A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Pulowech, called Mitchihess in the Passamaquoddy naming comparison, lives with Wejek, the Tree Partridge. He captures a water woman’s hair-string after she and her companions dive beneath the winter ice; she subsequently comes to live with him. Cannibal sorcerers imitate her family’s voices until she admits them. They kill her, then Wejek when he pursues them. Pulowech discovers their fate through a supernatural sign and sets out after the attackers.
His enemies cannot remain safely concealed. He disables sorcerers partly hidden inside rock and kills others disguised as geese. A squirrel whom he has healed becomes his champion against the formidable Weisum. She enlarges and produces two rapidly growing young, and the three defeat the beast. Its keeper next strands Pulowech in a canoe entering a dangerous river cavern, but he passes safely through and discovers the keeper reporting to his grandmother.
The grandmother, one of the Porcupines, threatens to roast him and piles bark on the fire. Pulowech survives the heat, increases it and destroys both enemies before returning home. The text’s apparent movement from a relatively vulnerable husband to an overwhelmingly powerful avenger belongs to this narrative; Leland’s proposed parallel with Odin is an editorial comparison, not an established historical connection.
Origins & earliest records
Leland labels the tale Mi’kmaq and credits the Rand manuscript. The selected chapter does not identify an individual oral narrator. Its Passamaquoddy vocabulary comparisons and references to another version do not establish that every detail comes from one community witness.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected narrative and attached source notes were inspected. Leland’s editorial comparisons and theories remain separate from the narrated actions.
In the literature
“And yet I am alive.”
The Adventures of the Great Hero Pulowech, or the Partridge; complete chapter/all notes · Leland English collected retelling; specific credits retained
Pulowech secures a water-fairy wife through her hair string. Sorcerers imitate her relatives, abduct and kill her; friend Wejek also dies. Pulowech pursues revenge, defeats rock-hidden and goose-shaped enemies and helps squirrel Meeko. Her two suddenly born young help kill Weisum. The opponent then betrays him into a dark river cavern; he survives and returns to destroy the Porcupine grandmother and wizard in fire. Wife and Wejek are not restored.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Algonquin Legends of New England
The Adventures of the Great Hero Pulowech, or the Partridge; complete narrative and final Rand attribution.
- 02
The Algonquin Legends of New England — The Adventures of the Great Hero Pulowech, or the Partridge
Original work1884; Gutenberg6803 selected transcription, exact source print impression/pages unidentified. Full Preface and Authorities independently read.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
The Algonquin Legends of New England
Original work1884; Gutenberg6803 selected transcription, exact source print impression/pages unidentified. Full Preface and Authorities independently read.
- Pulowech secures a water-fairy wife through her hair string. Sorcerers imitate her relatives, abduct and kill her; friend Wejek also dies. Pulowech pursues revenge, defeats rock-hidden and goose-shaped enemies and helps squirrel Meeko. Her two suddenly born young help kill Weisum. The opponent then betrays him into a dark river cavern; he survives and returns to destroy the Porcupine grandmother and wizard in fire. Wife and Wejek are not restored.
The Adventures of the Great Hero Pulowech, or the Partridge; complete chapter/all notes
No whole collection, separately recorded oral transcript or separately cited manuscript/comparative edition inspected. Variant/narrator distinctions preserved; no earliest/diffusion/treatment proof claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textLeland 1884: The Adventures of the Great Hero Pulowech, or the PartridgeResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.