User:MythologyClass

HI my name is Donovan. This is my VCU class assigned article. it is a learning tool for me and i hope it will be one for you.

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The Wikipedia article that I will be editing will be the Coyote (mythology) page. I will be using this sandbox to hold all of my notes.

first source. National Geographic Kids,Everything Mythology By Blake Hoena with National Geographic Explorer Adrienne Mayor. "Coyote is a trickster spirit in many Native American mythologies." pg.16 "Coyote is a trickster god found in many Native American myths. He is also said to have given humans the gift of fire. In many mythologies, the trickster god has a close relationship with the Creator god. So when the Creator decided to flood the world and rid it of the first people, Coyote went against the Creator and decided to help the people. He told them to build a big canoe to prepare for the flood." pg.35

Second source. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend. Second Edition, Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow Volume 1 A-L.

Coyote A carnivorous wolflike mammal of western North America that frequently appears in American Indian tales as a trickster and creator. In one myth Coyote prevented the creator god from turning some wooden dummies into animals. In anger the creator god left, and Coyote took the wooden dummies, planted them, and the first Indians sprouted up. In another myth Coyote's plants some bird feathers that sprout into humans. Sometimes, however, he is a victim, as when Coyote's entire family is killed by Porcupine because he had cheated the animal out of his share of some buffalo meat. pg 257.

Third source. The Illustrated Book of Myths Tales & Legends of the World, Retold by Neil Philip, Illustrated By Nilesh Mistry.

"The Coyote A relative of the jackal family, the coyote ranges widely over North America. Smaller than a wolf, it is adaptable and cunning. Attempts to eradicate it, by poison, shooting, or trapping, have been largely ineffective. The coyote seems indestructible -- just like the mythological character in this story." pg. 74 "Trickster God Coyote is the trickster god of the tribes of the southwestern US. In this myth, from the Maidu of California, Coyote is cunning and destructive, a bringer of sickness, sorrow, and death. Sometimes, however, Coyote is a bringer of benefits. For example, the Lakota Sioux have a story about him creating the horse." pg. 74

"When this world was covered with water, Earth-maker floated on the surface. Coyote was with him; they were the first two chiefs. When Earth-maker sang this world into being, he said, "Let the world be good!" But Coyote replied, "No!" Every good thing Earth-maker said, Coyote contradicted. For instance, after he had made men, Earth-maker said, "When they die, they shall come back to life." But Coyote said, "Why? When they are dead, they should stay dead. I am the oldest, and what I say goes." Now Coyote had a son, a good boy, who had never left the house. One day Coyote said to him, "Go to the stream and fetch some water." When the boy got to the stream, the rushes turned into rattlesnakes and bit him, and he died. "What have I done?" moaned Coyote. "I take it all back. Death was a bad idea." He pleaded with Earth-maker, "Make him come alive again, and I will agree with everything you say." But it was too late, Earth-maker could not undo what had occurred. Angry and bitter, Coyote started to travel around the world, and everywhere he went he made mischief, scratching up the soil and causing havoc. Earth-maker said, "People, if you see Coyote, kill him. He is bad all through. I wanted to make the world good, but he has thwarted me." The people heeding Earth-Maker, went in search of Coyote. Eventually they cornered him on a little island. "You can stay there and starve," they said. Earth-maker told them that if after four days, they heard no howling, then Coyote was dead. But Coyote escaped by making himself like fog and drifting across the water to land. Then he howled fit to make the people's hair stand on end. So they knew he was not dead. Every time the people tried to kill him, Coyote escaped. So Earth-maker told them to make a big canoe and get in it, and then he flooded the world. At the last minute, Coyote slipped into the canoe. He was disguised, and no one knew he was there until they sighted land - the peak of Canoe Mountain - poking out of the water. Coyote leaped from the boat, bold as brass, saying, "this land is mine." Earth-maker said, "Brother, you are too powerful. I can't kill you. You have won." And Coyote is still in the world, causing trouble wherever he goes. pg. 74-75

Forth source. World Mythology, Roy Willis, General Editor Foreword By Robert Walter Director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. An Owl Book Henry Holt And Company New York. North America pg.220 Dr Guy Cooper

Tricksters Entertainers and mischief-makers

"The superhuman culture heroes of North American Mythology may also behave as tricksters, using cunning and stealth to steal fire, outwit monsters or play tricks on others. Many peoples have developed these trickster tales into a separate body of myth, and in some areas, such as the Northwest coast, the culture hero and trickster are sometimes regarded as separate beings. The trickster myths allow great scope for elaboration by storytellers and are undoubtedly the most widespread and popular tales among Native Americans. One character, the Rabbit trickster of the Southeast, passed into modern American folklore as Brer Rabbit after West African slaves fused him with their own Hare trickster. Because the trickster is usually the same as the culture hero, he is usually called by the same name: Great Hare, Nanabush or Glooskap in the woodlands, Rabbit in the Southeast, Coyote on the Plains in the West, Spider on parts of the Plains, and Raven, Blue Jay or Mink on the Northwest coast. Despite his different guises, he exhibits similar characteristics across the continent, the same tales occurring in widely separated areas. He can be a crafty joker and bungler, who is usually undone by his own horseplay or trickery, ending up injured or even dead - only to rise again, seemingly none the wiser for his experience. At times utterly irreverent and idiotic, the trickster's doings highlight, in an entertaining context, the importance of moral rules and boundaries. Many trickster myths are extremely vulgar. At times the character's dual roles as culture hero and trickster are combined in one tale." pg. 227

Coyote and the giant

Coyote is among the most popular of all Native American mythological characters. He appears in the Southwest and West and on the central Plains in a wide range of roles, including that of creator, culture hero, trickster, sorcerer and lover. Coyote's prominence as spirit and trickster reflects the nature of the coyote itself, a member of the dog family found from Alaska to Costa Rica. It is crafty and swift, and eats almost every kind of animal or plant. One of its tricks is to pretend to be dead in order to attract scavengers, which it then catches and eats. Coyote's cunning is well illustrated by the following Navajo myth.

Long ago the earth was roamed by giants who were especially fond of catching and eating children. Coyote was crossing a rocky place one day when he encountered one of the giants and decided to teach him a lesson for his cruelty. he persuaded the monster, who was very stupid, to help him build a lodge for a sweat-bath, claiming it would make him as agile as Coyote himself. When the dark interior had filled with steam, Coyote said he would perform a miracle by breaking his own leg and mending it again. He took a rock and pounded an unskinned leg of deer, which he had secretly pushed into the sweat-lodge, until it broke with a loud crack. The giant felt the broken leg and, completely fooled, listened as Coyote spat on it and chanted: "Leg, become whole!" The giant reached over, felt Coyote's real leg and was astonished to find it uninjured. Coyote offered to repeat the miracle on the giant's leg, and the monster agreed, screaming in pain as his companion started pounding it with the rock.

   Soon the giant's leg broke and Coyote told him that to mend it all he had to do was to spit on it.  The giant spat until his mouth was dry, but the pain became no more bearable and the leg refused to mend.  Eventually the giant begged for help.  "Just keep spitting," said Coyote, reassuringly.  Coyote then slipped out of the sweat-lodge, leaving the child-eater with his agony.

Other myths ascribe great creative powers to Coyote. For example, in the Navajo version of the Pueblo emergence myth there are three creator figures, First Man, First Woman and Coyote. The myth relates how, when they emerged from four underground worlds into this world, Coyote brought seeds with him from the fourth world. He gave them to the different tribes as they were created.

Coyoteway Coyote is the tutelary spirit of "Coyoteway", one of the Navajo curing ceremonies which feature masked impersonators of divinities. The ceremony is necessary if someone in the tribe catches "coyote illness", which can result from killing a coyote or even seeing its dead body. During the ritual, the patient takes the part of the hero of a ceremonial myth and sits on a sandpainting depicting an episode from the myth. He or she "meets" Coyote, who appears in the form of a masked impersonator. The ceremony restores the patient's harmonious relationship with Coyote and the world and thus ensures a return to good health. right side margin pg. 229

Fifth Source. The Handy Mythology Answer Book, David A. Leeming PhD. Visible Ink Press, Detroit.

Who is Coyote?

Coyotes exist in most parts of America, and appropriately, so do Coyote trickster myths. Wherever he is, Coyote is both clever and foolish, creative and destructive, otherworldly and worldly, a supporter of community but also a loner. He will do anything for sex and for food, and he recognizes few social boundaries or taboos. Like cartoon figures such as Road Runner or Bugs Bunny, he is a braggart, and sometimes he becomes the butt of his own tricks. Like most tricksters, Coyote can also be a culture hero. A Papago myth tells how Coyote saved himself and Montezuma and Montezuma's people from the flood by warning the chief to build a huge canoe. pg 247

Two myths will serve to illustrate aspects of this figure's personality.  The first is a creation myth of the Maidu of California.  At the beginning of time, say the Maidu, when there was only darkness and the primordial waters, two beings suddenly emerged from the nothingness in a raft.  These were Turtle and Earth-Initiate, who immediately began to create the world.  Then one day, also out of nowhere, Coyote arrived with Rattlesnake, his pet.  Coyote enjoyed watching Turtle and Earth-Initiate create the animals and First Man and First Woman out of clay.  Then he thought, "If they can make things, so can I."  But as hard as he worked, his creations failed and he laughed at them.  When Earth-Initiate scolded him for laughing at the new creations, Coyote said he had not been laughing.  This was the first lie told in the world.  Meanwhile, Earth-Initiate continued, making a perfect world, even teaching the people how to remain forever young.  But now Coyote became like the Serpent of Genesis - another trickster.  When he visited the people of Earth-Initiate's world, the people told him how happy they were in their perfect world.  This irritated Coyote, and he told the people he could show them how it would be better if sickness and death could become a part of life.  Knowing nothing of  sickness and death, the people wanted to know more.  So Coyote, now a negative culture hero, taught them about competition by suggesting that they have a footrace.  Meanwhile, Coyote had his pet, Rattlesnake, wait in a hole along the path of the race.  But Coyote was to regret his own trick when it became evident that his own son would lead in the race and would be the victim of the waiting snake.  When the boy fell dead, the people thought he did not get up because he was embarrassed by falling and thus losing the race.  But Coyote knew better and wept the first tears in world.  From then on people did not remain young.  When they grew old, they died.
   
  The second myth is a Rosebud Sioux tale told by Jenny Leading Cloud.  One day Coyote and Iktome the Spider were walking along when they came to a rock named Iya.  Coyote respected the rock, as he knew it had great powers.  So he gave the rock his beautiful blanket as a gift.  But later, when a storm came up, Coyote went back to Iya and demanded his blanket back.  But the rock stopped him saying, "What is given is given."  Coyote became enraged, tore the blanket off the rock and placed it on his own back.  "There, that's that," cried Coyote.  "Oh no, it isn't," the rock murmured.  Now Coyote and Iktome went into a cave to wait out the storm.  When the sun came out again, they sat down on the path to have a smoke and some fry bread.  A strange rumbling noise caught their attention, however, and looking up they saw Iya the rock rolling toward them.  "Run," Iktome shouted, and they did, but the rock was gaining on them.  "Swim across the river," Cried Iktome, and they did, but Iya rolled right along after them.  When they tried to hide among trees, the rock simply knocked down the trees.  Now Iktome had had enough:  "Your problem!" he called as he descended into a spider hole, narrowly avoiding what happened to Coyote, who now lay flattened on the ground by the huge rock.  Iya picked up the blanket and went away.  Sometime later a man came along and thought Coyote was a rug.  He took the rug home and placed it before his fireplace.  But next morning the man's wife came to him and said,  "I just saw that rug of yours running away across the field."pg 247-248

Native American Tricksters

What defines Native American tricksters?

There are many Native American tricksters, or many faces for the same archetypal figure. As we have seen, tricksters are all amoral, all possessed of great appetites for all kinds of pleasure. Carl Jung saw the trickster as the personification of our pre-civilized selves, the stage of our being which is full of imagination and desire but not yet controlled by the manners or restraints we associate with society. Thus, tricksters are shapeshifters and are often depicted in their animal rather than human form. All tricksters are creative, often assisting the creator but also bringing self-centered mischief to teach the people survival techniques. The modern-day cognates of Mythical Native American tricksters might be the shamans and medicine people who are said to have the power to descend to the spirit world, and the clowns and whipping boys in the South-west pueblo dances, who are free to make taboo-defying jokes but who also punish members of the community who have strayed from the ceremonial path. pg 246-247

Who are some Native American tricksters?

Kumokums is a trickster of the Modoc Indians of California. Manabozho is an Algonquian trickster. Among tribes of the Midwest the trickster is something the Great Hare. For many Plains Indians he is Iktome the Spider. In the Pacific Northwest he is Raven. And in many parts of the country we find the trickster Coyote, Raven, and Iktome are particularly colorful figures. pg 247