Quileute Legends | Folklore | Myths | Stories

All societies have a folklore, or, core, of superstitions that help in shaping the belief system that sustains that group of people. The belief these past legends is alive with what seems today as wild imagination. However, it is said that all legend has a grain of truth behind it.

Several Native American tribal legends are embellished with the supernatural, as we know it, and have lived on from generation to generation to help the younger ages alive with the culture of the past, instead of being completely washed away in the modern ages.

The Quileute legends, as with many other Native American tribes, hold that the ancestry was seeded from the wolf. The creature known as Q’wati, or, the Transformer, was the cultural hero said to have birthed not only the Quileute, but also their close neighbors. Q’wati, the Transformer, according to legend, was the first of the shape-shifter, able to morph himself from man to animal at will.

Many of the true believers in these legends hold that, under certain rituals and natural circumstances, such as a full moon, would cause a one of true blood to shift to his spiritual form. A shape-shifting ritual, where the man actually takes on the form of a wolf, often these ceremonies were conducted alone, and with the help of various hallucinogenic herbs. The Wolf holds high regard among the Quileute people, due to its’ stature as the source of life as they know it.

Recent searches for The Cold Ones have been conducted on the internet under common Quileute folklore, however, they are not truly a part of actual legend. The story of the Cold Ones tells us that they are, in actuality, vampires. But, instead of being part of legend of these tribes, they are actually a fictitious “addition” to the Quileute legends by a famous bestselling author. In the stories told by this author, The Cold Ones are at odds with the Quileute, who, according to legend, are the shape-shifting wolves. It holds the lately popular vampires vs. werewolves story, while incorporating a deeply attractive love story between a couple of teenagers in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington.

Quileute legend also holds deep emphasis on the Thunderbird, a seemingly mythical bird of immense size. A predatory bird, the Thunderbird would send evil spirits that would havoc and pandemonium on the land. Several Native American cultures would worship this vulture-like bird, with a said wingspan of between 20-25 feet, in order to win their favor with this deity, to minimize the attacks on their land, and cause the Great Bird to look elsewhere to release its’ wrath. Quileute legend claims that this bird was large enough to carry a whale in its’ claws, and its’ wings beat loud enough to sound like thunder, hence, the name.

Bayaq, the Raven, is also known as the Trickster. Occasionally, he is known to help humanity, although his motives are always of his own gain. Most of Bayaq’s traits are viewed as adverse among the Native American cultures. Normally, within legend, the Raven is portrayed as mischievous, and gets into trouble or other end due to his misbehavior.

Dask’iya is the bedtime scary story for Quileute children. Both a cannibal and an ogre, Dask’iya is said to carry away wayward children in her basket and eat them. Several concocted stories were created by parents to keep their children from misbehaving.

Native American legends, always very fascinating and colorful, to this day remain a distinguishing shaper of the individual tribe’s culture, and are still passed down from generation to generation. The Quileute are no exception, their tribal legends as colorful and imaginative as ever, making them a people rich in both culture and heritage.