the magician (Red Swan legend)

Role: father of the Red Swan · First appears: The Red Swan · Part 3

In The Red Swan · Part 3, several years after warriors tricked the magician into giving up his wampum scalp, they carried it from village to village while making sport of it. With the Red Swan present, he asked Odjibwa to try to recover it, and Odjibwa set out early the next morning.

In The Red Swan · Part 4, Odjibwa struck the magician with the recovered scalp, restoring him to his former shape. The young magician urged Odjibwa to stay, and they formed a warm attachment; he rewarded him with wampum, robes, and other things he needed. He told Odjibwa that the Red Swan was his sister and gave her to him, saying, “she is my sister, treat her well”.

Relationship record

Life events

• Warriors deceived the magician into giving up his scalp of wampum, which they now carry from village to village.(The Red Swan · Part 3)
  • With: the Red Swan
  • “The warriors' coming for it, was only a cheat, and they now are constantly making sport of it, dancing it about from village to village”
• Odjibwa arrived at the magician's lodge and agreed to try to recover his scalp.(The Red Swan · Part 3)
  • With: Odjibwa
  • “Will you then go and see if you cannot procure my scalp?” “Yes,” said the young man, “I will go”
• Odjibwa set out on the adventure to recover the magician's scalp.(The Red Swan · Part 3)
  • With: Odjibwa
  • “Early next morning, he set out on his perilous adventure”
• Odjibwa struck the magician with the scalp, restoring him to his former shape.(The Red Swan · Part 4)
  • With: Odjibwa
  • “He immediately gave the magician a severe blow on the head with the wampum scalp: his limbs extended and quivered in agony from the effects of the blow: the scalp adhered, and the young man walked in and sat down, feeling perfectly at home.”
• Odjibwa and the young magician formed a warm attachment.(The Red Swan · Part 4)
  • With: Odjibwa
  • “The young magician urged the stay of his deliverer for a few days; and they soon formed a warm attachment for each other.”
• The young magician rewarded Odjibwa with wampum, robes, and other needed things.(The Red Swan · Part 4)
  • With: Odjibwa
  • “The young magician amply repaid him for his kindness and bravery, by various kinds of wampum, robes, and all such things as he had need of to make him an influential man.”
• The young magician gave his sister, the Red Swan, to Odjibwa, who took her with him.(The Red Swan · Part 4)
  • With: Odjibwa the Red Swan
  • “‘Take her,’ the young magician said; ‘she is my sister, treat her well; she is worthy of you, and what you have done for me merits more. She is ready to go with you to your kindred and friends, and has been so ever since your arrival, and my good wishes go with you both.’”

The Red Swan · Part 3

• child: the Red Swan “This Red Swan you are following, is the daughter of a magician, who has plenty of everything, but he values his daughter but little less than wampum.”
• recipient: Odjibwa “‘Sit down, sit down,’ he said, ‘while I prepare you something to eat,’ at the same time doing as the other magicians had done, in preparing food--”

The Red Swan · Part 4

• siblings with the Red Swan “she is my sister, treat her well; she is worthy of you, and what you have done for me merits more.”
• recipient: Odjibwa “The young magician amply repaid him for his kindness and bravery, by various kinds of wampum, robes, and all such things as he had need of to make him an influential man.”
• enemies with Odjibwa “He immediately gave the magician a severe blow on the head with the wampum scalp:”
• friends with Odjibwa “they soon formed a warm attachment for each other”

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Extracted from the original text of The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral Legends. Made with Rho MD.