Sunday, September 28, 2008

Princess Scargo


I posted this story a couple of years ago. I am reposting it in an attempt to share some of my hometown with those unfamiliar with Cape Cod. The pictures are ones I took one very cold day when we visited Scargo Tower. I remember going there as a child and climbing the stairs to get to the top of the tower. Somehow it seemed much higher back then LOL! I'm sure Tim thought it was pretty high that day too. From the top of the tower I took the picture of the lake. It is hard to see the fish shape from the photo, but it is indeed shaped like a fish!

Once, the beautiful Princess Scargo, lived along the Dennis shores. She was part of the Bobuset tribe, lead by her father Sagem. One day, a brave young runner from a faraway tribe happened to espy the Princess. At once, the two fell madly in love.
To show his devotion, the brave gave the Princess a beautifully carved pumpkin, which he had hollowed out and filled with water. Four small silvery fish were inside. He promised to return to the Princess before the fish had fully grown.
The Princess adored her gift. She hollowed out a small pond in a clearing and returned every day. As the fish grew, the time apart from her beloved diminished.
The summer was long and dry, though. One morning, when she arrived at the pond, she found it dry. Three of the fish were dead. As she wept uncontrollably, her tears kept the one remaining fish alive.

Her grief greatly distressed her father. Sagem called a meeting at which it was decided a lake was needed for Princesses' fish. The strongest and most skilled brave was instructed to shoot an arrow. When it fell, the spot was marked. The brave shot 3 more arrows to mark the remaining boundaries for the lake. Then, squaws, using clamshells as shovels, dug a hole within the boundaries, which was then filled by fall rains.
The fish thrived in the lake and Princess Scargo resumed her wait for her lover. As promised, he returned before the fish had matured, and they were married soon after. They continued to live along the shore of Scargo Lake, where the descendants of the silvery fish-a token of love-still swim.

(from capecodtravel.com)

take care,
Dawn

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good morning, Dawn.

I always liked this story. And, the lake is indeed shaped like a fish.

bj said...

This is so amazing...I enjoyed reading it so much...thanks for sharing.
love, bj

Unknown said...

Hi Dawn,
Thanks for posting. This is a very interesting story.

The Scargo tower looks intriguing!

Darlene said...

WOW what an amazing story and I so enjoyed reading it. That tower looks neat to climb in too.

SmilingSally said...

What a nice tale; thanks for repeating. I often wonder at what good stuff I've missed by not blogging sooner in life.

Anonymous said...

Dawn, thank you for posting that lovely story today. It is so interesting I read it twice. Some day I want to visit the Cape. I know there is so much history there. What a lovely place to live. Lucky you.

Love, Jeanne

Theresa @ Take A Sentimental Journey said...

How interesting Dawn . The lake does indeed look like a fish! Enjoyed this very much.

Anonymous said...

The lake DOES look like a fish!That was such a nice story...so thats what its all about. I've been to CapeCode once when my boys were younger and really enjoyed my vacation there. A very pretty place. Thank you for sharing...
Judi

Cottage Rose said...

Dawn; what a lovely story. How romantic too, I was so glad to read it had a happy ending, I was beginning to worry. lol Thank you for the story.

Have a great week.

Hugs;
Alaura