From Ainu Folklore
Many of the larger of the wild kind of animals, both of the sea and land, have the same origin as demons of disease. They came into the world in this way. Once upon a time, when they lived upon this earth, the deities had a great desire to smoke tobacco, and in order to procure a light got sticks of silver birch and rubbed them together. They rubbed and rubbed for a very long time, but instead of bright fire nothing came out but black and dull yellow sparks, quite incapable of making fire. No sooner did the black sparks appear than they at once turned themselves into bears, while the yellow ones became demons, which originate some kinds of illnesses.
This being the case the gods cast away the sticks and got flints and struck them together. These made bright sparks which very soon became fire. After they had finished their smoke, and were now about to return to heaven, they case some of their flints into the sea and others upon the land. Those who fell on the dry ground became sea lions, while those which were thrown into the sea became great whales. Now it happened that the bears and sea lions were quite unable to live peaceably together, and spent their whole time in quarrelling, fighting, and tearing one another. God would not allow this to go on, and so, in order to determine which should live upon dry land and which be banished to the sea, he called them to him and told them to have a race to settle the matter. They came to the appointed place and strove hard for the mastery, but the bear won, and was therefore allowed to remain on the land, while the sea lion, as the vanquished one, was ordered to depart to the sea. The creature has never been at all satisfied with his lot, and therefore, sometimes even now comes to the sea shore, where he climbs upon the rocks and roars towards the mountains at his enemy the bear.
Source:
The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore, John Batchelor, 1901
Kotharian Lightning 