According to an ancient legend from northern Canada, mosquitoes originated from an incredible adventure.
One day, four brothers, the sons of a respected chief, stumbled upon the house of Baxwbakwalanuksiwe’, a terrifying cannibal spirit. Welcomed inside, they soon realized they were about to become his next meal. Thinking quickly, they made an excuse to step outside and collect their arrows—then fled as fast as they could.
The man-eating spirit chased after them, but the brothers had magical objects to slow him down. A sharpening stone became an impassable mountain, goat fat turned into a deep lake, a comb created a dense thicket, and down feathers summoned a thick fog. Thanks to these tricks, they managed to return home safely and prepare a plan to defeat Baxwbakwalanuksiwe’.
When the spirit finally arrived, exhausted but determined, the eldest brother welcomed him politely and invited him to return with his family for a great feast. Meanwhile, the brothers and their father dug a deep pit beneath a hidden seat. When Baxwbakwalanuksiwe’ and his relatives arrived, they sat down and were lulled to sleep by the brothers’ stories.
That was the moment the brothers sprang their trap. The seat collapsed, and the man-eating spirit and his family fell into the pit. Boiling water and burning stones sealed their fate. But their ashes did not simply vanish. According to legend, they rose into the air and transformed into mosquitoes and other biting insects, forever continuing the cannibal spirit’s hunger for human blood.
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