Odziozo,
also called
Oodzee-hozo, is a giant in Algonquin (specifically
Abenaki) legend. His name means "He who Created Himself," or "Transformer."
He is attributed with the creation of
Lake Champlain,
Tuxis Island and
Tuxis Pond,
Rock Dunder, and
Samson Rock, among other landforms, including
mountains and
. The legend states that he grew his arms and head from his body, but his legs grew slowly. He passed the time by forming
valleys,
meadows, and
hills. After carving out and flooding Champlain, then known as
Bitawbágw,
Petoubouque or
Petonbowk, meaning 'lake in between,' he followed a flock of migrating geese south along a glacier. He arrived in Madison,
Connecticut, where he took a handful of earth and flung it to sea. The piece that landed in Long Island Sound became Tuxis Island, and another piece that fell out of his hand became Samson Rock. The hole, Tuxis Pond, was filled in the resulting splash. Odziozo then turned, stepping on the rock (It is assumed his legs were grown in by then), and went back to
Vermont to get to his home, Rock Dunder, where, exhausted, he turned himself into a stone, so as to be permanently with his favorite creation.
Odziozo is often said to have lived before animals evolved legs, and, as such, many of the landforms he created were caused by the dragging of his body by his long arms. Rock Dunder, in Shelburne, Vermont, is supposedly where his spirit and body are kept.
Odziozo has a regatta named after him in Lake Champlain.
At least one expert thinks that the glacier mentioned in the legend was added in the 17th century.
Name variants
Odziozo has several name variants, including
Wo-ja-ho-sen,
Odzihozo,
Odzihózo,
Bemee-geedzin-pobi-zeed,
Odzeez,
Odzihodo, and
Ojihozo. He is often confused with
Glooscap.
See also
