Horn Pond Island Indian Legend Woburn, Massachusetts

The following story is about Wakima, Sachem in what is now Woburn,ma.Wakima fell asleep along the shore at Horn Pond, and a glowing ship appeared and floated across the pond towards him. A beautiful form aboard the boat instructed him to stop his tribe from worshipping lesser God’s than the Great Spirit. This ghost or vision said that if he made this happen, the fish and animals would be abundant in the forest, and something special would happen that following August.The story tells of how the island in Horn Pond was magically formed. It may be considered a ghost or even a UFO story. Horn Pond today does contain one small island. During the day’s of the Middlesex Canal, the island was much larger, and people would stop on the island for recreational purposes.The following is a condensed version of the Swan of Light story that was published American Myths & Legend’s by Charles Skinner: THERE was no island on Horn Pond, Massachusetts, in the long ago. When it was Lake Initou the [Native American’s] worshipped so many lesser God’s that they had no time to praise the one Master of Life. So it chanced that signs of anger were seen on the earth and in the heavens. Lake Initou, Mirror of the Spirit, was dark and troubled even in the calmest weather. Flashes of light and unaccountable sounds were seen and heard on Towanda and Mianomo [Rag Rock Mountain]. Then the game fled away, the fish grew scarce, the roots and berries suffered from a blight. As Chief Wakima lay in sleep on the lake shore he saw through his closed lids a growing light, and, opening his eyes, beheld a luminous boat advancing, self-driven, across the water, bearing a tall and beautiful form that also shown in white. The chief sprang to his feet in amazement, but sank to his knee’s again in awe when the boat grounded on the beach and the messenger stood before him, looking down with a face of sorrow and rebuke.The shining one said: “You pray to the air, to the lake, to the trees, that your people may not suffer from disease and hunger, from the heat of summer and the winter frosts. You do not appeal to the Spirit that rules all lesser one’s and all the earth. Are your prayers to the manitous of the woods and water’s answered? No; you have only sickness, famine, disappointment..