The Inuit goddess Sedna 's story begins with a common theme—a beautiful young woman who is not impressed by any of her multiple suitors.
Sedna's father, a widower, was constantly trying to marry her off, but she would have none of it.
One fateful day a sea bird (a fulmar) promised to take her away to his “comfortable, luxurious” home. The impulsive young girl eloped with the fulmar.
The “veritable palace” he had described turned out to be a filthy, smelly nest. And, to make matters worse, her new husband treated her like a slave.
Sedna begged her father to come and take her back home, and he agreed...
But as they were heading across the waters, a flock of fulmars surrounded the boat.
The incessant flapping of their wings caused a tremendous storm to arise and their small vessel was being tossed from side to side.
Fearing for his own safety, Sedna's father threw her into the ocean to appease the angry birds.
When Sedna tried to climb back into the boat, he cut off her fingers.
As she struggled to use her mutilated hands to try again, he cut off her hands and threw her and her appendages into the water.
As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her dismembered limbs grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea mammals.
She descended to Adlivum (the Inuit Land of the Dead) where she rules.
As Queen of the Adlivum, Sedna is responsible for sending food to the hunters.
To ensure that she continues to feed the people, shamans must descend through many horrifying places to reach Sedna and soothe her....
The goddess Sedna teaches us that we must delve into the dark, cold places that we fear most if we are to find the riches that rest there...
Sedna reminds us that, in spite of all our infirmities (and foolish mistakes), we are still worthy of love and respect and have every right to expect, and even demand, that others treat us well....
If the hunters and shamans do not catch anything for a long time, the Shaman will transform himself into a fish. In this new form, he or she will swim down to the bottom of the ocean to appease Sedna the Sea goddess.
The Shaman will comb the tangles out of Sedna's hair and put it into braids.
This makes her happy and soothes her anger.
Perhaps it is because Sedna lost her fingers that she likes to have her hair combed and braided by someone else.
When she is happy, she allows her animals to make themselves available to the hunters.
Animals do not mind giving themselves up to provide food, clothes, and shelter for the Inuit...
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