The Peacock In The Sky
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SCRAPS OF FOLK-LORE.
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Aino Folktales
A cloudless sky has a peacock in it, whose servants are the eagles. The
peacock lives in the sky, and only descends to earth to give birth to
its young. When it has borne one, it flies back with it to the
sky.--(Written down from memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886, and by
Ishanashte, November, 1886.)
xlix.
Trees turned into Bears
The rotten branches or roots of trees sometimes turn into bears. Such
bears as these are termed payep kamui, i.e "divine walking
creatures," and are not to be killed by human hand. Formerly they were
more numerous than they are now, but they are still sometimes to be
seen.--(Written down from memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886.)