221
Literature Review About Trickster Tales: Navajo Creation Myth
The main characters in the story are Great Grandfather Spirit, the animals, and mankind. Grandfather spirit has made creation however all of the animals are fighting over who will get to rule. Great Grandfather Spirit then decides to make man, however, he is having trouble. At this point, Coyote helps Grandfather Spirit by showing him the form of a man and woman. The archetype of the trickster in Navajo myth is the coyote. This archetype is generally formulated in a negative light. However, in this story Coyote is helping Grandfather Spirit to overcome the conflicts among the animals by helping him to make mankind to rule. In this sense, the story seems to start with a more innocent characterization of the Coyote who is present and a major part of the creation myth of the Navajo (Native American Legends 1).
The major form of personification lies in the use of the Coyote, who can not only talk and communicate with Grandfather Spirit, but is also able to transform into a person. A major metaphor of the story is when Grandfather Spirit blows life into mankind. This essentially provides humanity with the breath of the creator’s will and establishes mankind as those who hold dominion over creation. The story is narrated in a straightforward manner. It begins with the creation of existence and sets up the problem that the creator is having with the animals. This then gives context to the need to create humans, which the Coyote helps with. The structure of the story is short and simple. The paragraphs are divided so that each element is told in a separate way, with creation of existence, then the Coyote’s help, the creation of man, and the creation of woman. The story has a straightforward tone that is developed through the use of simple words and descriptions.
Works Cited
“Coyote Helps Create Man: A Navajo Legend”. Native American Legends. First Peoples-The Legends. 2015. Electronic.
