Story 1: Sedna's
Heartbreaking Tale
September 16
I went down deeper than I probably should have. The water was so
cold. I started to panic, but knew I needed to stay calm. The
water started to swirl around me. I felt a pull and started to move
toward some rocks, and I blacked out. When I opened my eyes I was 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 a
beautiful golden chariot. 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
shining blue-green tail of a fish. Her fingers were strangely long and
wispy, but they just added to her unique beauty. I was captivated. She
approached me and blew her frigid breath around me, engulfing me in a
bubble of cold air. I took my regulator out of my mouth and breathed
the purest air on earth. She spoke to me. Her voice flowed like thick
maple syrup; it was sugary sweet, but also deep and fierce. She told me
her name was Sedna, Inuit Goddess of the Sea. I explained about my
diving adventure and after a while we began talking about my family.
When I mentioned my parents, she became restless and I could see the
pain in her eyes. After some time, she opened up and told me the
horrible tale of what her father had done to her.
Many years ago, Sedna was the most beautiful maiden in all the land,
but she was also very vain. She would spend countless hours brushing
her long raven-colored hair, and she 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. Sedna's
father could not resist this chance to find his daughter a husband. He
begged the man to take her as his wife. The cloaked man agreed. Sedna
was loaded into the hunter's kayak, but not without a great fight.
Sedna refused to go willingly, since she didn't know the man and
couldn't see his face. When she arrived at her new husband's home,
Sedna was aghast. There was no hut or 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 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 tears and nearly starving to death, Sedna's father
came to visit his daughter. 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. Sedna's father, terrified and quite
selfish, threw Sedna into water, screaming, "Here, have her back! Just
leave me be!" Sedna 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 holding on,
pleading for her father's help. The canoe was filling with water, so
her father drew his knife again and cut off her fingers at the second
knuckle. When Sedna still hung on, her father chopped off her fingers
completely. Sedna fell into the water, screaming in pain. As her bloody
hands reached the water, animals began swimming out of the remains of
her fingers. 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
down and saw her new, wispy white fingers and her new tail. 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 her story, I could tell that this past still haunted her. With
her growing anguish, the water outside the cave raged. "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.
When I told Sedna my next stop was the island of Guam, she told me I
should meet her friend Sirena there. We said our goodbyes,
and an enormous seal appeared and carried me through the current and to
the surface. I must have blacked out again, because when I woke up I
was lying 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 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....
Author's 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 story. 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. While I didn't change the details of Sedna's
story, I did add in details that make her experience more vivid and
really put the reader in the setting. I used more details and
description to make Julia's experience more realistic, but also to
ensure that the tale had a degree of mysticism to it. Sedna also sets
up the next tale by referring Julia to her friend "Sirena" in Guam.
Return
to the Coverpage...
Dive
into Story 2...
"Sedna" by Vincent Carlucci,
from Mermaid Mythology (2005). Web Source: Beautiful
Mermaid Art.
Image Info: Arctic Mermaid,
2007. Eva Widermann. Web Source: Eva
Widermann Illustration