Trickster Soils the Princess

Translation based on that of Oliver LaMère

Hōcąk Syllabic Text with an Interlinear English Translation

This story is a variant of Mink Soils the Princess.

Alice C. Fletcher
A Large Oval Lodge

(1) This one, Trickster, was going about there. And he said, "Hąhą, grandmother! now I wish to lay myself down to rest. Grandmother, make me a resting place," he said. And there nearby there was a small hill, which he went up, and unexpectedly,there just below him, was a large oval lodge to which he went, (2) and there he entered in. It was his grandmother. "Hąhą, grandmother, it is good. So about now I wish to stop and rest is why I am saying this; it is good," he was saying. Right away, she dished it out for him, as the kettle was on. She dished out for him bear ribs and dried corn. (3) There Trickster did a lot of eating.

Then the old woman said this, "Grandson, I am thinking something. Going about this earth, by now you have gone about it enough that if you are doing whatever your work is, if any, in all that you are doing, you have never stopped anywhere. (4) And on this earth you are the great one among the various Spirits. And here on earth you have been looking out for their lives, given how you are showing them how they should be going, they will not do well. Going around about, you never stop anywhere. They live somewhere. (5) As people are made to be put together with one another, what good is it the way you are doing? Therefore, my dear nephew, given what you are doing, I think that you should marry a woman," she said. And Trickster said, "Let it be so, if it is your wish, I understand, but is it possible for me to marry a wife?" he said. (6) "Grandson, there is a village here in which one of the chief's daughters is a very pretty woman. The reason that I'm talking this way is that she might make a good mate. I'd much prefer to have this one as a granddaughter," she said. And Trickster said, "Grandmother, if I could win her, doing truly as you say, I can do (7) as you have said, but what if I failed to get her?" he said. "Hąhą, grandson, I'll get you ready," she said.

And she did. She took a spare black buffalo robe and on all four corners she tied eagle (feathers). And that was his blanket. (8) She made a very white marten into a arrow sack. And there was a very black otter tobacco pouch, and a black fur piece that he wore on his feet as a moccasin. And a red turban he wore on his head, and his pipe was an ornamental pipe. Then she painted her grandson's face. (9) And eight strands of black wampum beads he wore around his neck. And there he was. He was very young. There he was as one who first wears a breech cloth. He was a very handsome man. And thus she did, and rather fell in love with her grandson herself.

Jamain
An Artichoke

(10) Then he went. He carried a flat warclub. He carried this, and left. As he was going about there, he chanced upon a creek there. It was still about evening. Korá, by the edge of the creek were clear artichokes turned sideways by the force of the water. Korá, Trickster ate (11) one and it was very delicious. It was sweet. There Trickster did a lot of artichoke eating. They were very sweet. And once he had filled up on them, he set out again.

He had not gone very far, when, unexpectedly, here he came upon a very large village. On the edge in his direction there was a small oval lodge, (12) and there he went and peeped in. Unexpectedly, there was a little old woman. She said, "Why, grandson, do you peep in without entering?" she said, so he came in. Then she said, "Wait, grandson, I'll spread out a little something there for you," she said, (13) so he did not sit right down. Then she spread a black robe there. And there he sat down. "Now then, grandson, I will boil for you," she said, and she put on a small kettle.

And when he had finished eating, then wood was set down at the woodpile. (14) They set wood down four times. Then here they talked. "Waną́, she packs like a daughter-in-law," they said, and laughed. "Waną́, if the old woman had a grandson, I could see doing this," they said, and they laughed. Then one of them said, "In any case, I'm going to warm my hands, (15) as they will be cold. I'm going to warm my hands," she said. She came in, and to her surprise, there was a man there. He was a very handsome man. He smiled as he looked at her. Just then, she giggled and drew back out of sight. "Jáha-á, why did you do that?" they said. She would not tell them. (16) She said that she had done it for no particular reason. Again, one of them entered, and again did the same thing. She withdrew back out of sight. Again she would not tell of it. Once more, the third one did it, and again she did the same thing. The fourth time the hųgiwįra (princess) entered. She gave a little start, but right away she entered going to the fire log (17) and thoroughly warmed her hands awhile, then went out again. They went right back to their lodge. "Nikate, he is a handsome man. I wonder what he is doing here?" [they said] as they went along. And when they got home, they told of it. They said it after arriving back at the chief's lodge.

And they were gambling in the center of the lodge. (18) Turtle was one of the gamers, and he heard them. And he said, "Korá, I will be quitting," he said. And they said to him, "Koté, you have said something unexpected when the game is so interesting," they said. "Koté, that is so, (19) but my friend said he was coming, and it's about time. So he will be here soon, I am thinking, that is why I am going to quit," he said.

And it was said that there was someone living at the end of the old woman's lodge. They say he is a stranger. And Turtle said, (20) "It must be him. My friend used to be a handsome man," he said. Women said that he was a handsome man they say. And Turtle said, "He had become a handsome man," he said. They said, "Ha, that must be him." "He had an ornamental black buffalo robe with eagle feathers (21) that used to be tied to all four corners," he said. "That is what he has!" they said that she said. Then Turtle said, "It must be him. He wore a red yard turban on his head, and also he usually had an otter skin pouch, and he usually had a very white marten quiver as an arrow sack." "That's right!" the women said. (22) That way they said again since it was seen, they said. "It is my friend," he said. "Hąhó! Now I quit, since they've said that my friend has come. You womanly men can have your losses back," he said, and he shoved them back in their midst. He had been winning, (23) and he went right on out.

Then he went right by where he lived. There he went in and said, "Old woman, they say that my friend has come. Boil up one of the big fat beaver tails," and right away he went off again. There was not much of anything that the woman did not do. (24) "Waną́, my brother-in-law has come," she said, and then he came and went in. "Hąhó! Friend, you have decided to come now, have you? I have been expecting you since yesterday. I thought that it was yesterday that you were to come," he said. Then that traveler said, "Well, that's right friend, but it is just now that I've come." (25) Then, after awhile, Turtle said, "About now, let's go home. By now, the old woman must have moistened something," he said. "Hąhó," he said, and so he went home with him. And when they had gotten home, there was not much that Turtle's wife had not done. "My brother-in-law," she said, and (26) then a well done beaver tail was dished out. There was not much of anything that the traveler did not do. He had been eating a lot of sweets, and the fat tasted very delicious, so he ate it up.

And right away, Turtle had come to talk about women. (27) He had come to talk about the princess. And they said that he knew all about it. He was saying, "Friend, the young men are courting the princess intensely, but they return home without having been able to get this one. I am an old man, but given what I am, but they say that I am the only one there who whispers to her, (28) they say," he was saying. I do it for no particular reason, I do it just because, I do it because I like courting women, and although I do it, I'm not going to marry the woman, but I am doing it anyway, although now I have grown used to the old woman, and she takes good care of me," he was saying. Then his wife said, "That this is the way he has been acting, (29) so as he sat, I asked him not to do it, and that's why he says it. Again and again he often fools one of the young women, I think, is why I say this," the woman was saying. "Hą" Trickster told them.

Then late at night, "Hąhą, friend, how is it that we are not going over there?" he said. "Alright," he said. (30) So there they went, standing outside. Then Turtle said, "Hąhą, friend, go inside," he said. Then the traveler said, "Koté, friend, you go first, as you are better acquainted with them," he said. "Hąhó, so be it," and he went in.

All four women were lying there. (31) The princess laid with one, and the other two laid together. They shared a pillow together. They were lying on platforms. Then when Turtle went in, he went and laid beside her, and said, "Princess, my friend the traveler ..." (32) he said, and laughed. So she listened. Because she thought that he had a message from the one whom she like very much, she listened. Again, he would say it. "Princess, the traveler, my friend ..." he said, and would laugh. (33) And outside he was listening to him, that is why he was giving out his little laughs, as he wanted to make him believe that she was really in love with him as he had told him. Then the princess said, "Hoate! What are you saying there?!" she said, and he was kicked the short drop off the platform, and Turtle landed with a crash. (34) After laughing a great deal, he came on out. And he said, when he got back, "Koté, friend, hagagasgeižą, I did something to myself. The princess was teasing me, and I fell. She got hold of both my hips and because she tickled me, I turned over and we are separated, and also this, (35) I may have been lying on the edge of the bed. I went back to the bed, and I came out, and when I was through laughing, I had failed," he said."Hą," he said.

And then he (Trickster) went the next time. And when he went there, he had made a light for them. There the princess was, and when he approached her, she blew out the light, and there he laid. (36) There he laid with the woman. Then as the night advanced, hey asked him to lay between them. So those lying down had him in the middle between them. Then, when it was about to become daylight, he fell asleep. Then, just about daylight, the man's bowels roared. After awhile, he had a passage. (37) It made a lot of noise. "Nikate, he has had a passage, the women said. "Nikate, he will get embarrassed. Let's change the bedding very gently," they said. However, again he would do more. He did a good deal more. "Nikate, let's wake him up now. He has done a great deal more," they said. So they woke him up. (38) However, this one, Turtle, was underneath the bed listening and laughed. "Hehé," he said. "The traveler has thoroughly soiled the princess. It was Trickster, whom they call the traveler," he said. He went up an down the village. "The traveler has soiled the princess. (39) He is the Trickster," he went on. Trickster had never been embarrassed before. There he was ashamed. He was very ashamed.

Right away, he went back to his grandmother. He was very ashamed. When he got back, he laid down and did not eat. (40) Turtle had done this on purpose. That is why is heart hurt, as he himself had known about it. Also when he saw the many artichokes as long the way, and the very fat beaver tail that was boiled for him, also that this was done on purpose, in order to get him to have a running off of his intestines. Sure enough this happened because he wanted to be as great as he was. (41) He did it out of jealousy, as he would have married a woman there, and that is why his heart was sore. When he arrived there at his grandmother's house, thus it was that when he got back, he laid down. He never spoke. Then his grandmother said, "My grandson, why are you doing this? If anything hurts your feelings, you yourself are one of the Great Ones (42) who were created. And also I will do anything that I'm able to do. It is not best to make my heart sore," she said. Then Trickster said, "Grandmother, never have I done a thing that made me feel ashamed. My friend has made me feel ashamed," he said. Then he told her everything that was done to him.

(43) Then the old woman said, "Grandson, I knew it, and my heart was also sore. As you went at my request, Turtle knew it, therefore what he did, he did to me. This should not have been the case, as all other creatures that move upon the face of the earth have abused you, (44) but this one was one of the Great Ones created with you, and this should not have happened; nevertheless, he has done this to you, and thinking thus, I cannot like it. My heart is sore," she said. And, "Grandson, we will try him. My younger sister is also the same. The old woman who is on the edge of the village, she is my younger sister. (45) She knows all about it. What that one has done to us, it is not right. You yourself are the greater," she said to him. "And grandson, he started it. We will try him," she said. Then she said, "Grandson, you will be going back there again. I myself will comb your hair. (46) Come over here and sit down," she said. Then she combed his hair, and there she was. There she was, a young girl approaching adulthood. She was a maiden just approaching her period. With new breasts just developing, she was a very pretty woman. And she had what was the best clothing. (47) "Hąhą, you will go and try him over," she said to her. Then she taught her how to do a work bag. There she started a black bag for her. She took this with her.

There she went, going back again to the village she had been to. There she went to the edge of the village where there was a little oval lodge, and there she went and peeped in. (48) There was an old woman there, and she said, "Jagú, eldest granddaughter, you have come. Come in," she said, so she went in. And the old woman said, "Eldest granddaughter, let me spread something down for you there. Your seat is not fit to sit in," she said. Then she spread out a black robe there. Then she sat down there. (49) Then she boiled for her. After it was boiled, when it was cooked, she dished it out and gave it to her. Then having finished eating, and just then, outside at the woodpile, wood was set down. Women were talking there. Finally, one of them came in. Unexpectedly, there was a woman [already there]. (50) She was a very pretty woman. She was making a black bag. The woman began talking to the old woman, and with great interest. The others also came in. There she talked to them. They liked her a lot. Then they went home. "Nįká! Isn't she a really pretty woman? Also the pretty woman there adds on to it (51) by being good natured," they were saying. And they told of her, and they came over to see her. The old woman's lodge was visited frequently by young men. Also the young woman still kept on working. She was making a black bag.

Then, finally, around evening time, (52) there Turtle said, "Why are they doing that? People were visiting the old woman's lodge a lot," he said. And they said to him, "A strange woman was there and they went to see her. We have never seen such a beautiful woman. (53) That is why they went to see her," he said. "Is that so? Is there one of the young men besides that she likes?" he said. "I won't oppose this one," he said. Then Turtle went home. When he got back, he put on his warrior clothing, and went over there. Unexpectedly, he was coming there making his dancing bells ring at every step. (54) His legging bells were ringing as he went. He went right in. And the woman, when he entered there, looked up just a little, and when she saw him, gave just a little start. Turtle happened to be looking when she did it. Turtle thought that she was smitten by him. He went in and sat opposite the entrance. (55) And Turtle began to talk, and the woman could not give her full attention to her work. And whenever Turtle said something funny, she would laugh. Turtle could not get enough of his stories. And he also told of war. (56) Finally, he also snuck a glimpse at her laughing to herself. And there Turtle remained until nightfall. The old woman also knew that she was smitten by her grandson. So she scolded her. She also gave her a cross look for her surreptitious seductive acts, but it didn't help, so she scolded her. After awhile, it had become dark, yet he was still talking. (57) He told of war, and then the old woman said, "Go to bed, as you will have to go home early in the morning," she said scolding her. So rolling up her work bag, put it up, and went to bed, but surreptitiously she also kept peeking out at him. He was still sitting there for a long time. (58) Also then, every once in a while, he would say, "Perhaps you are asleep, I am also talking," he would say, and the girl would move about, and he would again continue talking. The old woman finally scolded her granddaughter. The old woman said that Turtle was to leave. Then he left.

As he was leaving, Turtle became angry. (59) Turtle: "That homely, bad old woman, no person has ever spoken to me that way. You will give me your granddaughter for saying that," he was saying. And he was still there listening to them. He snuck up to the entrance and listened to them. And the old woman was snoring. (60) He snuck in. And he flopped down beside her and woke her up. She made room for him. And so he laid with her. He talked to her, and Turtle said, "Let's get married," he said. And the woman said, "In truth, if you meant it, it would be alright. If this is what you're going to do, then I'd be glad about it. (61) This is the sort of thing that I've always wished for. They killed one of my brothers in the war that you spoke of, and my heart is sore. And whoever did it, I always thought that also they should do something to one of them. Therefore, finally, if I were still to marry, I thought that I would marry (62) one of the brave men," she said. "Thus I was thinking. Thus I was thinking that if you told me something, saying it in earnest, I thought I would do it," she said. Then Turtle said, "Hąhą, my dear woman, you have spoken good words for yourself. From wherever it was done, one of them will be sent to you as an enslaved servant," he said. (63) And the young men who were still about, would peep in. They very much wanted the woman, but Turtle was laying with her. Then Turtle was getting very close to the woman, (64) but they were not able to do much. They would often peep in. Yet if he attempted anything that he wished to do, he would get caught at it. And Turtle would gulp down his own spit every once in awhile. And finally, he said, "Niži, what bad fellows. (65) They peep at us too often. Let's go out and instead lie together somewhere else," he said. The young girl said, "Alright," she said.

So they secretly took their bedding, and went out to the wilderness. There the young girl went with her bedding, and then she undressed, and in a mantel that she had worn, (66) there she put them. And she also said to Turtle, "You ought to undress," she said to him. And Turtle said, "This is what I'm about to do," he said. Then he took off his clothing and actually put them in the mantel which the woman owned. Then they laid down. (67) And Turtle began to fool around with the woman. And he tried to get on top. But the girl said, "Please don't do that right off as you will eventually will know something of me. I have never done such a thing before. I dread doing it. After you stay with me awhile, (68) after I get used to you, then you can do whatever you like. As you say that you will marry me, but if perhaps tonight I let you do what you desire with my body, and you do not marry me, it would be very bad for me," she said. (69) Then Turtle said, "And of course you are right, I am marrying you in any case, and that's the end of it," he said. And the woman said, "You will not die from want of it. You will marry me, as you have been saying, surely it will be thus," the woman said. And then Turtle: (70) "You speak correctly. That is your desire that you're expressing," he said. And thus it was that Turtle was laid. He also used her arms as a pillow, and then she put her leg over him, and she ran her hands about him. So in this way Turtle's heart was made to hurt. (71) Then again he was not allowed to do what he would liked to have done. Then, when it was just about daylight, Turtle fell asleep. When daylight came, he was snoring in a distorted way, and the young lady took her good mantel and packed those clothes, and came away. (72) While he slept, Turtle was left there a man without clothes. Then when the woman got back to her grandmother there, she put on her clothes, and then gave her grandmother her the mantel with the bundle of clothing. And she said, "Hąhą, grandson himself started this. Inasmuch as he caused this, let him do what he will," she said. (73) And she put the bundle in back of where she sat.

And Turtle, when the sun was high up, he woke up, and unexpectedly, he laid there all alone. He looked around, but he could not see anyone anywhere. Thus it was. (74) He sat there inactive and naked, not knowing what to do. Then he whistled and called for her. Before she ran off, Turtle had talked to this one in the night. He asked the woman while they were talking, by what name she was called. Then the woman said, "They call me by the name, Misisixugwe," she said. (75) "Misisixugwe!" Turtle said. Then in the morning, he even whistled and shouted. He whistled, and in this way he uttered, "Misisixugwe!" speaking with surprise. There he sat naked, and there was nothing, and again she did not come. In case her visibility is out of sight, (76) he went around looking for her, but he could not find anything. So now as she must have gone back to the old woman there, so he went there. He returned there naked. There he went and peeped in. "Grandmother, has my wife Misīsīxugwe not returned here?" he said. (77) And the old woman said, "Grandson, I don't know this one called Misīsīxugwe. No one has come here," she said. "Grandmother, shamefully she has gone off with all my things, even my Warbundle. Grandmother, if you know, (78) tell me whether this one has come back," he said. Grandmother, if you know, tell me whether this one has come back," he said. And she said, "Grandson, there is never a time at which you give up, and you are not a child, and it is all your fault, and all you desire is women, and the only thing that you like. You had better like being lost there," (79) she said to him. If you have married the women, why are you asking for them back?" she said to him.

"Hohó," he said, and he started for his lodge. He was naked with his penis swinging side to side. Hohó, he went home. And when they saw him, "Hąhó! Turtle is going about doing something," they said. Everyone came out, (80) and looked at him. "Perhaps something was done to him as it has been said that he went out to the wilderness with the girl-traveler last night," they said. Kora, Turtle was ashamed. He went and entered at his wife's place, naked. His wife was taken aback, "Why do you do this?!"¹ [...]

Former Retelling of this Story

Commentary

BAE 37: Pl. 45
A Flat Warclub

"a flat warclub" — this is the warclub carried by members of the Lower Moiety, which suggests that Trickster is associated more with the lower world of earth and its waters, rather than the domain of air and sky. The Spirit typically called "Grandmother" is Earth.

"she" — this is not Turtle's wife, but Trickster's hostess.

"moistened" — tāxą́wą hī, which means "to soften by heating."

"the man's" — wąkaga, a play on the name of Trickster, Wakjąkaga.

"roared" — as the reader may suspect, this is the delayed effect of the massive amount of artichokes that Trickster had eaten earlier:

Unfortunately, people with irritable bowel syndrome may have trouble tolerating artichoke hearts because they are high in fructans, a FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) that is not well digested. This can lead to digestive symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation in those who are sensitive.²

Clearly, Trickster has just this sensitivity.

Daderot, Wisconsin Historical Museum

A Sewing Bag

"work bag" — an example of a work bag, in this case, specifically a sewing bag, can be seen in the inset at left.

"not give her full attention to her work" — when Turtle visited the maiden Trickster, his behavior was extremely boorish, since it is considered very rude to talk to anyone while they are working.³

"Misīsīxugwe" — the initial rendering of the name was Misīsīxegwe (mi riAi riAi xeKewe). The translation has at one place, "Mi Mi See See Xegwe". Unless a juxtaposition of syllables can be made to mean something, Trickster's female name appears to be nonsense. Superficially, it sound Algonquian. The most widely used language of that group is Ojibwe, which functioned as a lingua franca in the old northwest. Ojibwe, however, can be ruled out because it does not contain the letter /x/, nor does Menominee or Sauk.

"[...]" — this is not how any other such story ends. The narrator always says, "thus it is ended," or variations of the same. So there may have been another page which was lost.

Comparative Material. In a Blackfoot tale, Old Man comes to a village of Piegans, where he enters the chief's lodge. There he finds only a sleeping young woman, and sneaking up to her, he puts excrement on her skirt. She attempts to bribe him to remove it, but he only agrees when she offers him sex. However, Old Man's "lariat" (penis) is so long that it splits her in two.⁴

The Arapaho story is like that of the Blackfeet. Nih’āⁿçaⁿ (the trickster) put human excrement between two sleeping princesses. When the girls awoke, they accused one another. They told Nih’āⁿçaⁿ that if he did not say anything about the incident, they would let him sleep with them that night. He slept with the more beautiful of the two girls, but in deflowering her his immense penis created a great flow of blood.⁵

The Fox have an interesting parallel to the episode of Trickster's revenge. Turtle insulted his gambling partner, Wisaka, so the latter made himself into a young maiden, calling himself "Doe Fawn." Turtle looked her up and took up with her in bed. He began to brag about his war exploits, so Doe Fawn told him to bring his warbundle as proof of his status as a warrior. This he did. The woman suggested that they get themselves a pillow, and she picked up his bundle for this purpose. Turtle wanted to tell tales, but Doe Fawn wanted sex. She was so persistent that Turtle had to mount her four times. By now Turtle had fallen into a sleep dead to the world, so Doe Fawn went out looking for a log, and brought back a nice rotten one. It was full of ants. This she laid right next to Turtle, grabbed his warbundle and took off.⁶ On the artichoke, MacTaggart says, "The artichoke puzzled me. I could find nothing to indicate its use as a laxative — by the Mesquakies [Fox] or by any other people. Yet when Wisaka boastfully ate the artichoke that sat in his path, he was soon overwhelmed by his own dung."⁷

Links: Trickster, Turtle.

Stories: featuring Trickster as a character: The Trickster Cycle, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Trickster's Warpath, Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, Lake Winnebago Origin Myth, The Mission of the Five Sons of Earthmaker, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Trickster Concludes His Mission, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster, The Elk's Skull, Trickster and the Plums, Trickster and the Mothers, The Markings on the Moon, The Spirit of Gambling, The Woman who Became an Ant, The Green Man, The Red Man, Trickster Takes Little Fox for a Ride, Trickster Loses His Meal, Trickster's Tail, A Mink Tricks Trickster, Trickster's Penis, Trickster Loses Most of His Penis, The Scenting Contest, The Bungling Host, Mink Soils the Princess, Trickster and the Children, Trickster and the Eagle, Trickster and the Geese, Trickster and the Dancers, Trickster and the Honey, Trickster's Adventures in the Ocean, The Pointing Man, Trickster's Buffalo Hunt, Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb, Trickster Visits His Family, The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks, The Petition to Earthmaker, Waruǧábᵉra, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge; featuring Turtle as a character: The Mission of the Five Sons of Earthmaker, Turtle's Warparty, Turtle and the Giant, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, Turtle and the Merchant, Redhorn's Father, Redhorn's Sons, Turtle and the Witches, The Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Morning Star and His Friend, Grandfather's Two Families, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Kunu's Warpath, Redhorn Contests the Giants, Redhorn and His Brothers Marry, The Skunk Origin Myth, The Hocąk Migration Myth, Porcupine and His Brothers, The Creation of Man, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee, The Chief of the Heroka, The Spirit of Gambling, The Nannyberry Picker, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, The Markings on the Moon (v. 2), The Green Man, The Hocągara Contest the Giants, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks, The Petition to Earthmaker, The Origins of the Milky Way; featuring Turtle's Wife as a character: Turtle and the Merchant, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, Redhorn's Father, The Nannyberry Picker; mentioning red yarn (as an offering to the spirits): The Elk's Skull, Ocean Duck, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Spotted Grizzly Man, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married; in which defecation plays a role: Ocean Duck, Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb, Mink Soils the Princess, Little Human Head.

In addition to this story being a variant of Mink Soils the Princess, the episode of Turtle's courtship is essentially identical with that of The Nannyberry Picker and The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee.

Themes: description of a courtship outfit: The Seduction of Redhorn's Son, Redhorn's Father, Trickster Gets Pregnant, The Dipper, The Nannyberry Picker; Trickster wants to have sex with a princess (yųgiwi): Trickster's Penis; artichokes are used as a laxative: Mink Soils the Princess; in the course of his travels, a man enters a lodge where he finds a grandmother who helps him: The Seduction of Redhorn's Son, Ocean Duck, Waruǧábᵉra, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Wojijé; (three or) four young women, one of whom is a princess, encounter a suitor while they are bringing wood to an old woman's lodge: Redhorn's Father, Morning Star and His Friend, The Nannyberry Picker, The Two Boys, The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee; Turtle interrupts his gambling game to go meet friends that he says that he was expecting yesterday: Redhorn's Father, The Nannyberry Picker, Morning Star and His Friend; Turtle jingles as he walks from the small bells tied to his leggings: The Chief of the Heroka, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married; Turtle courts a chief's daughter with his friend, but is rebuffed by being pushed off her platform bed: The Nannyberry Picker, The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee; Trickster defecates uncontrollably after taking a natural laxative: Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb; someone soils a princess: Mink Soils the Princess; Trickster is the victim of a trick: The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster, The Baldness of the Buzzard, Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb, The Elk's Skull, A Mink Tricks Trickster, Trickster and the Honey, The Markings on the Moon, Trickster and the Eagle; a young man follows the detailed instructions of a wise woman and as a result succeeds in a difficult mission: Waruǧábᵉra, Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, The Message the Fireballs Brought (sexual role reversal); a great spirit changes his form in order to deceive someone: The Skunk Origin Myth (Turtle), The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Man with Two Heads, The Children of the Sun, The Baldness of the Buzzard, Trickster's Tail, Trickster Gets Pregnant, The Elks Skull, Old Man and Wears White Feather, The Seven Maidens; Trickster turns into a woman and goes courting: Trickster Gets Pregnant; Turtle agrees to avenge the losses of those who have petitioned his aid as a warrior: Redhorn Contests the Giants, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Turtle and the Witches; the wilderness as a lover's tryst: White Flower; frustrated love: White Flower, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, The Twin Sisters, The Phantom Woman, The Woman who Loved her Half-Brother, Old Man and Wears White Feather, Partridge's Older Brother, The Stone Heart, Snowshoe Strings, Heną́ga and Star Girl, Sunset Point, The Message the Fireballs Brought, Rainbow and Stone Arch; Trickster takes someone's clothes so that they are forced to return to their village naked: The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster.

Notes

¹ Paul Radin, "The Trickster Soils the Princess," Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) Notebook 47: 1-80 (English only); Winnebago V, #18 (syllabic text); Winnebago IV, #8u. (typed English translation).

² Sara Chatfield in Rebecca Stong, "Eat This, Not That," electronic text, view: 14 September 2024.

³ Paul Radin, The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology (New York: Schocken Books, 1956) 55 nt 19.

⁴ Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians, compiled and translated by Clark Wissler and D. C. Duvall (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995 [1908]) Story 18, p. 34.

⁵ Adopted, "Nih’āⁿçaⁿ and the Two Maidens," in George A. Dorsey and Alfred L. Kroeger, Traditions of the Arapaho (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997 [1903]) Story 37, p. 73.

⁶ Fred McTaggart, Wolf That I Am: In Search of the Red Earth People (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1976) 85-89. A variant of this story is found in William Jones, Ethnography of the Fox Indians, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 125 (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1939) 33-37.

⁷ McTaggart, Wolf That I Am, 181.