Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest
Also known as: Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, Especially of Washington and Oregon
An early twentieth-century anthology of Indigenous tales from the Pacific Northwest, retold in English prose. It gathers trickster cycles, creation accounts, culture-hero episodes, and regional etiologies centered on Salmon, Thunderbird, rivers, and mountains.
Description
Judson’s collection presents a broad cross-section of Pacific Northwest Native narratives as paraphrased English retellings. The volume emphasizes trickster and transformer cycles (Coyote, Raven, Bluejay), the cultural centrality of Salmon, and landscape etiologies tied to the Columbia River and Cascade volcanoes. While accessible to general readers, the book reflects its time: stories are streamlined, names are anglicized, and versions from distinct nations are blended under regional headings. Read critically alongside primary ethnographic sources, it offers a doorway into the motifs and moral logics of Northwest Coast and Plateau storytelling.
Historiography
Published in 1910, the anthology belongs to the ‘salvage’ era of folklore publishing, paraphrasing material from earlier collectors and community informants. Judson’s prose adaptations smooth dialect and compress variants, sometimes merging distinct tribal versions. Subsequent scholarship by Boas, Teit, Swanton, and others provides primary transcriptions with linguistic and contextual notes. Modern readers treat Judson as a secondary witness whose reception helped popularize regional mythic motifs while also reflecting period biases.
Date Notes
Judson paraphrased materials gathered by ethnographers and local informants; dates reflect first English-language publication of this anthology, not the age of the traditions themselves.
Archetypes
Major Characters
- Raven
- Coyote
- Thunderbird
- Transformer
Myths
- Raven Steals the Light
- Thunderbird and the Whale
- Origin of Salmon and Cedar
- Creation of the First People
Facts
- First published in 1910 in Chicago, the anthology retells Indigenous Northwest myths in English prose.
- Judson drew on previously collected materials and regional informants rather than conducting systematic linguistic transcription.
- The volume blends tales from Plateau and Northwest Coast cultures, often without full tribal-source specification.
- Recurring figures include Coyote (Plateau), Raven and Bluejay (Coast Salish/Northwest Coast), and the Transformer.
- Landscape etiologies explain the Columbia River, Cascade volcanoes, salmon runs, and regional winds.
- Motifs include culture-hero transformations, theft or release of salmon and fire, and moral laws governing hospitality and taboo.
- The book popularized the ‘Bridge of the Gods’ narrative linking Mount Hood (Wyeast), Mount Adams (Klickitat), and Mount St. Helens (Loowit).
- As a secondary source, it requires corroboration against primary ethnographic texts by Boas, Teit, and others.
- Character and place names are often anglicized or generalized, reflecting editorial conventions of its era.
- Modern editions remain in print and are widely used for introductory exposure to Pacific Northwest storytelling.