the Ice gods, and the white down of their mighty breathing, and how, when the bear, awakening, growls in springtime and the answering thunders mutter, the strength of the Ice gods being shaken," the reign of summer begins again;[1] a story which demonstrates that in Zuñi mythology there was a marked association between the terrestrial bear and the seasons.
The Chinese say that in spring the tail of the bear (the Micmac three hunters) points east; in summer, south; in autumn, west; in winter, north,—a correct statement for the forepart of the evening.
The Basques are said to believe that when the Bear is above the pole the season is hot and dry, when below it, the season is wet.
The Ojibways relate how a southern star came to earth in the form of a beautiful maiden, bringing the water lilies. Her brethren can be seen far off in the north hunting the bear, whilst her sisters watch her in the east and west.[2]
Astronomically, this legend is of considerable interest, because the mention of stars in the four quarters of the heavens in connection with the stars of the Bear suggests that the Ojibways at some time were accustomed to mark their seasons, not only by the position of the stars of the Bear, but also by the rising and setting of various fixed stars. This supposition, if correct, would redound considerably to their credit as astronomers. They also saw in the Bear stars the figure of a fisher with an arrow sticking in his tail (the star Alcor).[3]
Continuing our interpretation of the Micmac legend of the Bear, the authorities of that tribe say that the first hunter was called the robin because that star has a reddish tinge, the second hunter the chickadee because its star is smaller than the others, the fifth hunter the blue jay because its star is blue. Arcturus becomes the owl because of its large size, and the star of the seventh hunter, the saw-whet, because its reddish hue suggests the brilliant red feathers which mark the head of that bird. This feature accounts for its birch bark torch mentioned in the legend. It must be confessed that the elements of this description do not appear altogether accurate. Possibly there has been some confusion in the naming of the stars. The choice of the group of stars which represent the den needs no explanation, for their alignment could hardly depict a den more accurately than it does. Admitting that this legend is of pre-Columbian origin, the two figures of the Bear and the Den show conclusively that even our northern Indians had divided parts of the
- ↑ F. H. Cushing in The Song of the Ancient People, pp. 39, 40.
- ↑ Mrs. Emerson, Indian Myths, p. 69 (quoting Copway).
- ↑ Schoolcraft, Hiawatha Legends, pp. 121, 128.
