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Glooscap the great chief, and other stories - ElectricCanadian.com

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xviii<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

In <strong>the</strong> last day an earthquake will announce<br />

<strong>the</strong> mighty battle which <strong>Glooscap</strong> will fight with<br />

his enemies, <strong>the</strong> giants <strong>and</strong> sorcerers, suggest<br />

ing <strong>the</strong> last <strong>great</strong> battle on <strong>the</strong> plain Vigrid, in<br />

which <strong>the</strong> drama of <strong>the</strong> gods culminates, in <strong>the</strong><br />

Icel<strong>and</strong>ic sagas.<br />

Both <strong>the</strong> Norse <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Micmac mythologies<br />

have a mis<strong>chief</strong>-maker, in <strong>the</strong> Indian legends<br />

appearing as <strong>the</strong> badger, or woodchuck, or wol<br />

verine, or merry Lox, who is also a man.<br />

Again <strong>the</strong> mighty giant, Kitpooseagunow,<br />

<strong>the</strong> friend of <strong>the</strong> Master, suggests Thor. In<br />

<strong>the</strong> fishing trip of <strong>Glooscap</strong> <strong>and</strong> Kitpoosea<br />

gunow one is reminded of <strong>the</strong> visit of Thor to<br />

Hymir, <strong>and</strong> of <strong>the</strong> scene in <strong>the</strong> boat when Thor<br />

caught up <strong>the</strong> head of <strong>the</strong> <strong>great</strong> Midgard ser<br />

pent from <strong>the</strong> bottom of <strong>the</strong> sea.<br />

Whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re is more than accidental re<br />

semblances, in <strong>the</strong>se <strong>stories</strong> of <strong>the</strong> two mytholo<br />

gies, or more than such likeness as grows out<br />

of <strong>the</strong> <strong>com</strong>mon nature of <strong>the</strong> minds of men <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> similarity of <strong>the</strong> materials which <strong>the</strong>y .have<br />

wrought, we will leave to <strong>the</strong> ethnologists to<br />

decide. That <strong>the</strong> interesting <strong>the</strong>ory that <strong>the</strong>se<br />

old <strong>stories</strong> are one in origin is discountenanced<br />

now by many scientists only leaves <strong>the</strong> prob<br />

relations of <strong>the</strong> Norse<br />

lem of <strong>the</strong>se strange<br />

<strong>and</strong> Indian heroes <strong>the</strong> more deep <strong>and</strong> perplex<br />

ing<br />

Ẇe have mentioned now two of <strong>the</strong> three

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