516 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING. STRAIT [ETH. ANN. 18 
THE MAN-WORM 
(From Kotzebue sound) 
[There are various tales among the Eskimo along the east shore of 
Bering sea and the adjacent Arctic coast in which a Man-worm figures, 
and among the mythical beings illustrated in the chapter on mythology 
will be found figures of carvings representing this being.]| 
In very ancient days there lived a large Worm who was married to a 
woman, and they had a son who was also a Worm. When the son was 
fully grown the father told him to go to the middle of the earth plain 
and there in a small house he would find a wife. The son then used 
his magic powers and made himself small, so that he could travel faster, 
and journeyed away. When he came near the small house of which his 
father had told him, he felt the earth shake and tremble under his feet, 
and he feared that he would be killed. This happened several times, 
until finally he reached the house. Here he found that the cause of the 
shaking of the earth was the talk of an old woman who lived in the 
house with her daughter. These people received him hospitably, and 
finding that the girl was very beautiful, he married her. After he had 
lived there four years he remembered his parents and started to go 
back to visit them, but on the road he was killed by another Man-worm, 
who was ashaman. In a short time after this the father felt a strong 
desire to see his son, so he started to go to him. On the way he found 
the body of his son, and looking about saw a large village close at hand. 
He went to the spring where the villagers got their water, and making 
himself small, hid in it, where, by the use of magie, he killed nearly all 
the people in revenge for his son’s death. When there were only a few 
people left, an old woman in the village, knowing that some magic was 
employed against them, worked a strong charm which caused the sea to 
rise and break the ice upon its surface and carried it over the land 
until the spring was covered; then the floating ice blocks were dashed 
together until the Man-worm was ground to pieces = destroyed, so 
that the people were freed from his magic. 
MIGRATION LEGEND 
[The following legend was obtained from an old man at Ikogmut, on 
the lower Yukon. I had no opportunity of verifying any part of it, 
which was given as a statement of fact. | 
Very long ago the Eskimo lived far away from the Yukon, and were 
continually moving from place to place; traveling from the far east to 
the west. After long wanderings some of them built a village on the 
bank of Yukon river, just below where Ikogmut now stands, which 
increased in size until there were thirty-five kashims. Theruinsof this 
village can be seen at the present time, with large pits where the 
kashims stood. 
