Tradition: Pawnee Mythology, American Mythology
Alternative Names: Ghost-Man, Whirlwind Spirit
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Ghost-Man was a mysterious man who lived among graveyards and rarely stayed at home. Whenever he entered a village, whirlwinds appeared around him, rising beside him before suddenly disappearing. People suspected that he was a ghost because of his strange connection to these swirling winds. Despite his frightening nature, Ghost-Man possessed the power to heal those whose spirits were threatened by supernatural forces.
When a man became gravely ill because a ghost or whirlwind was trying to steal his spirit, Ghost-Man offered to help. Sitting beside the sick man, he gathered dust and threw it into the air, creating a whirlwind that enveloped the patient. The sick man recovered, and Ghost-Man returned home without demanding any payment. He continued healing others who suffered from the same mysterious illness. On another occasion, he was summoned to treat a man who had fallen ill after dreaming of the dead.
This time, Ghost-Man did not throw dust into the air. Instead, he spun around and transformed his own body into a whirlwind that surrounded the sick man and restored his health. However, Ghost-Man made a terrible mistake: he failed to transform himself back into human form. When the whirlwind subsided, only a skeleton remained on the ground. Terrified, the people fled from the lodge, but the recovered man stayed behind, gathered the bones, and buried them. From this strange event came the belief that whirlwinds are ghosts or spirits, and the story serves as a warning about the mysterious and dangerous powers of those who practise spiritual healing.
Sources
Dorsey, George A. The Pawnee: Mythology (Part I). Collected under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1906.
