Glooscap and the Great Beaver: The Five Islands

myth · United States · North American

Glooscap once transformed himself into a giant beaver to create a safe haven for his people. Swimming in the Bay of Fundy, he slapped his enormous tail against the water with such tremendous force that it churned up the earth from the seabed, creating the Five Islands of Nova Scotia. When Glooscap slept, Nova Scotia was his bed and Prince Edward Island his pillow. In another tradition, when Glooscap finished painting all the splendor of the world, he dipped his brush into a blend of all the colors left over and created Abegweit, meaning Cradled on the Waves, his favorite island — Prince Edward

Open in the interactive archive →