Legends Vs. Fairy Tales

Did you ever wonder how our fairy tales began? Wonder where they came from or what inspired them? Was it Shakespeare that we all studied in high school? Was it old wives tales from the women who came across the prairies to put their children to sleep at night? Could you possibly imagine some of our fairy tales being told and re-told through many generations of the Indian cultures.

Let us take for example the tale of the race between the hare and the tortoise. As we all know in our fairy tales the tortoise cheated to win. In one such Indian Cherokee Legend, it was called “How the terrapin beat the rabbit,” the story goes on to tell how the turkey did not believe that the terrapin beat the rabbit fair and square and saw the rabbit coming back from a war wearing a scalp. The turkey therefore told the terrapin that the scalp did not look right on him and would show him how to wear it. The turkey got the scalp and walked a little ways from the terrapin and asked how it looked. The terrapin told him it looked good. The turkey did this a couple more times and then broke into a run. The terrapin wanted his scalp back but could not catch the turkey. So he shot the turkey with his bow and arrow which accounts for the many bones in the turkey’s legs.

Then there is the legend that is similar to Disney’s Aladdin. It is called “Glooskap grants three wishes,” this comes to us from the tribes of Algonquin Indian Legends. The story begins with three men who heard of a lord of men and beasts who would grant a wish to anyone who could come to him. So three Indians seek him out and make their three wishes. One wishes to be a better hunter and is given the tools to do so. The second, wished for the love of many women and the God was displeased but gave him a bag of stuff to help him and granted his wish. The third, also wanted a vain wish. He wanted to be able to make people laugh by making crude noises. Today we feel these particular noises are rude and disruptive. The Indian wanted to make belching sounds and sounds like he was breaking wind. The story concludes by leaving the meaning that those who make vain wishes for themselves will not prosper, only suffer. In the story only one Indian survived, can you tell which one? The second Indian was killed when he did not follow the instructions for his wish by being smothered to death by beautiful women’s kisses. The third Indian could no longer hunt as the sounds of breaking wind and belching scared away the wildlife and eventually his peers avoided him and he went out into the woods and killed himself.