the hunter (Myth 76)

Role: hunter · First appears: Myth 76 · The Bear Man

In Myth 76, the hunter wounded the bear with an arrow in the mountains, but the bear pulled out the arrows and invited him to live together. He stayed with the bear in the cave all winter, growing long hair and beginning to act like a bear, though he still walked like a man.

When other hunters killed the bear and cut up his body, the hunter covered the remains with leaves. After they left, he saw the bear rise and return to the woods. The hunters later shut the hunter alone in a house, hoping his bear nature would leave him. His wife begged for his release and took him home after four or five days, before the seven days and nights were over. In a short time, he died because he still had a bear’s nature and could not live like a man.

Relationship record

Life events

The hunter wounded the bear with an arrow, but the bear pulled out the arrows and invited him to live together.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man · 📍 the mountains)
- With: the bear (Myth 76)
- “At last he stopped and pulled the arrows out of his side and gave them to the man, saying, ‘It is of no use for you to shoot at me, for you can not kill me. Come to my house and let us live together.’”
The hunter lived with the bear and gradually grew long hair and began to act like a bear.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man · 📍 the cave)
- With: the bear (Myth 76)
- “The hunter lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long hair like that of a bear began to grow all over his body and he began to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man.”
The hunters killed the bear, skinned him, and cut his body into quarters.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man · 📍 the cave)
- With: the bear (Myth 76)
- “The hunters came and looked inside and saw the bear and killed him with their arrows. Then they dragged him outside the cave and skinned the body and cut it in quarters to carry home.”
After the hunters left, the bear rose from beneath the leaves and went back into the woods.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man)
- With: the bear (Myth 76)
- “Before they left the man piled leaves over the spot where they had cut up the bear, and when they had gone a little way he looked behind and saw the bear rise up out of the leaves, shake himself, and go back into the woods.”
The hunters shut the hunter up alone to let his bear nature leave him.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man · 📍 a house)
- “So they shut him up alone in a house and tried to keep very still about it, but the news got out and his wife heard of it.”
His wife secured his release and took him home before the seven days were over.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man)
- With: his wife (Myth 76)
- “She came every day and begged so hard that at last after four or five days they let her have him. She took him home with her”
The hunter died because he still had a bear's nature and could not live like a man.(Myth 76 · The Bear Man)
- With: his wife (Myth 76)
- “She took him home with her, but in a short time he died, because he still had a bear's nature and could not live like a man.”

Myth 76 · The Bear Man

enemies with the bear (Myth 76) “A man went hunting in the mountains and came across a black bear, which he wounded with an arrow.”
benefactor: the bear (Myth 76) “Come to my house and let us live together.”
married with his wife (Myth 76) “She came for her husband, but the people would not let her near him; but she came every day and begged so hard that at last after four or five days they let her have him.”

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Extracted from the original text of Myths of the Cherokee. Made with Rho MD.