Creation Myths of Primitive America: In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of MankindCurtin, Jeremiah
Religion
Creation Myths of Primitive America: In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of Mankind
Curtin, Jeremiah
Creation -- Mythology; Indian mythology -- North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore
She brought the boy out, put him on the smooth place. Poharamas was on
the southeast side all ready, and Tilikus on the southwest side. As
soon as Yonot put down the baby, they pushed pitch-pine sticks toward
it. That instant fire blazed up. When the fire had caught well
Poharamas took a large burning brand of pitch-pine and rushed off to
the southeast; Tilikus took another and ran to the southwest.
Poharamas, when he reached the southeast where the sky comes to the
earth, ran around northward close to the sky; he held the point of his
burning brand on the ground, and set fire to everything as he ran.
When Tilikus reached the southwest, at the place where the sky touches
the earth, he ran northward near the sky. The two brothers went
swiftly, leaving a line of flame behind them, and smoke rose in a
cloud with the fire.
After the two had started Yonot snatched up Pohila, and as she raised
the boy a great flame flashed up from the spot. She ran into the house
with her son, and put him into the basket where she had kept him till
that morning.
Torihas's people had begun to dance. Some time after sunrise they saw
a great fire far away on the east and on the west as well.
"Oh, look at the fire on both sides!" said one.
"It is far off, and won't come here," said another.
"I feel the heat already!" cried a third.
Soon all saw that the fire was coming toward them from the east and
the west like waves of high water, and the line of it was going
northward quickly. The fire made a terrible roar as it burned; soon
everything was seething. Everywhere people were trying to escape, all
were rushing toward the north. By the middle of the forenoon the heat
and burning were so great that people began to fall down, crying
out,--
"Oh, I'm hot! Ah, I'm hot!"
Torihas made a rush toward the north, and reached the top of Toriham
Pui Toror. When he saw the fire coming very near he called out to
Tichelis, who was struggling along with the great block of flint on
his back,--
"Go ahead with the flint! Go on, go on, the fire is far from here, far
behind us!"
Tichelis heard the shouting, but said nothing; kept going northward
steadily. When he was northeast of Bohem Puyuk, he saw the fire coming
very fast, a mighty blaze roaring up to the sky. It was coming from
the south, east, west. Tichelis could go no farther; there was no
place for escape above ground; the fire would soon be where he was.
The flint had grown very hot from the burning; he threw it down; it
had skinned his back, it was so hot and heavy. He ran under the
ground, went as far as he could, and lay there. Presently he heard the
fire roaring above him, the ground was burning, he was barely alive;
soon all blazed up, earth, rocks, everything.
Tichelis went up in flames and smoke toward the sky.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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