Trickster-God-Creator

In Greek Mythology, Hermes is a great example of the trickster archetype. Hermes was a Greek god and also son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia. Hermes is known mainly as the messenger of the gods on Mount Olympus. He is known for using his tricks to both help and hurt people throughout Greek history and mythology. Author Ron Leadbetter contends that Hermes took some of his brother Apollos cattle and brought them to a small grotto where he hid them. (Leadbetter)

The figure of the Trickster is a common aspect in First Nations mythology and creationism. Much like Loki is to Northern Europe and Hermes is to the Greeks, the figure of the trickster has god-like abilities and often leads through negative example. First Nations mythology uses various characters like the coyote and Nanabush (Nanabozho) to shares stories of the creation of man, to share morals, to explain how things came to be, and to toy with gullible victims and trick them into doing things against their moral judgment. The mythological use of the trickster through various roles helps to parallel human experiences and the understanding of the creation of man through a relatable and familiar character.

Native American traditional stories, folktales, are stories passed down from generation to generation by story telling and performance. Native Americans emphasized the importance of living in harmony with the naturual world. They had complex religious beliefs, sophisticated poltical systems, and strong morals. Some of the stories are creation myths, tales of heroes, and tricksters. Trickster tales are stories that have animals or human characters who engage in deceit, violence, or magic. Often trickster tales are said to explain why the world is the way it is. "Coyote and the Buffalo" and "Fox and Coyote and Whale" are two trickster tales, retold by Mourning Dove, explaining how Coyote's action created changes in

“Coyote and the Buffalo’’ and “Fox and Coyote and the Whale’’ are folk tales told by Okanogan storytellers. They are myths passed down verbally from generation to generation explaining why the world is the way it is. Trickster tales are folk tales that includes an animal or a human character as a protagonist which represent the dual nature of humans. It teaches many lessons. The character has magical powers. Coyote is featured in both of these trickster tales showing similar and different contradicting qualities showing different characteristics like being greedy, disrespecting the dead, family structure, etc.

The coyote in King's story is female though, since Cherokee believe the mischevious trickster, or embodiment of evil, to be female.

In the story “Coyote Finishes His Work” the importance of farming, hunting, and nature is expressed which are all aspects of Native American culture. Coyote teaches the people various life lessons including how to hunt, gather, make shelter, what to wear, and how to dance. The belief in Mother Nature is mentioned which showed that they strongly believed in devoting some parts of their life to her and they had cultural ties to nature. Old Man states that “All people will live together. Earthmother will go back to her first shape and live as a mother among her children. Then things will be made right.” This symbolizes that a higher being will return and create a more desirable living condition for all.

“”Here,” he said. “Give me your hand. We are brothers. You are my son. I pass to you my vision, even though I cannot pass to you my knowledge. There lies in the ground not far from here one who truly was my son. He could not bear the pain of knowing two truths. And so I give my vision to you who knows one one. Perhaps it will be easier to bear. Perhaps it will be easier to share.”” Throughout the book Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn, the author travels a long way from his home to visit the reservation of a Native American elder named Dan. Nerburn agrees to write a book for Dan that will attempt to convey some aspects of American Indian life and truth in contrast to false images displayed in pop culture. This passage contributes to the

Scandinavian Paganism, more commonly known as Norse Mythology, was a popular polytheistic religion during the Anglo-Saxon time period. It is believed to have been derived from the culture of Germanic Paganism. According to Norse Mythology, at the center of the universe lies the greatest ash tree, known as Yggdrasil, whose roots and branches spread across the universe connecting each of the nine realms of Aesir, giants, and Niflheim. The world was believed to have been created by the body of Ymir, a giant that was killed and dismembered by the first gods. His flesh created the earth, his bones formed the mountains, and his blood filled the seas.

Nature has been cheated by the outstanding abilities of Coyote. However, the situation does not end like that. The forces of nature triumph once again in order to show a tale's moral. Bear acts in a more natural way. He finally concludes the cycle that his character was intended for, but not before showing an initial naïve personality. This situation creates a first impression on the reader/listener, implying that good convincing skills can defeat what is naturally expected to happen. However, and with full intention of developing a tale moral, these convincing skills only take effect on a temporary basis. The message this tale wants to issue is that nature might be unaware for some time, but at the end, it always defeats any intention of shortcutting the life cycle. This moral is among the most usual used in Native American coyote stories, which were normally told to audiences of young and old people alike. They were sometimes told to teach about cosmology, as instructional stories for the young, to explain history, and sometimes just for the sake of telling and listening to a funny story. In all these different cases, Coyote stories are a reflection for our own lives, pointing out the smallest miseries and the biggest strengths of humans. Unfortunately for him, in the present tale, Coyote serves as the example of a negative attitude, which finally always leads to a tragic end.

While the dog puts its heart and soul into every step it takes, pounding the earth, the coyote “glides” in a “calm, soft-footed trot”. “Glide” implies effortless and graceful movement, perfectly antithetical to the dog’s “furious” gate. Unlike Twain’s prior list of adverse and disturbing traits of the coyote, his description of the coyote’s beautiful gate hints at an intricacy in the predominantly disgusted attitude: awe. Twain did not just acknowledge the existence of the coyote’s incredible speed, he embellished it with imagery and hyperbole, just as he did with the coyote’s hideous countenance. This fervor shows Twain has a strong sense of amazement toward the coyote. Twain described the coyote’s escape from the dog dramatically as a “sudden splitting of a long crack though the atmosphere”, exactly like a gunshot. Clearly the coyote did not break the sound barrier, but Twain’s exaggerated portrayal of the scene proves he was left absolutely flabbergasted. His attitude toward the coyote, thereafter, was that of

After reading the Native American myths "When Grizzlies Walked Upright" and "Earth on Turtle's Back," it can be inferred that the characters in each story reveal the values of the Native American culture. The characters in these myths reveal the Native Americans' views of man, nature, and God.

The people of the Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai did not always live together on a plot of 1.3 million acres. They were once three separate tribes drifting from camp to camp in western Montana. The Salish originated in the Bitterroot Valley whereas the Pend d’Oreille came from the Flathead Valley. However, both tribes believed that the creator put Coyote on the Earth to make it fit for mankind. Coyote is held accountable for not only land formations but also faults such as greed, hunger and jealousy. Archaeologists can date back their living in the area some 12,000 years but stories from the people date back to before the ice age. Both tribes made a living off of the land, followed the seasonal food supply and stored their kills and harvests for the winter. The Kootenai, or Ktunaxa, people believed that the sun and the moon were brothers who turned souls into physical beings to live on the Earth. Their territory extended from the Columbia River Basin to the Rocky Mountain Region all the way to the Northern Plains. Because of the diverse environments, they split up into seven bands which could be distinguished by where the band wintered. They would hunt

Iktomi, Wakjankaga, Coyote, and Rick Sanchez trickster gods created through generations of rich Sioux, Winnebago, and Navajo tradition, as well as the weird and wonderful minds of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. Specifically, I’ll be focusing on the themes of community and individual values told through trickster god narratives with a concentration on environmentalism.

The myths and folklore that we encounter in many cultures appear to have at least one Trickster in the midst. The specific skills of each Trickster varies from cultures, but evidently are important in the creation and development of each culture, “In some... trickster myths, the side effect of its lawlessness is the creation of social order” (Giddens, 31). The Coyote of Native American traditions is often shown as aiding the “Great Spirit” in the world. In opposition to the culture, Greek mythology Hermes is a devious child who captures a tortoise with his lies and creates the first lyre from its shell, but eventually transitions to as the messenger of the gods that relates to Coyote and the “Great Spirit” as he aids the gods by relaying messages. Both Hermes and Coyote have many similarities and differences that make them unique to the culture that believe in them as they depict the theme of duty, the theme of morality as well as gender roles.

the coyote relies on his own wits. The coyote is always looking for the short