Music Welcome to Snuescast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snuescast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. This episode is brought to you by Chickadee birds and chipmunks. Tonight we'll read the story of the mischievous animals of Alconquin legends, particularly the Badger, the Weasel fairerrys, the Moose, and the Martin. This story is based on one found in the book, Algonquin Legends of New England, published in 1884 and compiled by Charles Godfrey Lelland.

Thalgonquin are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Today, thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquin peoples. Their legends involve characters who are simultaneously human and at the same time

represented by an animal or a magical being or sometimes both as is the case of the weasel fairy sisters.

Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed.

Now, take a few deep breaths. Far back in the forest, by a brook, 122 young men, Mr. Martin and Mr. Moose. Of these, each had a wigwam and each had a grandmother who kept house. Mr. Moose haunted and worked industriously, but Mr. Martin lived upon his neighbors, took advantage of their good nature, just as someone who plants corn and beans depends upon the pleasant smiles of the sun. Whenever food came around, Mr. Martin hung around. One day, Mr. Moose went out hunting and killed a bear and brought home a single load of meat, leaving the rest behind, being thrifty and not caring to feed those who didn't return the favor or thank him, he said to his grandmother, the eyes of Mr. Martin shall not see this bear meat. His nose shall not smell thereof, neither shall his tongue taste it, so let not the tidings of our good luck spread past our own wigwam. Yes, replied the old woman, well and wisely thou speakest my son, but our kettle broke today, while Mr. Martin has just got himself a new one. I will go and borrow it. And having cooked in it, I'll make sure to wash and wipe it well so that there shall be no sign of the delicious bare stew cooked in it. And then I'll return it. They did this, but he who hangs around other people's dinner, hoping for leftovers, is like a hunter of beasts. Where there is smoke, there is fire, and the borrowing of kettles means the boiling of delicious food therein. Being a magician, Mr. Martin crept over to his friend's wigwam, and peering through a crevice saw a great store of bears' meat, and when Moose's grandmother came to return the kettle to Mr. Martin, just as she entered his lodge, there arose from In the kettle, a savoury steam, and looking in the kettle was full of well-cooked food. Mr. Martin thanked the old woman greatly. She felt embarrassed and fled to her own home. Now, one day, Mr. Martin came to a distant and lonely lake in the mountains, stepping softly as a cat behind the rocks hung with grapevines. He heard laughing and splashing and a pleasant sound as of ladies voices. So, peeping carefully, he saw many maids, merrily bathing in the lake, and these were of the weasel fairy race, who dwell in deep waters and dark caves and keep away from mankind.

And seeing their garments lying on the shore, and fancing one of the damsels as a wife, Mr. Martin quietly slipped along unseen till he had the fairy clothes in his hands. 4. Being tingsured with magic, and learn it in the lore of all kinds of goblins, elves, and witches, Mr. Martin knew that fairy power lies in their clothing, and if you doubt it, do but give it a trial and see for yourself.

The Mary fellow ran inland with a brave whoop and hugging all the clothing. The fairies heard this, and they ran in a rage after the ravisher of their robes. One beautiful and strong weasel fairy ran faster than the rest, and when she approached him, he did but tap her lightly on the forehead with the twig of an oak tree, according to a certain ancient prescription followed in fairy land, which makes of a woman a wife, whereupon she, being astonished to find herself so, suddenly married, fainted in apparent happiness. As for the clothes of the others, Mr. Martin gave them back without taking fee or rewards. When Mr. Moose, who was a good soul but not wise, came home to find Mr. Martin married. Mr. Moose felt lonely and sad for himself. And, having heard all of Mr. Martin's tale, he said, well, if it's no harder than that, to as easy as sucking a honey-suckle and I am as good

as married.

And going to the pond in the mountains among the rocks and behind the grapevines, he too Behold the lovely magical weasel fairies jumping, flapping, splashing, and mischiving merrily, like mad minksis in the water. Now Mr. Moose caught up the clothes of these poor mates and ran. be whom he most admired caught up with him first, just as he had been described by Mr. Martin. And being resolved to do the thing thoroughly, he grappled up a big stick, gave her a knock on her head, which stunned her indeed for the rest of the day. So, the moose remained unmarried. Mr. Martin, finding that his wife missed his sisters dearly, offered to take yet another of them in marriage, merely to

oblige his wife, for he was a kind man, and rather than have trouble in the family, he would have wedded all the pretty girls in the country. So, going as before to the pond in the mountains, among the rocks, and behind the grapefines, he, same as before, found yet another fairy weasel, whom, taking home, he wedded.

Mr. Moose took this sadly too heart and insisted that Mr. Martin should give him this second wife. Mr. Martin would in no wise agree. After Moose argued earnestly that as he had no wife and clearly wasn't able to follow the directions to obtain one, of course Mr. Martin should share, where that Mr. Martin should go and get him one. to which Mr. Martin replied that Moose might skin his own scunks and fish for his own minnows and also paddle his own canoe to the devil if it so pleased him. These were considered insults, of course, amongst their group. Whereupon Mr. Moussaut to persuade Mr. Martin with a club, similar to how he tried to woo the fairy earlier. Mr. Martin gave a soft answer by shooting a flintheaded arrow through Mr. Musa's lock of hair. And this friendship they continued for many days, passing their evenings in manufacturing missiles in the mornings, inc sending them one at the other. Now, the weasel fairy water wives, not being accustomed to this kind of intimacy, sought to subtract themselves from it. So, one morning, when Mr. Martin and Mr. Moose were most industriously endeavoring to a factual, mutual demise, the two wives of Mr. Martin snuck away to seek their fortune elsewhere. And it came to pass when the sun had set, and the spirit of night was heard afar on high, that the two brides lay in an oak opening of the forest. and looking at the stars and talking about the constellations, as little children might do. And one said to the other, let's say these stars are men, which would you have for a husband by By my faith replied the other, it should be that little red twinkling fellow, for I like the little stars best. And I said the other, will wed the great yellow star, for I love the large stars. And, saying this in jest, they fell asleep smiling. But many a word spoken in jest is recalled in earnest, as these brides learned when they awoke, and found themselves married again at only a word.

For she who had wished for the great yellow shining star, as she opened her eyes, heard a man's voice say, take care, or you will upset my war-paint. low. they're laid by her side, a great and handsome man, very noble, with large and lustrous eyes. Then the other, as she awoke and stirred, heard a little feeble, cracked voice saying, Take care care for you will spill my eyedrop medicine. And by her was the smaller star whom she had chosen, but he was a weak-looking old fellow with little red twinkling eyes. And as they had chosen so it came onto them. But yellow or red, young or old, in a few days they both grew weary of the star country to which they were taken and wished to return to the earth. Their husbands were absent all day hunting, but before they had left, they pointed out to their new wives a large, flat stone which they were on no account to lift.

Now, the younger wife, who, as soon as the star husbands had gone to the woods hunting, rushed to the slab and lifting it up, gazed daringly down into the whole beneath. And what she saw was wonderful for it was the sky itself and directly under them was the world in which they had lived, and specially in sight was the home of their childhood with all its woods and rivers, and then the elder sister having looked, both almost broke their hearts with weeping and homesickness. Now the stars were by no means such evil-minded men as you may have deemed for having perceived by magic that their wives had looked through the hole in the sky and knowing that they They were lying where they denied it, they gave them leave to go back to earth. There were conditions, however, in order for the sisters to take leave, and those conditions were not easy to such fidgety damsels as these. The star has been said, fall asleep tonight, and in the morning when you awake, don't be in a rush to open your eyes, or to uncover your faces. Wait until you shall have heard the song of the chick a D. D. Bird. And even then you shall not arise, but be quiet until the song of the red squirrel shall be heard. And even then you must wait to keep your faces covered in your eyes closed until you hear the chipmunk sing. And then, you may leave your bed and look around. Now, the younger wife was very impatient and when the chick a DD sang, she would have leapt up at once, but the elder sister restrained her. Wait, my sister, until we hear the chipmunk. She lay still only until the red squirrel began his early chatter and his mornings work. Then, without waiting for the chipmunk, she jumped up as did the elder, and they found themselves indeed back on earth, but in the summit of a tall, spreading hemlock tree. They were so high up that they could not descend without assistance. It had come to pass in this way, for as each song was sung by the bird and the squirrels. They had come nearer and nearer to the earth, even as the light of day drew near. But as they could not delay, they had been deserted. And as they sat there and day dawned, men of the different families went by and unto all of these they cried for help. It is true that their star husbands had made for them in the tree a bed of moss, but they cared not to rest in the hemlock. And of all the beast of the forest, or men of the clearing,

who should be the first to appear but Mr. Moose himself?

And to him they cried, oh, our elder brother, let us free, take us down,

and we will be your two dear little wives and go home with you. But he, looking up scornfully, said, I was married this autumn. And so he went his way, as the moose's mating season is in autumn. And he, who next came, was the shaggy bear, to whom they made the same request, offering themselves for no higher price than to be taken down safely out of their nest. But the bear growled out that he had been married in the spring, as that is the mating season for bears, and that one wife was enough for any man. So he went on his way. And then who should come along, but Mr. Martin himself, whom they had deserted, and they cried out for joy, begging him to take them back. But he, behaving as if they were utter strangers, replied that he had been married in the early spring to one of his own tribe, and unto a damsel whose name was Martin, and that it was not seemingly for animals to wed out of their own land. So, he scampered off, leaving the weasel fairy sisters all alone. And last of all came the Badger. The Badger is said to follow hunting parties for weeks, inspired apparently only by an incredible mania for Miss Jeff, but guided by remarkable intelligence. He will find his way into a camp and destroy every object made by the hand of man with the Theronis akin to genius. And what he cannot destroy, he will carry to a great distance and carefully conceal. His ferocity is equal to his craftiness. And when the weasel fairy sisters called to him for help, he carried, for it came into his heart that he might in some way to tease them and cause mischief. But in reality, he was dealing with those who were not much more virtuous than himself, and quite as cunning for what with traveling from the earth to the heavens and changing husbands, these fair ladies were growing very wise indeed.

So the elder sister, who had not the least idea of keeping her promise, unless it suited her fancy, played a trick. her she at once took off her hair tie and tied it into 99 knots among the twigs of the trees, tangling it so that you would have deemed it a week's worth before a man could loosen it without injury. Now the badger, having taken down the younger sister with all the politeness in the world, came for the other and aided her also to dissent. And when on the ground she indeed said, I thank you, but begged him to go up the tree again, and bring down a great treasure which she had left there, her hair tie, besieging him for all their lives, not to break or injure in any way, but to most carefully untie every knot. For thus doing it would bring untold happiness on them all, and that they, the fairies, would mean time build a beautiful bridal bower wigwam, and that it would be decorated in a way he had never seen before. The sisters speedily built the wake-wam, but the furniture therein was of the rare kind. The fairies had, it seems, certain sworn friends, for birds of a feather flock together, And these were not far to seek, as they were the thorns, burrs, and briars of all kinds, hornets, and other winged and stinging insects, besides the ants, and they were moreover intimate with all the sharp edged flints in the land, which was a goodly company. So when the bower was built, it had therein a hornet's nest for a bridle bed, thorns for a carpet, flints for a floor, and an ants' nest for a seat, which for a barefooted and bare-breached man is indeed a painful situation. Now, it had taken the badger the entire day to untie the hair tie. So when he came down, he dark and he was glad when he saw the hut and thought of resting therein. But as he entered he ran among the thorns which pierced his nose and flints which cut his feet so that he roared aloud. Then he heard a voice which seemed to be that of the younger Miss Fairy crying, go to my sister Yonder. So he went and trought in an ant hill, and this was worse than the briars. Then he heard another voice on the other side that cried, laughing, go to my sister over there. And plunging furiously through the darkness, he fell on the hornet's nest, and verily the last date was worst of all. Thus seeing himself mocked he became furious, so that he who has by nature the very worst temper of all beasts or men was never so angry before. And seeking the tracks of the fairies, he pursued them as they fled in the night and threw the thick forest. Now it came to pass that by daybreak the two fairies had come to a broad river which they could not cross. in the the edge of the water stood a large crane motionless, who was the fairy man. Now truly this is a steamed to be the least beautiful of all the birds, which makes him greedy of good words and fondest of flattery.

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