Porcupine Tsimshian

animal-spirit · Canada · North America

In the Tsimshian tale recorded by Boas, Porcupine is a small, weak animal who turns the tables on Great-Grizzly-Bear. Burned and mocked by the proud bear, Porcupine walks off singing, and his song summons a bitter wind that freezes the land, sealing the bear in his den and killing him. The tale explains why porcupines' backs look scorched and warns against cruelty.

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