Sunday, January 10, 2016

Crater Lake Oregon.....




 One time when the Chief of the Below World was on the earth he saw Loha, the daughter of the tribal chief. Loha was a beautiful maiden, tall and straight as the arrowwood. The Chief of the Below World saw her and fell in love with her. He told her of his love and asked her to return with him to his lodge inside the mountain. But Loha refused to go with him. The Chief of the Below World was very angry. He swore he would have revenge on the people of Loha, that he would destroy them with the Curse of Fire. Raging and thundering on the top of his mountain, he saw the face of the Chief of the Above World on the top of Mount Shasta. From their mountaintops the two spirit chiefs began a furious battle. Mountains shook and crumbled. Red-hot rocks as large as the hills hurtled through the skies. Burning ashes fell like rain. The Chief of the Below World spewed fire from his mouth. Like an ocean of flame it devoured the forests on the mountains and the valleys. The Curse of Fire reached the homes of the people. Fleeing in terror before it, they found refuge in Klamath Lake. [Eventually the Chief Below the World] was driven into his home [by the Chief above the World], and the mountain fell upon him. When the morning sun rose, the high mountain was gone. The mountain which the Chief Below the World had called his own no longer towered near Mount Shasta. For many years the rain fell in torrents and filled the great hole that was made when the mountain fell upon the Chief of the Below World. Now you understand why my people do not visit the lake. From father to son has come the warning “Do not look upon this place.”





The story, and its connection with real geological events, is presented in When They Severed Earth From Sky. The book demonstrates in this and many other cases how myths and legends can preserve detailed information about the past. 

LINK HERE TO THE POST 



I found the above post on a link from MDA

2 comments:

  1. It's a beautiful place, and the water is a shade of blue that is seldom seen elsewhere in nature. The Park Service operates a boat concession down in the lake itself, with tours narrated by rangers as the boat circumnavigates the lake, with a stop at Wizard Island (the cinder cone at one end of the lake. You can get out for the few minutes the boat is there or stay and take the next boat back.

    The lodge is nice, comfortable without being too glitzy, and the food in the lodge's restaurant was excellent. As in many of the National Park restaurants, talented chefs prepare exceptional meals, often from local game that is available, such as elk, bison, and various fish.

    Well worth the travel to get there. I've been there seven or eight times, and stayed at the lodge twice, once before (1981) its recent renovation (2006?), and once after (2007), once in the summer and once in the fall, along with several visits in the winter when the lodge was closed.

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