Lok Snewédjas by Jeremiah Curtin
"Lok Snewédjas," collected by Jeremiah Curtin, is a Native American myth featuring a supernatural woman who lives hidden beneath the summit of a high mountain, existing as a human by day and transforming into a bear each night. The story begins when the son of a powerful chief returns home empty-handed from a hunt and is scolded harshly by his father. Dejected and lonesome, the young man travels to the mountain to clear his mind. During a fierce snowstorm, Lok Snewédjas, who has long observed the young man and felt compassion for his isolation, causes him to perceive a deer hide hanging from a pole on the mountain. Following this sign, he discovers her hidden underground dwelling and enters to find a beautiful woman of dark hair and bright eyes. She feeds him with miraculous food, a sweet seed called yĕlalwek that never diminishes, as well as pounded deer meat, all provided by the mountain and earth, whom she calls her father and mother. She requires no cooking and does no digging or hunting. That night, the young man wakes to find a large black bear sleeping beside him and is paralyzed with terror. Lok Snewédjas wakes immediately, aware of his thoughts, and explains her dual nature calmly. She reveals that she has watched him for a long time, recognized his loneliness, and wished for him to come live with her. At daybreak she resumes her human form, and the young man gradually accepts his circumstances. She instructs him carefully about the rules governing behavior on the mountain, warning him never to harm any plant, not to look at certain animals encountered on the trail, and not to hunt excessively. He remains with her for a year, and she bears him a son who shares her dual nature, a human child by day and a small bear by night. Eventually, the young man longs to visit his mother and sisters, though he has no desire to return to his father. Lok Snewédjas permits him to take the child to the village and gives him a portion of her magical seed to share with the people, along with specific instructions: spread the seed on five deerskins, allow no one to take any away, and keep the boy away from other children in the evening hours, when he is liable to transform. The moment the young man departs from the mountain, he forgets everything his wife has told him. In the village, his arrival is greeted with joy. He distributes the seed as instructed but allows the child to play with the other children as evening falls. The boy begins to play as a young bear does, playfully knocking children down, but the mischief-making figure Tusasás, a skunk character, panics and shoots the child with an arrow, killing him. Lok Snewédjas, who has been monitoring events from afar, rushes toward the village in the form of a tremendous whirlwind, tearing up trees, rocks, and earth, her approach shaking the ground and collapsing houses. A small but supernaturally gifted orphan girl, who carries a double-pointed stick and knows things others do not, paints herself with red markings and stands in the path of the storm. She thrusts her stick into the center of the whirlwind, instantly stopping it, and Lok Snewédjas falls to the ground as a beautiful young woman dressed in beads and porcupine quills. The young man, recognizing that his failure to follow her instructions has caused the deaths of both his wife and child, uses a medicine basket to revive the boy. Restoring Lok Snewédjas proves far more difficult, as her spirit has traveled far toward the west where the sun sets. An old woman with powerful medicine, Skoks, is summoned and draws the spirit back into the body. Lok Snewédjas rises fully restored and well. She remains at her father-in-law's village for three days, then returns permanently to the mountain with her husband and child. Before leaving, the young man tells his mother and sister they will never see him again, as returning to the village causes him to forget his wife's teachings and thereby endangers her life. He keeps his word. The family disappears entirely. Lok Snewédjas reclaims every seed she had shared, leaving none behind, so that no one since has ever tasted that food. To this day, voices can be heard on the mountain, said to belong to Lok Snewédjas and her children, though no one has ever seen them.
By Jeremiah Curtin · First published 1912 · Genre: Folklore, Magical Realism, Indigenous/Native American Literature · 3,805 words
First lines
CHARACTERS / Blaiwas Eagle / Kai Rabbit / Kaiutois Wolf (Gray) / Kékina Lizard / Kískina Beetle / Lok Bear / Snewédjas Married woman / Tskel Mink / Tusasás Skunk
Lok Snewédjas was a woman in the daytime and a bear at night. She lived under the ground on the top of a high mountain; nobody could see her either when she was a bear, or a woman.
What this Textopian page supports
Lok Snewédjas is listed on Textopian as a short story by Jeremiah Curtin, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Jeremiah Curtin
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Folklore, Magical Realism, Indigenous/Native American Literature, Myth, Fantasy
- Length: 3,805 words
- Structure: 1 section, 70 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Lok Snewédjas by Jeremiah Curtin
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Folklore — The narrative structure, oral storytelling tradition, and collection by folklorist Jeremiah Curtin identify this as a traditional folktale with archetypal characters and moral lessons typical of folklore.
- Magical Realism — The story seamlessly blends supernatural elements like transformation between human and animal forms with realistic domestic and hunting scenarios, characteristic of magical realism.
- Indigenous/Native American Literature — The work features Native American characters, geography (Lake Klamath, lava beds), cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs centered on nature and the mountain as a living entity, reflecting Pacific Northwest tribal traditions.
- Myth — The narrative incorporates mythological elements including shapeshifting, personified natural forces, supernatural powers, and explanatory functions for natural phenomena and cultural practices.
Tags
Lithuanian folklore · Baltic mythology · folk tale · traditional narrative · oral tradition · fairy tale · legend · myth · cultural heritage · rural life · supernatural elements · folk beliefs