Reading Notes: Cherokee Myths Part B

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-A widow tells her daughter to marry a good hunter for a husband
-A good hunter comes along, and the mother recommends to the daughter that she marry him 
-The woman and hunter move in together
-The hunter goes out to hunt, but instead goes to fish and returns with only three measly catches 
-Returns the next day with two scrawny lizards
-And again the next day shows up only with scraps from another hunter's kill
-The next day the woman followed out of suspicion
-When she came to the river, she saw her husband transform into an owl
-The woman felt foolish for having married an owl instead of a man
-She hurried ahead and when her husband arrived home she asked where all the fish were that he had caught
-He tells her an owl swooped them away
-The woman then accuses him of being the owl and sends him away
-Alone in the woods, owl wallowed in grief until the only flesh left on his body was on his head 

-Both hummingbird and crane are in love with a beautiful woman
-She preferred the humminbird, who was handsome
-The crane was awkward
-Crane did not let up, so the woman asked him to challenge hummingbird to a race, and she would marry the winner
-The hummingbird was like lightning, but the crane had the stamina to fly all night long
-They decide to race around the world
-The hummingbird darts off ahead, but roosts during the night
-The crane flies in the darkness and stops to fish for breakfast in a creek
-Hummingbird is surprised to find him ahead
-The crane slowly gains the lead on the hummingbird, who must stop to rest each night
-On the final day the crane prepares himself and crosses the finish line
-Hummingbird shows up later that afternoon to find out he has lost
-The woman declares she would never marry a creature so ugly as the crane, so she remains single



Owl or tree? Source: flickr

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