Native Languages of the Americas: Gluscabi Stories and other Penobscot Legends
This is our collection of Penobscot folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American legends section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other, so you may also want to visit our page comparing
the stories from the Wabanaki tribes (which
include the Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki, and Penobscot Indians), since the traditional stories of those
tribes are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Penobscot legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Gluscabi (also spelled
Gluskabi, Gluskabe, Kloskurbeh, Glooskap, and several other ways.)
Gluscabi is the benevolent culture hero of the Wabanaki tribes (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.) His name is spelled so many different ways because
Penobscot and the other Wabanaki languages were originally unwritten, so English speakers just spelled it however
it sounded to them at the time. The correct Penobscot pronounciation is similar to glue-skaw-buh. Gluscabi shares
some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Algonquin
Nanabozho, Blackfoot
Napi, and Cree
Wesakaychak, and many of the same stories
are told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
˜Gici Niwaskw (also spelled Ketci Niweskwe,
Gichi Niwaskwa, and several other ways.) This means "Great Spirit" in the Abnaki-Penobscot language, and is the Penobscot name for the Creator (God.)
Gici Niwaskw is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is never personified in Wabanaki folklore. The name is pronounced
similar to gih-chee nih-wahsk, with a slight whistle at the end.
˜Malsum (also spelled Molsum, Môlsem or Malsumis.) This name, which simply means
"wolf" in Abnaki-Penobscot, is sometimes given as belonging to an evil wolf who is Gluscabi's twin brother. However, some Wabanaki elders have been adamant this is not
a real Wabanaki myth. It is likely an Anglo corruption of Chippewa and other Great Lakes Algonquian legends -- their culture hero, Nanabozho,
does have a twin brother who is a wolf (though that character is Nanabozho's closest friend, not evil.) Here is an
academic article about the possible origin of this confusion.
˜Grandmother Woodchuck (Nokemes Agaskw, in the Penobscot language.)
Gluscabi's wise old grandmother, who raised him.
˜Bemola (also spelled Bmola, Pmola, Pomola, Pamola, etc.) A bird
spirit that lived on Mt Katahdin and made cold weather. Pronounced buh-moh-lah.
˜Wuchowsen (also spelled Wajosen or Wad-zoo-sen) Another mountain
bird spirit, whose wings make the wind. Pronounced wuh-dzo-sen.
Native cultures
Gluscabi 
Gluskab 
