Etymology and The Mythical Stone Woman
Skagway was derived from Shԍagwei, the nickname for Kanagu, a mythical woman transformed into stone who lived at Skagway bay. Through association, shԍagwei also became the name for the rough seas that Kanagu caused and for the river that Kanagu “personified.”
According to Tlingit mythology as of 1882, a rock at Skagway bay was a woman transformed into stone named Kanagu. Also according to this mythology, when angry, Kanagu would send strong channeled winds through the Taiya Inlet, from the Skagway River to the area around Haines, Alaska. Further according to this mythology, Kanagu “personified” the Skagway River.
The river which Kanagu “personified” bore the name Shԍagwei. Shԍagwei was also the name for the rough seas caused by the winds attributed to Kanagu. (The Kanagu rock is likely to be Face Mountain, which overlooks Skagway bay.)
Shԍagwei was Kanagu’s nickname, describing her as beautiful, before she was transformed into stone. The nickname appears to have been derived from the Tlingit verb theme -sha-ka-l-ԍeí, which means, in the case of a woman, to be beautiful. Specifically, the word appears to have been created by omitting the verb classifier “-l-,” thus rendering a non-verb.
Read more about this topic: Skagway, Alaska
Famous quotes containing the words etymology, mythical, stone and/or woman:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)
“I have the strong impression that contemporary middle-class women do seem prone to feelings of inadequacy. We worry that we do not measure up to some undefined level, some mythical idealized female standard. When we see some women juggling with apparent ease, we suspect that we are grossly inadequate for our own obvious struggles.”
—Faye J. Crosby (20th century)
“Why silk is soft and the stone wounds
The child shall question all his days,
Why night-time rain and the breast’s blood
Both quench his thirst he’ll have a black reply.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“I would not trust a mouse to a woman if a man’s judgment could be had.”
—Elizabeth Gaskell (1810–1865)