When asked who the Yaukûl people were the story-teller said: “They were
stone people.” The Modoc word for stone is bondak, that for rock is
gowan. In a fragment of a variant of this myth Frost is one of the
characters. The Modocs had a name for the different manifestations of
frost; it is possible that Yaukûl is one of those names.
Góshgoise personifies spring. His grandmother made him a bright blue
quiver out of her own hair. Then she made a spear that would last
always and never get old,—lightning. He killed the Yaukûl people, then
battled with the Kaudokis and the Juljulcus. He gave his spear, long
lightning, to Juljulcus, and took Juljulcus’ spear, heat lightning,
“that lightning which flashes around the sky in warm weather.” He went
to Tsmuk’s house, and Iúnika (Twilight), Tsmuk’s daughter, who owned
the moon, became his wife.
In this myth the idea that “bad thoughts” bring misfortune is brought
out very strongly. A bad thought causes much trouble.