There are certain characteristic types of action to be found in Seneca folk-tales, and these are closely followed in all tales. However rambling a tale may be it never departs from certain stereotyped themes, expressing as they do the accepted idea patterns over which the story is woven. Among these themes we mention the following:

1. Transformation. Characters in the story are able to transform themselves into any person, animal or object, as their orenda or magical power gives them power. The Seneca believed in transformation to such an extent that he was never sure that a rolling stone, a vagrant leaf fluttering along, a scolding bird or a curious animal, might not be some “powered” person in a transformation stage.

2. Magically acquired power. The hero of a tale finds himself in a predicament and through his effort to extricate himself is endowed with magical power by which he overcomes enemies and difficulties.

3. Overcoming monsters. The journey of the hero is beset with magical monsters that seek to destroy him. The hero uses his wits and his orenda and subdues them.

4. Precocious twins. Twins are born of a romantic marriage, particularly where the hero or heroine has lost a relative. The twins rapidly grow to maturity and set forth to conquer.

5. Contest with sorcerers. The hero is placed in opposition to a sorcerer and matches his power against him, finally killing the sorcerer.

6. Son-in-law put to tests. The hero is allowed to retain his place, possessions or mate providing he procures certain magical objects for the sorcerer. In some stories an evil mother-in-law demands such objects as the magical beaver, white otter, or blue lizard. The hero obtains them very quickly and sometimes calls a feast to eat them. The mother-in-law is angry because these beasts are her brothers.

This is a widely diffused theme and is found from one coast to another.

7. Dream animal rescues hero. The hero finds himself in a predicament and remembering that a helper appeared to him in a dream, calls upon it for rescue. A rescue is made.

8. Race with monster. A monster, generally a monster bear, becomes enraged at or jealous of the hero. The monster challenges the hero to a race, the winner to kill the loser. The hero wins, generally by aid of some fetish given by his uncle or grandfather.

9. Boaster makes good. The hero boasts his power to do certain things, as to run faster than any living creature. He is warned to stop before the spirits of swift-running beings hear him. He continues to boast and a monster comes to the door to make the challenge. See 8, supra, for a continuation of this theme.

10. Imposter fails. A jealous rival overcomes the hero and strips him of his clothing. Hero becomes weak and old while Imposter becomes youthful. Imposter now assumes the character and rights of the hero. Finally he endeavors to perform the magical tricks of the hero and fails miserably.^[5]

11. Thrown away boy. A child is thrown away because it seems too small to live, or it is lost in a blood clot and cast into a hollow stump. Thrown-away lives and becomes a powerful being that achieves wonders.

12. Hidden lodge child. A child born with a caul is concealed in a lodge, generally under an enclosed bed. It is cared for by some elderly person, generally an uncle or aunt. A normal brother endeavors to rescue it, being told of its existence by some magical being; or, the child is hidden to protect it from an evil sorcerer who wants to steal it. Hero overcomes sorcerer.

13. Double deceives sister. A youth lives in a secluded cabin with his sister. The youth’s double comes to the lodge when the hero is absent, endeavoring to seduce the sister. Double is repulsed. Sister will not believe brother has not insulted her. Brother finally makes a sudden return from a hunting trip and apprehends the double, killing him.^[6]

14. Uncle and Nephew. An uncle and nephew live together in a secluded lodge. Uncle generally becomes jealous of youth’s ability and desires the woman predestined for the nephew. In other cases uncle assists nephew to find lost parents. Generally the uncle guards the nephew and forbids him to go in a certain direction. Nephew disobeys orders.

15. Evil stepfather. Step-father endeavors to rid himself of an unpromising stepson. Hides the boy in a cave or hole which he stones up. Boy is rescued and taught by animals, and finally returns a powerful being and confronts stepfather.

16. Witch mother-in-law. A youth marries the daughter of a witch who endeavors to cause his death through conflict with monsters.^[7]

17. Animal foster-parents. Animals find an abandoned boy. They discuss which one will care for him. A mother bear generally succeeds in securing him and takes him to a hollow tree where he is protected and educated in animal lore.

18. Bewitched parents. A boy finds that he has no parents. Asks his uncle or grandfather where they are. Is told that they are under some evil enchantment and secured in a place beset with magical monsters. Boy overcomes obstacles and rescues parents.

19. Obstacles produced magically. The hero is beset by a witch or monster and flees. Upon being pressed the hero creates obstacles by dropping a stone and causing it to become an unsurmountable cliff. He casts pigeon feathers and conjures them into a great flock that makes a slime that is impassable, or he finds “uncles” who interpose barriers for him, as webs, nets, holes, pits, etc. Hero finally escapes to lodge of a waiting mother-in-law.

20. Lover wins mate. Young man marries girl of his choice in spite of tricks of older rival and enmity of sorcerers. This must have been a popular theme in a society where the old were married to the young.

21. Jealous sister-in-law. Sister-in-law offended at hero’s choice seeks to harm bride or to kill hero.

22. Magical monster marries girl. The monster may be the horned snake or the Thunderer.

23. Thunderer wars upon horned snake. The Thunder god hates the horned serpent and fights it.

24. Turtle’s war party. Turtle gathers a company of offensive and loyal warriors. All are killed in action save turtle who begs not to be placed in water when captured. He is thrust in river and escapes.

25. Bungling Guest. An evilly inclined trickster plays practical jokes. Performs magical acts and induces a guest to imitate. Success attends in presence of Trickster and perhaps once in a private rehearsal, but miserable failure attends demonstration before others.

26. Sorcerer’s Island. Sorcerer lures hero to enchanted island. Sorcerer has control of the tides and currents of water.

27. Restoring Skeletons. Hero finds bones of persons slain by sorcery. Commands them to arise quickly, “before I kick over a hickory tree,” and skeletons rise so quickly that bones are mismated. Popular ending of stories.

28. Vampire Corpse. Body of dead sorcerer revives and procures hearts of living victims which it eats at leisure in its grave.

29. Dream Demand. Hero guesses the meaning of a fabricated dream and satisfies it, thereby thwarting intentions of the witch who pretended to dream.

30. Sky Journey. Brothers journey to rim of horizon and seek to go under it and enter the sky world. All succeed but one who is so cautious that he makes a late start. Sky comes down and crushes him. His spirit speeds ahead and greets living brothers when they arrive. Regeneration by Master of Life.

STEREOTYPED OBJECTS AND INCIDENTS.

INCIDENTS.

1. Lonely bark lodge. Hero and associates live in secluded hut.

2. Twins play in ground. Twins find an underground world in which they live and play.

3. Hero spies upon associate through hole in his blanket. Discovers the secret of associate’s power. Tries this in associate’s absence.

4. Monster is shot in vulnerable spot in bottom of foot and is killed.

5. Hero in contest kills magical animal. He alone is able to pull out the arrow, thereby establishing his claim to power or reward.

6. Hero’s double buried in fireplace speaks through fire and reveals his murder to his mother.

7. Burning witch’s head explodes sending forth cloud of owls.

8. Sorcerer controls flow of waters. Almost captures hero fleeing in a canoe by drawing the current of the water toward himself. Hero reverses current and escapes.

9. Magical objects are concealed under a bed. Hero dreams he wants them in retaliation for his “uncle’s” evil desires.

10. Pursuing or sentinel monsters are pacified by gifts of meat.

11. Youth not yet able to hunt practices shooting at an animal’s paw, hung on lodge rafter.

12. Sorcerers’ hearts or livers are concealed in a safe place in their lodges, guarded by conjured dogs or ducks. Hero finds hearts and destroys sorcerers.

13. Hero obtains hearts of enemies and squeezes them, causing enemies to faint. He dashes them on rocks and kills enemies.

14. Hero conjures lodge of witches into flint. Orders it to become red hot and so destroys enemies.

15. Hero learns how to jump through the air.

16. Hero reduces sister to miniature and places her in a conical arrow tip, shooting her away to safety. Hero follows by magic flight creating obstacles as he goes.

17. Corn rains down into empty bins of starving people. Corn maiden comes to marry hero whose younger brother is ungrateful for food, casting it in fire thereby burning Corn Maiden’s body. She departs.

18. Powered man throws flint chips calling upon them to kill animals.

19. Hero violates taboo. Calamity impends but hero overcomes.

20. Heroine kills pursuing monster by throwing boiling oil into its face.

21. Hero kicks over tree and causes skeletons to rise in flesh. Bones are mismated through haste. Origin of cripples.

22. Hero or twin heroes walk into the ground and disappear.

23. Lonely bird sings for a mate. Various creatures seek to comfort lonely bird but all are rejected until a natural mate calls and is found injured or trapped. Released by lonely bird who flies away with him.

24. Animals talk to men. Some animal warns hero of impending danger and plans escape.

OBJECTS.

1. Dream helpers. These are animals or persons that have come to the hero in a dream and promised to assist him in times of peril.

2. Astral body. The hero has an astral self that appears in times of great danger and points out a way of escape.

3. Hollow log regeneration. Hero who has been abused or conjured is regenerated by passing through a hollow log.

4. Talking flute. The flute kept in a “bundle” talks to hero’s friend and informs him of condition, or it tells hero where he may find game.

5. Running moccasins. Hero pursued takes off moccasins and orders them to run ahead and make tracks that baffle pursuer.

6. Magic Arrow. An invincible arrow that kills whatever it is aimed at. It may be shot promiscuously into the air and game will return with it, falling dead at hero’s feet. No one but hero can withdraw arrow.

7. Forbidden chamber. A certain walled-off part of the lodge is forbidden to the hero, who in older relative’s absence explores it, causing anger of magical beings.

8. Door-flap action. Sorcerer commands hero to perform dream demand by going out of door and consummating demand before the door curtain flaps back.

9. Magic fish line. Sorcerer hooks hero’s fleeing canoe with a magical fish line. Hero burns off line by emptying pipe upon it.

10. Hero ties his hair to earth. When hero suspects he is in the hands of a sorceress he ties a hair to a root before he sleeps. Sorceress makes off with him but cannot go beyond the stretching length of the hair and is compelled to return.

11. Lice hunting. Sorceress hunts lice in hero’s head, lulling him to sleep.

12. Saliva gives power. If a powered being touches any object or weapon with his saliva it takes some of his power.

13. Wampum tears. Captured hero or heroine when tortured sheds wampum tears which enemies greedily take.

14. Magical animal skins. Hero or sorcerer has enchanted skins which he can conjure to living animals. He may enter a skin and assume the characteristics of its original owner.

15. Magic pouch. The pouch of animal skin holds the hero’s utensils, tobacco and pipe. It may be conjured to a living thing.

16. Magic suit. A self-cleaning suit that gives power to wearer.

17. Magic canoe. A canoe that has unusual speed and may be paddled into the air.

18. Inexhaustible kettle. Hero’s friend puts scrapings of corn or nut into it and it expands enormously supplying enough food. Hero tries the experiment and expands kettle too greatly bursting the lodge.

19. Magical springs. Springs that have been enchanted by sorcerers are the dwelling places of monsters that lure the unwary to drink. The monster then drags in his victim and eats him.

20. Enchanted clearings. Clearings guarded by monsters who prevent hero from visiting sorcerer living in a lodge within.

21. Bark dagger. Hero incapacitated by thrust of bark dagger piercing his back. Villain steals hero’s clothing and impersonates him. See Imposter.

22. Sweat lodge regeneration. Hero recovers through a sweat of bear’s grease. Lodge covered with a fat bear pelt.

23. Powered finger. Hero has power to kill animals by pointing his finger at them.

24. Animated finger. Hero obtains a magic finger that stands in his palm, pointing out the location of anything he desires.

25. Sharpened legs. A character is able to whittle his legs to points and use them as spears.

25. Borrowed skin. Hero borrows skin (coat) of deer, mole, or other animal, and entering it moves about without exciting suspicion of enemy.

26. Borrowed eyes. Hero borrows eyes of deer or owl for a blind uncle enabling him to recover his own eyes or to see for a few moments a long lost relative, generally a brother.

27. Stolen eyes. Sorceresses rob young men of their eyes.

28. Quilt of eyes. Quilt made of winking eyes stolen from young men who have looked at the witches who continually sew upon such a quilt.

29. Girls in box. Enchanted girls hidden in a bark box come forth upon demand of conjurer. The enchantment is not of an evil nature.

30. Enchanted feathers. These placed upon hero’s hat give him great power, particularly for running.

31. Enchanted birds. Hero has enchanted birds upon his hat that bring coals to light his pipe.

32. Bark dolls. Dolls are enchanted so that they speak for their maker, deceiving evil pursuer of hero.

33. Talking moccasins. Moccasins placed in lodge talk to evil pursuer, setting him or her astray.

34. Reducible dog. A tiny dog that is kept in a pouch. It may be enlarged to a size sufficient to carry the hero or his fleeing sister. Upon being patted with the hand or magic rod it becomes reduced to a size almost invisible.

35. Talking skull. Hero finds the skull of his uncle. It asks him for tobacco and then directs him how to overcome sorcery.

36. Flayed skin. A human skin is the slave of sorcerers and guards their lodge, clearing or path, screaming out the presence of intruders. It may be revived by hero who removes the enchantment.

37. Wampum eagle. An eagle covered with wampum. Many people shoot at this eagle trying to kill it. Only the hero can with his magic arrow.

38. White beaver. A magical beaver, generally the “brother” of a witch, is killed by hero who invites in friends to help eat the beast.

39. Blue lizard. Lives in a magic spring and lures the unwary to death by pulling them into the water.

40. Flying heads. These are spirits of the storm winds. They are generally evil characters in stories.

41. Pygmies. There are tribes of “little people” living under ground or in rocky places. They have valuable charms and can be forced to give them to men. They have a ceremony in which they delight. If men beings perform this ceremony favor is gained. They like tobacco and nail parings.

42. Buffalo one rib. A magically endowed buffalo kills men. It cannot be injured by arrows because it has only one rib, a bony plate protecting its entire body. Vulnerable in the bottom of one foot.

43. Fast-growing snake. A boy finds a pretty snake and feeds it. It grows enormously and soon eats a deer. Game is exhausted and snake goes after human beings.

44. White pebble. A white stone is given magical power and when thrown at a magical monster hits and kills it.

45. Flesh-eating water. The water of a magical lake eats the flesh from the bones of the unwary. Monsters living in it are immune.

46. Sudden friend. Hero in predicament sees a strange person before him who announces that he is a friend and will help the hero escape. Tells hero what to do.

COMPONENTS OF THE COSMOLOGICAL MYTH.

1. Sky world. A world above the clouds inhabited by transcendent beings.

2. Celestial tree. A wonderful tree in the center of the sky world.

3. Sky woman. Falls through hole made by uprooted sky tree and brings a promised child with her.

4. Primal turtle. Rises from sea to receive sky woman.

5. Earth diver. Animals dive to secure earth for turtle’s back.

6. World-tree. Springs up from root of sky tree brought down by sky woman. Grows in the “middle of the world.” Flowers of light.

7. Female first born. A daughter soon born to the sky woman. Grows to quick maturity.

8. Immaculate conception. Daughter conceives in mysterious manner.

9. Rival twins. Twins born to daughter. Warty, flint hearted one, kills mother at birth. Fair one, the elder, watches her grave and finds corn, beans, squashes, potatoes and tobacco springing from it. Elder twin is constructive, younger is destructive.

10. Hoarded water. Evil twin causes a great frog to drink all the water of the earth. Good twin hits it with a stone causing it to disgorge.

11. Father search. Good Minded twin searches for father and finds him on a great mountain to east.

12. Son testing. Good Minded’s father tests him with wind, water, fire and rock. Good Minded proves sonship and returns to earth island with bags of animals.

13. Man making. Good Minded molds man from clay after reflections seen in water.

14. Primal beings return. Good Minded and grandmother return to sky.

15. Evil banished. Evil Minded placed in underground cavern.