The Other Side of the Wind

Once there was a woman that wanted to sail to the other side of the wind. Whenever the wind blew, it blew her away, and no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t fight her way through to the other side. When the wind dropped, she couldn’t find it again to try again. 

So she went to the sea and cried to the waves to help her. The waves agreed, but said she must let the waves control the boat. The woman agreed eagerly and when the wind blew again, she climbed into her boat and set off. She kept her sail reefed and the waters carried her into the wind. It blew more and more fiercely. The woman became scared and tried to steer the ship with the rudder. In that instant her sail unfurled , the sea flattened and the wind blew her back to shore. 

The woman was happy to be back on land and for some time did not wonder what was on the other side of the wind. But soon she became curious and again went to the sea to speak to the waves. The waves were reluctant, but the woman begged and the waves pitied her, so they relented. 

Again when the wind blew, she got into her boat and let the waves carry her into the wind. It became stormy and the woman was afraid that she would be tipped from her boat and drown. Again she took the rudder and again the sail unfurled, the waters flattened and the wind blew her back to shore. 

The woman remained happy on land for many moons after that, but she couldn’t help looking into the wind every time it blew. After some time she returned to the waves, the knowing inside her telling her she must do this, even if she drowned, for it was better than living without trying. She begged and begged the waves until they agreed once again. 

When the wind blew she climbed into her boat and resolved not to touch the rudder, even if it meant her death. The wind blew into a hurricane, the waves grew high and powerful, pushing her little boat on and on into the wind. She was bruised all over from being knocked around the little boat and, just when she thought she would surely die, she glided into calm waters under a full moon and the twin peaks of a land ahead. 

She had travelled for three days and three nights in that storm to reach this place. 

“Where am I?” she asked the waves. 

“This is the land of the wind”, said the waves. 

The peaks were forested and beautiful bird song drifted over the water. Her boat was pushed gently onto a silvery sandy beach and the woman jumped out. The sky was full of stars and she spied a path that led through the dark trees. Curiosity burned in her and she headed for the path. The trees blocked out the light of the stars and moon, and the woman could not see the path ahead. She held her arms out to feel the trees and took faltering steps in the dark. 

After a while she heard the sound of rushing water and felt a great thirst. She came upon a river cutting across her path. She knelt down and felt with her hands for the edge. When she was about to dip her hands in and take a deep drink, a voice spoke out. 

“If you drink this, you will forget everything you ever were.” The woman looked up to see a heron, snowy white plumage glowing in the dark. “This is the river of forgetting, if you drink from it, you will be lost forever.” The woman shuddered. 

“Thank you”, she said, and saw by the heron’s glow a series of stones to cross the river. 

The path was still dark and she stumbled up the mountain until she smelled fresh-baked bread, fruit, all manner of delicious things. Following the scent, the woman found a great feast laid out on a rock. She felt a crusty loaf in her hands and tore off a piece. As she lifted the bread to her mouth, a voice spoke out again. 

“If you eat this, you will sleep forever and never wake.” The woman looked up to see the heron again. “This is the feast of the sleeping death. If you eat it, you will be lost forever.” The woman was hungry, but she put down the food and thanked the heron. 

She continued on until she reached the peak of the mountain. The stars and moon shone and she could see far across the sea in every direction, where she had sailed from and all directions leading away from the island. Across at the other peak she saw a bright glow, like a star shining from the top of the mountain. Her heart yearned to bathe in the light, but it was so far away. She would have to go all the way back down into the darkness and climb the other peak. Then she heard a voice again.

“Because you listened to me, I will help you again.” She looked up to see the heron. “I can fly you to the other peak, but you must keep your eyes closed the whole time. If you open them, I will not be able to hold onto you, and you will fall.”

The woman agreed and remembering the waves, closed her eyes and felt the earth fall away from under her feet. She was scared and had a great urge to open her eyes, but she fought it back, listening to the steady wingbeats of the heron. Then she felt her feets on solid earth again.

“You may open your eyes now”, said the heron. 

The woman opened her eyes and saw the bright star glowing ahead of her. Turning, she bowed her head and thanked the heron. Then she turned back towards the star shining on top of a large stone, and walked towards it. As she approached it, she saw that it was a golden bag, richly embroidered. She reached out for it and stopped, uncertain. 

“Is this for me?” she asked. A voice blew in on the wind. 

“It is.” The woman took the bag and opened it. As she did a great wind blew forth from it. 

“This is the Bag of the Winds,” said the wind. “Whenever you have need of the wind, just open this bag and we will blow. If you open it facing south, we will blow from the north. Whichever way you face, we will blow from behind you and send you to where you are facing.”

“Thank you Great Winds for this gift,” said the woman. 

She made her way back down the mountainside as dawn lit the sky, her way was clear. She got back into her boat and looked at the way she had come. Saying goodbye in her heart, she turned to look the other way and opened the bag. A great wind came and blew her away, out into the sea. 

She travelled for many years by the winds. She went to many exotic and mysterious places and met many wonderful and interesting people, until one day she desired to see the little fishing village of her home. It took many days and night, but she came once more to her home. And there she stayed ever after, using the winds to blow trouble away from their doors.

© Elena Tornberg-Lennox 2022