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Source: Unknown. If you know, email us: earthbow@earthbow.com
Long ago a mighty race
of Indians lived near the sunrise, and they called
themselves Wawaniki, the Children of Light.
Glooskap was their master. He was kind to
his people and did many great deeds for them.
Once in Glooskap's day
it grew extremely cold. Snow and ice covered everything.
Fires would not give enough warmth. The corn would not
grow. His people were perishing from cold and famine.
Glooskap set forth for
the far north where all was ice. Here in a wigwam he
found the great giant Winter. It was Winter's icy breath
that had frozen the land.
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Glooskap entered the
wigwam and sat down. Winter gave him a
pipe, and as they
smoked, the giant told tales of olden times when he
reigned everywhere and all the land was silent, white,
and beautiful. His frost charm fell upon Glooskap and as
the giant talked on, Glooskap fell asleep. For six months
he slept like a bear, then the charm left him because he
was too strong for it and awoke.
Soon now Glooskap's
talebearer, the Loon, a wild bird who lived on the
lakeshores, brought him strange news. He described a
country far to the south where it was always warm. There
lived the all-powerful Summer who could easily overcome
the giant Winter. To save his people from cold and famine
and death, Glooskap decided to find her.
Far off to the
southern seashores he went. He sang the magic song which
whales obey and up came an old friend; a whale who served
as his carrier when he wished to go out to sea.
This whale had a law
for travelers. She always said: "You must shut your
eyes while I carry you. If you do not, I am sure to go
aground on a reef or sand-bar and be unable to get off.
You could be drowned."
Glooskap got on the
whale's back and for many days they traveled together.
Each day the water grew warmer and the air softer and
sweeter, for it came from spicy shores. The odors were no
longer those of salt, but of fruits and flowers.
Soon they found
themselves in shallow water. Down in the sand clams were
singing a song of warning: "Keep out to sea, for the
water here is shallow."
The whale asked
Glooskap, who understood the language of all creatures:
"What do they say_"
Glooskap, wishing to
land at once, only replied: "They tell you to hurry,
for a storm is coming."
The whale hurried on accordingly until she was close to
land. Now Glooskap did the forbidden; he opened his left
eye, to peep. At once the whale stuck hard on to the
beach so that Glooskap, leaping from her head, was able
to walk ashore on dry land.
Thinking she could
never get away, the whale became angry. But Glooskap put
one end of his bow against the whale's jaw and, taking
the other end in his hands, placed his feet against the
high bank. With a mighty push, he sent her out into the
deep water.
Far inland strode
Glooskap and found it warmer at every step. In the forest
he came upon a beautiful woman dancing in the center of a
group of young girls. Her long brown hair was crowned
with flowers and her arms filled with blossoms. She was
Summer.
Glooskap knew that
here at last was the one who by her charms could melt old
Winter's heart. He leaped to catch her and would not let
her go. Together they journeyed the long way back to the
lodge of old Winter.
Winter welcomed
Glooskap but he planned to freeze him to sleep again.
This time, however, Glooskap did the talking. His charm
proved the stronger one and soon sweat began to run down
Winter's face. He knew that his power was gone and the
charm of Frost broken. His icy tent melted away.
Summer now used her
own special power and everything awoke. The grass grew
green and the snow ran down the rivers, carrying away the
dead leaves. Old Winter wept to see his power taken away.
But Summer said,
"Now that I have proved I am more powerful than you,
I give you all the country to the far north for your own,
and there I shall never disturb you. Six months of every
year you may return to Glooskap's country and reign as
before, but you are to be less severe with your power.
During the other six months, I will come back from the
South and rule the land."
Old Winter could do
nothing but accept this. So it is that he appears in
Glooskap's country each year to reign for six months, but
with a softer rule. When he comes, Summer runs home to
her warm south land. When at the end of six months she
returns to drive old Winter away, she awakens the north
and gives it the joys that only she can bestow.
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