Reading Notes: Cherokee "The Owl Gets Married"

Beautiful Owl

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The Cherokee story "The Owl Gets Married" is similar to some other stories I have read from different cultures. A young maiden is looking for a husband. Her parents advise her to marry a good hunter. Several suitors made proposals and eventually she picked one. The young man claimed to be a good hunter, but after they were married that did not appear to be the case. One day the women followed her husband. She watched him turn from a man into an owl. She confronted her husband that night and kicked him out of the house. The owl sat in the forest. He was consumed by grief until nothing remained but his head.

My thoughts: The ending of this story is horrific. It could be used as inspiration for a very dark tale.
Bibliography: Cherokee: "The Owl Gets Married" written by James Mooney (1900).
The Owl Gets Married