Fisher Brings Spring (Fisher Visits Skyland)

Originally posted to Shrubbery, 28 Sept 2003

Here's a different version of Ursa Major from the Anishinabe (Chippewa, Ojibway) people:

A long time ago when there was nothing but winter Fisher was known as a mighty hunter and a wise one. However, since everything was so cold even he had trouble finding enough food to feed his family.

One day his son decided to go out hunting himself since he was so hungry. Young Fisher was lucky enough to find a squirrel and was just about to eat him when the squirrel cried, "Little Brother, please don't eat me. If you let me go I'll tell you how we could all have warmth and never go hungry." Young Fisher was very hungry but he decided to listen to what the squirrel had to say. "Tell me, Grandfather, how can we be warm and never go hungry?"

"Little Brother," the squirrel said, "when you go home you must sit in the corner and cry. When your mother asks you what's wrong, you mustn't answer her but just keep crying. If she brings you food you mustn't eat it. When your father returns and asks you what's wrong, tell him you are cold and hungry. He will know what to do."

When Young Fisher returned home he did just what Grandfather Squirrel had said. He sat down in a corner and began to weep. His mother soon noticed and said, "young one, why do you cry?" but Young Fisher didn't answer. "I will fix you some food," she said, but when she brought the food Young Fisher wouldn't touch it and stayed in the corner crying. When his father came home, the mother said, "something is wrong with the child. He won't eat and does nothing but cry."

Fisher asked his son, "why you do weep so?". Young Fisher answered, "Father, I am so cold and always so hungry. If only someone could make the world warm I would not cry." Fisher frowned and became very thoughtful. "What you ask is a difficult thing and I have not wanted to do it, but you are right. I must bring warmth to the world. I will need some help."

With that, Fisher talked to his friends amongst the animals and soon he, Lynx, Otter, and Wolverine were ready to set off on a journey to bring warmth.

Fisher told them they would have to travel to the highest mountain to get close to the sky. They trekked for days and days until they reached the mountains, and then they climbed and climbed and climbed until they could almost climb no more. Finally they reached the top of the mountain that was closest to the sky.

Fisher said, "now we must work very hard. We must crack the sky so that we can enter the Skyland and bring back some of their warmth to the world. Who will try to crack the sky?"

Lynx was the first to volunteer, and he leaped up as hard as he could to break the sky. The sky was too hard for him, though, and he fell back to the mountain unconscious.

Next, Otter tried to crack the sky. He leaped up as hard as he could, but he just bounced off and slid all the way back down the mountain in the snow. To this day all his cousins and brothers slide in the snow just like that.

Now it was Wolverine's turn. He gathered all his strength, jumped at the sky, and cracked it a tiny little bit. When he saw the crack he was ready to try again and again and again, and soon there was a crack big enough for him and for Fisher to enter the Skyland.

The two of them crept through the crack in the sky and saw a very large village. It was pleasant and warm and everywhere around them was green and flowers. In the village every house had a cage beside it, and every cage had wonderfully coloured creatures who sang sweet songs. "We must let them out," said Fisher, and he and Wolverine unlocked all the cages. The animals in the cages all flew down through the crack to the earth, and that is how we came to have birds.

"Now we must make the sky hole bigger so the warmth can enter it," said Fisher. Wolverine and Fisher worked at enlarging the hole until finally it was so big that Wolverine fell through it, followed by half the warmth of the sky. However, the Sky People soon noticed that their warmth was disappearing and they grabbed their weapons to go and kill the thief.

Fisher soon spotted the Sky People coming after him but he had no time to slip through the hole in the sky. He noticed a large tree in the middle of the village and he climbed it to hide in the very top branches. The Sky People shot their arrows at Fisher but not a one hit him. Finally the best hunter took his aim and fired, hitting Fisher dead on.

Poor Fisher fell to earth and the Sky People closed up the crack in the sky before all the warmth could escape. That is why we only have enough warmth for half of the year.

Fisher didn't die, though. For his bravery he was put in the sky and for half the year you can see him climbing up to Skyland. For the other half of the year he falls towards earth on his back, just as he did when the Sky People shot him.