up and let him drink some of this bear’s soup’.” Then his mother became frightened and said to him, “Your uncle went to that creek. They shot him full of arrows there.” When he found that out he chased his mother away.

When he was a few years older he began bathing for strength in winter-time. After people had whipped each other they would go to the shaman to see what he predicted. This had been going on for some time when four persons went out of the town to carve things for the shaman. They were gone so long that late in the winter it was thought they had been lost, and the shaman was consulted. They laid him in the middle of the house and tested his spirits in every way to find out what the matter was. Finally, the shaman got his spirits to take a certain man up to the sky to see if he could discover the missing men. The man he chose knew that the young man was preparing to kill some one, so, when he awoke, he said to him, “Tell the shaman that they are there (i.e., in the heaven to which those go who are killed).” And the youth said to the people, “The persons who destroyed my uncle are the same who destroyed these. Let us go to war.”

Then they made a war hat for the young man all covered with abalone shells, and he went out to fight. Every time he went out he conquered, because he was strong. The missing men, however, got home safely. After some time the youth came against a fort where lived an old sister of his father, and this woman shouted down to him during the fight, “I never thought that that boy would grow into such a powerful man. When I took away the moss [a piece of moss was placed in the cradle for sanitary purposes] from his cradle he never felt how cold it was.” So the young man, when he got into the fort, inquired, “Who said that to me?” “It was your father’s sister who said it.” So he pitied his father’s sister, pulled off his war hat, and smashed it on the rocks in front of her, breaking the abalone shells all to pieces. He gave up fighting, and they made peace.

Some time after this, however, he killed one of his own friends belonging to another town, and they came over and killed two of his people in revenge. After that every time the young man ate, he would say, “I will leave this good part for my enemy,” meaning that he would feed them on a good war. He always made fun of his enemies because he was brave. So the people at this place, when they had destroyed all of his companions, took him captive because he had talked so much. They would not let him touch the bodies of his friends, and he said to them at last, “Let me have my friends.” “Will you do this any more?” they said. “No, I will not set out to war any more. Let me have my friends.” Then they lowered a canoe into the water with himself and a few others who had been preserved, and they started home with the bodies. On the way one of his companions said to him, “I wish you would steer this canoe well.” “It can not be steered well,” he said, “because there are so few to paddle it.” Some of the women belonging to his enemies were in the canoe along with them. When they burned their dead, they put these women into the fire along with the bodies. Then the man gave up all idea of fighting. He was the last one left in that clan.

After they had made peace on both sides, a man named Qoxti’tc came there from Prince of Wales island on the way to Chilkat. He went to the man who used to fight so much and said, “How is Chilkat? Is it a town?” He answered, “It is a notable town. A man has to be careful what he does there or he will suffer a great shame.” Then he started for Klukwan, which he wanted to see very much. He came in sight of the first village, Yende’staqe, with many people going around in it, and said to his wife, “Put on your earring [of abalone shell].” The earring was called Earring-that-can-be-seen-clear-across-the-Nass (Na’skanax-duti’n). Then the, man also put on his leggings and dressed up finely, for if one were not dressed up just right he would suffer a great shame. Afterward he began dancing in his canoe. When he came away from Chilkat he left his dancing clothes with the people but brought back a great quantity of presents received for dancing.

A very rich man once started from Chilkat to Kaqanuwu’ on a visit with his wife and all of his property. [There seems to be no connection between this part of the story and that which goes before except that both happened at Kaqanuwu’.] When they approached the town the people heard his wife singing. She had a very powerful voice. Then they were frightened and wondered what man was smart enough to reply to this wealthy visitor. There was a certain poor man who always sat with his head down, and they kept taunting him, saying, “Will you speak to that rich man?”

When the visitor came in front of the houses he did not speak to the men who lived in them but to the dead chiefs who had formerly owned them. No one replied, for they did not know what to say. After a while, however, the poor man seized a spear and rushed down to the rich man’s canoe. Then the people shouted, “There goes Saqaye’. He is going to kill this rich man. Stop him.” When he got right in front of the canoe they caught him, but he said, “I did not want to kill this rich man, but I heard people talking so much about him that I pretended to.” His action had a sarcastic import, because others were so much afraid of the visitor.

The rich man talked from the canoe for such a long time that they made a long noise instead of speaking to him, to let him know that he had talked too long about things that were past. Then they said to him, “Jump into the water.” This was formerly said to a visitor when blankets were about to be given away for some dead person, though they always stood ready to catch him. Afterward they took the man up into a house, placed a Chilkat blanket under him, and gave him five slaves and a canoe load of property for his dead friend. When he went home they returned his visit.

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The land-otter son

A famine in Sitka drives a couple to fish at Redoubt Bay, where they struggle to survive. The wife believes their drowned son, now a land-otter-man, aids them by providing devilfish for bait and helping catch abundant halibut and seals. Despite bonding, the son ultimately vanishes during a canoe journey. The parents recount the miraculous events to their community, memorializing the fishing site as Saki’-i’di.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The narrative centers on the couple’s son, who, after drowning, transforms into a land-otter-man—a supernatural entity in Tlingit mythology.

Family Dynamics: The enduring bond between the parents and their transformed son is evident. Despite his metamorphosis, the son aids his struggling parents, highlighting themes of familial loyalty and love.

Loss and Renewal: The parents experience profound loss with their son’s drowning. His return as a land-otter-man brings a form of renewal, offering them hope and sustenance during a time of famine.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There was a great famine at Sitka, and all the people went halibut fishing. Then a certain man went with his wife to the mouth of Redoubt bay. He had prepared barks some time before, and, when they got to this place, they made a house out of them. They fished there for a long time, but caught no more than one or two halibut a week. By the end of two months they had little to live on except shellfish and other things picked up at low tide.

One evening they caught a small halibut at their fishing ground. They cooked a piece of it and put the rest on the drying frame in the brush house the man had constructed outside.

Next day they heard a noise there as if something were being thrown down and moved about.

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The woman said, “What can that be?” Then her husband went out and was astonished to see two medium-sized devilfish lying there. He wondered how they had gotten up from the beach. Then he went in and said, “Wife (dja), I am in luck. There are two large devilfish out there. I do not know who brought them. Tomorrow morning we will take them and see if we can not catch some halibut. The person who brought them here is very kind, for I have been hunting everywhere vainly for bait.” The woman sat down and considered. She said, “Do you know who brought them here?” He said, “No.” Then she said, “I will tell you who brought them here. Don’t you remember that my son was drowned a year ago, and no one has seen anything of him since? It must be he, who has taken pity on us because he sees how poor we are. I will call his name if I hear anyone whistle tomorrow or any other night, for I know it is my son.” So the woman spoke.

In the morning they went out with these devilfish and caught two halibut. Evening came on. After they had reached home and it was dark, they began to cook some halibut. Just as the woman was putting some into the pot a person whistled behind the house. Then she said, “We have longed for you, my dear son. Come in. Don’t whistle around us. We have been wishing for you for the last year, so do not be afraid. It is only your father and I. Come in.” Then it whistled again. The man went to the door, opened it, and said, “Come in, my son, I think you have come to help us because we are very poorly off here. The door is open. Come right in.” So the father said. And without their seeing him enter, all of a sudden he was seated opposite them with his hands over his face. Then they spoke to him, saying, “Is it you, my son?” He only whistled [by drawing in his breath]. That was the way he spoke to them. Toward midnight he began to speak. The father said, “Is it you, my son?” The land-otter-man (ku’cta-qa) said, “Yes.” He motioned to them that there was something outside which he had brought for them. It was some more devilfish. He said, “In the morning we will go out.” The woman gave him a pillow and two blankets for the night, and he slept on the other side of the fire.

So early in the morning that it was yet dark he took his father by the feet and shook him, saying, “Get up. We will go out.” He told him to take his fishing line, and they carried down the canoe. Then the land-otter-man stepped in and his father followed. His father gave him a paddle. The canoe went flying out to the halibut ground. It was his son’s strength that took them there so quickly. Then the land-otter-man suddenly stopped the canoe. He took the line and baited a hook with one devilfish tentacle. He baited all of the hooks and lowered them. Then he tied the end of the line to the seat. He said to his father, “Put the blanket over you. Do not watch me.” His father did so but observed him through a hole in the blanket. The land-otter-man, without causing any motion in the canoe, jumped overboard, went down the line, and put the largest halibut that he could find on their hooks. When he came in he shook the canoe and his father pretended to wake up. He gave the line to his father who began to pull up. Very many big halibut began to come up, which he clubbed and threw into the canoe as fast as he could. Then he turned the canoe around and started for home. The canoe was full.

On the way the land-otter-man was in the bow holding a spear. After he had held it there for a long time he threw it. His father could not see that he had thrown it at a large seal. He brought it close to the canoe, gave it one blow to kill it and threw it into the canoe. When they came ashore it was almost daybreak. Then, motioning to his father that the raven might call before he reached shelter, he ran straight up into the woods.

Now the man’s wife came down and began cutting up the halibut. By the time they had it all into the house it was dark. The same evening, before they knew it, he was with them again. Then the man took some pieces of raw halibut, cut them into bits and placed them before him. He turned his back on them and ate very fast. He could eat only raw food.

About a week later they told their son not to go into the woods at night but to stay with them. So he did. When he wanted to go fishing he would awaken his father while it was still dark, and they would start off. Each time they brought in a load of seal, halibut, and all sorts of things. They began to have great quantities of provisions.

After that they began to see his body plainly, His mouth was round; and long hair had grown down over his back to his buttocks. He took nothing from his father and mother but raw food.

Some time after they began to pack up to come to Sitka. He now talked to them like a human being and always stayed with them. He helped load their canoe, and his father gave him a paddle. Then they set out, the land-otter-man in the bow, his father in the stern, and his mother between. When they came to Poverotni point (Kaodjixiti-qa), the woman saw the shadow of her son’s arms moving, his hands which held the paddle being invisible. She said to her husband, “What is the matter with my son? He does not seem to be paddling. I can see only his shadow now.” So she moved forward to see whether he was asleep or had fallen into the water. Her son was not there. The blanket he had had around his knees was there, but he was gone. She said to her husband, “Your son is gone again,” and he replied, “I can not do anything more. He is gone. How can I bring him back?” So they went on to Sitka.

When they came to Sitka, they reported all that had happened. The father said, “My son helped us. Just as we got around the point he disappeared out of the canoe.” So his friends gave a feast for him. His father’s name was Saki’, and the place where they fished for halibut is now called Saki’-i’di.

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The land-otter sister

A man and his family struggled to survive by gathering food and crafting with primitive tools. Unknown to him, his drowned sister, now living among the mystical land otters, secretly aided them by providing provisions. Her otter-children helped fish and transport goods, but a misunderstanding nearly severed their bond. Ultimately, the man prospered with their help, though the mystical helpers vanished, leaving only their memory.

Source: 
Tlingit Myths and Texts 
by John R. Swanton 
[Smithsonian Institution] 
Bureau of American Ethnology 
Bulletin 39 
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The narrative involves land otters with mystical qualities, including the man’s sister who has transformed into a land otter and her otter-children who assist the family.

Family Dynamics: Central to the story is the relationship between the man and his sister, who, despite her transformation, aids her brother’s family, highlighting familial bonds and responsibilities.

Transformation: The sister’s change into a land otter and the temporary transformation of the man’s children, who begin to grow tails, underscore themes of physical and possibly spiritual change.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

A man set out from Sitka to a certain camp with his children in order to dry halibut, for in those days that was how they had to get their food. It was spring time. Then, too, they had stone axes and used small half baskets for pots in which to do cooking. His wife and children spent all of their time digging clams, cockles, and other shellfish down on the beach and in laying them aside for future use. The Man, meantime, was hewing out a canoe with his stone ax. They had a hard time, for they had nothing to live on except the things picked up at low tide.

Many years before this man’s sister had been drowned, but so long a time had passed that he had forgotten her. She, however, had been taken by the land otters and was married among them, having many children.

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From around a neighboring point she was watching him. Her children were all working to collect a quantity of food.

After this the woman’s husband told her to take a lot of food to her brother. All the land-otter-people are called “Point people” (Qatkwedi’); they have plenty of halibut, seal, etc. So she began packing these things up to take them to her brother. In front of his dwelling house her brother had a house made of branches, and one evening he heard someone come in front of his house and seem to lay down a heavy pack there. Then the person said, “The place where you are stopping is wonderfully far from us.” He went out and saw a woman but did not know who she was because her arms were grown to her breast and her mouth was thrown open with her upper lip drawn up under her nose. But the woman could see how he felt, so she said to him, “It is I. I am your sister who lives a short distance away around this point.” Then she brought the basket into her brother’s house and said to him, “Take the things out of the basket, for I have to return before the raven calls.”

Next evening she came back with another full basket. This time she said, “You have three nephews who will come over and help you get halibut and other things.” So the little otters came to their uncle. From their waist up they looked like human beings; below they were otters, and they had tails. Their mother came with them and began to take her brother’s children on her lap saying, “Little tail (Lit katsku’), little tail growing down.” As she sang tails began to grow down from them. Then their father looked at them, became angry, and said, “What are you doing to my children anyway?” Immediately she slapped them on the buttocks and said, “Up goes the little tail, up into the buttocks (tu’denatsi yeq),” and the tails went up into their buttocks.

After his nephews had stayed with him for some time the man said within himself, “I have no devilfish for bait,” and the same evening the young fellows were gone after it. Although it was high tide many devilfish were found in front of his house. The young otters called good weather bad and bad weather good.

One day they went out with their uncle to fish, and, when he put his line down with the buoy on it, the little otters all jumped into the water. They went down on the line and put on the hook the biggest halibut they could find. After they had brought in the canoe loaded twice their uncle had an abundance of provisions.

In the evening the otters had worked so hard that they fell asleep on the opposite side of the fire with their tails close to the blaze. Then their uncle said to them, “Your handy little tails are beginning to burn.” On account of those words all became angry and left him, going back to their father. Then the man’s sister came to him and asked what he had said to his nephews. He said, “I simply told them that their clothes were beginning to bum on them.” So the otters’ father tried to explain it, saying to them: “Your uncle did not mean anything when he said your clothes were beginning to burn. He wanted only to save your clothes. Now go back and stay with him.” So they got over their displeasure and went back.

All that time the man was working upon his canoe. He said within himself, “I wonder how my canoe can be gotten down.” Next morning his nephews went up, put their tails under it, and pulled it down. When they got it to their uncle’s house, he loaded the canoe and started home with them, but quite near his town he missed them out of the canoe. Then all the people there wondered where he could have gotten a canoe load of such things as he had. He gave everything to his friends. Then his wife said to the people, “Something came to help us. We have seen my husband’s sister who was drowned long ago, and that is the way we got help.”

Afterward he went back to the place where he had received assistance but saw nothing of those who had helped him. He hunted all about the place from which his sister used to come but found nothing except land-otter holes. He became discouraged and gave up searching.

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Beauty and Brownie

Two deer, Beauty and Brownie, lived with their parents in a forest. Their father warned them of hunters’ traps during corn season and instructed them to lead their herds to the hills, traveling by night and avoiding villages. Beauty followed the advice, losing no deer, while careless Brownie traveled by day and near villages, losing most of his herd.

Source: 
More Jataka Tales 
by Ellen C. Babbit 
The Century Co., New York, 1922

► Themes of the story

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson on the importance of heeding wise counsel and exercising caution to avoid danger.

Trials and Tribulations: Both brothers face the challenge of leading their herds safely through perilous circumstances, highlighting their differing approaches and outcomes.

Family Dynamics: The story explores the relationship between the father and his sons, emphasizing the father’s concern and the contrasting responses of Beauty and Brownie to his advice.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Jataka Tales

Two Deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother and great herds of Deer in a forest.

One day their father called them to him and said: “The Deer in the forest are always in danger when the corn is ripening in the fields. It will be best for you to go away for a while, and you must each take your own herd of Deer with you.”

“What is the danger, Father?” they asked.

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“When the Deer go into the fields to eat the corn they get caught in the traps the men set there,” the father said. “Many Deer are caught in these traps every year.”

“Shall you go away with us?” Brownie said.

“No, your mother and I, and some of the other old Deer will stay here in the forest,” said the father. “There will be food enough for us, but there is not enough for you and your herds. You must lead your herds up into the high hills where there is plenty of food for you, and stay there until the crops are all cut. Then you can bring your herds back here. But you must be careful.

“You must travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go by day. And you must not take your herd near the villages where hunters live.”

So Beauty and Brownie and their herds set out. Beauty traveled at night and did not go near any villages, and at last brought his herd safely to the high hills. Not a single Deer did Beauty lose.

But Brownie forgot what his father had said. Early each morning he started off with his herd, going along all through the day. When he saw a village, he led his herd right past it. Again and again hunters saw the herd, and they killed many, many of the Deer in Brownie’s herd. When crops had been cut, the Deer started back to the forest. Beauty led all his herd back, but stupid Brownie traveled in the daytime, and again he took his herd past the villages. When he reached the forest only a few were left of all Brownie’s herd.

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Why the Owl Is Not King of the Birds

The enmity between crows and owls stems from an ancient gathering of birds to choose a king. While many favored the owl, a crow objected, citing the owl’s sour demeanor. The crow’s vocal protest angered the owl, sparking a feud. Ultimately, the birds chose the turtle dove as their king, but the rivalry between crows and owls persists to this day.

Source: 
Jataka Tales 
by Ellen C. Babbit 
The Century Co., New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Authority: The crow challenges the collective decision to appoint the owl as king, opposing the majority’s choice.

Family Dynamics: The tale explores relationships within the avian community, highlighting differing opinions and resulting conflicts.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts lessons about leadership qualities, the consequences of dissent, and the origins of enmity between species.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Jataka Tales

Why is it that Crows torment the Owls as they sleep in the daytime? For the same reason that the Owls try to kill the Crows while they sleep at night.

Listen to a tale of long ago and then you will see why.

Once upon a time, the people who lived together when the world was young took a certain man for their king. The four-footed animals also took one of their number for their king.

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The fish in the ocean chose a king to rule over them. Then the birds gathered together on a great flat rock, crying:

“Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and the fish have one, too; but we birds have none. We ought to have a king. Let us choose one now.”

And so the birds talked the matter over and at last they all said, “Let us have the Owl for our king.”

No, not all, for one old Crow rose up and said, “For my part, I don’t want the Owl to be our king. Look at him now while you are all crying that you want him for your king. See how sour he looks right now. If that’s the cross look he wears when he is happy, how will he look when he is angry? I, for one, want no such sour-looking king!”

Then the Crow flew up into the air crying, “I don’t like it! I don’t like it!” The Owl rose and followed him. From that time on the Crows and the Owls have been enemies. The birds chose a Turtle Dove to be their king, and then flew to their homes.

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The Princes and the Water-Sprite

A king with three sons—Star, Moon, and Sun Princes—promised his queen a boon at Sun Prince’s birth. When the queen requested the kingdom for Sun Prince, the king refused, citing tradition. Fearing harm to the elder princes, he sent them to the forest, joined by Sun Prince. They encountered a water-sprite, but the eldest prince’s wisdom saved them. United, they ruled harmoniously after the king’s death.

Source: 
Jataka Tales 
by Ellen C. Babbit 
The Century Co., New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Family Dynamics: The narrative explores complex familial relationships, particularly the bond among the three royal brothers and the tension arising from their mother’s desire to see her youngest son ascend the throne.

Trials and Tribulations: The princes face challenges, notably their encounter with the water-sprite, which tests their wisdom and unity.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts ethical teachings on the virtues of wisdom, unity, and rightful succession, highlighting the importance of adhering to tradition and making prudent decisions.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Jataka Tales

Once upon a time a king had three sons. The first was called Prince of the Stars. The next was called the Moon Prince and the third was called the Sun Prince. The king was so very happy when the third son was born that he promised to give the queen any boon she might ask. The queen kept the promise in mind, waiting until the third son was grown before asking the king to give her the boon. On the twenty-first birthday of the Sun Prince she said to the king, “Great King, when our youngest child was born you said you would give me a boon. Now I ask you to give the kingdom to Sun Prince.”

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But the king refused, saying that the kingdom must go to the oldest son, for it belonged by right to him. Next it would belong by right to the second son, and not until they were both dead could the kingdom go to the third son.

The queen went away, but the king saw that she was not pleased with his answer. He feared that she would do harm to the older princes to get them out of the way of the Sun Prince.

So he called his elder sons and told them that they must go and live in the forest until his death. “Then come back and reign in the city that is yours by right,” he said. And with tears he kissed them on the foreheads and sent them away.

As they were going down out of the palace, after saying good-by to their father, the Sun Prince called to them, “Where are you going?”

And when he heard where they were going and why, he said, “I will go with you, my brothers.”

So off they started. They went on and on and by and by they reached the forest. There they sat down to rest in the shade of a pond. Then the eldest brother said to Sun Prince, “Go down to the pond and bathe and drink. Then bring us a drink while we rest here.”

Now the King of the Fairies had given this pond to a water-sprite. The Fairy King had said to the water-sprite, “You are to have in your power all who go down into the water except those who give the right answer to one question. Those who give the right answer will not be in your power. The question is, ‘What are the Good Fairies like?'”

When the Sun Prince went into the pond the water–sprite saw him and asked him the question, “What are the Good Fairies like?”

“They are like the Sun and the Moon,” said the Sun Prince.

“You don’t know what the Good Fairies are like,” cried the water-sprite, and he carried the poor boy down into her cave.

By and by the eldest brother said, “Moon Prince, go down and see why our brother stays so long in the pond!”

As soon as the Moon Prince reached the water’s edge the water-sprite called to him and said, “Tell me what the Good Fairies are like!”

“Like the sky above us,” replied the Moon Prince.

“You don’t know, either,” said the water-sprite, and dragged the Moon Prince down into the cave where the Sun Prince sat.

“Something must have happened to those two brothers of mine,” thought the eldest. So he went to the pond and saw the marks of the footsteps where his brothers had gone down into the water. Then he knew that a water-sprite must live in that pond. He girded on his sword, and stood with his bow in his hand.

The water-sprite soon came along in the form of a woodsman.

“You seem tired, Friend,” he said to the prince. “Why don’t you bathe in the lake and then lie on the bank and rest?”

But the prince knew that it was a water-sprite and he said, “You have carried off my brothers!”

“Yes,” said the water-sprite.

“Why did you carry them off?”

“Because they did not answer my question,” said the water-sprite, “and I have power over all who go down into the water except those who do give the right answer.”

“I will answer your question,” said the eldest brother. And he did. “The Good Fairies are like

The pure in heart who fear to sin,

The good, kindly in word and deed.”

“O Wise Prince, I will bring back to you one of your brothers. Which shall I bring?” said the water-sprite.

“Bring me the younger one,” said the prince. “It was on his account that our father sent us away. I could never go away with Moon Prince and leave poor Sun Prince here.”

“O Wise Prince, you know what the good should do and you are kind. I will bring back both your brothers,” said the water-sprite. After that the three princes lived together in the forest until the king died. Then they went back to the palace. The eldest brother was made king and he had his brothers rule with him. He also built a home for the water-sprite in the palace grounds.

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The lone woman

Long ago, a young man from the north journeyed south to marry the only woman known to live there. Another northern man, envious, attempted to abduct her, resulting in a struggle that split the woman in two. Both men replaced her missing halves with wood, creating two women. Their traits—dexterous northern needlework and southern dancing—passed to their descendants, reflecting this tale’s truth.

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

Transformation: The woman is physically divided and each half is reconstructed with wooden parts, resulting in two living women with distinct characteristics.

Creation: The story explains the origin of two groups of women, each inheriting specific traits from their respective ‘mothers.’

Family Dynamics: The narrative explores relationships and conflicts, such as the abduction attempt and the subsequent division of the woman, affecting familial and societal structures.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Inuit peoples

This tale refers to notable facts in regard to the accomplishments of the women in the districts north and south of St Michael.

Very long ago there were many men living in the northland, but there was no woman among them. Far away in the southland a single woman was known to live. At last one of the young men in the north started and traveled to the south until he came to the woman’s house, where he stopped and in a short time became her husband. One day he sat in the house thinking of his home and said, “Ah, I have a wife, while the son of the headman in the north has none.” And he was much pleased in thinking of his good fortune.

Meanwhile the headman’s son also had set out to journey toward the south, and while the husband was talking thus to himself the son stood in the entrance passage to the house listening to him. He waited there in the passage until the people inside were asleep, when he crept into the house and, seizing the woman by the shoulders, began dragging her away.

► Continue reading…

Just as he reached the doorway he was overtaken by the husband, who caught the woman by her feet. Then followed a struggle, which ended by pulling the woman in two, the thief carrying the upper half of the body away to his home in the northland, while the husband was left with the lower portion of his wife. Each man set to work to replace the missing parts from carved wood. After these were fitted on they became endowed with life, and so two women were made from the halves of one.

The woman in the south, however, was a poor needlewoman, owing to the clumsiness of her wooden fingers, but was a fine dancer. The woman in the north was very expert in needlework, but her wooden legs made her a very poor dancer. Each of these women gave to her daughters these characteristics, so that to the present time the same difference is noted between the women of the north and those of the south, thus showing that the tale is true.

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