Reading Notes: British North America Unit, Part B

(An aurora over a winter forest, uploaded to Pixabay by user jooonaskaariainenn)

Another trend in these stories seems to be representing the forces of nature with the forms of animals themselves, e.g. the Thunder Bird in Turtle and Thunder, representing the threat of inclement weather.

This story also brought to mind the image of an island landscape situated on the back of a large turtle. I'm not certain if this could be used in a story, but it's an image that stuck out in my mind.

I have seen the prevalence of a raven creation deity in many of the premises for these units. Perhaps would make a good central plot device?

But, there is also the notion of a coyote creation deity in Coyote's Gifts. Dual deities concept, perhaps? I've loved this concept in the various Pokemon games. A conflict between two forces of nature would make a great fantasy situation.

Lots of attention is given to the sun and moon, how about we turn to the stars for a story? Perhaps we can explain the phenomenon of shooting stars through fantasy? I might have a story that explains how people wish on shooting stars for strength.

In that same vein, I also have an idea that involves the constellation of a bird and one of the Nazca Line arrangements of a bird in the ground. I envision it as some sort of tragic love story.

How about the cause of auroras in the night skies of arctic regions? Perhaps there is something up in the sky that is causing them to drop from the skies?

Rather than a story of what is responsible for a force of nature, how about a story of what is responsible for an animal's behavior? For instance: why are owls awake during the night and asleep during the day? Why do parrots repeat the words they hear?

Bibliography

Myth-Folklore British North America Unit, stories taken from Katherine Judson's Myths and Legends of British North America