Legends and Tales from Angmagsalik. 253 



10. THE SUN AND THE MOON 



told by Saniminnak. 



The Moon dwelt in a house in this country, where his sister, 

 the Sun, also dwelt ^). 



When the lamps were put out in the evening, the Moon went 

 and lay with his sister. As she wished to find out who it was lay 

 with her night after night, she smeared her hands one evening with 

 lamp-soot. When the lamps had heen put out, and he lay with 

 her as usual , she rubbed her hands over his shoulders. Next 

 morning when the lamps were lit, his sister said that there was 

 someone who had soot on him; but when she found out that it 

 was her brother, she took her knife, sharpened it, cut off one of 

 her breasts and tossed it to her brother, saying: "As you seem to 

 be so fond of me, eat me then!" She now took a small stick, 

 stuck some lamp-moss on one end of it, dipped it in train-oil, and 

 set fire to it. Then she ran out, and as she ran, she rose up in 

 the air. When the Moon came out and saw that she was up in 

 the air, he ran in and stuck some lamp-moss on his sermiaut'^), set 

 fire to it, and ran out with it in pursuit of his sister. But when 

 he came up in the air, the lamp-moss went out, leaving only 

 some glowing embers. 



When the Moon's lighted stick is about to go out, he blows on 

 it, so, that sparks fly out in all directions, and it is these that turn 

 into stars ^). The Moon does not shine so brightly, because he has 

 only a glow, and sometimes he must go down to the earth to hunt 

 seals; but the Sun shines brightly and gives forth warmth, for the 

 lamp-moss was still burning, w^hen she came up into the air. 



11. THE TWO COUSINS 



told b}- Sanimuinak. 



There were once two cousins, one of whom went out alone 

 kaiaking one spring and did not come home again. Winter came, 

 and the missing one had not returned. Next spring when the other 

 cousin was up the fjord, he caught sight of a kaiak, and as he 

 rowed along the shore, he soon recognized his cousin who had 

 disappeared the year before. His cousin told him that he had 



') The sun is called: Sungula, and the moon Ijakak (Hanserak's diary). 



-) An implement of bone or wood for scraping and knocking off the ice from 



the kaiak. 

 ^) Another version (Hanserak) says that the Moon burnt himself on the Sun, so 



that a number off small pieces flew off from him, and these became stars. 



