Story 1: Sedna's
Heartbreaking Tale
September 16
I went down deeper than I
probably should have. And the water was so cold. I think I got caught
in a current. I started to panic, but realized I needed to stay calm.
Everything went black for a second and then the water started to swirl
like crazy around me. The water was moving so quickly it looked like a
tornado, it was swirling and bubbling like crazy. I felt a pull and
started to move toward some rocks, and things went black again for a
second. When I opened my eyes I appeared to be in a cave of some sort.
I was surprisingly calm, like no matter how scared I was I just
couldn't react. I saw these huge arctic seals pulling what looked like
a chariot. The chariot was teal and gold and it had beautiful designs
of sea animals all over it. They were coming toward me and all I felt
was warmth and excitement. I wasn't scared at all. In the chariot was
the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She had long, shining black
hair that whipped around her body. She had the body of a woman, but the
tail of a fish. On her fingers she wore the biggest, sparkling jewels.
Her fingers were oddly long and wispy, but it just added to her unique
beauty. I was captivated. I was sure I must have been hallucinating.
She came up to me and blew her frigid breath out toward me, engulfing
me in a bubble of cold air. I took my regulator out of my mouth and was
breathing the most pure air I have ever inhaled. She began to speak to
me, her voice flowed like thick maple syrup, sugary sweet, but also
deep and fierce. She asked me who I was and how I ended up in her home.
She told me her name was Sedna, Inuit Goddesses of the Sea. I explained
about my diving adventure and after time we began talking about my
family and I told her about my mother. When I mentioned my parents she
became restless and I could see the contempt in her eyes. I asked her
what was wrong and tried to comfort her. Amazingly enough, she opened
up to me and told me the horrible tale of what her father had done to
her.
Many, many years ago, Sedna was a young Inuit maiden-the most beautiful
in all the land, but she was also very vain. She would spend countless
hours brushing her beautiful raven-colored hair; she never helped her
father and refused to marry any of the young men who came to court her.
She believed she was far too beautiful for them, and would only marry
the most handsome man in the world. A "foolish mistake of youth" she
told me. Her father grew increasingly concerned, as he did not have
much money and was worried about supporting his daughter if her high
standards never met their match. One day, a young hunter approached
Sedna's village. He was dressed in furs and gold, and appeared to have
the wealth of a king. His entire face and body was covered in a rich
red cape with a hood. Her father could not resist this chance to find
his daughter a husband. He immediately began singing his daughter's
praises to the young man, begging him to take her as his wife. The
cloaked man agreed. Sedna was loaded into the hunter's kayak, but not
without a great fight. She was was crying and screaming the whole way.
When she arrived at her new husband's home, she was aghast. There was
no hut, no tent. Only a bare cliff. Sedna looked to her husband in
fear, he dropped his hood and let out a menacing laugh. He was not a
man, but actually an evil raven posing as a wealthy hunter. Sedna tried
to escape, but the raven snatched her up in his talons and flew her to
her new home-a cold, scratchy nest of straw and feathers. Day after
day, all Sedna was given to eat was raw fish.
After many months of crying and nearly starving to death, Sedna's
father came to visit his daughter in this far away place. Upon his
arrival he was shocked to see the state in which his daughter had been
living. While the raven was away for a day of fishing, he grabbed Sedna
and they begin the long canoe trip home. The raven saw this from his
perch far atop the trees and let out a great shriek. He ascended upon
their canoe and flapped his enormous black wings, causing a great storm
in the water. The canoe began to tilt back and forth and started to
fill with water. Sedna's father, terrified and quite selfish, threw
Sedna into water, screaming "Here, have her back! Just leave me be!" to
the raven. Sedna told me how she grabbed desperately at the side of the
canoe. Her father, trying to save himself, cut off the tips of her
fingers. Sedna told me of the excruciating pain she felt, but she kept
hanging on, pleading for her father's help. The canoe was still filling
with water so her father drew his knife again and cut off her fingers
at the second knuckle. When Sedna still hung on desperately, her father
chopped off her fingers completely. Sedna felt into the water screaming
in pain. As her fingers reached the water, animals began swimming out
of the bloody remains. In shock and pain, Sedna blacked out and sank to
the bottom of the sea. When she awoke, she was surrounded by walruses,
seals, and whales forming a protective wall around her. Sedna looked at
her fingers and saw the wispy white fingers that she is now so fond of.
The fingers, she explained, determine how many animals can live in the
sea. She waved her fingers and a school of fish appeared instantly at
her fingertips. "For my people," she sighed, "so they will not go
hungry."
After the story was over, I could tell that this past still haunted
her. With her growing anguish, I could see the water outside the cave
raging. The current was strong and I was so grateful to be wrapped in
this safe bubble of air. "Julia," she told me, "Take care of yourself
and forget about your mother. You can only trust yourself and no one
else. Good luck on your journey, my dear. I hope you find what you are
looking for." Sedna's terrifying story softened my heart a bit, I had
been so angry, but at least I had a father who loved me and took care
of me. Maybe Sedna was right, maybe I should just forget about my
mother.
I told Sedna my next stop was the island of Guam and she told me of a
friend there I should meet, Sirena. When we had said our goodbyes, she
waved her long, wispy fingers and a beautiful, enormous seal appeared
out of nowhere. I took hold of him and he returned me through the
current and to the surface. I must have blacked out again because of
the rapid ascent, because when I woke up I was laying on the icy bank
where I had started my voyage. I can't believe this happened. I'm still
not sure that it really did. I suppose I will find out when I make my
next dive and look for this Sirena. But for now, I think I will take a
few days off. That cold water really hit me hard. More later....
Authors Note: I kept the story of
Sedna mostly the same, summarizing some parts and adding detail to
others, but mostly my tale followed the original. I included Julia's
journey into the ocean as part of my frame tale. Her voyage and
discovery of mermaid life and the hardship Sedna has endured will
contribute to her understanding of her own life and her own self. I
wrote this from the point of view of Julia, writing in her dive
journal. She retells the story as Sedna has told her, adding her own
thoughts and emotions to the story. I tried to tell the story from
Sedna's point of view to show what she was thinking and experiencing
through her horrific encounter, and I also included Julia's take on the
story and her emotions as well because I think it adds to the overall
effect of the story.
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Image Info: Arctic Mermaid,
2007. Eva Widermann. Web Source: Eva
Widermann Illustration