NOTES
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
420. This returning of human life to the body of a simulated animal is also quite common in stories recounting the fanciful exploits of sorcerers.
421. This is the name of a woman who belonged to a class of ferocious women who gained notoriety by seeking to destroy their sons-in-law on their wedding nights. This name denotes the habit of these women of casting themselves into the fire as a challenge. The name signifies, “She who is burned in many places.”
422. See note 410. This is the masculine form of the Seneca expression.
423. This is the indefinite form of the expression cited in the preceding note.
424. This is the Seneca form of the name for a human skin, flayed off whole, which was made to serve as a warder for some noted sorcerer or sorceress. See note 409.
425. This method of heating and hardening wooden instruments was employed by Ulysses. See Homer’s Odyssey.
426. This expression is the nearest approximation in sense to the native term which signifies, literally, “He who has achieved or perfected our faculties.”
427. This description recalls the Homeric contests for prizes between the Greek warriors before Troy.
428. The following recital of the obstacles along this mysterious path, occurring in slightly varying versions elsewhere, reminds one of the seven guarded passageways along the path of Ishtar’s descent to the regions of the dead.
429. The term rendered “mother” denotes in the vernacular the “matron” or head woman, although “mother” is better.
430. The Partridge.
431. The Seneca name is Oʻsoʹon(t). The “t” sound is obsolescent.
432. These are offerings to the genii of the place.
433. He is the last remaining person. [812]
434. This is the method formerly used to “guess” the meaning of one’s dream.
435. It will be noted that most of the proper names in this story indicate reference to some process or object of nature.
436. This rising and falling of the sky appears as an incident in a number of other tales of this character.
437. This term is used as both noun and adjective; here it is used as a noun; it signifies, “What customarily uses its orenda or magic power destructively.”
438. This term refers to the Wind God whose activities earned for him the epithet, “Evil-minded.”
439. This form of the generic noun oñʹgweʻ signifies “The male Man-Being.”
440. This address is made as a part of the ceremonies at the harvest festival, commonly called the “Green Corn dance.” In this expression the word “green” stands for “new,” i.e., newly harvested corn.
441. This woman in the original story is Mother Earth. Here she has become the representative of the expression of Mother Earth—the offspring of her life-giving powers.
442. This appears to be a sort of parable teaching the virtue of gratefulness for what one receives of the bounties of nature on earth.
443. The evil of one man is visited on the members of the community to which he belongs; this represents the method of avenging a wrong by the early Iroquoian people.
444. This old woman was the matron of the family, or ohwachira.
445. This is the Winter God, but here he is called “He who is robed in flint.”
446. This has reference to the dances of the women and maids in which they dramatize the waving of the stalks of standing corn.
447. The expression “You two cousins” denotes the two symbolic sides of the tribe—the two phratries, or, rather, sisterhoods, of clans.
448. It will be noted that the framework of this story is in some respects exactly like that of the next preceding.
449. This is a fine example of the native regard for all living things; even the plants find a place in their sympathy.
450. This story has a number of interesting weather signs.
450a. This is a very interesting statement, because it connects this mythic porcupine with Sunlight. The porcupine, the mythic being, is usually connected with sunlight in American myths, especially the quivering or dancing spring sunlight.
451. This is the act of exorcism by blowing up the evil persons.
452. The native word literally means, “One—it one’s word uses to make,” i.e., “One uses it to make one’s word”; briefly, it is one’s pledge, the token of a vow.
453. The imitative sounds or utterances which certain activities were thought to emit are no small part of the interest these stories have for the students of the origin of words and sentences. The recorder was at all times careful to write down these very naïve but most expressive sounds.
454. The remainder of this incident belongs to the story of Sʻhodieonskon; this version, however, is much longer.
455. This circumstance gave rise to the name of this hero, Hahadodagwatʻha, i.e., “He who pulls out the branch customarily.”
456. This name signifies “Standing Rock” or “Projecting Rock.”
457. This native word is usually rendered variously in popular translations as “Stone Coat,” “Stone Shirt,” “Stone Giant,” “Giant,” “Monster Man.” [813]Its real significance and correct translation has been given in the introduction to these stories.
458. As explained in the introduction, this represents poetic license, i.e., the use of the word for flint or chert for ice.