The Legend of Thirsty Horse

Brother Horse lived in solitude near a small village nestled in the crook of the Sleeping Maiden, Mount Tamalpais. Although Brother Horse was a tall, well-built man, he was shy and quiet, and always seemed small and almost invisible. When he attended village councils, he stood in shadow at the edge of the ring of light cast by the fire. When he gathered with the warriors to dance and sing, he seemed to blend into the background. When he crept into the village to share in the spoils of the hunt, the others laughed at him and called him Little Mouse.

One day, when Brother Horse was creeping silently through the village, he saw a beautiful young maiden, Malila. Her hair shone black as a raven, her eyes sparkled like fast flowing water, and her movements were graceful and lively as a bird. Brother Horse stood still, gazing at Malila, forgetting his shyness in her beauty.

‘I must marry that beautiful Maiden’, thought Brother Horse. But as Malila glanced over to Brother Horse and smiled, his old shyness overcame him and he melted away into the woods. ‘I am just a tiny mouse,’ he told himself. ‘Only a great man could marry a maiden so beautiful.’

As the days progressed, Brother Horse could think of nothing but Malila and how to win her as a bride. ‘But how?’. Brother Horse left his home to fast alone in the woods, and to seek the spirits and their counsel.

Five days and five nights Brother Horse fasted, wandering through the woods. On the fifth day he came upon a calm stream that sparkled and shone in the sun. ‘How like Malila’s eyes that stream is! Certainly it is a magic stream,’ said Brother Horse, and he crept out of the protection of the trees to drink.

As Brother Horse knelt over the stream, he saw a mighty, proud, warrior staring fiercely at him. His heart raced and he fled into the woods to hide. Yet he longed to drink the magic water, and decided to wait until the mighty warrior was gone to try again.

For three days Brother Horse approached the stream, only to be scared off by the mighty warrior who protected the clear stream. On the fourth day, Brother Horse stayed hidden in the woods, so thirsty that he could hardly speak. ‘When will the mighty warrior leave? If only I could drink the water!’

‘Brother Horse,’ a voice said, ‘why are you lying here thirsty when a stream runs close by?’

Brother Horse looked around, astonished. ‘Who is talking to me?’

‘Brother Horse, it is me, your Aunt Raven.’ Brother Horse looked up into the tree that he was hiding under. In it a delicate Raven rested, with sleek black feathers and shining eyes.

‘Aunt Raven,’ said Brother Horse, ‘I would drink from the magic stream but the mighty warrior who protects it is always there when I approach. If I could only drink the water – it would give me the courage to ask Malila to be my bride!’

‘Brother Horse, approach the stream,’ said Aunt Raven. The Raven flew down to the ground beside Brother Horse’s feet. ‘Let us see this mighty warrior who protects it.’

Together Brother Horse and Aunt Raven approached the stream, Aunt Raven hopping, and Brother Horse crawling in trepidation. As Brother Horse leaned over the stream to drink, the face of the Mighty Warrior stared back at him.

‘Aunt Raven!’ he cried as he scrambled away from the stream. ‘See – the mighty warrior who protects this magic stream is there!’ he cried in terror. Aunt Raven cocked her head and eyed Brother Horse.

‘Brother Horse, there is no need for you to be thirsty!’ she laughed. ‘The mighty warrior that you see protecting the stream is only a reflection of your own image! Kneel and drink!’

Brother Horse looked at Aunt Raven in astonishment. ‘Can it be true?’ he wondered. ‘Have I let my own fears prevent me from drinking at the magic stream?’ He gathered his courage and crept to the edge of the stream, and looked into the water. As he looked, he saw a mighty warrior reflected in the water. As he turned, the warrior turned. As he smiled, the warrior smiled.

‘Aunt Raven,’ laughed Brother Horse, ‘You were right! There is nothing to be afraid of in this stream. From now on I will be called Thirsty Horse to remind me of the day I overcame the fear of my own reflection.’

Thirsty Horse leaned into the magic stream and took a long, satisfying drink. As he raised his head to smile at Aunt Raven, to his amazement, Aunt Raven began to change. Her black feathers became a thick black braid of hair; her sparkling eyes deepened to a warm, shining brown; her form lengthened into that of young woman. In a flash, the young maiden Malila stood where Aunt Raven had been. Malila smiled and her face glowed. ‘Thirsty Horse,’ she laughed, ‘you have proved yourself worthy to be my husband. Come back to the village and feast with me’. Malila took Thirsty Horse by the hand, and together they walked back to the village.