Glooscap, the mythic being created by the Great Spirit, was possessed of both human and God-like traits. Gifted by the Great Spirit with both spiritual and physical power, Glooscap is at the centre of many of the creation tales of Nova Scotia's first people, the Mi'kmaq. Exploring this sea-bound province on Canada's East Coast with the legends of Glooscap in mind gives an extraordinary, ancient perspective to any Nova Scotia vacation.
Through legend and story, the Mi'kmaq people came to understand the natural phenomena of the land they inhabited - a land where the world's highest tides wash ashore, where giant rocks and sea-stacks dot the coast, where rivers cut a swath through seemingly endless pine tree forests.
In the Bay of Fundy the tides rise and fall 16 meters (52 feet), a greater tidal range than anywhere else on earth. As you walk on the ocean floor at low tide or ride the waves on a whale watching tour at high tide, bear in mind the Legend of Glooscap and the Whale. The Mi'kmaq story tells us that when Glooscap wanted to take a bath, he asked friendly Beaver to help him by finding water where the giant God-Man could bathe. Beaver complied by damming the mouth of a great river, creating a vast pool. As Glooscap lowered himself into the pool, Whale stuck her head over the dam and questioned the mighty being: "Why have you stopped the water from reaching me?". Not wishing to anger Whale, Glooscap stepped out of the water. Whale smashed Beaver's dam with one blow from her magnificent tail and salt water rushed back into the great river. Satisfied, Whale turned and swam back to the sea, setting the waters behind sloshing to and fro in a never-ending motion of ebb and flow.
Five Islands, near Parrsboro on Nova Scotia's Minas Shore, represent another of the province's remarkable natural wonders. The islands rise dramatically from the water with their red rock cliffs topped by volcanic rock. According to legend these islands were formed when Glooscap turned himself into a beaver. Angry at a disrespectful beaver, Glooscap punished the creature and slapped his huge tail in the water with such power that he stirred up the earth beneath the waves.
A hike up to Cape Blomidon, a stunning promontory that juts out where the Annapolis Valley meets the waters of the Minas Basin, takes you to Glooscap's dwelling place, the starting point for many Mi'kmaq legends including The Story of the Lazy Rabbit. From his home on Blomidon, Glooscap spied lazy rabbit spending his days singing and watching others work. Glooscap strode down from Blomidon in three huge strides and spoke to rabbit, warning him to change his ways. Though frightened, Rabbit tried to convince others to do his work for him and lazily imitated the seemingly easier tasks of others like Woodpecker who just knocked his head on trees for food. But Rabbit went hungry before he finally learned the lesson Glooscap set out to teach him - that it was better to be busy and gather your own food than rely on the efforts of others. When Rabbit changed his tune and sang the song: It's a wiser thing to be busy, busy constantly! Glooscap, on far away Blomidon lit his pipe, breathed the smoke and smiled.
A visit to the Glooscap Heritage Centre, the Bear River Cultural Centre, or the Wagmatcook Cultural and Heritage Centre would be the perfect starting point for a legendary tour of Nova Scotia.