Sedna

Sedna was a lovely young lady whose dad, a widower, was continually attempting to marry her away, but she refused. She continued to turn down her countless admirers. One day, a marine bird assured her that he would whisk her off to his "pleasant, magnificent" abode. The young lady eloped with the bird, but their "pleasant, magnificent" abode turned out to be a dirty, stinky nest.

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To compound problems, her fiancé treated her as if she were a slave. Sedna pleaded with her dad to come and get her, and he obliged. However, as they made their way across the waves, a group of sea birds encircled the boat. Their constant beating of their wings created a massive storm, which thrashed their little craft from side to side. Sedna's father, fearful for his own life, flung her into the water to satisfy the furious birds.

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When Sedna attempted to re-enter the boat, he severed her fingers. He severed her hands and flung her and her limbs into the sea as she attempted to use her damaged hands to attempt again. Her fragmented parts evolved into fishes, seals, whales, and all other marine creatures as she plummeted to the depth of the ocean.

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Origin: Mythology of the Inuit/Eskimo

Other name of the tale: The Legend of Sedna