Our ordinary minds demand an ordinary world and feel at ease only when they have explained and taken for granted the mysterious among which we have been given so short a license to breathe.
Llewelyn Powys
Rising in Hyde County, the Alligator River flows east and north to the Hyde County-Tyrrell County line, then flows along the entire length of Tyrrell County until it empties into Albemarle Sound. The famous Intracoastal Waterway follows the river for much of its length. On US 64 at the eastern end of Tyrrell County, motorists are afforded a splendid view of the majestic Alligator River from the nearly three-mile-long bridge that bears its name.
How the river received its rather ominous-sounding name is not known. Some contend it was so christened because alligators were found in its waters when the first white explorers and settlers came. However, it is doubtful that this picturesque river, its shores as primitive as they were when Sir Walter Raleigh’s men first saw them in the sixteenth century, ever supported the reptiles in such quantity that geographers or local residents would have named the river after them. A more logical reason is apparent from a study of a North Carolina map: the river is shaped much like an alligator.
Whatever the origin of the name, the river and its undeveloped shoreline are about as wild as the fearsome creature itself. Mariners who dare to venture into the creeks feeding into the Alligator are treated to spectacular vistas of some of the most isolated, unspoiled land along the North Carolina coast.
Growing on the river near its junction with Albemarle Sound is the lotus, a beautiful tropical water lily. Flourishing here is a variety of the plant found nowhere else in the world except Egypt. Seeds from the lotus, if ingested by humans, are said to induce a dreamy languor and a state of forgetfulness.
Science has been unable to explain why this unusual variety of lotus thrives in this particular spot near the mouth of the great river. It is believed that the strange flowers were blooming when the first European explorers came upon the Alligator. Consequently, until a better theory comes along, an old Indian legend offers the best answer to the mystery.
Long before the arrival of white settlers, the Alligator and its environs were the domain of Indians from the Pungo tribe. Their chief, Wahoma, was a proud man who had one great, unfulfilled desire in life—a son. He prayed for a male child who might grow up to carry forward his position of power, responsibility, and honor.
In the twilight of Wahoma’s life, it appeared that the prayers of the gray-haired chieftain were about to be answered. He learned that his young wife was with child. But when she delivered, the baby was a girl. Bitterly disappointed, Wahoma looked to the night sky as if to blame the god of the Pungos. At that instant, the brightest star he had ever seen caught his attention. Convinced that the radiant heavenly body was a good sign, Wahoma reckoned that a new daughter was not so bad. After all, she would grow into a beautiful princess who would attend to all his needs. On the other hand, hunting, fishing, and fighting would have taken a son away from his father much of the time. But as hard as he tried to rationalize the situation, the chief could not completely satisfy himself that the birth of a daughter was a fortuitous event. Indicative of his doubt was the name he bestowed upon the child—Lotus, which meant “doubtful blessing.”
More than a dozen years passed. Lotus matured into a young lady of striking physical beauty. Nonetheless, Wahoma’s doubts were borne out by his daughter’s indecent behavior. Lotus was a coquette who tantalized every young male in the tribe. They all fell for her, but she spurned each in turn, causing some of the most outstanding braves to either drown themselves in the river or run away to parts unknown.
It did not take long for the girl’s flirtatious behavior to cause a tribal crisis. An assembly of elders was convened, at which one of the wise men observed, “A new star in the sky—cold, beautiful, dazzling, but of no earthly use. That was the sign of the gods.” After a period of discussion and deliberation, the decision was made to bring Lotus before the tribal council to answer for her behavior. Her responses drew the ire of the men, who ordered her to be burned at the stake. Upon hearing the fatal pronouncement, tears welled in the eyes of the aged Wahoma. In an impassioned soliloquy to the council members, the weeping father entreated, “She is only a child. Forgive her this once. She has learned a lesson. She is my all.” Out of respect and sympathy for the chief, the council agreed to spare Lotus.
Her new lease on life seemed to produce a positive change in her deportment—albeit a temporary one. Ultimately, she reverted to her former ways. The beginning of the end came when Lotus teased a young chief of the nearby Hatteras tribe. Upon being rejected by the alluring woman, he returned to his home on the Outer Banks and threw himself into the Atlantic.
A second trial was promptly convened. Once again, Lotus was condemned to death. Despite Wahoma’s best efforts, the council would not commute the sentence. Lotus was tied to a stake erected near the river. As flames engulfed the body of the beautiful woman, her father, bent and withered by the passing of the years, watched helplessly. Her horrible screams and pitiful pleas for mercy pierced his very soul.
All attempts to lead Wahoma away from the scene were unsuccessful. The elders stayed at his side to offer words of consolation and comfort. He interrupted them to retell the story of the appearance of the brightest of all stars. They thought that he was mad when he told them to expect another sign.
While he spoke, the Alligator River suddenly began to rise, its dark waters dousing the embers of the pyre and sweeping up the ashes of Lotus. As the men watched in wonderment, the ashes swirling in the water blossomed into pale flowers. Turning to walk away, Wahoma spoke two words very softly: “The Lotus.”
When the sun rose on the new day, every man, woman, and child in the village walked down to the river where the execution and the subsequent strange occurrence had taken place. Floating atop the water were thousands of lotus blossoms.
Thus, through the lovely flowers, the incomparable beauty of Chief Wahoma’s daughter was preserved. However, so were her wanton ways. For, you see, the seed of the lotus blossom has the power to send young men to perdition, just as did the woman who bore the same name.