The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle by Jicarilla Apache (Story Source)
In the olden days, the people feared the great beasts that roamed the earth and did as they pleased. They would kill for sport any human that they desired, and there was no way for the people to protect themselves. One of the most powerful and ruthless of the great animals was the Great Elk.
The people began to wonder what could be done if anything about the problem of the Great Elk. Some said they should move the tribe to another region away from the Elk. Some said they should offer to make peace. And lastly there was a small group that chose to pray towards the gods.
The woman who lived in the west heard their prayers.
She decided to have a son and send him down to help out the people. Jonayaiyin was his name and he came to earth as a child.
Within four days he had grown to manhood and the people went to him for help defeating the Great Elk. Jonayaiyin was more than happy to help and could not wait to get started.
"Where does this Great Beast live?" Jonayaiyin asked.
"In the vast desert out west," replied the village Chieftain.
The moment the Chieftain told Jonayaiyin where the great beast lived, Jonayaiyin was off to slay the beast. Within four steps he had reached the vast desert and started looking for the Great Elk.
The Great Hawk was flying overhead and saw Jonayaiyin on the outskirts of the desert and decided to fly down and see what he was up to.
Jonayaiyin told the hawk that he was here to kill the Great Elk. At first the hawk was taken aback by the thought of one of the other great beasts being killed, but then thought of how much he despised the haughty Elk and decided to help.
They came up with a plan for the hawk to take Jonayaiyin up over the elk and drop him from above onto his back.
With Jonayaiyin clutched in the hawk talons, the duo began nearing the spot where the Great Elk was grazing. When they were directly above him, the hawk released Jonayaiyin and he began falling through the sky headed right for the unsuspecting elk.
Jonayaiyin landed directly on the back of the elk. The Great Elk suddenly began bucking wildly trying to rid himself of this nuisance, but Jonayaiyin was too nimble and strong. With one great swoop of his hatchet, he lopped off the head of the elk and they fell to the ground.
Jonayaiyin had done it. The Great Elk was no more.
He then lopped off the hind quarters and gave them to the hawk for his help, took the front quarters back to the people, and lastly kept the antlers for himself.
Giant Elk (Image Source)
Hi Tatum! I really like the way that you included dialogue. I think that it makes the story flow a lot more and it keeps the audience more engaged because they are consistently changing perspective. I, also, like your amount of detail. I think it is the perfect amount to describe the setting and the characters but not take away from the plot.
ReplyDeleteHey Tatum! Really great story from start to finish. I liked how the problem was set up. It seemed like an insurmountable challenge. The woman of the west was a cool character, as was her son! I was pleasantly surprised that the great hawk decided to help out! I was impressed that the son was able to take out the elk with such confidence! But then again, he does not seem like a normal mortal. Fantastic story!
ReplyDeleteHi Tatum,
ReplyDeleteOverall, this was a fantastic story. I found it especially interesting how you set up the introduction along with the backstory of how the legend of the Great Elk come to be and why the tribes around it feared the animal. It came to an even greater surprise when there was the notion that Jonayaiyin was born to help the tribes that were in trouble. Seemed like the purpose for his life was to kill this Great Elk! I do have a question, however. What was the purpose of the Great Elk? Why was it dangerous? Was it because it was attacking the nearby villages or scaring the animals away with its presence?