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There is a town on the coast of the USA (in New England I think)
which was founded by the pirate Black Hook some centuries ago. The most
prominent and powerful local family is descended from Black Hook, and they
proudly boast of their piratic descent, and weave many stories around it.
They still live in the original mansion built by Black Hook with his
ill-gotten gold.
They say that sometimes, especially when the weather is stormy, you can hear Black Hook pacing the corridors of the mansion, his wooden leg tapping on the cold stone. And they say that when the time has come for one of his descendants to leave this world, the one who is about to die hears the tapping of the wooden leg stop outside his door; he hears Black Hook scratching on the door with his hook-hand. Then the door opens and Black Hook is there to guide his progeny into the next world. |
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Long ago, in a remote part of the forests of the east, woodsmen were
hunting tigers close to extinction. There was a spirit in that place
who had care over the tigers, called the Tiger King. One day this spirit
lured a young woman named Ilama from her village into the forest and
appeared to her in the form of a great tiger, walking upright and
talking like a man. He put a new purpose into her mind, and sent her
back to her village.
She appeared to the people with a new light in her eyes and a strength of purpose in her voice. She said that the Tiger King had called her to be his messenger. The King wanted peace between men and tigers. If the people would swear never again to harm a tiger, then the tigers would become their allies; the Tiger King would give them his blessing and teach them the ways of the tigers. The people gladly accepted such an offer. The Tiger King came to them with his entourage of tigers, and they swore peace. The King became the ruler and god of the tribe, and took Ilama to be his mortal queen. She bore him many children, who were human but bore the Mark of the Tiger: they were superhumanly strong and ferocious, with tiger-like claws in their fingers and great tiger-fangs in the mouths of their feline-looking faces, and they could speak to the tigers with their minds. The Tiger King still rules this remote forest tribe to this day, and his mortal descendants, who bear the Mark of the Tiger, are the tribe's nobility. Tigers live peacefully with men, and the tigers go into battle alongside the men when they war with other tribes. |