The Reluctant Shaman
| "The Reluctant Shaman" | |
|---|---|
| Author | L. Sprague de Camp |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Published in | Thrilling Wonder Stories |
| Publisher | Standard Magazines, Inc. |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | April, 1947 |
"The Reluctant Shaman" is a contemporary fantasy story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in the magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories for April 1947. It first appeared in book form in the collection The Reluctant Shaman and Other Fantastic Tales (Pyramid, 1970); it later appeared in the magazine Science Fiction Yearbook no. 5 (Popular Library, Inc., 1971) and the collection The Best of L. Sprague de Camp (Doubleday, 1978). The story has been translated into French and German.
Virgil Hathaway, a Penobscot Indian shopkeeper in Gahato, New York, receives an odd visitor, Charlie Catfish of the Senecas. The fast-talking Catfish, caretaker to eight Gahunga, quickly pawns his charges off on Hathaway before leaving. "You can handle 'em even though you're Algonquin," he says, "being as you're a descendant of Dekanawida." Hathaway is confused, but soon enough the Gahunga, stone-throwing spirits resembling miniature Iroquois warriors, appear to introduce themselves. Gaga, their chief, asks if there's anything Hathaway wants them to do.
Annoyed at the trick Catfish sprung on him, Virgil initially tells them to disappear, but later admits he would like more customers to come in and buy his Indian curios. Soon townspeople out on the street, pelted with pebbles by unseen assailants, are being driven into the shop. They are understandably perturbed, and some suspect Hathaway of having something to do with the situation. After calming them, he angrily orders Gaga to stop, and tells him he doesn't want any more favors. The Gahunga, offended, proclaim they will find someone who better appreciates them, and disappear. Hathaway worries. He tries to call them back, but they fail to respond.
Later, on leaving the shop, Hathaway hears of a number of inexplicable occurrences, all the result of the Gahunga invisibly attempting to "help" people, but causing more harm than good. The shopkeeper is again suspected, this time because of his earlier success in halting the stone throwing. The next day he researches the Gahunga in the public library of nearby Utica, learning that Iroquois shamans know how to control them. He rings up the Tonawanda Reservation for advice.
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