Kotura, Lord of the Winds故事

Kotura, Lord of the Winds故事

    In a nomad camp in the wilds of the far North lived an old man with his three daughters. The man was very poor. His tent barely kept out the icy wind and driving snow. And when the frost was keen enough to bite their naked hands and faces, the three daughters huddled together round the fire. As they lay down to sleep at night, their father would rake through the ashes; and then they would shiver throughout the long cold night till morning.
    One day, in the depths of winter, a snowstorm blew up and raged across the tundra. It whipped through the camp the first day, then the second, and on into the third. There seemed no end to the driving snow and fierce wind. No one dared show his face outside his tent and families sat fearful in their tents, hungry and cold, fearing that the camp would be blown clean away.
    The old man and his daughters crouched in their tent harking to the howling of the blizzard, and the father said: "If the storm continues for much longer, we shall all die for certain. It was sent by Kotura, Lord of the Winds. He must be very angry with us. There's only one way to appease him and save the camp: we must send him a wife from our clan. You, my eldest daughter, must go to Kotura and beg him to halt the blizzard."
    "But how am I to go?" asked the girl, in alarm. "I do not know the way."
    "I shall give you a sled," said her father. "Turn your face into the north wind, push the sled forward and follow wherever it leads. The wind will tear open the strings that bind your coat; yet you must not stop to tie them. The snow will fill your shoes; yet you must not stop to shake it out. Continue on your way until you arrive at a steep hill; when you have climbed to the top, only then may you halt to shake the snow from your shoes and do up your coat.
    "Soon, a little bird will perch on your shoulder. Do not brush him away, be kind and caress him gently. Then jump on to your sled and let it run down the other side of the hill. It will take you straight to the door of Kotura's tent. Enter and touch nothing; just sit patiently and wait until he comes. And do exactly as he tells you."
    Eldest daughter put on her coat, turned the sled into the north wind and sent it gliding along before her.
    She followed on foot and after a while the strings on her coat came undone, the swirling snow squeezed into her shoes and she was very, very cold. However, she did not heed her father's words: she stopped and began to tie the strings of her coat, to shake the snow from her shoes. That done, she moved on into the face of the north wind.
    On and on through the snow she went until at last she came to a steep hill. And when she finally reached the top, a little bird flew down and would have alighted on her shoulder had she not waved her hands to shoo him away. Alarmed, the bird fluttered up and circled above her three times before flying off.
    Eldest daughter sat on her sled and rode down the hillside until she arrived at a giant tent. Straightaway she entered and glanced about her; and the first thing that met her gaze was a fat piece of roast venison. Being hungry from her journey, she made a fire, warmed herself and warmed the meat on the fire. Then she tore off pieces of fat from the meat: she tore off one piece and ate it, then tore off another and ate that too, and another until she had eaten her fill. Just as all the fat was eaten, she heard a noise behind her and a handsome young giant entered.
    It was Kotura himself.
    He gazed at eldest daughter and said in his booming voice: "Where are you from, girl? Why are you here?"
    "My father sent me," replied the girl, "to be your wife."
    Kotura frowned, fell silent, then sighed. "I've brought home some meat from hunting. Set to work and cook it for me."
    Eldest daughter did as he said, and when the meat was cooked, Kotura bade her divide it in two.
    "You and I will eat one part," he said. "The remainder you will take to my neighbor. But heed my words well: do not go into her tent. Wait outside until the old woman emerges. Give her the meat and wait for her to return the empty dish."
    Eldest daughter took the meat and went out into the dark night. The wind was howling and the blizzard raging so wildly she could hardly see a thing before her. She struggled on a little way, then came to a halt and tossed the meat into the snow That done, she returned to Kotura with the empty dish.
    The giant looked at her keenly and said: "Have you done as I said?"
    "Certainly," replied the girl.
    "Then show me the dish, I wish to see what she gave you in re

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