Ancient Mythology Study Guide

England: Beowulf

o Plot- King Hrothgar of Denmark builds a great mead-hall, called Heorot,

where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their

lord, and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. But the

jubilant noise from Heorot angers Grendel, a horrible demon who

lives in the swamplands of Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendel terrorizes

the Danes every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to

fight back. The Danes suffer many years of fear, danger, and death

at the hands of Grendel. Eventually, a young Geatish warrior

named Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s plight. Inspired by the

challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small company of

men, determined to defeat Grendel. Hrothgar, who had once done a great favor for Beowulf’s father

Ecgtheow, accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight Grendel and holds a

feast in the hero’s honor. During the feast, an envious Dane named

Unferth taunts Beowulf and accuses him of being unworthy of his

reputation. Beowulf responds with a boastful description of some

of his past accomplishments. His confidence cheers the Danish

warriors, and the feast lasts merrily into the night. At last,

however, Grendel arrives. Beowulf fights him unarmed, proving

himself stronger than the demon, who is terrified. As Grendel

struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the monster’s arm off. Mortally

wounded, Grendel slinks back into the swamp to die. The severed

arm is hung high in the mead-hall as a trophy of victory. Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a

feast in his honor. But another threat is approaching. Grendel’s

mother, a swamp-hag who lives in a desolate lake, comes to

Heorot seeking revenge for her son’s death. She murders Aeschere,

one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers, before slinking away. To

avenge Aeschere’s death, the company travels to the murky

swamp, where Beowulf dives into the water and fights Grendel’s

mother in her underwater lair. He kills her with a sword forged for

a giant, then, finding Grendel’s corpse, decapitates it and brings

the head as a prize to Hrothgar. The Danish countryside is now

purged of its treacherous monsters. The Danes are again overjoyed, and Beowulf’s fame spreads

across the kingdom. Beowulf departs after a sorrowful goodbye to

Hrothgar, who has treated him like a son. He returns to Geatland,

where he and his men are reunited with their king and queen,

Hygelac and Hygd, to whom Beowulf recounts his adventures in

Denmark. Beowulf then hands over most of his treasure to

Hygelac, who, in turn, rewards him.

In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shylfings, and, after

Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf ascends to the throne of the Geats. He

rules wisely for fifty years, bringing prosperity to Geatland. When

Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief disturbs a barrow, or

mound, where a great dragon lies guarding a horde of treasure.

Enraged, the dragon emerges from the barrow and begins

unleashing fiery destruction upon the Geats. Sensing his own death

approaching, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon. With the aid of

Wiglaf, he succeeds in killing the beast, but at a heavy cost. The

dragon bites Beowulf in the neck, and its fiery venom kills him

moments after their encounter. The Geats fear that their enemies

will attack them now that Beowulf is dead. According to

Beowulf’s wishes, they burn their departed king’s body on a huge

funeral pyre and then bury him with a massive treasure in a barrow

overlooking the sea.

o KEY TERMS:

Beowulf- The protagonist of the poem. Beowulf is a hero who

fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing

dragon. Beowulf’s exploits prove him to be the strongest, ablest

warrior of his time. In his youth, he personifies the values of the

heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.

Dragon- An ancient, powerful serpent that guards a horde of

treasure. Beowulf fights the dragon in the third and final part of the

epic.

Grendel- A demon descended from Cain. Grendel preys on

Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot. Because

Grendel’s ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution

exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly

within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem.

Grendel’s mother- A demon even more monstrous than

Grendel. Grendel’s mother seeks revenge on Hrothgar’s men for

the death of her son. Beowulf journeys to her magical, creature-

filled lair beneath the swamp in order to defeat her.

Heorot- The city that was under attack by Grendel and Grendel’s

mother.

Hrothgar- The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military

success and prosperity until Grendel comes to terrorize his realm.

Hrothgar is a wise and aged ruler, and he represents a different

kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior

Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind

of king that Beowulf becomes.

Hrunting- Unferth's sword, that he lent to Beowulf to fight

Grendel's mother

Hygelac- Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of

Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf upon his return from

Denmark.

Wiglaf- A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf. Wiglaf helps

Beowulf in the fight against the dragon after the other warriors run

away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code, thereby proving himself a

suitable successor to Beowulf.

Scandinavia: Prose Edda (IV.6)

o Plot-

Gylfaginning- The Gylfaginning tells the story of Gylfi, a king

of "the land that men now call Sweden", who after being tricked by

one of the goddesses of the Æsir, wonders if all Æsir use magic

and tricks for their will to be done. This is why he journeys to

Asgard, but on the way he is tricked by the gods and arrives in

some other place, where he finds a great palace. Inside the palace

he encounters a man who asks Gylfi's name and so king Gylfi

introduces himself as Gangleri. Gangleri then is taken to the king

of the palace and comes upon three men; High, Just-As-High, and

Third. Gangleri is then challenged to show his wisdom by asking

questions, as is the custom in many Norse sagas. Each question

made to High, Just-As-High, and Third is about an aspect of the

Norse mythology or its gods, and also about the creation and

destruction of the world (Ragnarök). In the end all the palace and

its people just vanish and Gylfi is left standing on empty ground. It

is then implied that as Gylfi returns to his nation, he retells the

tales he was told. It can be argued that Snorri used this narrative

device as a means of being able to safely document a vanishing

and largely oral tradition within a Christian context.

o KEY TERMS:

Asgard- One of the Nine Worlds and home to the gods of the

Æsir. It is surrounded by an incomplete wall attributed to a

Hrimthurs riding the stallion Svaðilfari, according to Gylfaginning.

Odin and his wife, Frigg, are the rulers of Asgard. “Troy”

Ask & Embla- Shaped men out of trees (male form was Ask;

the female form was embla) First they gave them spirit and life,

then wit and feeling, the form, speech, hearing and sight.

Audumla- A cow, Audumla, nourished him with her milk.

Audumla was herself nourished by licking salty, rime-covered

stones. She licked the stones into the shape of a man. She sprang

up from where the frost melted.

Awful Winter- the first thing to occur before the destruction of

the world is this; the snow shall drive from all quarters and the

frosts shall be great then with winds sharp; no virtue in the sun.

there will be 3 winters in a row without any summer or sun.

mightly battles and brothers will slay each other for greed’s sake

and none shall spare father or son in manslaughter or incest.

Baldr- The son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg.

Beautiful and just, he was the favourite of the gods. Most legends

about him concern his death. Icelandic stories tell how the gods

amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he

was immune from harm. The blind god Höd, deceived by the evil

Loki, killed Balder by hurling mistletoe, the only thing that could

hurt him. After Balder’s funeral, the giantess Thökk, probably Loki

in disguise, refused to weep the tears that would release Balder

from death.

Bergelmir- Only surviving frost-giant after they all were

slaughtered by the sons of Borr (Odin, Vili and Ve) He escaped

with his housefhold, went on his ship with his wife and they were

safe there. From them are come the races of the Frost giants (pg

195)

Burning- surt will burn the world and that will be the end

Fenrir-Wolf – A monstrous wolf of Norse mythology. He was

the son of the demoniac god Loki and a giantess, Angerboda.

Fearing Fenrir’s strength and knowing that only evil could be

expected of him, the gods bound him with a magical chain made of

the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the beard of a woman, the breath of

fish, and other occult elements. When the chain was placed upon

him, Fenrir bit off the hand of the god Tyr. He was gagged with a

sword and was destined to lie bound to a rock.

Fire-giants – In Norse mythology, a hot, bright, glowing land in

the south, guarded by Surt, the fire giant. In the beginning,

according to one tradition, the warm air from this region melted the

ice of the opposite region, Niflheim, thus giving form to Ymir, the

father of the evil giants. Sparks from Muspelheim became the Sun,

Moon, and stars. At the doom of the gods (Ragnarök), the sons of

Muspelheim, led by Surt, will destroy the world by fire.

Fire – rock-

Frigg- Odin’s wife; daughter of Fjorgvinn; from her and odin

come the races of the Aesir (divine race)

Frost-giants – Ymir came from the yeast-drops, by the power of

that which sent the heat and became a man form. And thence after

Ymir was made come the races of the Frost-Giants. (kindred of

Ymir all evil) The old frost giant is Ymir.

Ginnungagap- In Norse and Germanic mythology, the void in

which the world was created. The story is told, with much

variation, in three poems of the Elder Edda, and a synthesis of

these is given by Snorri Sturluson in his Prose Edda.

Hel- originally the name of the world of the dead; it later came to

mean the goddess of death. Hel was one of the children of the

trickster god Loki, and her kingdom was said to lie downward and

northward.

Hodr- one of the aesir who is blind. Sufficient strength, but the

gods would desire that no occasion should ride of naming this god,

for the work of his hands shall long be held in memory among

gods and men a thick show. (nearly as strong as Thor) great trust

Jormungandr/Midgard-serpent- Germanic mythology, the evil serpent and chief enemy of Thor. Son of loki

Lif & lifthrasir- means life. Along with Lifthrasir, they hid and

were able to survive the fire. one of the humans that survived

Ragnarok

Loki- a cunning trickster; Loki was represented as the companion

of the great gods Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever

plans but sometimes causing embarrassment and difficulty for

them and himself. First father of falsehoods; evil in spirit; his wife

was sigyn and he caused great hardships. Three stones bound him

to not escape vernomous serpent had venom drip unto his face. His

wife hold a basket to catch the drop and when it is full she empties

it and holds it again. But in the meantime the venom drips on his

face. Earthquakes caused from his fighting of the venom to drip on

his face and there he lies in bonds till the destruction of the gods.

Midgard- inner earth; a citadel round about the world against the

hositility of the giants; a place where they punished and kept the

giants

Mistletoe- Hodr shot Baldr blindly with mistletoe thanks to the

help of Loki directing him; it successfully kills Baldr to the grown

dead

Muspellheim: A realm of firm (one of the nine worlds in norse

myth)

Niflheim- the World of Darkness, and appears to have been

divided into several sections, one of which was Náströnd, the shore

of corpses.

Odin- one of the principal gods in Norse mythology. His exact

nature and role, however, are difficult to determine because of the

complex picture of him given by the wealth of archaeological and

literary sources. The Roman historian Tacitus stated that the

Teutons worshiped Mercury; and because dies Mercurii

(“Mercury’s day”) was identified with Wednesday (“Woden’s

day”), there is little doubt that the god Woden (the earlier form of

Odin) was meant. (father of all the gods)

Prose Edda- The Prose Edda was originally referred to as

simply the Edda, but was later called the Prose Edda to distinguish

it from the Poetic Edda, a collection of anonymous poetry from

earlier traditional sources compiled around the same time as the

Prose Edda in 13th century Iceland.

Snorri Sturluson- Snorri, a descendant of the great poet and

hero of the Egils saga, Egill Skallagrímsson, was brought up at

Oddi from the age of three in the home of Jón Loptsson, the most

influential chieftain in Iceland. From him Snorri acquired both a

deep knowledge of Icelandic tradition and a European breadth of

outlook.

Surt- The Fire giant protecting Muspell

Thokk- the giantess Thökk, probably Loki in disguise, refused to

weep the tears that would release Baldr from death.

Thor- god of thunder and rain and farming (strong and powerful)

Yggrasil- The holy place of the gods (give judgement everyday)

Ymir- Ymir, in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who

was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of

Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. Earth created from his

body (his blood was the water, land of his flesh, crags of his bones,

gravel and stone from his teeth)

Nyanga: Mwindo Epic (V.2)

o Plot- Never dies, bring all the uncles back to life and takes over the

village; journeys to the underworld to find his father; muisa allows

him to find his father if he performs tasks for him like: plant a

banana grove and make it productive, after muisa tries to kill

Mwindo out of anger, Mwindo’s conga-scepter helps him revoer

and beat up Master Muisa; then Muisa commands him to secure

honey high in a tree and he does it; another battle and Mwindo

triumphs and left Muisa for dead after he gets his father and later

comes back and resurrects him; reconciles with his father and

resuscitated all the villagers who had died; Mwindo becomes chief;

lastly he passed laws for his people to not fight each other, pursue

each other’s wives, don’t mock the invalid passing in the village,

seductions will be punished with death, accept all children and

accept and fear the chief.

o KEY TERMS:

Muisa- king of the underworld; village of master; tries to trick

mwindo by drinking banana beer and eating banana paste.

Magic rope- when he journeyed to the underworld asked

Iyangura (his aunt) to hold onto it as long as he was in the

underworld if she couldn’t feel life then she would know he was

dead.

Conga-scepter- u sed to bring all the uncles back to life and

take over the village after Nkuba sent 7 bolts of lighting to destroy

the village.

Mwindo- Nyamwindo and Shemwindo’s first son; protagonist;

Born laughing and talking, carried a conga-sceptor, an axe, and a

bag of good fortune containing a magic rope

Nkuba- lightning god that sent 7 lightning bolts and destroyed

the village trying to kill Mwindo.

Nyamwindo- favorite of all the 7 wives and the only to give

birth to a boy (Mwindo); Mwindo born from her middle finger of

the right hand

Shemwindo- king of the Village of Tubondo; father of

mwindo; had 7 wives and only wanted a girl; tried to have his son

killed

Tubondo- village that shemwindo and nyamwindo ruled

Hausa: The Ant’s Burden

o Plot-

Kweku Anansi- trickster figure who is portrayed as a spider

and sometimes a man

Kweku tsin- Anansi’s son (farmers)

STORY:No rain had fallen for more than a month and they

needed rain for their seeds. A tiny dwarf promised to help Tsin to

bring rain to the farm and had him fetch two small sticks and tap

him lightly on the hump while singing a tune. He did it and it

rained. Anansi asked him how he did it and he being honest told

his father. Anansi however, got two big sticks thinking it would do

twice as much. Anansi beat the dward so hard he fell down dead.

This dwarf happened to be the king’s favorite jester and so he

found a way to blame his death on Tsin. Tsin however, realizes

what he is trying to do and tricks him back by saying that the king

was angry with the dwarf and had promised a bag of money to

anyone who would kill him and so he said he would go and get the

reward. Anansi said no that he killed him and he would get the

reward so Tsin allowed him to go and take the dwarf. The King

very angry that he killed his favorite jester punishes Anansi with a

great box to carry on his head forever unless he got some other

man to put it on his head. One day, Mr.Ant, an honest fellow and

always kept his promises believed Anansi when he said he would

be back if he held the box and when he gave him the box Anansi

ran off. For the rest of Mr.Ant’s life he will have to hold the box

on his head and that is why we see ants carrying bundles as they

hurry along.

Ghanaian: Why Anansi’s Head Is Small and His Behind is Big

o Plot- Anansi the Spider hears voices throughout the forest and walks to

them trying to understand what they were saying. River spirits

were there with their heads off and in their hands singing. As they

splashed and sang, fish jumped out and they caught and ate them

later. Anansi, intrigued wants to join in and they help him take his

head off and join them. He was able to catch many fish with his 8

legs and kept getting a pile of fish. The River spirits help him put

his head back on and then warn him to never sing the song again

when they aren’t there with him because if he does his head will

fall off. But Anansi, having a catching tune couldn’t help himself

and his head fell right off and he could NOT put it back on. When

he reached home, his children made fun of him because he

balanced his head on his rear. His children pulled out his eyeballs

and put it in the little stump of the neck in thr front and put his

nose and mouth in the front too. They couldn’t get the ears off and

when they were done. Anansi had a tiny head and a great big

behind this explains why spiders look the way they do.

Inca: Viracocha Cosmogony

o Plot- The people that populated the earth didn’t follow the orders so he

cursed them, then turned some into rocks or destroyed them and

then caused so much rain that it was a flood that wiped everything

but the three men that he kept with him to be able to re-populate

the earth with his servants helping him. Taguapaca, one of these is

punished for not obeying his orders and is bounded head and foot

on a boat in Lake Titicaca. The other 2 servants are asked to

memorize the nations he drew up to re-populate they do so and go

preaching to re-populate. When Viracocha arrives at a town called

Cacha the people found his dress and conduct strange and plotted

to kill him. Viracocha feeling this causes fire to fall from above a

hill after they beg him to stop and for forgiveness he puts out the

fire with his staff. Later he continues on his route and walks on

water with his 2 servants. Taguapaca eventually returns and starts

preacing that he was Viracocha and they recognized it was false

and he was scorned.

o KEY TERMS:

Taguapaca- One of the men that Viracocha kept with him in

order to serve him and help him create the new peoples who would

be made in the second age, after the flood. He disobeyed the

commandments of Viracocha, so Viracocha angry ordered his

other two servants to vind him head and good and put him in a boat

in the lake.

Titicaca- Viracocha went to this island and ordered the sun,

moon, and stars to emerge and go to the sky to give light to the

world.

Viracocha- He was believed to have created the sun and moon

on Lake Titicaca. According to tradition, after forming the rest of

the heavens and the earth, Viracocha wandered through the world

teaching men the arts of civilization. Called Viracocha because he

could walk on water (“foam of the sea”)

Maya: Creation (VI.7)

o Plot- At first there was only sky and the sea alone. The earth arose out of

the water from their spoken word. The mountains were separated

from the water. Then the deer and birds were told by the Maker to

talk and speak out, to not cry or moan with each to each and to

praise the gods. But they didn’t. This caused the gods to be upset

and since they can’t speak and praise the gods they will be what

the humans feed on to eat and be killed. Then they experiment with

human designs.

Their first attempt= making humans out of earth and mud.

It dissolved and broke up apart too quickly. Failed.

Their second attempt= Make humans out of wood to be

carved and sculpted by the builder/sculptor. They

multiplied but had no memory and nothing in their

hearts/mind. They killed off the wood people with a flood.

Failed.

Third attempt= Idea came clear as light. They made

humans out of yellow and white corn. They were the

ingredients for human flesh and the water their blood and

the grease was their fat.

The gods make 4 men and 4 women out of corn, water, and grease.

The humans are perfect at first and can see and know everything.

The gods, feared they would be too powerful, and decide to limit

their vision. The four couples reproduce and multiply to create the

many tribes of the Quiche people.

o KEY TERMS:

Heart of Sky- Name of the god (or Hurricane)

Thunderbolt Hurrican – 1st

Newborn Thunderbolt – 2nd

Raw Thunderbolt – 3rd

Popol Vuh- Written in Quiche; It chronicles the creation of

humankind, the actions of the gods, the origin and history of the

Quiche people, and the chronology of their kings down to 1550.

Sovereign Plumed Serpent- the maker of all is in the water,

a gliterring light. Enclosed in quetzal feather in blue-green. Great

knowers, great thinkers

Maya: Hero Twins (VI.8)

o Plot- Gods get upset at the noises made by one and seven hunahpu

playing a ball game. The twins are challenged to play ball by way

of messenger owls and they accept. They left and descended the

road to xibalba. They came to the Blood River and they crossed

but didn’t drink. They passed the river of pus and still survived.

They came to the crossroads and were defeated. There was a red

road, black, white, and yellow road. They took the black road and

were defeated. One and Seven Death come and stay at the first

house that Xibalba puts them in the Dark house. Their first

challenge was to keep the light on intact in the morning and were

not successful so they will die. Blood Moon gave birth to twins,

Hunahpu and xbalanque. They defeated the sons of one hunahpu

and were very skilled. Next Hunahpu and Xbalanque go to the

underworld and defeated the rivers and road with the help of their

mosquito that is a spy. This is how they hear all of the lords names

in order and when they come to them they say all of their names so

all of their identities are accounted for. They didn’t sit on the hot

bench. They entered the dark house and kept the torch and cigar lit

with fireflies. Successfully beat them. Then the razor house, they

tempt the razors by speaking to them and told them the flesh of the

animals is theirs and so they no longer moved and they stayed the

night. The next, they went to the jaguar house and they scattered

bones and told the animals to not eat them. The house of fire they

weren’t burnt just toasted by it and they successfully defeated

Xibalba again. The bat house was next and they slept in their

blowgun. This is where they gave one of themselves up because of

a snatch-bat that came down just as one showed himself to see if it

was morning yet and the bat took his head off. The squash became

the new head for hunahpu’s body. The ball rolls off the court and a

rabbit runs off and they switch the squash for the ball and got back

hunahpu’s head and so they defeat Xibalba when they hit the

squash and it breaks into pieces. They win back Hunapuh’s head.

The final act is when one death and seven death are so impressed

with xbalanque taking hunahpus head off and bringing him back to

life as a trick that they ask him to try it on them. The twins

sacrifice one death and seven death and don’t bring them back to

life. The twins defeated death once and for all.

o KEY TERMS:

Ball game- a game played a lot by one and seven hunahpu; ball

court located alone the road to the underworld (xibalba)

Blood Moon- The daughter of Blood Gatherer that came to the

tree and reached out to pick the fruit. It spat into her hand and she

became pregnant. Her father got suspicious and she swore she had

looked at the face of no man and her father decided to sacrifice her

and sent 4 owls to execute her and bring back her heart. However,

the owls were convinced not to sacrifice her and brought back red

sap from the tree called croton.

Calabash- One hunahpu’s head that was cut off and put on a

stick “the skull of one hunahpu” also became the name of the fruit

tree since they all look like his head and the fruit should never be

eaten.

One & Seven Death- the lord of the underworld that own each

a commission of different (lords over everything)

The lord of the underworld:

o Scab Stripper and Blood Gatherer- draw

blood from people

o Demon of Pus and Demon of Jaundice- make people swell up, pus out of their legs, faces

yellow, cause jaundice

o Bone scepter and skull scepter- reduce

peoples bones until they die

o Demon of Filth and Demon of Woe- whenever they have filth or grim ein the doorway

they are struck, just punctured until they crawl on

the ground and die

o Wing and packstrap- die in the road “sudden

death”

One & Seven Hunahpu- Twins made by the grandfather and

grandmother; very clever, great thinkers, seers, very skilled. One

Hunahpu marries and has two sons, one money and one artisan.

Squash head- One of the hero twins switches his brother’s head

with the squash before the ball game and win because when they

try to play with the squash the gods destroy it (tricksters)

Xbalanque-

Xibalba- God of Death and the underworld who tries to kill the

hero twins and has the many houses of traps to death. “Place of

fear”

Maidu: Creation (VI.9)

o Plot- Relates the origin of the earth from the mud brought up from under

the water by a turtle (Earth Diver myth) and includes the trickster

figure of the Coyote. In the beginning only water, no sun, no

moon, no stars. When turtle meets Earth-initiate he asks for land

and Earth-Initiate tells him to dive for some and it takes him 6

years and came up with little under his nails. Earth-Initiate rolls it

in his hand until it gets to be a pebble then it grows the more if was

looked at until there were mountains and the raft came ashore.

Turtle asks for light, and earth initiate asks his sister (the sun) to

come up and at night his brother (the moon) follows his sister.

Hukimtsa (tree they sat under shade a few days) While they go to

explore the land, Coyote and his dog Rattlesnake came up out of

the ground. Earth-initiate makes animals, birds from air, trees, and

used mud to make the first deer. Earth-initiate then tries to make

people and succeeds with the dark red earth, mixed with water, and

man a man and woman who laid by him. Man on the right and

woman on the left in the house. Early in the morning the woman

tried to tickle him on the side and he kept still and didn’t laugh.

The First man was named kuksu and the first woman Morning-star.

Coyote tries to make humans himself but fails by laughing and the

humans have glass eyes. When Earth-initiate confronts him he lies

and this was the first lie. Earth-Initiate wanted an easy comfortable

life for the people that none should work. Allowed for the old to be

young again when taken to a lake. One day, Coyote came along

and talked to the people saying that it was no way to live just

eating and sleeping, and tells the people it will be better to have

people work, get sick and die. Then he proposes games to start.

They have a foot-race and his son (only son) is quick and leads the

race and the Rattlesnake had hidden himself but raised his head

and bit the boy in the ankle. The boy was killed in a minute. These

were the first tears. The body drifted for four days on the lake

surface and on the fifth Coyote took four sacks of beads and

brought them to Kuksu and begged for his son’s life to be returned.

Kuksu buried the body and told the people that this is the way you

must do till the world shall be made over. Earth –Initiate comes

down and tells Kuksu how the people must now live and tells him

to teach them how to speak language, cook, hunt, laws, set time for

all their dances and festivals.

o KEY TERMS:

Coyote- The trickster figure that causes the lifestyle to change in

the world

Earth-Initiate- Came from a sky rope of feathers, when he

reached the bow of the raft he stepped in and his body was like the

sun.

Kuksu- First man created by Earth-Initiate

Morning-Star woman- First woman created by Earth-Initiate

Turtle- Asked Earth-initiate to make certain things in the world

like land, light, etc. and helps by bringing the dirt to make land

when he dives in the water.

Rattlesnake- Comes with Coyote out of the ground and is the

one to kill Coyote’s son during the race

Klamath: Coyote Steals Fire (VI.10)

o Plot-

Coyote challenges Thunder to gamble for fire or his life (dice

game) Coyote tricks his uncle by stealing the counting sticks when

he isn’t looking, turning the dice in his favor, and in the end

Coyote wins. Thunder knew Coyote had cheated but couldn’t

prove it. Thunder gives him fire but since he cheated he wants to

kill him. Coyote read’s Thunder’s mind and cast off his outer part

of this body and could change his voice to make it sound like he

was getting closer to thunder. Thunder falls for it and throws a

huge rock containing fire but he hit only the skin and fur. The rock

split into pieces and every animal took a little piece of fire. Coyote

puts his outer skin on and tells his uncle to not gamble since he

isn’t good at it and runs off.

o KEY TERMS:

Thunder- fearful god because he was so powerful

Coyote- Not afraid of his uncle Thunder and challenges him to a

gambling game of dice for either his life or fire for the humans.

Tlingit: Raven (VI.11)

o Plot-

Raven Brings light to the world Raven makes himself a small drop of dirt and goes into the

water of the daughter of the man with light and she drinks

the water and becomes pregnant. The baby was born and

asks for all of the bags. The bag of stars he gets and lets it

go up through the smoke hole. The bag with the big moon

and he lets it go up through the smoke hole. Then the father

of the girls gives the baby the last bag and when the child

has it in his hands the raven cries Ga and flies out with it

through the smoke hole (light)

Raven Brings Water to the World Raven traveled to a place where a man had an everlasting

spring. (named Petrel) Petrel always slept by the spring and

one day he tries to induce him to leave but Petrel was too

smart and refused. When night came, raven went over and

took some dog manure and put it around Petrel’s butt and

told him he defecated all over his clothes. Petrel believed

him and then raven went to the spring took off the cover

and began drinking. Petrel said my spirits up the smoke

hole catch him. Petrel put pitch wood on the fire under him

and the raven was turned black from the white he was still

he didn’t drop the water. He spread the water everywhere

to make river and creeks of water.

Raven Creates Animals Raven became angry with the people questioning him that

he opened the box completely when the sun flew up into

the sk. Those people who had sea-otter or fur-seal skins, ,or

the skins of any other sea animals, went into the ocean,

while those who had land animals went into the woods

(becoming animals whose skins they wore)

Raven eats animals part 1 Fat Boys were throwing fat at each other and when they hit him

he swallowed it. Then he took dog’s manure and threw at

the boys who ran away and threw more fat at him and he

kept consuming it.

Raven Eats animals part 2 Salmon Raven dug up and at the king salmon after he put it in the

cabbage and lit it on fire. Before the birds returned, he dug

this up and ate it.

Creation of Different Species of Birds

Raven Eats animals part 3 Bear Bear asked him what he used for bait and the Raven said

the skin of his testicles. Raven said that he shouldn’t and

the bear lifted his testicles told raven to cut them off and he

did. The bear ran around the boat groaning, fell, and died in

to the water. Raven reached far back and pulled

cormorant’s tongue so he couldn’t tell the bear’s wife what

had happened. Raven towed the dead body behind the point

and carried it ashore there. He went to bear’s wife and

began to take out his halibut. He cooked the stomachs and

filled them with hot rocks. Raven told Bear’s wife that he

was still fishing and asked her to eat the fish whole so she

swallowed it whole and she grabbed at everything and died.

The raven skinned the female bear and the male one too.

Raven ate both bears.

Raven Eats animals part 4: Bait Used fat for bait. They caught the nose of the Raven. The

raven asked who had it and found the house that had it and

looked at it. Took it and put it on his face and flew away.

No one found out who he was

Raven Eats Animals Part 5: Deer Raven convinces a deer to cross this bridge and it breaks

and the deer smashed his head to pieces at the bottom. The

raven began eating him from the anus and skinned as he

went along. He ate very fast. Then he began to cry what has

become of your friend someone has taken him and pounded

him on the rocks and I haven’t found anyone to help.

Raven eats animals part 6 sea urchins Raven told the woman in the cliff to keep quiet or he will

stick sea urchins all over her buttocks. She didn’t so he put

sea urchins up her buttocks. Because Raven did this while

he was making the world, when a woman gets old and can’t

do much more work, there are spots all over her buttocks.

Raven Brings fog to the world Petrel met him in another canoe. The discussed and got into

an argument then petrel pushed raven’s canoe away and put

on his hat called fog-hat. So that raven couldn’t see where

he was. Raven asks Petrel to give his hat to the world so he

let it go and that’s why we always know that when we see

fog coming out of an open space in the woods and going

right back again, that there will be good weather.

Raven Brings Fire to the World Raven inside of a whale made a fire to cook the fat of the

whale and ate the heart. When the whale floated up dead

someone saved him by cutting a hole large enough that it

flew straight up and out of sight. Then discovered the fire

that was inside the whale and they had fire.

Raven Eats animals part 7 fish and whale

Raven eats animals part 8 herring

Challenged the sea gull to catch a herring and he did and

gulped it down. The heron then went over toward the sea

gull after the raven said that the sea gull said something

about the heron. The heron out of anger hits the sea gull in

the stomach and the big herring came out just for the raven

to eat. Raven names a bay

Raven talked to it in order to make it into Nass. He fails in

doing so and gives up so he calls it sitka.

Raven steals food from the ground-hog people His mother had died shortly before this, when an avalanche

comes the ground-hog people threw out all of their winter

food so raven wanted them to do this so he said there would

be a world snow slide. Later in the spring it occurred and

they threw out their food to the raven.

Raven Brings Female genitals to the world Four women who were on an island, and who were

approaching maturity needed genitals. Raven tried to make

female genitalia out of the bark of a flax tree but was

unsuccessful so he went to the Island of Female genitals

and filled up the boat after coward was afraid of thunder so

he took it and distributed them and prepared to make his

feast.

Raven makes the first feast It is from this feast of Raven’s that people now like to

attend feasts. When a man is going to have a feast, he has a

many crowned hat carved on top of the dead man’s grave

post.

Raven floods the world Raven made a woman under the earth to have charge of the

rise and fall of the tides. He rose the water very slowly so

that people had time to load their canoes and get into them.

The people who survived could see trees and all by the rush

of water, many creatures. When the tide began to fall, all

the people followed it own, but the trees were gone and

they had nothing for firewood to defeat the cold winters. If

raven saw a fish on top of a mountain he said to stay there

and become stone and it did so. After all the humans were

destroyed Raven made new ones out of leaves. He made

this new generation, people now that he must have changed

all of the first people who had survived into stones. People

always die off rapidly in the fall of the year when flowers

and leaves are falling.

*** REMEMBER *** Questions are also coming from

images of the Nordic so go online to blackboard and just

save all of the images… go onto google and search google

images and it will have a description of each if you didn’t

take notes on them! This study guide is long enough! GOOD

LUCK!