Reading Notes: Week 11, Part B (The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird)

"The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird": There was a crane and a hummingbird that were both in love with the same very beautiful woman. The thing was, she preferred the hummingbird who was handsome – the crane on the other hand was awkward and ugly. However, the crane was very persistent, and in order to get rid of him she told the crane that he must challenge the hummingbird to a race and that she would marry the winner. She was SO sure that the hummingbird would win because he was quick and swift, while the crane was slow and heavy. But, she did not know that the crane could fly all night. The challenge was they both males would start from the woman's house and fly around the world – whoever arrived first would marry the woman. The hummingbird started off fast and was out of sight in moments, leaving his competitor to follow heavily behind him. The hummingbird flew all day and when it came evening time he stopped for a rest because he was so far ahead. But, the crane flew steadily all night and passed the hummingbird soon after midnight, stopping at a creek to rest around daylight. The hummingbird woke up the next morning and flew on again thinking that he was easily far ahead of the crane, until he reached the creek and saw the crane fishing for tadpoles for his morning breakfast. He was very surprised and wondered how the crane could have made it there, but he continued on and left the crane out of sight again. The crane soon finished his breakfast and started in with that day's journey. This time is was hardly midnight when he passed the hummingbird and in the morning he finished his breakfast before the hummingbird even woke up. For the remaining days, the crane has a steady lead in the hummingbird, with him not passing him until late in the day. There was one point (the seventh day) where the crane was a whole night's travel ahead of the hummingbird. The next morning, he took his time at breakfast, fixed himself up as nicely as he could and headed toward the woman's house. When the Hummingbird arrived in the afternoon he found he had lost the race, but the woman declared she would never have such an ugly fellow as the Crane for a husband, so she stayed single.

Photo of a hummingbird

(Taken by Mark Olsen on Unsplash)

"Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine," Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney