Glooscap monument, Millbrook First Nation, Nova Scotia
Glooscap is a culture hero of the Wabanaki peoples, native indigenous peoples located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Atlantic Canada. There are numerous different versions of the legend of Glooscap as each tribe of the Wabanaki adapted the legend to their own region. At the same time, there are consistencies in the legend with Glooscap always portrayed as "kind, benevolent, a warrior against evil and the possessor of magical powers".
Name[]
Glooscap has various names, including Glooscap, Koluscap, Gluskabi and Kloskurbeh. This is for two reasons: first, these tribes spoke slightly different languages, and second, the languages were traditionally unwritten, so English speakers just spelled the name however it sounded to them at the time. Although some people have said "Glooscap" means "Man From Nothing" (or "Man who made himself from nothing,") that is incorrect-- it is a different Abenaki character, Odzihozo, whose name has that meaning. Glooscap actually means "liar" (the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy word for "to tell lies" is koluskapiw, and in Mi'kmaq, it is kluskapewit.) According to legend, Glooscap got this name after lying about his secret weakness to an evil spirit (in some stories, his own brother) and therefore escaping from a murder plot.
Glooscap and the water monster[]
According to some legends, Glooscap was hunting and came to a stream to drink in the forest. The forest water had all dried up and Glooscap was very thirsty. He visits forest villagers and asks for water. The village elder states that they also could not get any water to drink either, due to the stream having dried up. Glooscap walked up the dry bed of the stream until he came to a dam, containing an abundance of water. He tried to get some water in his gourd jug, but was stopped by a strange frog like warrior with green skin and webbed hands and feet. The creature stated "We can't give you any water unless our chief permits it. He wants all the water for himself." Glooscap sees the chief, a gigantic frog monster the size of a mountain (Aglebemu) .
The monster asks him, "Little man, what do you want?" Glooscap responds stating that he comes from a village downstream that is in need of some water. The monster replies, stating that if they want water to go elsewhere. Glooscap says that the people need water and are dying of thirst. This makes the monster say, "I don't care. Don't bother me. Go away, or I’ll swallow you up!”
Glooscap fights the monster, but finds that his arrows cannot pierce the thick frog’s skin. Eventually, he crafts a magic spear and stuck his spear into the frog's side, causing a stream of water to fill the brook. After all the water leaves the frog’s body, a small normal sized bullfrog remains and hops away in terror.
Other Legends[]
Gluskap was the one who created the earth and the first people, while his twin, Malsum, created all troublesome things. He killed the evil things, like the giants and witches, eventually ridding the earth of the evil spirit, Pamola.
Malsum eventually killed Gluskap with an owl feather, but Gluskap became alive again and killed Malsum in turn, this time with a fern. Eventually Malsum was reborn as an evil wolf called Lox. The Kewawkqu (demons) and the Medecolin (sorcerers) waged war against Gluskap for this outrage. Gluskap was eventually the winner, and a great feast for all animals was held in celebration.