Myths and Legends

The Shaman’s Nephew: A Life In The Far North

When Jewish author/storyteller Sheldon Oberman met Inuit artist/hunter Simon Tookoome, he knew the encounter was special. Still, he had no idea their meeting would result in an amazing collaboration that would span a decade. Through the use of many tape recordings and translations, Sheldon has painstakingly woven the threads of a remarkable man’s life into a book for all to treasure. With Tookoome’s drawings to enhance the text, Oberman has managed to express the cadence and voice of one of the last of the Inuit to live the traditional nomadic life in the Arctic. The Shaman’s Nephew magically transports readers to a cold climate that warms and grows more familiar with every turn of the page.

How Summer Came To Canada

When the giant Winter came down from the North to live in eastern Canada the land became frozen and white. Glooskap, mythical lord and creator of the Micmac Indians, saves his people from endless cold when he brings a beautiful Queen to his country. Her name is Summer and she persuades Winter to relax his icy grip every Spring while she awakens the land from its deep sleep and bestows life on everything that grows.

More Glooscap Stories: Legends of the Wabanaki Indians

Eighteen traditional tales of the Wabanaki tribe from the eastern woodland include “Glooscap, the Great Chief,” “The Year Summer Was Stolen, ” and “Tomik and the Magic Mat.”

The Loon’s Necklace

According to Canadian Indian legend, when an old man’s sight was restored by a Loon he gave the bird his precious shell necklace as a reward. That is why the loon has a white collar and speckles on its back. Elizabeth Cleaver’s rich and beautiful style of picture-making gives new visual excitement to the splendors of the British Columbia landscape, and to the magic of this Indian legend.

Glooscap And His Magic

Short children’s stories about Glooscap, a mythical Wabanaki hero. In each of the short stories, Glooscap conducts some form of intervention. Often this occurs while in disguise so that the moral or ethical character of his ‘subject’ can be determined and either rewarded or punished.

The Star-Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt

A five-thousand-year-old story.When the godchild Atum emerges from inky silence to begin his work of creation, he first conjures up the passionate gods of air and rain, followed by Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. But earth and sky cling to each other, sharing whispered secrets and laughter, leaving Atum no room to complete his creation. So Atum has no choice but to force them apart, infuriating Geb and leaving Nut sad and lonely . . . until Thoth, the god of wisdom, takes pity on her.

How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share: A Yanomami Myth

Iwariwa the cayman refuses to share the fire that he uses to cook his food, until the animals of the Venezuelan rain forest come up with an ingenious scheme to trick him, in a traditional myth from the Yanomami people of South America.

The Fifth And Final Sun: An Ancient Aztec Myth Of The Sun’s Origin

Back in the earliest memories of the world, the God of the Night ruled the skies, but his reign as sun was ended by the jealousy of the God of the Wind. The ancient gods’ struggle for supremacy raged for ages, until the creation, by sacrifice of the fifth and final sun. “An unusual book that should do much to illuminate the legends of an important ancient culture.” — Kirkus Reviews