“I smell blood” exclaims a quileute wolf as he struts away in hunt of flesh imagine the surprise when he wanders upon “The Cold Ones” (twilight vampires) their skin shimmering in the sunshine nearly blinding reflecting the sunlight. Additional wolves come as the pack once more recovers its strength in shear numbers. Undiscouraged by the presence of werewolves the vampires resume feeding upon a freshly killed elk. The wolves surround them and a battle soon ensues. A conflict that’s carried on throughout the ages, and continues still now. It all begins with a wandering transmuter and a wolf. This marks the beginnings of the Quileute Legends Folklore.
Fighting Ground of the Monsters
According to Quileute Legends, two monsters met on occasion in massive battle at the boundary between Elwha and Quileute territory. Equally matched, they devastated a huge area and wounded one another grievously, but neither ever killed the other. After the last such fight, both monsters hobbled home to caves, walled themselves in, and cried over their injuries. The steaming hot tears of both have run off of their dens and amassed to make the Sol Duc and Olympic hot springs. The Quileutes named the monster whose tears make the Sol Duc Hot Springs a’lakil “the monster who cries in the woods”. Is the the fabled battle between the wolves and vampires?
This is a similar impression left by the movie “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. With the release of the twilight DVD the quileute Indians have gained notoriety. The quileute legend in the movie was based on real legends that state that the quileutes are descended from wolves.
Quileute Legend
According to legend, the tribe was created from wolves by a traveling supernatural transmuter. Legend has it that he can be found in the upper reaches of the South Fork as this is among the places the Quileute transmuter, k’wati, lives. He also lives near the Little Quillayute Prairie. The name for which is founded on what the transmuter says “tsissss”.
Tell me of this “Little Quillayute Prairie” you ask? Mythical happenings are frequent in that location. In tribal history, Dask’iya had one of her three homes on the west edge of the prairie and she was fooled by the transmuter at one time while gathering wild onions. In Quileute Legends and Folklore, women on a regular basis come to the prairie to dig out fem roots to mash into flour: The mother of the Dog children came here and K’wati gave bees to the women and secured a wife by trickery. It is said that by the use of his magic they still live today as husband and wife and can be seen just before dawn in the south field. Don’t get any ideas about visiting La Push and seeking out K’wati or his wife. As he might just transform you into a wolf. After all he is known as the trickster.
And if you as well decide to look for the lair of the monster who cries in the woods [a’latkilti, ‘Crier in the Woods’ house] that location is uncertain. The monster’s cave has been walled up and over grown with wood, so no one knows exactly where it is. However, the monster’s tears still flow out of the ground forming the Soleduck hot springs [si’bi, ‘stinky place’]. Swimming in the waters and drinking them is helpful for stomach ailments, skin problems and sores, in addition to illness induced by spiritual imbalance. Quileutes call this place “skookum lamestin” (‘powerful medicine’]. According to the Twilight Saga, no doubt you’ll come across vampires in you quest or if you prefer to take the view from the myths from the tribe you’ll come across the quileute wolf.
It is said that, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Perhaps, “In the Beginning” the world was full of magic when this magic settled K’wati came into being. He then created the first quileutes from wolves and turned the first people into animals and that’s why the quileute have no real differentiation between animals and humans. In their eyes we are all equals.
Excerpts from the myths of quileute tribe suggest K’wati has been hiding out ever since, maybe you’re fated to uncover him.