Join us at the campfire for tales from around the world, told by storytellers of all backgrounds and creeds. From the heros and heroines of old, let us relearn and rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors. Shhh..the story begins..
On the shores of the Atlantic coast, there lies a wide bay and there, in old times, dwelt a great Indian warrior. It was said that this warrior had done many a wise and remarkable deed, but no man knew that for sure. What was known, however, was that he had a very wonderful and strange power. He could make himself invisible and mingle unseen with his enemies, thereby learning of their plots and plans. He was known among the people as Strong Wind, the Invisible. Strong Wind lived with his sister in a tent near the sea and she helped him with his work. There were many maidens who would have been happy to marry Strong Wind and he was much sought after because of his mighty achievements. It was common knowledge that Strong Wind would marry the first maiden who could see him as he came home at night and many tried to win his love, but it was a very long time before one of them succeeded.
Strong Wind had decided that the one he would marry must, above all else, be truthful and he had devised a clever trick to test the honesty of all who sought to win him. Each evening, as the sun sank below the horizon, his sister would walk along the seashore with any maiden who wished to participate in Strong Wind's trial. His sister, of course, could always see him but nobody else could. When he returned home from work each evening, as the twilight was creeping slowly along the beach, his sister would see him approaching and would ask the girl who sought him, "Do you see him?" Each would reply falsely, "Yes." Then, Strong Wind's sister would ask, "With what does he draw his sled?" Each maiden would either answer, "With the hide of a moose," or perhaps, "With a pole," or maybe, "With a great cord." Then, the mighty warrior's sister would know that they had all lied, for their answers were merely guesses. Many maidens tried...and lied...and failed. Strong Wind would not marry any who were untruthful.
In the nearby village, there lived a great chief who had three daughters. Their mother had been dead for a long time. One of the chief's daughters was much younger than the others. She was exceedingly beautiful and gentle and everyone in the village loved her...everyone, that is, except her two sisters. They were very jealous of the young girl and treated her with much cruelty. She was allowed to wear only rags so that she might appear ugly. They chopped off her luxurious long black hair and burned her face with coals from the fire so that she would be scarred and disfigured. Then, they lied to their father and told him that the girl had done these horrible things to herself. The youngest daughter, however, remained patient and kept her gentle heart and went about her work with joy, regardless of how badly her sisters behaved toward her.
Like all the other Indian maidens in the village, the chief's two eldest daughters dreamed of winning Strong Wind for a husband. One evening, as the day was dying, they went down to the beach to find the warrior's sister and waited for Strong Wind to come home. Soon, he returned to the shore, drawing his sled behind him. As was customary, Strong Wind's sister asked, "Do you see him?" and each one answered "Yes, I do!" "Of what is his shoulder strap made?" asked Strong Wind's sister. Each of the chief's daughters made the same guess, "Of rawhide." Then, they hurried to the tent where they hoped to see Strong Wind inside, eating his supper. They saw his coat and his moccasins when he took them off, but other than that...they saw nothing. The warrior, knowing that they had lied, kept himself hidden from their sight and the two sister returned to their village, crying and tearing at their hair the whole way.
One day, the chief's youngest daughter, with her ragged garb and burned face, resolved to seek out Strong Wind. She patched her clothing with bits of bark from the birch trees, adorned herself with the few little ornaments she possessed, and walked toward the shore in an attempt to see the Invisible One. Her sisters laughed at her and called her a "fool" but, in determined silence, she continued on her way.
Strong Wind's sister greeted the girl kindly and, when twilight came, walked with her in the shallow waves by the shoreline. Soon, she saw Strong Wind coming home. "Do you see him?" asked Strong Wind's sister. The young maiden peered into the darkening shadows and whispered, "No." The warrior's sister wondered greatly at this little maiden who told the truth. Again she asked, "Do you see him now?" "Yes," answered the chief's youngest daughter, "and he is very wonderful." "With what does he draw his sled?" asked Strong Wind's sister. "With the Rainbow," answered the maiden, becoming very afraid. "Of what is his bowstring," asked the warrior's sister. The chief's youngest daughter again answered truthfully. "His bowstring is the Milky Way."
Then, the sister of Strong Wind knew that because the maiden had spoken the truth, her brother had made himself visible to her. "Truly, you have seen him," she told the little Indian girl. Strong Wind's sister then took the maiden home. She bathed her until all the scars disappeared from her face and body; she combed her hair until it grew long and black and as luxurious as a raven's wing; and then she gave her fine clothes and rich ornaments to wear. "You will now take the wife's seat in the tent," Strong Wind's sister told the beautiful Indian maiden. Soon, Strong Wind entered, sat beside her and called her "bride." The very next day, she became his wife and for evermore helped him to do great and miraculous deeds.
The girl's two elder sisters were very angry and they wondered how such a thing could have come to pass, but Strong Wind knew of their cruelty to his new bride and resolved to punish them for their heartlessness. Using his great power, he changed them both into aspen trees and rooted them in the earth. Ever since that day, the leaves of the aspen have always trembled, and they shiver in fear at the approach of Strong Wind...no matter how softly he comes...for they are still mindful of his great power and wrath because of their lies and because of their viciousness toward their little sister so very many years ago.