The Osceola times., 1873-07-05
Curious Legends.

! under the equator o II u
banks of the Amazonian streams
the investigator of folklore should
come upon the same tales that are
told to children in nursery rooms
urder the Arctic circle. The ad-
venture of our Lack the Giant Xii
Ter, who challenged the Welsh
giant TO eat with him, Professor
llartt heard related in Tupiangu-
are in brazilian forest; the ku-
rupiras are anthropomorplic
woodspirits characterized by re
verse feet, who lead the traveller
asnay, perhaps to destruction, but
who. though generally maleiiccnt,
some times do man Il good turn /;
many myths relate how the hunter
has been presented by one Of them
with uncrring arrows that cannot
miss the mark. Man may some
times outwit them and it is told
of them that n hunter played on
him Jack the Giant Killers trick,
and induced him to cut himself
open and thus commit suicide. SO,
too, the Tupi Oiara, or water
spirit. like ;hc mermaid and hurley
Of Northern mythology, entices
human beings to her home beneath
The water. Again the Amazonian
Indians narratc the story Of a.
match al running between II tortoise
aud II deer. The former stations
her relatives along the course at,
short distances, and beats her an
iagonist - II fable found also in
Africa and Siam" remarks Proics-
sor HART; found also in the Sea
Islands, we will add, and subs,aH-
TALLY the fable cvcryN here found
which illustrates the general truth
that the race is not always TO the
swift. The swan maiden the In
lianS have also; onl Y with them it
is Il dress of parrot feathers that the
spirit lays aside; She is seized by II
man before she can resume it, and |
becomes his wife and the mother
IF new tribe. Beast and bird
myths Professor llmtt found nu-
mcrous in the rupi. One Of these
- about Il second wise tortoise.
lie wawcrs with big fish that hc
ma l,nll ,l.s tr,', ,,-,,prv, u rtf' ''icrI'
GONG to Il tapir hc Wagcrs that he
can pull the tapir into the wafer.
The tapir and the tortoise proceed
go the waters edge, where the fish
awaits the contest, and the tortoise,
lviug both of them together with
a sipo. wins the wagcr, ior after Il
long struggle, both fish AMI tapir
confess them I've, exhausted by the
cndcayor which, as each suppose,
hc has made against the efforts OF
the pcrspicaciouS tortoise. The
Ibis, in less iugcnius but equally
elective mauncr, cheats the night
hawk:
"Unce on time the night-hawk
spoke Ike people. His shirt was
very pretty, because ii was SO red,
but the ibis shirt was black aud
ugly. The ibis looked at the night
hawk, and was pleased with the
night-hawk's shirt. The ibls came
to the side ofthe night hawk. Lend
thy shirt To me, hc said TO the
night.hawk. why dost thou wish
"a borrow my shirt !! The Ibis
answered Il wish to amuSe myself,
and go to dance. Until when
the night-hawk k asked. TO this the
ibis answered, Until three days
after The night-hawk took off
ms shirt ard gave il to the ibis.
'llcrc il is, do not cheat me; !
await thee The ibis went away
never did he return he went com.
pIciely away from the MI hawk;
never did he appear in his sight
again. The night-hawk awaited
him. but he appeared not. And
the night-hawk wept; he cried and
said, Ibis, bring back my shirt to
me! Always he cried on account
Of the ibis
This is why the night hawk goes
| clad in somber attire, while the ibis
is OF gay plumage, and perhaps it is
to answer the question, " Why IL
the ibis red ?" that the iaole was
vcnted; ii so, it goes INTO large
class-aS, for instance, the class
containing The fable which makes
the aspen Shivcr because it furn~
i,hcd wood for the cross Of Christ
the one which marks the haddock
with lhumb-and- finger mark,
he, ause Saint Peter held him by
the right hand, and took the tribute
money from the iiSh's mouth with
the left and Il thousand other sim.
! liar iancics, knows to more ambi-
tious poets than those o! the cave
and hut aud hcarthsione as well rs
To these. We do not know enough
Of our Tupi to guess whether the
demand of the night hawk for his
shire resembles his natural cry, and