boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 797 



A man kills the ten sons of his sister one after another. Afterwards another child 

 is born in a magical way, who is Raven Tl 4.254. Raven takes the wife of Raven At 

 Head Of Nass River out of the box in which she is kept. Raven At Head Of Nass River 

 becomes angry and tries to kill him Tl 119. ' 



Astas visits the spirit of the hunters To'alaL !iL and seduces his wife. Then To'ala- 

 l !iL tries to kill him BC 5.260. 



(la) A Father-In-Law Tries To Kill His Son-In-Law 



(30 versions: Ts 1.89; Ts 5.274; Ts 5.287; N 130; Sk 220; Sk 240; Tsts 267; BO 79; Ne 

 5.171; Ne 5.198; Ne 5. 199; Ne 9.195; Ne 9.211; Ne 11.201; K 5.136; K 9.460; K 10.96; 

 K11.12; Nell.238; Co5.66; Co5.70; Nu5.118; Squ525; U209; Ntl2.39; Lil345;Lil 

 348; Sts 5.39; Chin 33; Kath 113. See also Quin 103, Chin 57, 'Wish 79, Till 30) 

 He Who Got Supernatural Power From His Little Finger flies into the bedroom of 

 the daughter of Many Ledges in the form of a spark. The woman says that her father 

 kept her to marry him. 'When Many Ledges learns that his daughter has married se- 

 cretly, he tries to kill his son-in-law Sk 240. Supernatural Being 'Who Went Naked goes 

 to a chief's house. The girls see him and want to marry him. He takes a lame girl. 

 His father-in-law tries to kill him Sk 220. The Chief In Heaven induces Asdi-wa'l 

 to come to his house, and gives him his daughter in marriage, then he tries to kill 

 him Ts 1.89, Ts 5.287. Ts'ak' visits a chief who lives beyond a burning mountain, 

 and marries his daughter. The chief tries to kill him N 129. Gwa' £ nalalis wishes 

 Q !a'neqe £ lak u to marry his daughters. After he has done so, he tries to kill him 

 Ne 5.198, Ne 9.195, Ne 11.196. The story of Dza'wadalalis's daughter, who marries 

 Q !a'neqe e lak u , is just like the preceding K 5.136, K 9.459, K 10.96, Ne 11.238; and 

 the tale of Qa'mxulal belongs to the same group K 11.12, Ne 5.199. The Chief In 

 Heaven tries to kill his son-in-law Ts 5.274, BC 79, Tsts 267, Ne 5.171, Ne 9.211, Co 

 5.66, Co 5.70, Nu 5.118, Squ Hill-Tout 3.525. 



A cannibal tests his son-in-law Ntl Teit 2.39, U 209. Supernatural people test 

 the Wolf, who wants to marry one of their daughters Lil 348. The Transformers 

 are tested by a girl's father Lil 345. The Moon tests a man who has married the Sun's 

 daughters rather than those of the Moon Sts 5.39. 



Different from the preceding are a number of Test tales in which 

 transformers are challenged to contests Quin 103, Chin 57, Wish 79, 

 Till 30. 



(2) The Snapping Door 



(15 versions: N 130; Ri 5.228; H 5.239; BC 75; BC 5.253; Ne 5.186; Ne 5.204; K Boas 

 5.387; K 5.136; K 5.166; K 9.460; Nu 5.118; Co 5.81; Squ Hill-Tout 3.525; Till 30) 



When Ts'ak' reaches the house of the chief, he counts four, the door opens, and 

 he places his crystal carving across so that it can not close again. Then he goes to 

 the chief's daughter N 129. The door of a house in the Salmon village snaps at visitors 

 who enter BC 75. The door of Dza'wadalalis's house kills visitors. G'i'i approaches 

 the door, pretends to enter, jumps back, and then jumps in when the door opens 

 again. He marries the princess K 5.136. Q !a'neqe £ lak u enters Dza'wadalalis's 

 house. He follows the daughter, whom he has married, in the form of an ermine, 

 and thus passes through the door K 9.460 (mentioned also in-K Boas 5.387). The house 

 of the Heavenly Chief has a snapping door Nu 5.118. The house of Bright Day has 

 a snapping door Squ Hill-Tout 3.525. 



1 See the discussion of this incident on pp. G21, 641. 



