Folk Tales of the Night by Chris Salisbury

Author:Chris Salisbury
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press

Grandmother Spider Fetches Fire

Choctaw, America

The Choctaw people remember that when the world was young all people were related, and as well as two-legged ones, there were also four-legged ones, and winged ones and those with fur or scales. They remember that all of these ‘first people’ came up from the ground, and they were encased in cocoons, with their eyes closed, and their limbs and wings were tightly folded around their bodies. They were all there in the ground until the Great Spirit brought them up and released them from their cocoons and opened their eyes. The world then, however, was cold, and dark.

The Animal People and the Human People crawled around, feeling their way, eating anything that did not eat them first. Life was hard, and not to anyone’s satisfaction. So, they held their first council, and discussed how things might be changed. One of the voices said, ‘I have been over to the East, and farther than far over there, the people have a great fire. It is bright, and warm.’ This notion was new to many and caused a great wonderment among them.

Another voice said, ‘But those people in the East guard it, and won’t give it away.’

‘Then we will have to steal it!’ said another voice, out of the darkness, and there was a chorus of approval.

The question was then asked, ‘Who can do this? Which of us has what it takes to go there and bring back this essential treasure?’

Grandmother Spider was the first to speak into the long pause that followed. ‘I will go,’ she said. ‘I will do this for all the People.’ But then Opossum spoke up. ‘I am the best hunter, and I have the best and bushiest tail for this. I will steal some fire and hide it in my tail. So, it should be me who goes.’

So, it was agreed, and Opossum travelled through the endless dark until he came to the East and saw with awe the great burning bonfire and he was amazed. He also saw the jealous People guarding their fire. Opossum, using shadow and silence, managed to slip between them, and take a piece of burning wood. He stuck it on the end of his tail, but his tail caught fire, and the People of the East saw him and chased him and took back the burning wood and drove Opossum away.

Poor Opossum returned to the council and showed them his tail, which even today, still has no fur on it. The council had to choose someone else, and Grandmother Spider again said, ‘Let me go! I will try’, but again her small voice was relegated behind a more powerful voice instead.

Eagle put himself forward this time, and persuaded the council he had the necessary strength and endurance to go there, ‘And I will carry the fire back in my long feathers.’

So, Eagle flew East on his broad wings and then swooped down to scoop up some embers. He placed them in his long feathers

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