At the Font of the Marvelous

by Wonderley, Anthony Wayne

• ISBN13: 9780815632078
• ISBN10: 081563207X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780815651376
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-06-01
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr
• More Book Details

Summary

The folktales and myths of the Iroquois and their Algonquian neighbors rank among the most imaginatively rich and narratively coherent traditions in North America. Mostly recorded around 1900, these oral narratives preserve the voice and something of the outlook of autochthonous Americans from a bygone age, when storytelling was an important facet of daily life. Inspired by these wondrous tales, Anthony Wonderley explores their significance to the Iroquois and Algonquian religion and worldview. Grouping the stories around common themes and motifs, Wonderley analyzes topics ranging from cannibal giants to cultural heroes, and from legends of local places to myths of human origin. Approached comparatively and historically, these stories can enrich our understanding of archaeological remains, ethnic boundaries, and past cultural interchanges among Iroquois and Algonquian peoples.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: Oral Narrative of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors	p. xiii
Iroquois Star Lore: What Does It Mean?	p. 1
War in the West: Nineteenth-Century Iroquois Legends of Conquest	p. 14
Killer Lizards, Eldritch Fish, and Horned Serpents	p. 43
Old Good Twin: Sky Holder During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries	p. 53
The Story of Windigo	p. 69
The Friendly Visitor: An Iroquois Stone Giant Goes Calling in Algonquian Country	p. 98
Mythic Imagery in Iroquoian Archaeology	p. 115
Afterword	p. 150
References	p. 155
Index	p. 183
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