How the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa Became One People

Hi dear friends and followers, today we visit the Potawatomi People

The Potawatomi People shared the land in what was once the Indiana Territory which became the state of Indiana on December 11, 1816.

The legend that follows here may not be the stuff that tall tales are made of at all as other tribes and nations of Native Americans, including the Iroquois, Powhatan, and Seminole, learned to live together peacefully in a confederation.

This legend is a morality tale and has elements that is are parts of the Iroquois Confederation in it. Can you guess what they might be?

How the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa Became One People

A long, long time ago, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa people were enemies. An Ojibwe man had ten children, all boys. He brought them up to be warriors and all ten sons were killed in battle. There was also an Ottawa man who had ten sons who were warriors, and they too were all killed. At the same time, a Potawatomi man had his ten sons killed in raids as well. Each father was left without children. All three men mourned their sons and could not see the point in living any longer. They wandered away from their tribes and into the woods, looking for a place to die.

The Ojibwe man traveled west until he was completely exhausted. As he came to a place to rest, he saw a tree which had a long root running toward the east. The root was as long as a tree is tall, and very thick. He laid down and rested awhile, and then looked towards the south. There he saw another very long root-as long as the one which went to the east-running toward the south. He went to the west and north sides of the tree and found two other roots, each as long as a tree is high. All around the tree, the grass grew long and rich. He walked around the tree until he had come to the east, he realized that the four roots pointed exactly in the four directions.

As he looked up at the tree, he realized that there were also four huge branches, one to the East, one to the West, one to the South and one to the North. The tree had beautiful leaves, but only had these four branches, each extending out as far as the roots. As he examined the tree, he could also see that the tree had a big root that ran straight down into the earth and a huge branch that went up from the center straight to the sky. There were no leaves on that branch until the very top, and then there only a few. All around the tree he could see the blue sky, and there was no wind or breeze.

As the Ojibwe man walked around the tree, he was happy and forgot all of his sorrow at losing his sons. He had never seen so beautiful a place. As he sat there, he heard a noise like someone crying. He looked around, but didn’t see anyone. At last he saw a man walking toward the tree, weeping and mourning just as he had earlier. He saw that the newcomer was an old man, just like him, and that he approached the tree from the south. As the newcomer came to the spot, he saw how beautiful it was and stopped crying. He looked around and noticed all the things about the tree and then he saw the first man. He saw that the man was mourning, and asked him why.

The Ojibwe man, who was sitting at the base of the great tree, said, "I had ten sons and I lost them all in war. I decided I had nothing left to live for and wandered until I came to this beautiful place." The other man, an Ottawa, said, "I did the same as you. I had ten sons and they were all killed and I did not wish to live. I wandered off to die and came to this place."

They talked over the past, and while they were talking they forgot their sorrow and felt happy. While they talked, they heard the noise of a person crying. Far off they saw a man approaching, mourning and crying. It was an old man, about the same age as the other two, and as he walked along wearily. They watched him as he came from the west and approached the west root of the tree. He stopped and examined the root, and he began to notice how beautiful the tree and the place was and wiped away his tears. As he came up to the tree, the Ojibwe man and the Ottawa man asked him who he was and why he was mourning. He answered that he was a Potawatomi and that he mourned his ten sons lost in war. Like them, he had wandered off to die.

They each told their stories and saw that the same thing had brought them to this place. The Ojibwe man said, "It is the will of the Great Spirit that has brought us here to meet."

They all agreed. They walked around and explored the place together, and saw that the air was very still and calm around the tree. It was very quiet and it seemed to them that every word they spoke could be heard by the spirits. Together they said, "The spirits have sent us here to hold council together. There has been too much fighting in our lives."

The Ojibwe man said, "I think I had better go back to my people." The Ottawa man agreed, saying, "Yes, I think it has been wrong for us to fight all the time. We have suffered and neglected our children. It is best for us to go home." And the Potawatomi man said, "All this is true. It is wrong to allow all these people to die because of the fighting between us. We should all go home, and stop the fighting between our tribes and live in peace."

They lit their pipes and smoked, agreeing on what they had said. They talked a long while. As they smoked and talked, the Ojibwe man-having been the first to get to the tree-felt he had a right to speak first. "Our people should unite as one. I will be the eldest brother. And the Ottawa will be our second brother. And you, Potawatomi, will be the youngest brother." They all agreed.

The Ojibwe man said, "My brothers, I will make a pipe and a stem for it. When I get home, I will present it to my people. I will tell them that I had ten children who were all killed in war; but I will wash that away. I will paint the stem of the pipe blue, like the sky, and we will use this pipe when we make peace with other nations."

And the Ottawa man said, "I will do the same. I will remind my people of my sons, and I will have them quit fighting."

The Potawatomi said, “I too will make a pipe of peace. I will call a council of our people and tell them of our resolution, and explain the foolishness of allowing our people to be killed."

The Ojibwe said again, "It is good. Our spirits have brought us together at this point, and have brought us to agreement." They agreed that in ten days they would all meet and bring their tribes to the roots of the tree, and at these roots their tribes would live, each sheltered by one of the great branches. And then they all went their separate ways home.

When he got home, the Ojibwe man took tobacco and put it in his pipe. He was not a chief, only an old man. He took the pipe to the Chief and told him that it was the pipe of peace. The Chief smoked it with him. The old man told all his people to make peace. He told all the head chiefs of different Ojibwe bands to take the pipe, and to tell his story and to explain that the pipe was to be used in friendship. The smoke from the tobacco would soothe and purify their hearts and maintain peace. The older people, who had learned the lesson of peace through their losses, would teach the messages to the younger people, who would carry it on. The same thing happened with the Ottawa and the Potawatomi.

Ten days later, they brought their people to the roots of the beautiful tree. As they all got there, each set up camp on one root of the tree. The Ojibwe man brought a chunk of wood, and so did the Ottawa man and the Potawatomi man. Together, they started a common fire and brought food so they could cook together. As they began cooking, they took tobacco and lit the pipe of the Ojibwe man from the fire they had built together. They were going to offer the pipe to their chiefs to smoke together, but they thought that they should it first offer the pipe to the Great Spirit who had brought them together. They pointed the pipe stem straight up in the air by the tree. Then they pointed the stem to the East and offered it to the spirit of the east. Then they pointed to the south and offered it to the spirit of the south and then to the spirit of the west and lastly to the spirit of the north. Then they turned the stem down toward the central root of the great tree, offering it to the spirit that keeps the earth from sinking in the water.

After this, they offered the pipe to the Ojibwe Chief and he smoked it, and passed it to the braves and warriors. They all smoked. The man of the Ottawa tribe did the same, as did the Potawatomi tribe. After that, they all lived as one people, and said "We will keep this fire to represent our bond with each other, and the Potawatomi will be keepers of this sacred fire.” The three old men made rules for the people to live together, and presented them as a path that their people must follow. From the point at which they met under the tree, they must live always in peace and friendship. From that time forward, they kept their rules and the three tribes lived in peace and intermarried with each other and came to be almost as one people.

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read these interesting legends. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Hi dear friends and followers, welcome to another Native American Legend a white man became an Indian 

How a White Man Became an Indian

Today we progress westward into Ohio. It was once called the Northwest Territory when America was a very young nation, just a few states past 13 Original Colonies.

The map that accompanies our offering today shows the presence of tribes and nations that you have heard of before, like the Seneca, Erie, Delaware, and Shawnee. Of the reamining tribes on this map the Wyandot (also Wyandotte) have the greatest number of legends to choose from.

The stories shared here were gathered by one William Elsey Connelley, a teacher and avocational historian who lived from 1855 to 1930. They are contained in his original work, "Indian Myths," published in 1928. To the best of my knowledge its copyright has expired.

The first story is a brief account of Connelley's adoption into the Wyandot tribe. He wrote this book for use by children in the third to fifth grades. You can see that in the way he relates the stories.

Connelley was also the Secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society from 1914 to 1930. He is credited with gathering and preserving a very complete record of the history of Wyandot County, Kansas.

The Wyandot were subject to "removal" from their home lands and went on the "Trail of Tears" to Kansas, which explains their presence in Wyandotte County.

How a White Man Became an Indian

Not so very long ago there was to be found living in the far West a quaint old man. He had seen many moons. His head was almost white from the frosts of some seventy winters. He was a Wyandot Indian, and he lived with his own people. His house stood among the trees by a clear, swift river in the beautiful hills. At a great city far from his home he had some land. This land was worth much money. Some mean white men were about to take the land away from him. But a kind white man made them pay the Indian what the land was worth.

This white man had been a friend of the Indians all his life. When he helped this good Wyandot, all the Indians were pleased. They said he must visit them at their homes among the hills. When he went there to see them, they told him beautiful stories, which he wrote down. They had him attend their secret feasts, which they did not let any other white man see. They taught him to speak like an Indian. He wrote down all they told him. Then they said he must be an Indian, too. He said that would be fine. And they made him a Wyandot Indian. This is how they did it.

A great feast was made. All the Indians were told to come to the feast to welcome the white man. Much food was made ready, for the Indians were very fond of good things to eat. They were the first people to grow corn. They had it in their fields for ages before the white people ever saw any of it. They knew how to cook it in many ways. At this feast all these dishes of corn were there in great plenty. And the Indians cook well all the food used by white people.

They had bread, pies, cakes, beef, pork, ham, chicken, turkey, eggs, milk, coffee, and tea made from the sweet-smelling spice wood.

The men ate first, and the white man ate with them. Indian men do not talk much. They said little while eating at this feast. When they When they were done, the women sat down to eat. They were merry and gay. They talked and laughed as they ate.

Then the Indians cried out all in one voice, “Quah! Quah! Quah!” which means, “Hail! Hail! Hail!” This was their way of saying they were willing to receive the white man into their tribe.

With the Wyandots the woman is the head of the house. The Chief turned to the Head Woman and said, “Will you make a place by your fire for this white man? Will you take him to be one of your family?”

The Head Woman took the white man by the hand and said, “He will live by my fire. He shall be a Wyandot of the Deer Clan. He shall be one of my family. A Wyandot of my house was a great chief. He was the Head Master of all the Wyandots. He lived many years ago. Since that time no man has held his high office. I wish this white man raised up to his place. Give him the name and the office of the Half-King.”

The Chief then gave the white man the name and the office of the Great Chief of the Wyandot of the old times.1 Then all the Indians came and spoke to the white man. They made him welcome. They said he was their brother. They gave him presents. Some gave him wampum or Indian money. One gave a cannon ball which he found on a field of battle where he was a soldier. One woman gave him a horn of a buffalo. A very poor Indian gave him some feathers from the tail of a rooster.

The white man gave each Indian a present, and the meeting was ended.

1. Too-da re-zhu – The Great Deer.

How We Got These Indian Stories

Before the first white people came, only the Indians lived in our country. They had been here a very long time; they could not tell for how long. The Indians had a happy life. In summer the men hunted and fished. They went on long journeys into the woods or over the hills and plains. Sometimes they went in canoes on the lakes and along the rivers. The women and children often remained at home. Their lodges stood at the edge of the forest, or on the bank of a lake, or in the meadows beside the swift-flowing stream. For food they hunted game, gathered wild berries and fruits, dug up the roots of plants and trees, and in small fields raised squashes, pumpkins, beans and corn. Some raised tobacco.

When winter came the snow often lay white over the land. The cold wind blew about the Indian lodges. At night the dogs howled, and the lodges looked dark and lonely. But inside there was a bright fire of dry wood. At one side of the fire sat the mother on a pile of furs. She was weaving baskets or putting beads on buckskin clothes. On the other side sat the father. He smoked his pipe and told beautiful stories to the children.

The Indians had no books or papers. So the stories had to be kept in memory and told down from one to another. Would you not have liked to sit with the red children around the evening fire of the Indian lodge? They had to remember the stories well, for the next night the father might call on them to repeat what they had heard. Then when they grew up they could tell the stories to their own boys and girls.

After the white people came, the Indian fathers did not always tell the stories to the children. For they had much trouble and had to move from place to place. At last only a few old men in the tribe knew the stories. A kindly white man found the old men living deep in the great woods. They made him a Wyandot Indian, like themselves. He wrote down what these wise old Indians told him. So now all boys and girls may read the stories which once were heard only by the red children.

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read these interesting legends. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

It's Frizzy Lizzy time

Hi dear friends and followers, Today is Saturday, Frizzy Lizzy at your service. Take five, relax and enjoy. {:o)

Come on in and sit down, Susan, and leave your boots on the mat by the door, OK? Yes, I have one there. I did not think that I would need on so early in the year. It's still only autumn but we have the snow, don't we? What's that? Do I have any coffee ready? Is a bluebird blue? Sure, I do. Pour yourself a cup and get a chair and have a fresh peanut butter cookie!

What do you think of all of that snow in Buffalo? Can you imagine, 7 feet of snow in some places? I haven's seen a snow job like that since Nixon was running for president!

And now it's cold after all of that snow. The low temperature is bad enough but the wind chill factor makes it that much worse, don't you think? It has been so cold for the last couple of days! How cold has it been? It's been colder than a Republican's heart, that's how cold it's been! It's so cold that when I shiver, I shake like a jelly donut at a Weight Watchers meeting!

Charley saw my Roomba - oh, come on, Susan, you know what a Roomba is, don't you? It's one of those automatic things that you just start it up and it automatically vacuum cleans the floor in the room while you do something that's more fun. Yes, it's low, flat, and round and looks like a flying saucer.

Anyway, Charlie saw mine and he got into looking at the catalogs on-line and guess what he found? He found a snow thrower that will automatically go along a pre-programmed course and clean a path in the snow. Oh, I don't know how the damn thing works, but it's supposed to go wherever you send it and come back to you.

Well, Charlie set his up with all the fancy computer controls and set it to work on his sidewalks and driveways while he sat inside and watched the football game. He was so sure that it was going to work right that he had a bag of chips and a beer open, and his shoes off. He knew that it was going to stop right in front of the house.

Well, he gets into the game and he doesn't see that 5 minutes go by, then 15 minutes, and finally a half-hour and no snow thrower. Charley looks out the door and he sees a path: just one single lane where the whole walk and drive should have been done.

So he gets dressed and goes out to find his snow thrower. He goes 1 block. He goes 2 blocks, then 3 block. The snow thrower is working like a champ, but where in creation is it? It sure isn't on Charley's front sidewalk.

Finally, in the third block he finds it, working its little pistons out, cleaning the parking lot at the Chinese carry-out restaurant! To add all sorts of insult to injury the damn thing is almost done with the lot when Charley stops it to check it and sees that it's almost out of gas, too, and he has no gas can with him!

So there he is, fresh out of his den from a football game, almost four blocks away from his home, in the parking lot of the New China Gourmet Carry-out, the lot cleaned courtesy of his automatic snow thrower, and no way in hell of getting it home without bringing his noisy diesel truck and a ramp and some gas to make it go up the ramp, you get the picture?

So what does Charley do? He pulls the snow thrower up next to the door and goes inside and tells the owner what just happened. The owner must be a pretty good guy because he gave Charley a bowl of egg drop soup for his efforts!

American Thanksgiving Day is coming this week, on Thursday. I wish all of you a very Happy and Heartfelt Thanksgiving Day! Enjoy your dinner and celebrate with your family and let the shopping go until Friday.

So what has Charley done with the snow thrower? Well, Susan, he might be seeing a lawyer about the fool machine. It went off course and got into his flower bed, where it got below the snow and pulled out his spring tulip bulbs and some stones and began to throw them along with the snow. Seems that it threw one of those stones a little too far and it broke the windshield on his neighbor's car. No, not that neighbor, the one who thinks all of Charley's power tools make too much noise as it is!

You're right, all men have their strange ways. Sure, they all seem normal until you marry one of them! Up to now I was sure that they were useful for two things: mowing the lawn in the summer and clearing the snow off the walk in the winter.

As for bed - just invest in a lot of safety pins so he can't pull the covers off. Yes, and with this being football season he's already talking about having a Super Bowl party. Well my idea of a super bowl is a self-cleaning toilet!

You want another coffee while I'm up, Susan?

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.
Composed by Cynthia ©

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Shawnee Mythology.

Hi dear friends and followers, welcome again to another Native American legend and myths, Shawnee Mythology.

We have traveled the east coast, from the Canadian Maritime to the Gulf of Mexico, and examined a few of the legends told by the Canadian First Nations and Native American Peoples who lived in those locales. Today we backtrack a bit to go into West Virginia as we move into the Central States.

West Virginia is mountainous territory that still has fast-flowing rivers and what feels like untamed wilderness through which one can travel on foot or by white-water raft. In this place the Shawnee were a strong presence. The region was shared with the Saponi and the Cherokee.

I was surprised that I could not find more of the Shawnee traditions to present here than I have because the Shawnee are far from being an unknown tribe. They were well-known to the British, the newly-created American nation, and the French. Under the leadership of the chief, Tecumseh, they participated in the War of 1812 on the side of the British.

What follows here is a commentary on the Shawnee creation myth and other myths that effect their daily lives. I hope that you find them interesting.

Shawnee Mythology

The Shawnee creation myth is similar to other Algonquin creation myths in maintaining that the people who are now the Shawnees originated from a different world - an island balanced on the back of a giant turtle-and traveled to this one.

According to Shawnee myth, when the first people were on the island, they could see nothing but water, which they did not know how to cross. They prayed for aid and were miraculously transported across the water. The Shawnees are the only Algonquin tribe whose creation story includes the passage of their ancestors over the sea, and for many years they held an annual sacrifice in thanks for the safe arrival of their ancestors to this country.

The Shawnees were also unique among the Algonquin peoples in believing their creator was a woman, who they called "Kokumthena", which means "Our Grandmother." Kokumthena is usually depicted as an anthropomorphic female with gray hair whose size ranges from gigantic to very small. According to Shawnee myth, the idea of creation came from the Supreme Being, who is called Moneto, but the actual work of creation was performed by Kokumthena the Great Spirit, and she is the most important figure in Shawnee religion.

 

The Supreme Being of all things is Moneto, who rules Yalakuquakumigigi, the universe, and dispenses His blessings and favors to those who earn His good will, just as He brings unspeakable sorrow to those whose conduct merits His displeasure. Moneto is not to be mistaken for the Great Spirit, the ruler of deities, who is subordinate to Him. The Great Spirit lives in a home in the sky and, in addition to Shawnee and other Native American languages, she speaks her own non-Shawnee language that can only be understood by children under age four, who forget it as soon as they begin to learn Shawnee.

In addition to creating the world, Kokumthena will end it. Prophets who travel to the afterworld find her weaving a blanket called a skeemotah, but she has a wolf who unravels what she has done. Someday, however, she will complete her blanket, scoop up the virtuous to come live with her, and punish and destroy the wicked.

This belief in a female creator/destroyer probably surfaced in or after 1824, although it may have existed earlier, and there are mixed opinions among historians about the reasons behind the emergence of this belief. Some believe that Kokumthena was inspired by a female deity of the Iroquois named Ataentsic, while another theory holds that the story of the Virgin Mary influenced the Shawnee myth.

In any case, the existing versions of the Kokumthena myth also contain warnings of a great white spirit who will try to change the creator's designs and shorten the years of the Shawnees and warnings of a great serpent who will come from the seas and destroy the Shawnees. According to Shawnee oral tradition, when the Shawnee first saw European ships, they recognized the forked ends of the Europeans' pennants as symbols of the tongue of the serpent.

The Great Horned Serpent, which is always portrayed in cartoon style drawings, is a creature which is shared with other eastern tribes. The serpent lived in a lake. One day he wrapped himself around a large buck deer and took its head which he wore as a mask to fool his prey. This event was witnessed by two ravens.

Another variation of this legend is that the creator was busy at work making the Earth when he let a thought about himself escape. In doing this he gave the serpent an opportunity to harness this power and instill it into himself, making him very powerful. When the creator realized this had happened he reached out toward the serpent and tried to recover this missing power. In doing so he only managed to capture the head of the serpent and separate it from his body.

The headless body managed to slither away and return to the lake. Once there the serpent took the head of the deer to replace what he had lost. Shawnee elders say the serpent was killed and some of his flesh was carved off. It is said that some of the flesh, which has remained fresh, and is in the bundle of each of the Five Divisions. (The Shawnee have 5 divisions, which may be regarded as phratries, or perhaps as originally distinct tribes, and the members of these divisions occupied different sides of the council house in their public assemblies. Their names are: Chilahcahtha (Chillicothe), Kispokotha (Kispogogi),
Spitotha (Mequachake), Bicowetha (Piqua), and Assiwikale (Hathawekela)).

Shawnee are warned to stay away from hollow logs and holes in the ground because the spirit of the serpent may lurk there.

Shawnee tradition has three figures that control weather. Each of these was created by the Grandmother Spirit and was instructed not to cause harm to the Shawnee. One of these is Cyclone Person, a female face with braids of hair that cause tornadoes. She is given great respect by the Shawnee for not harming them. The Shawnee are not afraid of these storms.

The second weather spirit which is actually four separate spirits is called the Four Winds. The Four Winds are often called upon to witness prayers, and they have colors associated with them. The winds were told by Grandmother Spirit to respect all women and not to stare at them. Shawnee women will pull their skirts up to their waist to embarrass the winds, thus causing clouds to retreat.

The third spirit and most well-known are the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds cause storms when they fight with the Great Horned Serpent and other evil creatures. Lightning is caused by their blinking eyes. The Shawnee believe that the Thunderbirds guard the entrance to heaven and are honored by Kispoko during the war dance as the patrons of war. 

Tales of the origin of the various divisions also exist. The Piqua, whose name means "a man coming out of the ashes," tell of an ancient fire that after burning out yielded a great puffing and blowing from which a man rose from the ashes. Mequachake signifies the perfect man of the Great Spirit's creation, and this is one reason for believing that the division was responsible for the priesthood.

The most important object in Shawnee religion was the sacred bundle, called 'mishaami.' Each division had its own bundle, which was believed to contain the welfare of not only the tribe but the entire universe. People sometimes had their own personal sacred bundles that protected them and enabled them to cast spells. The rituals, contents and history of the mishaami are considered sacred mysteries and are kept in secrecy even to this day. According to Shawnee legend, all the mishaami were given to the Shawnees by Kokumthena, who can still control them and will inform a chosen prophet if she desires a change in either the contents of a bundle or a ritual surrounding a bundle.

A custodian - always a man - and one of very high moral character - was assigned to the mishaami by the chief. 

The mishaami were consulted by the custodian whenever the tribe was considering a major move, and they were opened and their contents moved around before events such as battles in order to protect their outcome.

"The sun is my father, the Earth my mother, who nourishes me, and on her bosom I will recline"
- Tecumseh, August 1810
Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this Native American legend. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Tale of Evening Star and Orphan Star

Hi dear friends and followers. Today I present to you the Caddo People.

The Caddo People held influence over a large portion of what is now the state of Louisiana as well as parts of east Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and possibly into southwestern Missouri. Their appearance in the area goes back into the time before the Common Era.

They were successful as farmers and did well growing corn. Hunting and fishing were also sources of food.

Their religion was far too complex to cover here but they did believe in a Supreme Being whom they addressed as "Lord Above" or "Lord of the Sky."

The first contact with the white man was in a clash with De Soto's exploratory teams and a band of Caddo in 1541 in Arkansas. As time passed they were able to negotiate comparatively favorable treaties for themselves.

Today's legend features an orphan, a heroic character in many stories, some magic, and a great reward for the orphan. You can compare it with the Iroquois legend, How the Fairies Worked Magic, and see the similarities.
The Tale of Evening Star and Orphan Star

A poor orphan boy lived with a large family of people who were not kind to him and mistreated him. He could not go to play or hunt with the other boys, but had to do all of the hard work. Whenever the camp broke up the family always tried to steal away and leave the boy behind, but sooner or later he found their new camp and went to them because he had no other place to go. One time several families went in boats to an island in a large lake to hunt eggs, and the orphan boy went with them. After they had filled their boats with eggs they secretly made ready to go back to the mainland. In the night, while the orphan boy was asleep, they stole away in their boats, leaving him to starve on the lonely island.

The boy wandered about the island, eating only the scraps that he could find around the dead camp fires, until he was almost starved. As he did not have a bow and arrows, he could not hunt, but he sat by the water’s edge and tried to catch fish as they swam past him. One day as he sat on the lonely shore he saw a large animal with horns coming to him through the water. He sat very still and watched the animal, for he was too frightened to run away. 

The monster came straight to him, then raised his head out of the water and said: “Boy, I have come to save you. I saw the people desert you and I have taken pity upon you and come to rescue you. Get upon my back and hold to my horns and I will carry you to the mainland.”

The boy was no longer afraid, but climbed upon the animal’s back. “Keep your eyes on the blue sky, and if you see a star tell me at once,” the animal said to him. They had not gone far when the boy cried, “There in the west is a big star.” The monster looked up and saw the star, then turned around at once and swam back to the island as fast as he could.

The next day he came and took the boy again, telling him, as before, to call out the moment that he saw a star appear in the sky. They had gone a little farther than they had the day before when the boy cried out, “There in the west is a star.” The animal turned around and went to the shore. The next day and the next four days he started with the boy, and each time he succeeded in getting a little farther before the boy saw the star.

The sixth time they were within a few feet of the opposite shore when the boy saw the star. He wanted to reach the shore so badly that he thought he would keep still and not tell the monster that he saw the star, for he knew that he would take him back to the island at once if he did. He said nothing, and so the monster swam on until they were almost in shallow water, when the boy saw a great black cloud roll in front of the star. He became frightened and jumped off of the animal’s back and swam to the shore.

Just as he jumped something struck the animal with an awful crash and he rolled over dead. When the boy came upon the shore a handsome young man came up to him and said: “You have done me a great favor. 

For a long time I have tried to kill this monster, because he makes the water of the lake dangerous, but until now I could never get the chance. 

In return for what you have done, I will take you with me to the sky, if you care to go.” The boy said that he wanted to go, as he was alone and friendless upon the earth. The man, who was Evening-Star, took him with him to the sky, and there he may be seen as Orphan-Star who stands near Evening-Star.

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this Native American legend. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Hi dear friends and followers, thank you for dropping by, Today is Wednesday, poem day. I wish to present to you another Poem titled, Pandora's Enchantment. So take five and relax and have a read. Enjoy

Pandora's Enchantment 

Upon the side of the highway she sat,

fragile and scared to those who would see.

On the side of that worn and dirty road she sat,

waiting for the one she knew would be coming.

A dark form appeared, astride a swift horse.

His poncho-like hat gathered the dew 

of the early morning's mist

running down the rim in tiny rivulets 

that dropped,

then traced their way down his back;

he shivered slightly at their coldness.

Ahead he saw a dark form beside the road and

instantly his sword was freed from its sheath. 

He stopped his horse and came to the ground.

Sword still in hand, with caution approached.

A woman he found; he could hear her sobs.

Upon one knee he knelt, with sword aside,

with his right hand gently on her knee, he spoke:

"My lady, how may I assist you?"

Her crystal tears sparkled 

in the early morning's light,

as they traced their way 

down her alabaster cheeks.

So sad she looked; Prince Aledine's heart melted.

He took her hand and drew it to him,

then gently pressed his lips upon it.

In tones so soft, scarce could she hear, he said,

"I am Aledine. son of Deluca's king.

I was on my way when I saw you here.

How may I assist you, my lady?" 

he inquired again, a bit dismayed.

A feeling made it's way through him,

spectral, like a ghost or wraith of something unseen.

Once more in that morning Prince Aledine shivered;

and as quickly as the feeling had come, it vanished.

The woman, wearing a black cape and hood, stood up;

she took his hand as she pulled back the hood.

Her tears appeared to possess an energy of their own;

her beauty filled him with enchantment.

She both mesmerized and befogged him

with her beauty. 

Their lips pressed together

He was floating in a sea of honey!

He found himself seduced by her emerald eyes.

He knew that he had entered an unknown land,

and for his coming close 

she now owned his soul.

For allowing her to seduce him

the curse had been fulfilled.

Never could he return to his kingdom 

and be prince of the beloved people.

He would be forever roaming the moors,

wandering like a lost soul without home,

lonely.

He knew that he must never make contact with his people

or his curse would befall them, too.

His soul was now hers for as long as it pleased her.

She was a white gem against the deepest night,

her eyes like emeralds with an inner light of their own.

He wished only to partake of the sweetness of her fragrance. 

Red hair framed her face and cascaded down her back;

her heart-shaped lips gleamed in the first light of dawn.

She took him away on that fateful morning.

They stopped but once along the way,

Speaking with but one before leaving for eternity.

To the wizard of Deluca, one of the greatest in the land,

the prince gave his last report;

 whilst she lingered in the court.

They left quietly, 

riding two horses.

No one paid any mind to the lady and the prince 

that night, failing to see anything out of place

leaving through the main gate to the kingdom of Deluca,

they rode off into the dark.

Never to be seen again;

only one man knew, twas the wizard of Deluca.

She buried her beauty back under her cloak,

as they rode off into the dark forest of Lure.

That night they lay under the trees,

she removed her cloak and tunic to reveal herself.

His passion flared, as her predatory instincts arose.

Soon her body turned into a horrid beast.

His passion died as he blanched at the apparition

that stood before him. 

He felt the life in him wither 

like a bloom in late fall,

his very soul shriveled and retreated.

He knew now who she was - 

Pandora, the enchantress, queen of the dark abyss.

The clawed finger of the beast stood close enough

for him to smell the pungent decay typical of the moors.

Now adorned in mosses and lichen, she stood,

legs slightly apart, a haze-like a mist,

arose around her, pointed towards another path.

He would not go further lest his soul be damned.

Condemned to forever wander 

the moors at night,

with the beast queen, Pandora's, curse. 

Not always had she been the queen of the moors.

For once long ago she had been a princess. 

And she was to be wed 

to the most handsome prince of the land.

But she had been removed from her kingdom,

and condemned to exile, never to return.

This was her long sought revenge,

to retake the realm which was once hers.

He took a blade and pressed it against her skin, 

The beast waved it's finger, then bent down 

and swooped the knife from his shaking hand.

When he awoke she was nowhere to be seen.

Confident was she he would remain 

unconscious for a while.

she went roaming the moors 

to search of more unwary souls.

He was up on his feet, although a little unsteady. 

He knew where he had to go, but it was not easy.

For the trail was uneven and not clearly marked. 

But he continued to stagger and run when he could, 

quickly, now, quickly, 

through the thick brush!

He was surprised to find she had left his sword 

leaning against a tree.

He thrashed his way through the brush with his sword.

Finally he could go no more

and fell to the ground.

A soft green light drifted through the woods,

lighting the grove where he lay.

A delicate hand brushed his cheek.

Prince Aledine awoke 

and opened his eyes suddenly,

then shot up to his feet, sword in hand;

standing, or rather, hovering in the air,

were three small beings 

radiating the calm green light

Composed by Cynthia. 

To be continued

Thank you again for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read my poem. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful Sunday.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿