Note 182 — SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS (continued 9)
Reading edition
The erection and use of a pole in this manner was quite common at great feasts or holidays. And the great wizards and sorcerers employed this means, too, for testing the orenda or magic power of visitors and guests. The statement that this one reached the clouds shows that it was an adjunct to the means of amusement and of testing out at the same time the orenda or magic power of those who came seeking the hand of the Partridge’s daughter. Shooting at an eagle on such a pole is a common incident in the stories.