Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History

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Deciding to disobey his mother's instruction, the grandson spends the night and the subsequent morning in the cave. The role Coyote takes in traditional stories shares some traits with the Raven figure in other cultures.

Coyote Facts That You Should Know - Facts.net 50 Interesting Coyote Facts That You Should Know - Facts.net

This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic, although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and blunt claws. Each animal makes a human model in their own likeness; but overnight Coyote destroys the other models, so that only his own model comes to life. Some stories depict Coyote as the embodiment of evil lechery: a serial rapist who uses trickery to attack a variety of victims including, for example, his own mother-in-law [7] and his sister.The eldest, knowing who the big mountain sheep really is, plans on leaving him alone but the younger brother ignores his older brother's warning and decides to kill the big mountain sheep. A Maidu myth says that as the Creator was fashioning various creatures out of clay, Coyote tried to do the same.

Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History

A common theme is of Coyote benefiting the human community by organizing the theft of fire, or of the sun, from the supernatural beings who have been keeping it for themselves; in these myths he is portrayed as a benefactor of the people. After it is completed, and Earth Maker has created the people, Coyote vows to spoil the world and introduce evil to it. As he leaves the cave, he is approached by some mountain sheep who accompany him on his journey to his grandfather's house. Such tales may have served to reinforce the community moral code, by using outrageous humor to portray examples of intolerable behavior.

It begins with Coyote's grandson being sent by his mother to go see Coyote and before the grandson leaves he is explicitly told not to enter a cave that lies between his mother's house and Coyote's house.