Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A
For this week, I chose to read Native American marriage tales from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).
My favorite story out of this week's readings was The Fox-Woman. In this story, a single man notices that when he returns from hunting, his dwelling is completely cleaned, his clothing cared for, and his food prepared. Amazed and curious, he pretends to go out hunting one day while secretly hiding and waiting to see who is doing these things for him. He sees a fox enter his home and when the man goes in after the fox, he finds inside a beautiful woman with the skin of a fox hanging nearby her. He asks her if she has been the one doing the cleaning and cooking, to which she replies that yes, as his wife, she has been the one doing these things. The two live together for a bit until one day the man mentions a musky odor, which the woman declares is her. She declares that she will not stay if he finds fault with her and leaves in a huff, running away as a fox, never to return to mankind again.
I loved this story because it is so odd yet simple. The man has a good thing but presses his luck and points out one small flaw, to which the woman reacts negatively, leaving him and all other men for good. I found the tale hilarious and also really cool--the woman appears to transform into a fox by putting on the skin and becomes a woman again when she takes it off (or perhaps it is a fox that becomes a woman when it removes its skin, only to become a fox again when it puts its skin back on). I love foxes and think they are incredibly beautiful and smart creatures, so that is another reason I was drawn to this story. If I retold it, I think it would be hilarious to either have it told from the viewpoint of the fox-woman (she falls in love with this man and sees he needs help caring for himself yet she is not appreciated after he grows bored with her--she decides to leave him and swears off of men forever) or from the viewpoint of the man (he laments how he did not appreciate the fox-woman enough and how he wishes he could have a second chance but knows he neither deserves nor will be granted one--he ends his sad tale with a warning for other men to appreciate the women in their lives, even if they are not perfect).
My favorite story out of this week's readings was The Fox-Woman. In this story, a single man notices that when he returns from hunting, his dwelling is completely cleaned, his clothing cared for, and his food prepared. Amazed and curious, he pretends to go out hunting one day while secretly hiding and waiting to see who is doing these things for him. He sees a fox enter his home and when the man goes in after the fox, he finds inside a beautiful woman with the skin of a fox hanging nearby her. He asks her if she has been the one doing the cleaning and cooking, to which she replies that yes, as his wife, she has been the one doing these things. The two live together for a bit until one day the man mentions a musky odor, which the woman declares is her. She declares that she will not stay if he finds fault with her and leaves in a huff, running away as a fox, never to return to mankind again.
I loved this story because it is so odd yet simple. The man has a good thing but presses his luck and points out one small flaw, to which the woman reacts negatively, leaving him and all other men for good. I found the tale hilarious and also really cool--the woman appears to transform into a fox by putting on the skin and becomes a woman again when she takes it off (or perhaps it is a fox that becomes a woman when it removes its skin, only to become a fox again when it puts its skin back on). I love foxes and think they are incredibly beautiful and smart creatures, so that is another reason I was drawn to this story. If I retold it, I think it would be hilarious to either have it told from the viewpoint of the fox-woman (she falls in love with this man and sees he needs help caring for himself yet she is not appreciated after he grows bored with her--she decides to leave him and swears off of men forever) or from the viewpoint of the man (he laments how he did not appreciate the fox-woman enough and how he wishes he could have a second chance but knows he neither deserves nor will be granted one--he ends his sad tale with a warning for other men to appreciate the women in their lives, even if they are not perfect).
Photo of a fox, taken by Jiri Kindl. Source: Flickr
Hello, Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteI actually just read the story you wrote that you based on this marriage tale! I really liked your story, and I would love to see you write something from the man’s perspective as you mentioned in your author’s note!