A Tale from Skyworld (Seneca)
A Tale of Skyworld, from Seneca fiction, legends and myths
from Seneca fiction, legends and myths (1918)
By Jeremiah Curtain and J. N. B. Hewitt
Editor’s Notes by Jared Aragona
A TALE OF THE SKY WORLD
A long time ago human beings lived high up in what is now called heaven. They had a great and illustrious chief.
It so happened that this chief s daughter was taken very ill with a strange affection. All the people were very anxious as to the outcome of her illness. Every known remedy was tried in an attempt to cure her, but none had any effect.
Near the lodge of this chief stood a great tree, which every year bore corn used for food. One of the friends of the chief had a dream, in which he was advised to tell the chief that in order to cure his daughter he must lay her beside this tree, and that he must have the tree dug up. This advice was carried out to the letter. While the people were at work and the young woman lay there, a young man came along. He was very angry and said : ” It is not at all right to destroy this tree. Its fruit is all that we have to live on.” With this remark he gave the young woman who lay there ill a shove with his foot, causing her to fall into the hole that had been dug.
Now, that hole opened into this world, which was then all water, on which floated waterfowl of many kinds. There was no land at that time. It came to pass that as these waterfowl saw this young woman falling they shouted, ” Let us receive her,” whereupon they, at least some of them, joined their bodies together, and the young woman fell on this platform of bodies. When these were wearied they asked, “Who will volunteer to care for this woman?” The great Turtle then took her, and when he got tired of holding her, he in turn asked who would take his place. At last the question arose as to what they should do to provide her with a permanent resting place in this world. Finally it was decided to prepare the earth, on which she would live in the future. To do this it was determined that soil from the bottom of the primal sea should be brought up and placed on the broad, firm carapace of the Turtle, where it would increase in size to such an extent that it would accommodate all the creatures that should be produced thereafter. After much discussion the toad was finally persuaded to dive to the bottom of the waters in search of soil. Bravely making the attempt, he succeeded in bringing up soil from the depths of the sea. This was carefully spread over the carapace of the Turtle, and at once both began to grow in size and depth.
[Editor’s Note: In an alternate version of the myth, Muskrat, Beaver, and Otter all dive to the bottom of the waters. Beaver and Otter return the surface unsuccessful. Later Muskrat’s dead body appears floating on the surface. But in his mouth was the Earth from below the waters. It is with this that that they spread over the carapace of the turtle to create Earth above the water.]
After the young woman rec