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Bear
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Ainu Legends
Bear
How it came to be that certain Ainu were descended from a bruin
"In very ancient times there lived two people who were husband and wife. The
husband one day fell ill and soon after died, leaving no children, so that the
poor wife was left quite alone. Now it happened to have been decreed that the
woman was at some future time to bear a son. When the people saw that the time
for the child to be born was nigh at hand, some said, 'Surely this woman has
married again.' Others said, 'Not so, but her deceased husband has risen from
among the dead.' But the woman herself said that it was all a miracle, and the
following is [her] account of the matter:
"'One evening there was a sudden appearance in the hut in which I was sitting.
He who came to me had the external form of a man and was dressed in black
clothing. On turning in my direction he said, "O, woman, I have a word to say
to you, so please pay attention. I am the god who possesses the mountains
(i.e., a bear) and not a human being at all, though I have now appeared to you
in the bodily form of a man. The reason of my coming is this. Your husband is
dead, and you are left in a very lonesome condition. I have seen this and am
come to inform you that you will bear a child. He will be my gift to you. When
he is born you will no longer be lonely, and when he is grown up he will be
very great, rich, and eloquent." After saying this he left me.'
"By and by this woman bore a son, who in time really became a mighty hunter as
well as a great, rich, and eloquent man. He also became the father of many
children. Thus it happens that many of the Ainu who dwell among the mountains
are to this day said to be descended from a bear. They belong to the bear clan,
and are called Kimun Kamui sanikiri—i.e., 'descendants of the bear.'"
Next: Eagle
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Photo: BBC
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