656 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [ETH. ANN. 31 



The Masset version is very brief, and intelligible only in the light 

 of the Tlingit and Tsimshian versions here discussed. 



Raven, accompanied by Butterfly, goes to the beach at Me'aknn. He comes to a 

 large pond, goes into the water, throws his cane at great numbers of fish, and kills 

 them. He tries to string the fish on a small kelp; he is is unable to do so, and asks the 

 Screech Owl to help him Ma 320. 



The idea that the sinews of the wren are stronger than any other 

 kind of fiber is repeated in a number of other stories. Here be- 

 longs the incident of the capture of the supernatural eel. 



A number of brothers strangle their sister and fasten her to the end of a pole to use 

 her as bait. This is placed in front of the supernatural eel's den, but the rope of 

 cedar limbs gives way. Next they try a root rope, which also gives way. Finally a 

 Wren tells them to use sinews. They use a thin line of wren sinews, by means of 

 which they pull up the monster. The line stretches, cuts a rock, and finally brings 

 up the monster Sk 255. 



The same incident occurs in T1& 103, Sk 193, and M 378. A man 

 tries to catch the sea monster wa'sgo, which breaks a trap made of 

 cedar withes. The Wren tells the hero to use his sinews. Thus the 

 wa'sgo is captured Sk 192. 



(6) THE ORIGIN OF TIDES (p. 64) 



(7 versions: Ts 64; Tla 9; T16 120; Tl 5.313; M5 303; Ska* 128; Hai 5.308. See also H 



5.232; Ri 5.215; Ne 5.175; Ne 9.229; K 5.158; K 9.493; K 10.278; K 11.88, 94; Nu 



Swan 1 65) 



Raven puts on his blanket and flies along Ts; he travels with Eagle Hai 5 [implied 

 in Sk, M]. He comes to the house of the Tide Woman Ts [Qanu'q (the petrel) Tl 5; 

 the old man TcixiisxanEgoa'i ("Low-Water Man") Hai 5; old woman who owns the 

 tide M; an old woman Tl«, T16]. 



The old woman holds the tide-line Ts; sits with knees drawn up Tl 5. At that time 

 the tide turned only once in several days, and the people could not get sea food Ts.~ 

 Raven pulls off leaves of salal bushes and sticks spruce needles into them Sk. He 

 hides something rough under his blanket Hai 5. He goes to get spruce needles M. 



The version Tla introduces a somewhat longer elaboration of this 

 incident. 



Raven hides behind a point where Tide Woman lives. He sees the door that leads 

 to her house in the cliff. Far out at sea is a stem of kelp, which he climbs down. 

 He gets sea urchins at the bottom of the sea and goes back. He slits the cliff open 

 with his knife and goes in. 



All these rough objects are to be used to deceive the owner of the 

 tides. 



He finds the old person with his back to the fire Sk. Four times he says that he got 

 cold getting sea eggs Hai 5. [In the versions T16 and M he also refers to sea eggs. 

 He makes noise eating sea eggs Tla. He says that he got cold getting something Sk. 

 He says he has had all the clams he needed Ts.] The old woman says he can not 

 have had clams Ts [during what tide did he get them? Tla; she says he is a liar Hai 5; 

 what is he talking about? T16; one talks of the things of the supernatural beings 

 which are beyond his reach M; the old man said, "Did I stretch out my legs?" Sk]. 

 He pushes her over, and she falls back [he throws dust into her eyes and mouth Ts]. 



i James G. Swan, The Indians or Cape Flattery, p. 65. 



