The Arctic Regions Siberia Animals in Myths Death The Northern Lights

Siberia A Guardian spirit protects animals –must do special rituals to appease the gods when they hunt Reindeer emerged out of fire – They are Reindeer herding people

Animals in Myths The Arctic people believe that some animals live in communities similar to human communities. Animal Dreams –in this dream the hunter leaves his body to travel to where the animal is. –The dream shows the hunter(or his wife) how to find and capture the animal.

Death A person is comprised of three souls –one is the shadow soul- stays on land as a spirit –two is the breath soul that stays on the land for a little time and then goes to heaven –third is the soul it is called to reside in the body of a newborn

The Northern Lights It was believed that when people died that their spirit went to heaven all at one time in the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights Some believed that the Aurora Borealis was the effect of the souls in heaven running across the frost-hardened snow in the heaven.

The story of the lights In the early times, there was only darkness; there was no light at all. At the edge of the sea a woman lived with her father. One time she went out to get some water. As she was scraping the snow, she saw a feather floating toward her. She opened her mouth and the feather floated in and she swallowed it. From that time she was pregnant. Then she had a baby. It's mouth was a raven's bill. The woman tried hard to find toys for her child. In her father's house was hanging a bladder that was blown up. This belonged to the woman's father. Now the baby, whose name was tulugaak (Raven), pointed at it and cried for it. The woman did not wish to give it to him but he cried and cried. At last she gave in and took the bladder down from the wall and let the baby play with it. But in playing with it, he broke it. Immediately, it began to get light. Now there was light in the world, and darkness, too. When the woman's father came home, he scolded his daughter for taking the bladder down from the wall and giving it to the child. And when it was light, tulugaak had disappeared.

Quiz 1. What animal came out of the fire? 2. How many souls did some Arctic people believe you had? 3. The animal dreams that hunters or their wives had help the hunter to do what? 4.The time in which the souls ascended into the heavens is called what? (American or Arctic)