Legends - The Giant Fish

Legends - The Giant Fish would like to collect legends from throughout the world.  Please feel free to add a legend from your home.  You can write it in the log or in the journal that Legends carries.

Legends – The Giant Fish

            The word “LEGEND” comes from the Latin, legenda, meaning, “things to be read.”  The listeners and storytellers perceive these narratives, though unauthenticated, to have taken place within human history.  They operate within the realm of uncertainty, are never entirely believed by the participants, yet never resolutely doubted.  Legends generally represent attempts by people to explain the world around them and may hold clues to understanding cultures and how they have been shaped over time.

            One of the most central stories of ancient Guam is the story that explains why the island is narrow in the middle, how water sometimes seems to flow from one side of the island to the other, and why ancient Chamorros believed that women should not be subordinate to men.  Although there are many versions of this tale, when combined together they provide many historical/cultural insights.  The story goes like this . . .

How the Women Saved Guam

            It was said that many years ago when respect for others had been lost, a giant Parrot fish was sent by the ancestral spirits and began eating right through the center of the island.  The men tried valiantly, but unsuccessfully, to kill the giant monster to save the island, but were unsuccessful with their spears and nets.  The Women gave thought to what could be done, cut and wove their long hair into a giant net.  Working together, they were able to pull the fish onto land and save the island.

Moral Lesson:  Remember, show respect.  Take care of this island and each other.  Only then will this sea and this land be yours.