A Folklore Tale of the Canadian Indians - Wolf Wind and the Children

Wolf-Wind became more angry than ever because of his failure, and his rage knew no bounds. He swore that he would have vengeance on the trees.

So he came back again, bringing to his aid another giant from the North Country, who had with him a strange and powerful charm, the Charm of the Frost. The two giants tried to kill the trees that had saved the little children. Over some of the trees they had no power, for when they came the trees only laughed, as they swayed and creaked, and said: You cannot harm us. We are strong, for we ourselves came at first from the Night Night Land, in the far North Country; and over us the Charm of the Frost has no power." These were the evergreens —the Spruce and the Fir, the Hemlock and the Pine and the Cedar.

Takes Vengeance on the Trees But on the rest of the trees Wolf-Wind took the vengeance he had vowed. When the harvest moon was shining in the sky he came without warning and, with the help of the Frost Giant, he killed all the leaves that had kept him from the children and threw them to the ground. One after one the leaves dropped from the Beech and the Birch, the Oak and the Maple, the Alder and the Willow. Some fell quickly, some fluttered slowly down, and some took a long time in dying.

But at last all the broad-leaf trees stood bare and cold against the sky, and there was stillness and sadness in the forest. Then Wolf-Wind laughed and played through the leafless branches with the giant from Night-Night Land. And he said: "Now I have overcome the leaves that kept me away; and when I please I can kill the children." But the children only moved closer to the strong and sturdy evergreen trees that had come at first from the far North Country, and over which the Charm of the Frost had no power. And Wolf Wind could not reach them, and they remained forever safe from the giants.

The children were very sad when they saw what Wolf-Wind had done to their friends of the hardwood forest. Summer had gone back to the Southland, following as she always did the Rain bow Road to her home in the Wilderness of Flowers.

It was lonely in the forest, and silent. There was not a whisper in the trees. There were no leaves, for it was winter and Wolf-Wind had killed them all.

How Glooskap Brought Back the Leaves At last the time of year approached when Gloos kap, the Indian god who ruled the earth in those days, gave his yearly gifts to little children. He

came on a sled drawn by his faithful dogs, to find out for himself what the children wished. And the children would all come to him, each asking for a boon.

Now Glooskap had great power upon the earth in that old time. The little children whom Wolf-Wind had tried to harm in his rage came to the Magic Master of Gifts, and they were all very sad because the leaves were gone from their forest friends.

"What do you wish?" said Glooskap.

"We wish nothing for ourselves," said the children.

"But we ask that the leaves that were killed by Wolf Wind be brought back to life and put again in their old places on the trees." Glooskap Puts on His Thinking Cap Glooskap was silent for a long time. He sat in thought, as was his custom; and he smoked hard at his mighty pipe, for he was a great smoker.

Now, at that time there were no little forest birds upon the earth, for Glooskap had not yet brought them into being. There were only the birds that dwelt near the sea, and over whom Wolf-Wind had no power—Seagull and Crane, Wild-duck and Loon, Kingfisher and Brant and Curlew. These only laughed when the giant raged, and screamed in mockery as they flew from him or hid among the rocks and the thick grass of the marshes. There were also the sturdy birds that dwelt with men and worked for them, giving them eggs and food—these were Hen and Goose and Duck and Wild Turkey.

They gave men food, but they were not fair to look upon. They waddled along and could not fly well; and they made no sweet music upon the earth, for their song was but a quack and a cackle.

Why the Leaves were Changed to Birds After Glooskap had smoked long in silence he hit upon a plan. He said to the children: " I cannot bring back to the trees the leaves that Wolf-Wind has killed and stripped off, for it is now too late. But I will take the fallen leaves and change them into little birds. These will bring happiness to you on the days when Summer dwells in the land, with their pretty feathers and their pleasant songs. And the birds shall never forget how they were born.