Mówas Sléwis South Wind
Tániäs Sléwis North Wind
Tkálmas Sléwis West Wind
Tkálmas Sléwis and his younger brother lived together. Tkálmas had two
wives, Mówas Sléwis and Tániäs Sléwis; Mówas had a little baby.
Mówas was mild and kind and pleasant. The weather was nice when she was
at home, but Tániäs was always cross and stormy.
Mówas went to visit her father at Moasänik, and only Tániäs was left at
Tkálmas’ house. Right away it grew cold in the house and there was snow
and ice everywhere. Tkálmas’ brother sat all the time looking toward
the south, and kept saying: “I wish my sister-in-law would come. We
shall die if she doesn’t come soon; we shall freeze to death.”
At last he saw Mówas coming. When she was still a long way off the snow
on the top of the house began to melt, and water dripped down through
the smoke hole, but as fast as it fell it dried up.
Tkálmas’ brother said: “Oh my best sister-in-law, even if water freezes
as hard as a rock, you can melt it. No matter how much ice there is,
your soft breath thaws it. You are the kindest and the most useful
woman in this world.”
Tkálmas heard what his brother said, but he didn’t care; he was glad
that Mówas had come. The house was dry now and the sun was shining.
Mówas gave them nice things to eat, things she had brought from
Moasänik.
Tániäs was angry at her brother-in-law, and jealous of Mówas, so as
soon as Mówas came home Tániäs took all of Tkálmas’ beautiful beads,
white, and yellow, and every color, took the nice things she had
brought when she came to marry him, and went back to her home in the
north. But once each year she goes to her husband, and stays with him
till Mówas comes home from Moasänik; then she gets angry and jealous
and goes back to her home in the north.