boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 655 



in. He puts some into Nass River, and leaves a few in the canoe. Here follows the 

 story of Fern Woman, which is not related to the present tale Sk.] 



A remotely related incident occurs in the As'ai'yahatl story of the 

 Tillamook, in which As'ai'yahatl takes an icicle into the house, 

 which is taken for a herring, and induces the people to liberate the 

 herring. 



(b) The Sinews of the Tomtit (p. 63) 



(10 versions: Ts 63; Tlo 11; T16 93; T16 103; Kai 236; Ma 320; Ma 326; M 378; Sk 

 255; Sk 192) 



The Tlingit, Kaigani, and Masse t have a story telling of the libera- 

 tion of the fishes which the Raven finds drifting on the ocean inclosed 

 in a house or another receptacle, which he pulls ashore by means of 

 a magical cane. The same idea is contained in our collection in the 

 story of Raven hauling in the sea eggs. 



Raven sees sea eggs on a mass of seaweed away out at sea. He borrows the sinews 

 of various animals, but all break. Finally he takes the sinew of the tomtit, which 

 is as thin as a spider web. He throws it out to the sea egg, and hauls in the whole 

 mass. For this reason the tomtit is a chief over all the animals Ts. 



At the end of the story it is said that Raven kept the shell of the 

 sea egg. This rather suggests that he intends to use it later on to 

 obtain the tides (see p. 656). No reference, however, is made to the 

 use of the sea eggs in the version of that tale. 



The corresponding Tlingit versions are as follows: 



He sees something looking like a large animal far off on the ocean, with birds all 

 over it. He cuts a cane resembling two tentacles of the devilfish, announces that he 

 is going to give a feast because his mother died, and then pulls in the floating object 

 with his cane while the people are singing. It is a house containing sea food. The 

 people fill their canoes, and since that time they know how to boil olachen Tla. 



Raven At Head Of Nass River keeps all kinds of fishes in a house floating far out 

 at sea. Raven goes there and marries the daughter of a monster who owns the devil- 

 fish arm spear. He harpoons the house from which the songs are learned that are 

 sung in- the fishing-season.. The harpoon-line wraps itself around the house, and he 

 takes it ashore. While doing so, he has to sing "I think so." As soon as he stops, the 

 house goes back T16 93. 



The Masset story refers to the origin of olachen; that of the Kai- 

 gani, to the origin of salmon. 



AtLaxai'ik' there is no olachen. Raven sees half a house far out at sea. Butterfly 

 brings him something black, and he pulls in the house by its means. It is full of 

 olachen, whom he tells to go up the river Ma 326. 



He sees a house called Abundant House floating in the sea near the river Guna'x". 

 The Salmon live in it. A man who lives on shore owns a canoe with devilfish suckers. 

 He borrows it and tries to pull the house in (here follows the creation of man from 

 leaves, see p. 663). The people are to help him. He pulls it ashore, liberates the fish, 

 and sends them up the rivers Kai 236. 



