Ice Man Puts Out The Fire
: CHEROKEE TALES: Indian Legends Retold
Once upon a time there was a forest fire, and the fire went deep down
to the roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered for a long time.
The people tried to put it out, but they could do nothing. By and by
they grew frightened, fearing lest it might burn down to the middle of
the earth, or spread over all the world. So they sent a messenger to
the far north, to beg the Ice Man to help them.
Now the Ic
hair hanging over his shoulders. After he had heard all about the
fire, he nodded, and loosening one braid he breathed upon the strands.
Instantly the wind began to blow. He shook out the hair again, and it
began to rain. When he undid the other braid, it hailed violently,
and the fourth time he blew upon his hair, the storm became so
terrific that the messenger hastened homeward.
When he got home, he saw the fire at the roots of the poplar was still
burning, and the pit looked deeper and wider than ever. Many people
were standing sadly about it, and as they stood there the wind began
to blow. Soon a cold rain fell hissing on the hot coals. Then large
hailstones were mixed with the rain, and before long the tempest grew
so fierce that they were forced to run for shelter. When it stopped at
last, they came out again to look, and the pit of fire was nothing but
black coals covered with lumps of ice.
More
-
How The Jelly-fish Lost Its Shell
Parts of the seas of the Japanese Archipelago are speckled with thousands of round white jelly-fish, that swim a few feet below the surface. One can see the great steamer go ploughing through them as through a field of frosted cakes. The huge padd... How The King Of Pagan Caught The Thief
Many, many years ago there lived near the old city of Pagan a famous robber chief who was so fierce and cruel that he made all men fear his name. He stole and killed and burned till the mothers used to frighten their disobedient children by saying... How The Monkey's Colour Became Grey
In olden times the monkeys had long hair of different colours covering their bodies, and they were much more handsome than they are in the present day. They were very inquisitive animals and liked to meddle in the affairs of other people, and they... How The Ox Came To Be The Servant Of Man
When mankind first came to live upon the earth, they committed many blunders, for they were ignorant and wasteful, not knowing how to shift for themselves, and having no one to teach them. The Deity who was watching their destinies saw their misfo... How The Peacock Got His Beautiful Feathers
When the world was young and when all the animals spoke the language of mankind, the peacock, U Klew, was but an ordinary grey-feathered bird without any pretensions to beauty. But, even in those days, he was much given to pride and vanity, and st... How The Quail Became A Snipe
"It is lonely living in this great tree far away from the other birds," said the owl to herself. "I will get some one to come and live with me. The quail has many children, and I will ask her for one of them." The owl went to the quail and said,... How The Rattlesnake Learned To Bite
Pima (Arizona) After people and the animals were created, they all lived together. Rattlesnake was there, and was called Soft Child because he was so soft in his motions. The people liked to hear him rattle and little rest did he get because they ... How The Raven Helped Men
The raven and the eagle were cousins, and they were almost always friendly, but whenever they talked together about men, they quarreled. "Men are lazy," declared the eagle. "There is no use in trying to help them. The more one does for them, the... How The Sun Goddess Was Enticed Out Of Her Cave
When the far-shining goddess, on account of the evil pranks of her brother, Susa no O, the Ruler of the Moon, hid herself in a cave, there was no more light, and heaven and earth were plunged into darkness. A council of all the gods was held in ... How The Terrapin Beat The Rabbit
The Terrapin once challenged the Rabbit to a race, which the latter regarded as a joke. "The Terrapin is doubtless a wit," said he, "and a great warrior as well, but every one knows that he cannot run. I shall give him a big handicap, and even th... How The Tiger Got His Strength
After the animals were created they were sent to live in the jungle, but they were so foolish that they got into one another's way and interfered one with another and caused much inconvenience in the world. In order to produce better order, the Bl... How The Turkey Got His Beard
Now the animals all suspected some trick in this case, and the Turkey in particular was heard to say that he would contrive to get even. Soon afterward he saw the Terrapin coming back from war, creeping along with a fresh scalp hung about his shor... How The World Was Created
In the beginning of the world, many, many cycles ago, so long ago, in fact, that no man knows how long it was, there were no trees, no hills, no land, nothing but water. The wind blew the waters hither and thither, sometimes in great waves, someti... How The World Was Made
This is the ancient Filipino account of the creation. Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars, and the world was only a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god Maguayan, a... How Thor Lost His Hammer
"Come, Loki, are you ready? My goats are eager to be off!" cried Thor, as he sprang into his chariot, and away they went, thundering over the hills. All day long they journeyed, and at night they lay down to rest by the side of a brook. When Ba... How Thor Went A-fishing
Thor had not been long at home before he left it so hastily that he did not take his car, his goats, or any follower with him. He left Midgard disguised as a young man, and when night was coming on, arrived at the house of a giant, called Hymir. Tho... How Thorston Became Rich
When spring came Thorston made ready his ship and put twenty-four men on board of her. When they came to Finland they ran her into a harbour, and every day he went on shore to amuse himself. He came one day to an open part of the wood, where he ... How To Grow Rich
Once upon a time there was a woman whose husband died while she was pregnant, and she was very unhappy and used to pray daily to Singh Chando to give her a man child in place of her husband; she was left well off and among her property were three go... Howe's Masquerade
During the siege of Boston Sir William Howe undertook to show his contempt for the raw fellows who were disrespectfully tossing cannon-balls at him from the batteries in Cambridge and South Boston, by giving a masquerade. It was a brilliant affair, ... Hunger Valley
East of San Francisco is a narrow valley opening to the bay of San Pablo. In spite of its pleasant situation and fruitful possibilities, it had no inhabitants until 1820, when Miguel Zamacona and his wife Emilia strayed into it, while on a journey, ... Hunting The Stag Lapalang
Once upon a time there lived with its dam on the Plains of Sylhet a young deer whose fame has come down through the ages in Khasi folk-lore. The story of the Stag Lapalang, as he was called, continues to fascinate generation after generation of Kh... Huw Llwyd And His Magical Books
The story, as it has reached our days, is as follows:--It is said that Huw Llwyd had two daughters; one of an inquisitive turn of mind, like himself, while the other resembled her mother, and cared not for books. On his death bed he called his lea... Hyacinthus
... “The sad death Of Hyacinthus, when the cruel breath Of Zephyr slew him—Zephyr penitent Who now, ere Phœbus mounts the firmament, Fondles the flower amid the sobbing rain.” Keats. “Whom the gods love die young”—truly it would se... Iagoo Chippewa
Iagoo is the name of a personage noted in Indian lore for having given extravagant narrations of whatever he had seen, heard, or accomplished. It seems that he always saw extraordinary things, made extraordinary journeys, and performed extraordina... Icarus
Fourteen years only have passed since our twentieth century began. In those fourteen years how many a father’s and mother’s heart has bled for the death of gallant sons, greatly-promising, greatly-daring, who have sought to rule the skies? With win... Ice Man Puts Out The Fire
Once upon a time there was a forest fire, and the fire went deep down to the roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered for a long time. The people tried to put it out, but they could do nothing. By and by they grew frightened, fearing lest it m... Icelandic Sources In Regard To Gudmund King On The Glittering Plains
In the saga of Hervor, Odainsaker is mentioned, and there without any visible addition of Christian elements. Gudmund (Godmundr) was the name of a king in Jotunheim. His home was called Grund, but the district in which it was situated was called t... Idas And Marpessa
By day, while the sun-god drove his chariot in the high heavens and turned the blue-green Ægean Sea into the semblance of a blazing shield of brass, Idas and Marpessa sat together in the trees’ soft shades, or walked in shadowy valleys where violets... Iena The Wanderer Or Magic Bundle
A CHIPPEWA ALLEGORY. There was once a poor man called Iena,[73] who was in the habit of wandering about from place to place, forlorn, without relations and almost helpless. One day, as he went on a hunting excursion, he hung up his bundle on th... Ikardlituarssuk
Ikardlituarssuk, men say, had a little brother; they lived at a place where there were many other houses. One autumn the sea was frozen right out from the coast, without a speck of open water for a long way out. After this, there was great dearth ... Iktomi And The Coyote
AFAR off upon a large level land, a summer sun was shining bright. Here and there over the rolling green were tall bunches of coarse gray weeds. Iktomi in his fringed buckskins walked alone across the prairie with a black bare head glossy in the s... Iktomi And The Ducks
IKTOMI is a spider fairy. He wears brown deerskin leggins with long soft fringes on either side, and tiny beaded moccasins on his feet. His long black hair is parted in the middle and wrapped with red, red bands. Each round braid hangs over a smal... Iktomi And The Fawn
IN one of his wanderings through the wooded lands, Iktomi saw a rare bird sitting high in a tree-top. Its long fan-like tail feathers had caught all the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Handsome in the glistening summer sun sat the bird of rainbow... Iktomi And The Muskrat
BESIDE a white lake, beneath a large grown willow tree, sat Iktomi on the bare ground. The heap of smouldering ashes told of a recent open fire. With ankles crossed together around a pot of soup, Iktomi bent over some delicious boiled fish. Fas... Iktomi And The Turtle
THE huntsman Patkasa (turtle) stood bent over a newly slain deer. The red-tipped arrow he drew from the wounded deer was unlike the arrows in his own quiver. Another's stray shot had killed the deer. Patkasa had hunted all the morning without so... Iktomi's Blanket
ALONE within his teepee sat Iktomi. The sun was but a handsbreadth from the western edge of land. "Those, bad, bad gray wolves! They ate up all my nice fat ducks!" muttered he, rocking his body to and fro. He was cuddling the evil memory he b... Ildini
Ildini lived at End-of-trail, with his wife and two boys. One day he went fishing when the wind blew strong from the shore. It blew his boat so far out that he could not get back. All day and all night he was blown about the cold gray waters. He bec... Ilhataina
PERSONAGES After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently. =Ahalamila=, gray wolf; =Demauna=, pine marten; =Gowila=, lizard; =Ilhataina=, lightning; =Jul Kurula=, woodgrub; =Jupka=, bu... Ilia Muromec Of Russia
When we think of Russia we think of a great dark country--a country of long winters and abundant snow and ice. It was here, long ago, in the city of Kiev, that the hero Ilia Muromec was born. There was at that time a great castle in the city, an... Illegitimate Children
If a woman has an illegitimate child and from fear or shame will not name its father the bastard is called a child of Chando. At its birth there is no assembly of the neighbours; its head is not ceremonially shaved and there is no narta ceremony. Th... Imarasugssuaq Who Ate His Wives
It is said that the great Imarasugssuaq was wont to eat his wives. He fattened them up, giving them nothing but salmon to eat, and nothing at all to drink. Once when he had just lost his wife in the usual way, he took to wife the sister of many br... Indian Mythology
The history of Kansas has been of peculiar interest to the world at large, by reason of the struggles of ante-bellum days. The adventures of John Brown of Osawatomie and the achievements of General Lane, Governor Robinson, and other heroes of that... Informing Bees Of A Death In A Family
Formerly it was the custom to tell the bees of a death in the family. The head of the house whispered the news to the bees in the hive. If this were neglected, it was thought that another death would soon follow the previous one. Instead of spea... Initiation Into Witchcraft
When girls are initiated into witchcraft they are taken away by force and made to lead tigers about. This makes them fearless. They are then taken to all the most powerful bongas in succession; and are taught to invoke them, as school boys are taugh... Iosco Or The Prairie Boys' Visit To The Sun And Moon
AN OTTAWA LEGEND. One pleasant morning, five young men and a boy about ten years of age, called Ioscoda, went out a shooting with their bows and arrows. They left their lodges with the first appearance of daylight, and having passed through a l... Isigaligarssik
Isigaligarssik was a wifeless man, and he was very strong. One of the other men in his village was a wizard. Isigaligarssik was taken to live in a house with many brothers, and they were very fond of him. When the wizard was about to call upo... It Is Considered Unlucky For Bees To Fly Away From Their Owner
As the coming of a strange swarm of bees is indicative of good luck to the person to whom they come, so the decamping of a swarm shows that misfortune is about to visit the person whom they leave. ... Ivan The Fool And St Peter's Fife
There was once upon a time a man who had three sons, and two were clever, but the third, called Ivan, was a fool. Their father divided all his goods among them and died, and the three brothers went out into the world to seek their fortunes. Now th... Iya The Camp-eater
FROM the tall grass came the voice of a crying babe. The huntsmen who were passing nigh heard and halted. The tallest one among them hastened toward the high grass with long, cautious strides. He waded through the growth of green with just a hea... Jack Dreadnought
A poor widow had a son who was so courageous that not even the devil's mother would have frightened him, and therefore he was named in his childhood Jack Dreadnought. His mother was in continual terror lest something dreadful might happen to her s...