Putting aside the fantastical elements that accrue to such stories retold over centuries, the legend offers several intriguing clues regarding the origin of the Dei.
First, it traces their origin to the mixing of a local woman (or, more probably, women) and a migrant man (or men), who apparently arrived from up north via the St. Paul River. Second, it points to knowledge of metal smelting as central to the identity of the new people that emerged.
Footnote: For the use of stereotypes and formulaic elements in oral traditions, see Jan Vansina, Oral Tradition as History (Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), pp. 88-91, also pp. 12, 21, 28, 47, 50, 52-53, 71, 86, 137, 139-140, 144-146.
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