Mount Timpanogos is the second largest mountain the Wasatach Mountain Range. Every day in college I looked up at it. Every day for the last four years I have driven by it. I have hiked it 2 times and hiked to the Mount Timpanogos Caves 2 times in my life. Needless to say, it is a fixture in my life.
This is a view of Mount Timpanogos near where I live now. It looks like a sleeping woman. Do you see it? Her head would be to the left of the picture, followed by her breasts, and to the right, her feet.
When I was a child, I was told a legend about Mount Timpanogos. The legend is different based on who is telling you the story. There once was a young Indian maiden who fell in love with a man from another tribe. When their families wouldn’t let them marry, she climbed to the top of Mount Timpanogos and jumped off. Which is why the mount looks like a woman sleeping. I also heard that Mount Timpanogos looks like a woman sleeping because she is the guardian over all the valley. I seriously doubt that either of these legends are actually Native American legends, but were made up by others.
As I was going through some old poetry I have written, I came across this poem I wrote about Mount Timpanogos about three years ago. It is a little (maybe more than a little) sensual. I was actually surprised when I re-read it.
Mount Timpanogos
Her peaks curve gently,
Purposefully, like a
Woman’s body.
Each curve adds depth and
Beauty with a sweet
Innocence and
Simplicity.
The sun kisses her hips and
Dances across her breasts.
Winds cools her,
Blowing her hair
Sounding a soft rustling.
Rain washes across her
Back and down her legs
And gives us drink.
I climb to her peaks and
Look at the valley through
Her eyes.
Her people drink the
Sweat from her back.
They fly their kites
In the breath of her soft song.
They glow in the warmth
Of her reflective light.
They dance an innocent dance
Across the rolls of the earth.
They walk with a purpose
In their step,
Sheltered by her watchful gaze.
Long one here. Ready?
Last year I hiked up to the cave with my 5th graders and asked the guide to retell me the legend. As you said, I’m sure there are many versions, but here is basically what she shared with me.
There was a BYU professor who told his class of a legend that had never been heard before by the white man. This is a true statement because the professor himself wrote the story. It tells of a tribe that was suffering from a drought. To try and appease the gods of the mountain, they were to offer a sacrifice of their Indian princess. This woman was sent up to the mountain. Just before she was to throw herself off a cliff, a man (from another tribe) saw her and was amazed by her beauty. Realizing that she was about to kill herself, he called out to her to stop. She believed him to be a god. They lived together on the mountain. At one point they were attacked by a wild animal (bear?) and when she saw that he bled, she knew he couldn’t be a god. She then chose to complete her mission and obligation to her gods by leaping to her death. They say that the “heart” stalactite in the cave is her bleeding heart.
Interesting the legends and myths that we want so badly to be true.
I’m excited about your new goals and plenty of posts to read coming soon!
That is a new one to me. I didn’t include this in my post, but I also heard that the “heart” stalactite in the cave is the two hearts of the Indian maiden and her love. I love all the folklore!