A Guide to Mythology

by Helen A. Clarke

THE ORIGIN OF THE HARE

(From the Aino)

Suddenly, there was a large house on the top of a mountain, wherein were six people beautifully arrayed, but constantly quarreling. Whence they came was unknown. Thereupon Okikurumi came and said: “Oh! you bad hares! you wicked hares! Who does not know your origin? The children in the sky were pelting each other with snow balls, and the snow balls fell into the world of men. As it would be a pity to waste anything that falls from the sky, the snow balls were turned into hares, and those hares are you. You who dwell in this world which belongs to me, should not quarrel. What is that you are making such a noise about?”

With these words, Okikurumi seized a fire-brand, and beat each of the six with it in turn. Thereupon all the hares ran away. This is the origin of the hare and for this reason the body of the hare is white because made of snow, while its ears, which are the place where it was charred by the fire-brand,—are black.

HOW THE MOLE BECAME BLIND

(North American Indian)

Once a squirrel was being chased by an Indian, and in order to escape, the squirrel ran all the way up a tree into the sky. The Indian set a snare for the squirrel at the top of the tree and then came down, but he found the next day that the sun was caught in the snare, and this brought on night. He saw at once how much harm he had caused, and being an Indian of very good intentions he was anxious to do what he could to remedy the mischief. So he sent up great numbers of animals in the hope that they might cut the noose and release the sun, but the intense heat burned them all to ashes. At length the slow mole succeeded; he burrowed under the road in the sky till he reached the place of the sun, gnawed in twain the cords, and released the captive. But the sun’s flash put his eyes out and this is the reason why the mole is blind. The effect of the burning is still to be seen on the nose and the teeth of the mole, for they are brown as if burnt. From that time on, however, the gait of the sun has been more deliberate and slow.

THE BOY AND THE WOLVES; OR, THE BROKEN PROMISE

(North American Indian)

In the depths of a solitary forest a hunter had built his lodge, for he was weary of the companionship of the people of his tribe; their habits of deceit and cruelty had turned his heart from them. With his family, his wife and three children, he had selected a home in the solitude of the forest. Years passed by while he peacefully enjoyed the quiet of his home, or the more attractive pleasures of the chase, in which he was joined by his eldest son. At length his peaceful enjoyments were interrupted: sickness entered the solitary lodge, and the hunter was prostrated upon his couch never more to rise.