# Point Grey explained — Legends of Vancouver

> Chapter companion for Legends of Vancouver by E. Pauline Johnson.

## What happens

A young Squamish friend tells the narrator the legend of Homolsom Rock, a stone at Point Grey that was once the Tyee of the West Wind, a cruel storm god who challenged the Sagalie Tyee. The Four Men, sent by the Sagalie Tyee, turned the West Wind into stone, decreeing that he would serve mankind by granting favorable winds to those who touch the rock with a paddle-blade. The narrator reflects on the enduring power of the rock, fed by the unspoiled sea.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and Landscape as Sacred

Homolsom Rock is imbued with spiritual power from the unspoiled sea, and the landscape of Point Grey is revered as a battleground of the West Wind.

### Colonial Encounter and Cultural Exchange

The name 'Homolsom' blends Squamish and Fraser River languages, and the place is called Point Grey by 'Palefaces' but 'The Battle Ground of the West Wind' by Indians.

### Morality and Ethical Conduct

The West Wind's cruelty and defiance of the Sagalie Tyee lead to his transformation into a servant of mankind, emphasizing that kindness cannot die.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator listens to the legend of Homolsom Rock from a young Squamish friend and reflects on her own superstitions about the sea.

### Sagalie Tyee

The Sagalie Tyee sends the Four Men to subdue the West Wind and later decrees the rock's power to serve fishermen.

### The Four Men

The Four Men arrive in a magic canoe, withstand the West Wind's tempests, and turn the West Wind into Homolsom Rock.

### Homolsom Rock

The rock is the transformed Tyee of the West Wind, now a source of 'good medicine' for those who touch it with a paddle.

## Key lines

> You know that only waters unspoiled by human hands can be of any benefit. One gains no strength by swimming in any waters heated or boiled by fires that men build.

Natural waters, untouched by human alteration, are the only source of true strength and wisdom.

_The young Squamish friend explains the purity required for Homolsom Rock's power._

> He was Tyee of the West Wind, and his storms and tempests were so mighty that the Sagalie Tyee Himself could not control the havoc that he created.

The West Wind was a powerful storm god whose destruction was beyond even the Sagalie Tyee's control.

_Describes the West Wind's original nature before his transformation._

> The Paleface calls the place Point Grey, but the Indians yet speak of it as 'The Battle Ground of the West Wind.'

The location known as Point Grey to settlers is still called 'The Battle Ground of the West Wind' by Indigenous people.

_Highlights the cultural difference in naming and significance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/point-grey
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters