Russian Brown Bears

[Shadow]

One bear myth from Siberia, I find these interesting to read how native people have seen animals and what kind of stories there are.

Quote:

The legend of the master of the taiga

The folktales of Central Siberian indigenous peoples depict the bear as a strong beast whose wrath is to be reckoned with, in spite of its kind heart and wisdom. Evenki children adore the tale about Grandpa Amaka – that's their name for the bear – and the chipmunk.

Spring came to the taiga. The bear had spent the entire winter sleeping in his den, but the spring brought the sun, and the den started to thaw. The bear woke up. He went out into the woods, feeling very hungry, as he hadn't eaten anything all winter. The bear tried looking for food, but he couldn't find anything. So he became angry and gripped a tree stump with his paws, trying to pull it out. However, he was too weak to do it. A chipmunk jumped out from under the stump. "Amaka, why are you so angry?" "I'm starving. Do you have any food to spare?" "I can find some," replied the chipmunk and treated the bear to sweet roots and nuts from his autumn stocks. The grateful bear stroked the tiny chipmunk with his clawed paw, and that is how chipmunks got black stripes on their backs.

From here some more and some photos: https://www.rbth.com/travel/2017/01/17/5...les_682578
Reply