Of the old times: there lived a beautiful girl named Blue Flower. All the men in her village
wanted to marry her. One such young man was a skilled hunter. He would watch Blue Flower as she went about her chores and knew in his heart that he loved her. Finally, when the leaves were orange and the days grew cold, he grew brave enough to approach her and she smiled at him and he knew that they were meant to be together. So he went to the old woman of the village who carried proposals of marriage. He wanted to know if Blue Flower would consent to marry him.
The old woman told him that Blue Flower wanted nothing more than to be his wife. But
the hunter wanted to prove himself to her father and bring back mighty prey from the winter hunt, so he asked Blue Flower to wait for him until he returned from the winter hunt.
Blue Flower’s heart was full of love and she promised to remain true to him, whatever
happened. She told him that if he did not return, she would never marry another man. So the hunter got in his canoe and left, promising to return when the blue flowers bloomed and spring came.
The days grew shorter and colder and Blue Flower waited patiently for spring to come.
Then, on the coldest day of winter a war party attacked the village and destroyed it. They
carried away all the young girls, including Blue Flower. When the warriors reached their home territory, they forced the young women to become their wives. But Blue Flower refused to submit, even though the warriors threatened to burn her alive. Nothing, not even fire could make her break her promise.
The warriors were about to burn her at the stake, when the enemy chief intervened. Her
loyalty had impressed him. He hoped that she would change her mind and marry one of their warriors and their children would inherit her loyalty and courage. But Blue Flower never changed her mind.
When the blue flowers began to bloom, the hunters returned. They found their village in
ashes. The hunter was filled with fear for his bride. He gathered a band of warriors and they attacked the enemy village and rescued the captured woman, including Blue Flower who had never given up hope that the hunter would come for her. The hunter wanted to kill all those who had held his sweetheart prisoner, but Blue Flower was gentle and peace-loving, as well as a loyal sweetheart. She told him to spare their enemies and so he did. Soon after, she became his loyal wife.
This is a Passamaquoddy tale from North America and has been contributed by the Fairy Encyclopedia.
It is a part of our series, Folklore Worldwide. We are currently open to submissions from around the world, and you are welcome to send us your stories!
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