Fairy Queen

Hi dear friends and followers I am pleased you are here,today I have another poem for you to enjoy, the fairy queen.    

Fairy Queen

In the last days of winter

the ice fled and the water ran,

and over the sleeping, rolling hills,

Gently blew the southerly breath of spring.

The buds began to sprout new leaves,

as the earth, warmed by the sun's stronger light,

grew again its carpet of moss and grasses green.

A fairy awakens in her bed of down and bark.

Pushing aside the cover of leaves she stood;

stretching her arms she admired

the golden sunshine

as it filtered through the trees,

down to the forest floor.

There below a grand reunion convened!

Forest faie, in twos and threes they came,

to the clearing below, they gathered and cheered,

to greet the beginning of another spring!

Hither and thither, the fairies, they flew,

inhaling the sweet, fresh air of the forest,

the scent of damp earth, and the nascent plants.

Pushing the leaves and bark aside,

the fairy queen stretched her butterfly wings.

Fluttering them, she was off to join,

the fairy folk in their first dance of spring.

As she flew she was joined by her troop and more.

She soaked-in the view of the sunlit forest;

she peered at the glades, the brooks and the lakes.

They all danced over water, marsh, and land.

It was spring in the forest and the world was green again!

The fairy queen stood, in a dazzling gown,

in hues of blue, green, purple, and gold,

adorned with thistledown and dewdrops.

From high on her cherry-blossom perch

the fairy queen convened her court.

“Soon it would be time,” she thought.

While the fairy folk sang, in a circle they danced;

'round and 'round the cherry tree, they danced!

It was evening when the fairy queen lay down to rest.

All was silent save for the melodies of the night;

a delight for the fairy folk

that lulled them into sleep in their cradles fresh,

of cherry and apple blossoms.

As they slept snug and secure

in their fragrant, efflorescent beds,

the night's gentle breeze rocked them.

Through the night all was quiet and sleep secure.

As dawn's light tinged the distant east,

the wee ones of the forest blinked and yawned;

on awakening, they played with the denizens of the forest.

in the glens and fields, the wee fairies moved with the weather,

finding the fair the most fun!

Raindrop Dancing was a pleasure to share!

A sound like great peals of thunder arose

and shook the solid, old cherry tree!

It shook the tree like it was but a sapling.

A flash of brilliant blue-white light

illumined the forest all around.

Brighter than day, in the forest it shone!

Every fairy came and stood by the light

in awe and silent anticipation.

Such thunder and light meant but one thing:

it was for the birth of the new fairy queen!

The new queen arrived in splendor and light,

like a tiny sun at the center of the glade.

All around in the forest did come and attend

the energy that lit the glen brighter than day.

Tendrils of light traced their way across the land

touching all in their path, and those who ailed,

ailed no more as the fingers of the light, of love,

spread all around with a light that darkness retreated.

The source of love,

The source of life;

the living essence spreading,

restoring what was,

back to its original beauty,

where all living things thrive.

But this is not possible,

without the source of light,

The element of the fairy queen.

Composed by Cynthia ©

You are also invited to share your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated. 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 I am pleased you are here. Today is Saturday and you all know what that means. It's Frizzy Lizzy time. Have fun  

“Come on in and sit down!” says Frizzy Lizzy, as she is just getting off the telephone. “I just had a long chat with my niece about my favorite subjects: men and marriage.

“The poor girl! She's been married for nine years and it's still like she's a newlywed, and not in the good sense of the word. Seems like that husband of hers keeps changing like a chameleon, always changing-up on her. Every day it's something new.

“I'm sorry, what was that? Do I have any coffee? Sure, I do. It's fresh. Pour yourself a cup and pull-up a chair.

“One day he decides that he wants to learn to play the piano. So what does he do? He goes out and gets a keyboard. Not a $49 keyboard and a set of DVDs with lessons on them, but a nice, electric piano that now sits in their living room gathering dust and they're still making payments on it.”

“Then he gets to thinking that he needs to get fit, so he goes out and buys one of them bow-flex contraptions and a power treadmill, all top of the line stuff, complete with a little television to watch while you're walking on it. He puts it in the utility room. He works out for two weeks. Now what do they have? The most expensive place to hang clothes that I've ever seen.”

“That poor girl tries so hard to please him. She has the patience of a saint. They both have work outside the home but she gets home just a little before he does and she makes sure that the house is tidy, her makeup is fresh, and hair is nicely done. Then she goes about preparing supper so he can come home to a little 'love nest.'

“So what does the bum do? For eight years he acts like there's nothing special going on. Right before their ninth anniversary he takes note of the aroma of supper cooking, her hair done-up, her fresh makeup, and asks who's coming to supper! What a horse's ass he is!”

I told her that if he ever threatened to leave her, to let him go, and to let him take all the stuff in the house except the cat. At least the cat's good for catching mice, which is more than I can say for her husband!”

“Then I recalled a story that I heard and told it to her after she stopped laughing:

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other, except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day, the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, 'My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said. 'That's the money I made from selling the dolls.' “

“Aside from the name and phone number of a good divorce lawyer, that was the best advice that I could give her.

What's that? The lawyer's name? Oh, come on, you don't mean that, do you?”

Composed by Cynthia ©

You are also invited to share your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a wonderful day

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

Abenaki Creation Story and the Importance of Dreaming

Hi dear friends and followers I am pleased you are here for the continuation of Native American legends and myths 

Story teller

Maybe I shouldn't be sharing this information with anyone because even though I have Native American heritage I am not an expert on Native American cultures. However, I do have a great respect and interest for the peoples who discovered the Americas.

Please allow me a few words of introduction on this subject.

Long before any Europeans arrived in America there were established nations and societies here. The peoples of these nations had developed technology sufficient to maintain their lives in whatever climate they inhabited, from the Aleuts in the frozen north, to the Seminoles in subtropical Florida.

They had no need for courts as all justice was handled by mediation. There was no welfare system because no one was left unfed or without a place to have shelter. There were no jails because there was no crime problem. Family lineage was matriarchal and systems of government were working within the tribes. There was contact among the various tribes and peoples in the form of trade and sharing of news via runners. The peoples had their beliefs in how they were created, the afterlife, how to live life on Earth, and why the rain fell, the thunder roared, and the snow came. In short, everything was in working order long before Columbus accidentally “discovered” it.

The original citizens of America did not live in individual states or rigidly marked territories as we do today. They did not believe in the private ownership of land. It was their position that the land owned them, and not the other way around. This made the boundaries between peoples and tribes rather fuzzy by comparison to state lines and national borders.

There are so many Native peoples, Tribes, groups, and sub-groups that it would take me hours just to list them all. If you want to see a listing in alphabetical order, follow this link: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-tribelist.html

I found it impractical to do a brief review of Native American mythologies and legends for each group in that list, in alphabetical order, because of the frequent occurrence of sub-groups and related groups (e.g., members of a confederation) or extinct groups.

What I have decided to do is to look at the Native peoples within each of the United States and the Provinces of Canada and, both from antiquity and at present, and do a brief overview of their myths and legends. This will help me to present the myths of the greater number of peoples and tribes.

I would appreciate your comments on these presentations. This project is a work in-progress and can easily be changed.

Thank you so much!

When I was in the fourth grade I learned geography. In America there were 50 states and we started with the New England States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Accordingly, we will look at the mythologies of the Maine Natives first. The outline map of Maine shows the four major peoples of Maine and where they resided.

Abenaki Creation Story and the Importance of Dreaming

The Great Spirit, in a time not known to us, looked about and saw nothing. No colors, no beauty. Time was silent, in darkness. There was no sound. Nothing could be seen or felt. The Great Spirit decided to fill this space with light and life.

From his great power he commanded the sparks of creation. He ordered Tôlba, the Great Turtle, to come from the waters and become the land. The great Spirit molded the mountains and the valleys on the turtle's back. He put white clouds in the blue skies. He was very happy. He said, “Everything is ready now. I will fill this place with the happy movement of life.”

He thought and thought about what kind of creatures he would make. Where would they live? What would they do? What would their purpose be? He wanted a perfect plan. He thought so hard that he became very tired and fell asleep.

His sleep was filled with dreams of his creation. He saw strange things in his dream. He saw animals crawling on four legs, some on two. Some creatures flew with wings; some swam with fins. There were plants of all colors, covering the ground everywhere. Insects buzzed around, dogs barked, birds sang, and human beings called to each other. Everything seemed out-of-place. The Great Spirit thought he was having a bad dream. He thought that nothing could be this imperfect.

When the Great Spirit awakened, he saw a beaver nibbling on a branch. He realized that the world of his dream had become his creation. Everything that he had dreamed about came true. When he saw the beaver make his home, and a dam to provide a pond for his family to swim in, he then knew that everything had its place and purpose in the time to come.

It has been told among our people from generation to generation. We must not question our dreams. They are our creation.

Here is an Abenaki legend, The Strange Origin of Corn

A long time ago, when the People were first made, one man lived alone, far away from any others. He did not know about fire, so he lived on roots, bark, and nuts. This man became very lonely for companionship. He grew tired of digging roots, lost his appetite, and, for several days, lay dreaming in the sunshine.

When he awoke, he saw someone standing near to him, and he was very frightened.

But when he heard the stranger's voice, his heart was glad, and he looked up. He saw a beautiful woman with long, light hair! “Come to me!” he whispered. But she did not. When he tried to approach her, she moved farther away. He sang to her about his loneliness, and begged her not to leave him.

At last she replied, “If you will do exactly what I tell you to do, I will also be with you.”

He promised that he would do his very best. So she led him to a place where there was some very dry grass.

“Now get two dry sticks,” she told him, “and rub them together fast while you hold them in the grass.”

Soon a spark flew out. The grass caught fire, and as swiftly as an arrow takes flight, the ground was burned over. Then the beautiful woman spoke again: “When the sun sets, take me by the hair and drag me over the burned ground.”

“Oh, I do not want to do that!” the man exclaimed.

You must do what I tell you to do,” said she. “Wherever you drag me, something like grass will spring up, and you will see something like hair coming from between the leaves. Soon seeds will be ready for your use.”

The man followed the beautiful woman's orders. And when the People see silk on the cornstalk, they know that the beautiful woman has not forgotten them.

You are also invited to share your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a wonderful day

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

Elvon Wizard

Hi dear friends and followers, today is poetry day, Elvon Wizard. Welcome and I hope you find the poem enjoyable

Elvon Wizard

In the mists of times past, ages back, some say,

knights dwelt in the land and their heroics did they,

on well-groomed steeds with tasseled manes.

Proudly they pranced with heads held high,

and snorted and danced,

as the common folk took note of their passage,

in awe of such a sight in their eyes.

Upon the huge horse sat a knight, tall and proud

his long lance to his left, reins on his right.

His armor shone in the midday sun.

The legend on his shield proclaimed, indeed,

that a valiant knight was he.

And unknown valor was needed that day,

For this knight's quest was the least attainable.

Untold others had sought his prize and died;

Still, the horse and rider went on.

His destination soon he would reach.

He would enter what was said to be a treacherous land,

a place of the unknown and of danger unspeakable,

where even the rocks might be one's enemy.

Once through that land, a dragon must be slain.

The dragon was like none other, totally unique.

The last of his line, he was cunning and swift;

Mighty and fearsome, ruthless and shrewd.

No man approached him and told any more.

The shadows grew longer as the evening fell.

The knight sought rest, but it was not to be.

His steady mount knew that danger was around,

in the land where trees were not, 

and neither were stones.That he would soon

Man and beast knew no sleep that evening.

The treacherous land was no place to be.

It protected the dragon only too well.

“'tis a hell of a place to traverse,” thought the knight.

“Avoid it I would, but I would not succeed.

Without Elvon magic I am dead in this forest.

Elvons I will find, or it be the death of me.

His steed bucked and shuddered

as they passed the bones of others;

empty armor, swords and shields

marked the way through this forest dark.

The strong black stallion felt fear inside him

like never had he felt before.

Around a bend he saw them: the Elvon!

Camped they were, no fear in their hearts!

He dismounted and lay in the tall grass, peering,

at the Elvon at their fire, seated.

No Elvon is friends with those from without;

So he into their camp he had to sneak.

Behind a tree he hid, and waited 'til nightfall.

He sought not treasure, nor did he seek fame,

But only to slay the dragon

so the land would be safe again.

He had wished that the dragon

would elsewhere go,

so his quest would not to slay it be.

What goes through the mind of one who waits?

“It feeds on small things, a rabbit, maybe two.”

“It stays put but for moving at night.”

“If I kill it, the lords will cheer

and the ladies will sing,

and all will know of my great deed!”

Then his senses returned and he knew 'twas but piffle.

His quest was not that of a diplomat

to dissuade the dragon from continuing to live

in the treacherous forest, for it's own good.

In the darkens of night he stole,

quickly, into the wooden hut.

Suddenly, the Elvon elder he held,

tightly under his left arm, like a huge loaf,

right hand tightly upon the elvon's mouth.

Out of the hut the knight with his Elvon flew.

Upon the steed with Elvon he clambered.

Through the forest they raced

passing rocks and trees like blurs in the night.

All looked like specters as they rode 'til dawn.

When finally spent, the black stallion stood

on his hind legs, whinnying loudly in protest.

At this they finally stopped to rest.

After rest they plodded along

to that place they were sure that the dragon dwelt.

There they sat and waited for its return

and the knight told the Elvon of their fate.

The Elvon thought a bit and became

ready and willing to cooperate,

When suddenly there came a sound

like that of flapping sails on a ship,

and an ear-splitting screech from above!

No sooner did the knight look up than he leaped

onto the rocks on his right.

A flame shot past him, scorching all in its path.

Then silence; the knight turned to look back.

Upon a rock the Elvon stood,

willow wand in-hand, incantation on his lips.

From the wand there flew a flame of blue

that surrounded and subdued the dragon,

and brought it to the ground.

The Elvon shared his mind with the dragon.

He told it of its peril were it to remain.

Thus was the last of the dragons was spared.

Composed by Cynthia ©

Thank you very, very much dear friends for dropping in. and you are also welcome to leave your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated.

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

Hi dear friends, thank you for coming

Last night I shared one story of how the Iroquois saw the creation of their world. Tonight I have three more Creation Stories for you to view. They are easy-to-read and all contain similar parts, such as the tree in the center of the Sky World, and the hole in the sky, but these stories all have different details that were not in last night's posting, such as how the hole got there, or why Sky Woman fell into the hole.

Please have a look at these stories. Skim over them or read them in detail, as you wish. This is the last time that I will be presenting these Creation Stories. There are other myths to explore.

The first two stories are comparatively brief. The third is longer and more involved with details. Parallels with the Old Testament account of creation can be found in the second and third stories.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I hope that you enjoy these stories.

From the Iroquois Indian Museum (http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/creation.htm)

Iroquois Creation Story 1

[1.1] Before our world came into being, human beings lived in the SkyWorld. Below the SkyWorld was a dark watery world with birds and animals swimming around. In the SkyWorld was the Celestial Tree from which all kinds of fruits and flowers grew. Today, the Shad tree [serviceberry bush] is known as the Celestial Tree because it is the first flowering tree in the northeast in the springtime.

Serviceberry Tree

[1.2] The wife of the Chief of the SkyWorld was called Skywoman. One night, Skywoman, who was expecting a baby, had a dream in which the Celestial Tree was uprooted. When she told her husband the dream he realized that it was a very powerful message and that the people of the SkyWorld needed to do everything they could to make it come to pass.

[1.3] Many of the young men in the SkyWorld tried with all their might to uproot the tree, but failed. Finally the Chief of the SkyWorld wrapped his arms around the tree and with one great effort he uprooted it. This left a great hole in the crust of the SkyWorld. Skywoman leaned over to look into the hole, lost her balance and fell into the hole. As she slipped she was able to grasp a handful of seeds from the branches of the Celestial Tree.

[1.4] As Skywoman fell, the birds and animals in the water below saw her and decided that she would need help so that she would not be harmed. Geese flew up and caught her between their wings and began to lower her down toward the water. The animals saw that Skywoman was not like them and would not be able to survive in the water.

Skywoman falling, from
http://jayjiiadventures.blogspot.com/2011/02/iroquois-indian-museum.html



[1.5] Each of the animals dove into the water trying to bring up earth from the bottom for Skywoman to land on. Many animals tried and failed. When it seemed like all had tried and failed, tiny muskrat vowed to bring up earth or die trying. She went down, deep, deep, deep, until she was almost unconscious, but was able to reach out with one small paw and grasped some earth before floating back to the top. When muskrat appeared with the Earth, the Great Turtle said it could be placed on his back. When the tiny bit of earth was

placed on Turtle's back, it began to grow larger and larger until it became the whole world.

[1.6] The geese gently set Skywoman on the earth and she opened her hands to let the seeds fall on the soil. From the seeds grew the trees and grass and life on Earth had begun.

[1.7] In time, Skywoman gave birth to a daughter, Tekawerahkwa, who grew to be a lovely young woman. A powerful being called West Wind fell in love with Tekawerahkwa and took her as his bride. In time she became pregnant with twin sons. Tekawerahkwa's sons were very different; one (Bad Mind) had skin as hard as flint and was argumentative and the other (Good Mind) was soft skinned and patient. Flint [Bad Mind twin] was impatient to be born and decided to use his sharp flint-like head to cut his way out of his mother's body. While his gentle brother was being born the natural way, Bad Mind was forcing his way through his mother's armpit which killed her. When Skywoman saw the lifeless body of her beautiful daughter she was terribly angry. Sheasked her grandsons who had done this awful thing and Bad Mind lied and placed the blame on his good brother, Good Mind.* Skywoman believed him and banished Good Mind. Fortunately, Grandfather was watching Good Mind and came to his aid. Grandfather taught Good Mind all he needed to know about surviving on the earth and set him to work making the land beautiful. [Is Bad Mind's shifting of blame comparable to Genesis 3.12, where Adam appears to shift blame to Eve?]

[1.8] Skywoman placed the head of her daughter in the night sky where she became Grandmother Moon and was given power over the waters. From her body grew our Three Sisters, corn, beans, and squash.

[1.9] Good Mind made all the beauty on our earth—he created the rivers , the mountains, the trees. He taught the birds to sing and the water animals to dance. He made rainbows and soft rains. Bad Mind watched his brother creating beauty and wasenvious.[cf. Satan?] He set out to create the opposite of all the good his brother had made. He put dangerous rapids in the rivers, created destructive hurricanes and powerful tornadoes. When Good Mind planted medicinal plants, Bad Mind planted poisonous roots and deadly berries.

[1.10] One day, while Good Mind was away creating more things of beauty, Bad Mind stole all the animals and hid them in a big cave. When Good Mind returned to find that all of his creatures were gone he was very sad. A tiny mouse told him what his brother had done, so Good Mind went to the cave and caused the mountain to shake until it split so that the animals could emerge. Good Mind was very angry with his brother and they fought. Bad Mind used an arrow and Good Mind used a deer antler as weapons.

When Good Mind struck Bad Mind with the deer antler it caused flint chips to fall from his body. Their battle raged for many days and finally Good Mind won. He banished Bad Mind to live in caves beneath the earth where he waits to return to the surface.

Iroquois Creation Story 2

http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/CREATION%202.htm

[Instructor’s note: The “some say” options in this version indicate the multiple story-telling traditions that each performance draws from.]

[2.1] Long, long ago, where we are now, there was no land, just water and creatures of the water. But, up above, there was a place called Karonhia:ke or The Sky World. Now, in The Sky World there were beings who were in some ways like human beings and in some ways they were different. The beings in Sky World had more powers than human beings have. For instance, they could make things happen just by thinking about it.

[2.2] There was a tree growing in the center of Sky World. It was called the Tree of Life. [cf. Genesis 2.9 & Revelation 2.7 & 22.2] On that tree grew many different kinds of fruit. Also, there were blossoms on that tree and those blossoms glowed. They lit up Sky World.

[2.3] The beings in Sky World were told not to disturb that tree. But one day, a woman who was expecting a baby, asked for a drink of tea made from the roots of the Tree of Life. Her name was Atsi’tsiakaion which means Mature Flower. When her husband started to dig around near the bottom of the tree to get at the roots, the dirt caved in and some say that the tree fell down. This was terrible. The woman went to see what had happened. Some say that she lost her balance and fell into the hole. Some say that she knew she was destined to go through that hole and so she jumped. Some say that she was pushed. Nevertheless, she grabbed some seeds from the Tree of Life as she fell. Because she fell through the hole in the sky, many people refer to her as Sky Woman.

[2.4] Down below, there was a flock of water birds flying through the air. Some say they were geese. Some say they were blue heron. Some say they were swans. One of them [water birds] looked and up and saw Sky Woman falling. He spoke to the other birds and they decided to make a great blanket with their bodies and catch her on their backs. They caught her.

[2.5] They tried to bring her back up to Sky World, but she was too heavy and so they lowered her to the water below. A giant turtle said that they could put her





on his back. That’s what they did. That is the reason some people call this place where we live, Turtle Island [i.e., North America].

[2.6] Sky Woman thanked the creatures, but she said that she needed dirt in order to survive. One by one, the animals dove down to try to get dirt from under the water. Finally, some say it was the muskrat. Some say that it was the otter. But finally, one creature [which?] was successful in bringing a few grains of dirt to Sky Woman. She placed the dirt on the back of the turtle. She stood up. She sang and danced in a counter-clockwise direction and when she did that, the turtle’s shell grew and the grains of dirt multiplied. She dropped the seeds from the Tree of Life and they started to grow right away. When she finished dancing and singing, there was land and plant life as far as she could see.

[2.7] Some time went by and Sky Woman gave birth to a baby girl. The baby girl grew up. She was told not to walk toward the west, but one day, the daughter started to walk toward the west. As soon as she did so, a wind started to blow from the west and a cloud started to move toward the daughter. The daughter saw the outline of a male-being in the cloud. The daughter fainted. When she woke up, she found two crossed arrows lying on top of her stomach. She had become the bride of the Spirit of the West Wind. That’s who she had seen in the cloud and now she was going to give birth to twin boys.

[2.8] Those boys were very special. After all, their grandmother was Sky Woman and their father was the Spirit of the West Wind. The boys could talk to each other while they were growing inside their mother and they didn’t always agree with one another.

[2.9] When it was time for them to be born, the right-handed twin was born in the usual way. However, the left-handed twin decided to push his way out through their mother’s armpit. That’s how he was born, but it killed their mother. They buried their mother and from her head grew corn, beans and squash. Those are the staple foods of the traditional Haudenosaunee [Iroquois] diet. They are called The Three Sisters. From her heart grew sacred tobacco which is used when there is a desire to communicate with the Creator. From her feet grew the wild strawberry which is known as The Big Medicine. Even in her death, the mother of the two boys was still making sure that they had what they needed to survive. She is called Mother Earth and to this day she still supports all of the people, animals and plants.

[2.10] The twin boys grew up and went about the task of creating everything that is found in the natural world. [opportunities for other origin stories] They made rivers, flowers, animals and eventually they made the human beings. The left-handed twin became the keeper of the night and the right-handed twin became the keeper of the day. When they were done making their creations, everything was in perfect balance.

[2.11] When Sky Woman passed away, her head was flung into the night sky. She is still there. She is called Grandmother Moon. She reflects light at night. She helps the people keep track of time [as in "moons" for "months"]. She controls the rise and fall of the waters. She keeps company with the stars and the left-handed twin, the keeper of the night. She regulates the monthly cycles of all of the female life which guarantees that new life will be born. She is the leader of all the female life.

[2.12] Eventually, the human beings were made. They are supposed to be the caretakers [cf. Genesis 2.15?]. They are supposed to make sure that everything stays in balance. However, it is the human beings who keep forgetting what they are supposed to do. The human beings forget to take only what they need and to leave the rest for the future generations to experience and enjoy. The human beings are the ones who forget that everything in the natural world is connected and is part of the same web of life and so should be respected. It is hoped that all of the people of the world will someday remember and respect their original instructions and take good care of their Mother Earth.

[webpage note:] This is one very short version of the Haudenosaunee [a.k.a. Iroquois] Creation Story. The whole story takes many days to tell.

Iroquois Creation Story 3 (1816)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6375/

[from Historymatters.com introduction]

[3.1] Many Indian peoples had and still have stories of creation that explain how they came to be and to live in their homelands. These narratives offer a glimpse into the belief systems present before Europeans entered North America. Many northeastern Indian peoples share a legend of how the world was created on the back of a giant sea turtle (some still refer to North America as a “turtle island”). While there are many versions of the tradition, the following selection is from the Iroquois Indians of New York State. Anthropologists collected and transcribed most versions of the Iroquois creation myth in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. However, John Norton, son of Scottish and Cherokee parents and adopted by the Mohawks, recorded this version, one of the earliest, in 1816. Norton traveled widely in the eastern woodlands, playing an important role in the life of the Mohawks in the early nineteenth century.

[3.2] The tradition of the Nottowegui or Five Nations [the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee] says, "that in the beginning before the formation of the earth; the country above the sky was inhabited by Superior Beings, over whom the Great Spirit presided. His daughter having become pregnant by an illicit connection, he pulled up a great tree by the roots, and threw her through the Cavity [hole] thereby formed; but, to prevent her utter destruction, he previously ordered the Great Turtle, to get from the bottom of the waters, some slime on its back, and to wait on the surface of the water to receive her on it. When she had fallen on the back of the Turtle, with the mud she found there, she began to form the earth, and by the time of her delivery had encreased it to the extent of a little island. Her child was a daughter, and as she grew up the earth extended under their hands.

[3.3] “When the young woman had arrived at the age of discretion, the Spirits who roved about, in human forms, made proposals of marriage for the young woman: the mother always rejected their offers, until a middle aged man, of a dignified appearance, his bow in his hand, and his quiver on his back, paid his addresses. On being accepted, he entered the house, and seated himself on the birth [berth? (=bed)] of his intended spouse; the mother was in a birth [berth? (=bed)] on the other side of the fire. She observed that her son-in-law did not lie down all night; but taking two arrows out of his quiver, he put them by the side of his bride: at the dawn of day he took them up, and having replaced them in his quiver, he went out.

[3.4] "After some time, the old woman perceived her daughter to be pregnant, but could not discover where the father had gone, or who he was. At the time of delivery, the twins disputed which way they should go out of the womb; the wicked one said, let us go out of the side; but the other said, not so, lest we kill our mother; then the wicked one pretending to acquiesce, desired his brother to go out first: but as soon as he was delivered, the wicked one, in attempting to go out at her side, caused the death of his mother.

[3.5] "The twin brothers were nurtured and raised by their Grandmother; the eldest was named Teharonghyawago, or the Holder of Heaven; the youngest was called Tawiskaron, or Flinty rock, from his body being entirely covered with such a substance. They grew up, and with their bows and arrows, amused themselves throughout the island, which encreased in extent, and they were favoured with various animals of Chace [chase, hunting]. Tawiskaron [Flinty Rock] was the most fortunate hunter, and enjoyed the favour of his Grandmother. Teharonghyawago [Holder of Heaven] was not so successful in the Chace [hunting], and suffered from their [brother’s & mother’s] unkindness.

[3.6] “When he was a youth, and roaming alone, in melancholy mood, through the island, a human figure, of noble aspect, appearing to him, addressed him thus 'My son, I have seen your distress, and heard your solitary lamentations; you are unhappy in the loss of a mother, in the unkindness of your Grandmother and brother. I now come to comfort you, I am your father, and will be your Protector; therefore take courage, and suffer not your spirit to sink. Take this (giving him an ear of maize [corn]) plant it, and attend it in the manner, I shall direct; it will yield you a certain support, independent of the Chace [chase, hunt], at the same time that it will render more palatable [appetizing] the viands [foods], which you may thereby obtain. I am the Great Turtle which supports the earth, on which you move. Your brother’s ill treatment will increase with his years; bear it with patience till the time appointed, before which you shall hear further.'

[3.7] "After saying this, and directing him how to plant the corn, he disappeared. Teharonghyawago planted the corn, and returned home. When its verdant sprouts began to flourish above the ground, he spent his time in clearing from all growth of grass and weeds, which might smother it or retard its advancement while yet in its tender state, before it had acquired sufficient grandeur to shade the ground.

[3.8] “He now discovered that his wicked brother caught the timid deer, the stately elk with branching horns, and all the harmless inhabitants of the Forest; and imprisoned them in an extensive cave, for his own particular use, depriving mortals from having the benefit of them that was original intended by the Great Spirit. Teharonghyawago [Holder of Heaven] discovered the direction the brother took in conducting these animals captive to the Cave; but never could trace him quite to the spot, as he eluded his sight with more than common dexterity!

[3.9] "Teharonghyawago endeavoured to conceal himself on the path that led to the cave, so that he might follow him imperceptibly; but he found impossible to hide himself from the penetrating [sharp-eyed] Tawiskaron. At length it observed, that altho' his brother[Flinty Rock] saw, with extraordinary acuteness, every surrounding object, yet he [Tawiskaron] never raised his eyes to look above: Teharonghyawago [Holder of Heaven] then climbed a lofty tree, which grew near to where he thought the place of confinement was situated: in the meantime, his brother passed, searching with his eyes the thickest recesses of the Forest, but never casting a glance above. He [Teharonghyawago, Holder of Heaven] then saw his brother [Tawiskaron, Flinty Rock] take a straight course, and when he was out of sight, Teharonghyawago descended, and came to the Cave, a short time after he had deposited his charge [fulfilled his mission]; and finding there an innumerable number of animals confined, he set them free, and returned home.

[3.10] "It was not long before Tawiskaron [Flinty Rock, bad twin], visiting the Cave, discovered that all his captives, which he had taken so much pains to deprive of their liberty, had been liberated: he knew this to be an act of his brother, but dissembling his anger, he meditated revenge, at some future period.

[3.11] "Teharonghyawago [Holder of Heaven, Good Twin] laboured to people the earth with inhabitants, and to found Villages in happy situations, extending the comforts of men. Tawiskaron was equally active in destroying the works his brother had done; and in accumulating every evil in his power on the heads of ill fated mortals. Teharonghyawago saw, with regret, his brother persevere in every wickedness; but waited with patience the result of what his father had told him.

[3.12] "At one time, being in conversation with his brother, Tawiskaron said ‘Brother, what do you think there is on earth, with which you might be killed?’ Teharonghyawago replied, ‘I know of nothing that could affect my life, unless it be the foam of the billows of the Lake or the downy topped reed.’

[3.13] “'What do you think would take your life?' Tawiskaron answered, 'Nothing except horn or flint.' Here their discourse ended.

[3.14] "Teharonghyawago returning from hunting, heard a voice singing a plaintive air: he listened and heard it name his Mother, who was killed by Tawiskaron; he immediately hastened towards the spot from whence the voice proceeded, crying, ‘Who is that, who dares to name my deceased mother in my hearing?’ [a widespread Indian taboo was to name the dead; cf. Journal of Madame Knight, para. 26] When he came there, he saw the track of a fawn, which he pursued, without overtaking it, till the autumn, when itdropped its first horns; these he took up, and fixed upon the forked branches of a tree.

[3.15] "He continued the pursuit seven years; and every autumn, when its horns fell, he picked them up, and placed them as he had done the first. At last, he overtook the deer, now grown to be a stately buck: it begged its life, and said, ‘Spare me, and I will give you information that may be great service to you.’ When he had promised it its life, it spoke as follows, ‘It was to give you the necessary information that I have been subjected to your pursuit, and that which I shall now tell you was the intended reward of your perseverance and clemency. Your brother, in coming into the world, caused the death of your Mother; if he was then wicked in his infancy, his malice has grown with his stature; he now premeditates evil against you; be therefore on your guard: as soon as he assaults you, exert yourself, and you will overcome him.’

[3.16] “He returned home; and not long after this adventure, was attacked by his brother. They fought; the one made use of the horn and flint stone which he had provided: the other sought for froth [foam] and the reed, which made little impression on the body of Teharonghyawago. They fought a long time, over the whole of the island [of Earth], until at last Tawiskaron fell under the conquering hand of his brother. According to the varied tones of their voices in the different places through which they passed during the contest, the people, who afterwards sprung up there, spoke different languages.” [The story starts as a general creation myth and concludes with the origins of languages; cf. the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11.1-9]

Source: Carl F. Klinck and James J. Talman, eds., The Journal of Major John Norton, 1816 (Toronto: Champlain Society, 1970), 88–91.

In Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans (1826), the turtle image appears as a tattoo on Uncas, the title character. (art by N.C. Wyeth)

You are also invited to share your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a wonderful day

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

Sky Woman

I have had the great pleasure of sharing with you the Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children, a collection of their tales that were gathered by Mabel Powers. Prior to their publication they were read and approved by Iroquois elders to assure their authenticity. They were published in 1917.

These stories were a peek into the daily lives and beliefs of the Iroquois. Like all tales of life and magic, they have their basis in the myths of the people who tell them, blending the supernatural with the earthly and the commonplace.

When it comes to the supernatural, the Iroquois are like every other people who ever were in that they endeavor to explain how they got here, why things work as they do with a legend of the cosmogony. Please allow me to share some of the Iroquois mythology with you.

The Iroquois Confederation was composed of Five Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onandaga, and Cayuga Peoples. All of them lived in adjoining regions of present-day New York State and southern Ontario. Their mythology was similar in its major respects and is termed the Iroquois Mythology in its presentation here, but it seems to have spread to other peoples as noted.

This is not my original work. I am presenting the material that I found on this website, for your convenience and enjoyment:

http://www.native-languages.org

SKY WOMAN

Legendary Native American Figures: Sky Woman (Ataensic, Atahensic, Ataentsic)

Name: Sky Woman
Tribal affiliation: Iroquois, Huron
Native names: Ataensic, Ata-en-sic, Ataentsic, Atahensic, Ataensiq, Aataentsic, Athensic, Ataensie, Eataentsic, Eyatahentsik, Iaataientsik, Yatahentshi; Iotsitsisonh, Iotsitsisen, Iottsitison, Iottsitíson, Atsi'tsiaka:ion, Atsi'tsiakaion, Ajinjagaayonh; Iagen'tci, Iagentci, Eagentci, Yekëhtsi, Yagentci; Awenhai, Awenha'i, Awenha:ih; Wa'tewatsitsiané:kare; Aientsik, Aentsik
Also known as: Grandmother Moon, the Woman who Fell from the Sky

Type: Mother goddess, sky spirit, first woman
Related figures in other tribes: Nokomis (Anishinabe), Our Grandmother (Shawnee)

Sky Woman is the Iroquois mother goddess, who descended to earth by falling through a hole in the sky. She was a celestial being who was cast out of the heavens either for violating a taboo or through her jealous husband's treachery; waterbirds carried her down to the sea and set her on the back of a turtle, which became her home (Turtle Island.) Sky Woman is either the grandmother or the mother (depending on the version) of the twin culture heroes Sky-Holder and Flint, sometimes known as Good Spirit and Bad Spirit. 

Myths about Sky Woman vary enormously from community to community. In some Iroquois myths Sky Woman is a minor character who dies in childbirth immediately upon reaching the earth, while in others, she is the central character of the entire creation saga. In some myths Sky Woman is the mother of the twins, but more commonly she is the mother of a daughter, Tekawerahkwa or Breath of the Wind, who in turn gives birth to the twins. 

In some Iroquois traditions the twins represent good and evil, while in others, neither twin is evil, but Flint represents destruction, death, night, and winter to Sky-Holder's creation, life, day, and summer. In many versions of the myth Sky Woman favored Flint, usually because Flint has deceived her into thinking Sky-Holder killed Tekawerahkwa, but sometimes because Sky Woman herself disapproved of Sky-Holder's human creations and their ways. In other versions Sky Woman supported both of her grandchildren equally, declaring that there must be both life and death in the world. Sky Woman is associated with the moon by many Iroquois people. 

In some traditions, Sky Woman turned into the moon; in others, Sky-Holder turned her body into the sun, moon, and stars after her death; and in still others, it was Sky Woman herself who created the sun, moon, and stars.
Sky Woman goes by many different names in Iroquois mythology. The name "Sky Woman" itself is a title, not her name-- she is a Sky Woman because she is one of the Sky People, Karionake. 

Her own name is variously given as Ataensic (a Huron name probably meaning "ancient body,") Iagentci (a Seneca name meaning "ancient woman,") Iotsitsisonh or Atsi'tsiaka:ion (Mohawk names meaning "fertile flower" and "mature flower,") Awenhai (a Cayuga and Seneca name also meaning "mature flower,") and Aentsik (probably an Iroquois borrowing from Huron.) She is sometimes also referred to as Grandmother or Grandmother Moon.

Thank you very much dear friends for dropping by. You are also welcome to leave your thoughts and comments, they are greatly appreciated.

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