The Bride from the South

The North embarked on a journey, visiting various tribes until he eventually fell in love with the daughter of the South. He wished to marry her, and while the girl was agreeable, her parents were concerned. They remarked, “Since your arrival, the weather has turned cold, and if you remain here, we might all freeze.” The North pleaded earnestly, promising that if they allowed him to marry their daughter, he would take her back to his homeland. Reluctantly, they agreed to the union.

After the marriage, the North took his bride to his own country, where she discovered that the people lived in houses made of ice. The following day, as the sun rose, the ice houses began to leak and melt, and the warmth increased steadily. Soon, the people approached the young husband, urging him to send his wife back to her parents before the entire settlement melted away. Though he loved his wife dearly, the rising temperatures and the people’s urgent pleas left him no choice but to send her back to the South.

The people reasoned that, being born in the South and having been nourished by the climate there, her nature was inherently warm and incompatible with the North. This retelling honors the Cherokee tradition from which it originates, acknowledging that the story belongs to its people.