DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1

Lesson 2 - Native American Texts

Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
Native American Texts: Creation myths

1. What is mythology? Which definition do you agree with? Can you explain these definitions
in your own words?
 “The myth, like the dream, offers a story occurring in space and time, a story which expresses, in
symbolic language, religious and philosophical ideas, experiences of the soul in which the real
significance of the myth lies” (Erich Fromm, The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the
Understanding of Dreams, Fairy Tales and Myth, 132)
 Myth is “the expression of irrational antisocial impulses rather than the wisdom of past ages
expressed in a specific language, that of symbols.” (Freud; qtd. in Fromm 132-133).
 symbolism is to be found in folklore, and in popular myths, legends, linguistic idioms, proverbial
wisdom, and current jokes” (Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams)
 “Dream is the personalized myth, myth the depersonalized dream” = both myth and dream are
symbolic in the same general way of the dynamics of the psyche. But in the dream the forms are
quirked by the peculiar troubles of the dreamer, whereas in myth the problems and solutions shown
are directly valid for all mankind.” (Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 18)
 “mythology is seen as the unconscious self-delineation of the growth of consciousness in man”
(Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, xxiv)
 “Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into
human cultural manifestation…Religions, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and
historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil
up from the basic, magic ring of myth.” (Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, xxiii;
xlv).

2. What is the difference between myths and mythology?

Myth – myth is concerned with the creation, how things were created, it explains how things, certain
practices, beliefs, or natural phenomena came to existence.
Mythology – a whole system of stories of a particular cultural group of people (e.g. Greek mythology)
(Andrea Puskás, An Introduction to Literature, 55)
3. What is the difference between myths and legends?
The myth – involves supernatural beings (gods, half-gods, supernatural elements) or supra-human beings.
It interprets nature.
Legend – depicts real-life stories of saints, folk heroes (e.g. Robin Hood), historical people, places, events.
It idealizes history. (Andrea Puskás, An Introduction to Literature, 55-56)

4. Why did people create origin stories in the past?

People wanted to explain supernatural phenomena and the whole world around them in order to alleviate
their fear of the unknown. They gave shape and meaning to knowledge.
5. Draw a parallel between Native American texts and other creation stories. Can you find the
differences and the most significant similarities?
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
Iroquois Creation Myth Salinan Indian Cherokee creation story Bible Norse mythology
Creation Story
Place A floating island --- An island (made of mud by a The Garden of
water beetle) floating in a Eden
sea of water (in Gälûñ’lätï -
galönlödi) and suspended at
each of the four cardinal
points by a cord hanging
down from the sky.
Characters Sky people and animals Bald Eagle God, Adam and Odin
(two birds, toad, turtle) Eve, animals,
serpent
The The tree that gives light to Talking god-like Conjurer animals The tree of the Yggdrasil - The
supernatural people eagle knowledge of chief sanctuary of
good and evil the gods is by this
(along with the ash tree. Around it
tree of life)1 exists all else,
including the Nine
Worlds. The
branches of
Yggdrasil extend
far into the heavens,
and the tree is
supported by three
roots that extend far
away into other
locations; one to the
3 Norns’ well in the
heavens, one to the
spring (the source
of numerous
rivers), and another
to the well (its
water contains
much wisdom)
Creation The animals took mud and The world was It is unknown who fastened Six days – God Odin creates
spread it on the back of Big finished; the earth to the sky with four Day 1: day and Midgard, a warm
Turtle. It became North Bald Eagle cords. night and pleasant land
America. The Sky Woman created human Day 2: water and and home for
sprinkled dust into the air beings. The Great Buzzard was sent sky humans. Odin
and created stars. Then she Man: from clay, to check if the earth is dry Day 3:land and creates Asgard, the
created the moon and sun. first small and enough to settle there. seas; plants and shining citadel of
asleep. trees the gods, and he
Sapling created what is Woman: the eagle When he reached the Day 4: the sun, joins Asgard to
good: animals that are pulled out a Cherokee country, he was the moon, and the Midgard with
useful to humans; rivers that feather and laid it very tired, and his wings stars Bifrost, a bridge
went two ways; fish without beside the began to flap and strike the Day 5: creatures made from a
bones; plants that people sleeping man. ground, and wherever they of the sea and rainbow.
could eat easily. Flint struck the earth there was a birds;
created all that is bad. He After creating valley, and where they Day 6: the Outside of the gods,
made the rivers flow only in man, The Bald turned up again there was a livestock, the humanity, and the
one direction. He put bones mountain. Cherokee country creatures that jötnar, these Nine

1
In Western Christian art, the fruit of the tree is commonly depicted as the apple, which originated in central Asia.
This depiction may have originated as a Latin pun: by eating the mālum (apple), Eve contracted malum (evil)

in fish and thorns on berry
bushes. He created winter;
monsters which his brother
drove beneath the Earth.
DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
Eagle stood and remains full of mountains to move along the Worlds are
admired his work. this day. ground, and the inhabited by elves
wild animals; and dwarfs.
Animals: placed the sun mankind.
seven handbreadths high
under the sky arch (the “And God saw
highest place is called: that it was good.”
Gûlkwâ’gine
Di’gälûñ’lätiyûñ’, “the Creation of
seventh height,”) humankind: in
God’ image. Man:
There is another world under from the dust of
this, and it is like ours in the ground and
everything–animals, plants, breathed into his
and people (their creator is nostrils the breath
unknown). The animals and of life; God
plants were told to keep caused the man to
watch for seven nights but as fall into a deep
the days passed many begin sleep; and while
to fall asleep until on the he was sleeping,
seventh night only the owl, he took one of the
panther, and a couple of man’s ribs and
others were still awake. To then closed up the
these were given the power place with flesh.
to see and to go about in the
dark, and to make a prey of
the birds and animals which
must sleep at night.
Of the trees, only the cedar,
the pine, the spruce, the
holly, and the laurel were
awake to the end, and to
them, it was given to be
always green and to be
greatest for medicine, but to
the others, it was said that
they will lose their hair
every winter.
Men came after the animals
and plants. At first, there
were only a brother and
sister until he struck her with
a fish and told her to
multiply.
In seven days a child was
born to her, and thereafter
every seven days another,
and they increased very fast
until there was danger that
the world could not keep
them. Then it was made that
a woman should have only
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
one child in a year, and it
has been so ever since.
Opposition Good vs evil: Sapling vs Good vs evil:
Flint Adam, Eve vs
God, God vs
Satan
Conflict The Sky Woman gets Coyote rapes the Eve gets curious
(gender- pregnant and curious first woman. and has eaten
biased) Then, he instantly from the tree
dies. The eagle
revives him and
tries her again
until she is perfect
for a man.
Resolution Sapling beats Fling in a Adam and Eve are
battle. banished; Cain
Fling turns into a volcano. and Abel are
borne
World’s end When the world grows old After a series of Ragnarök - is a
and worn out, the people catastrophes series of events,
will die and the cords will (crime and natural including a great
break and let the earth sink disaster), God battle, foretold to
down into the ocean, and all comes down on a lead to the death of
will be water again. cloud with his a number of great
angels and figures (the gods
dispenses justice. Odin, Thor, Freyr,
Heimdallr, and
Loki), natural
disasters, and the
submersion of the
world in water.
After these events,
the world will
resurface anew and
be fertile, the
surviving and
returning gods will
meet and the world
will be repopulated
by two human
survivors.

6. What does the tree symbolize?

It represents life and death. It is seen as a powerful symbol of growth and resurrection.
 “As a fruit-bearing tree of life, it is female: it bears, transforms, and nourishes …The
protective character is evident in the treetop that shelters nests and birds. But in addition,
the tree trunk is a container, in which dwells its spirit, as the soul dwells in the body” (Erich
Neumann, The Great Mother, 48-49).
 The tree is not only a place of birth but also a place of death, e.g. wooden coffin, gallows,
cross, stake” (Erich Neumann, The Great Mother, 53)
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
 “It might symbolize evolution, physical growth, or psychological maturation; it might
symbolize sacrifice or death (Christ's crucifixion on the tree); it might be a phallic
symbol” (C. G. Jung, Man and His Symbols, 90).

7. What does the turtle symbolize? Think about its features, appearance, and way of life.
It can be seen as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and is able to defend itself on its own. It can be
regarded as personifying water, the moon, the Earth, time, immortality, and fertility.
The turtle is a sacred figure in Native American belief. It symbolizes Mother Earth. It is equivalent to good
health and eternal life. According to Native Indian legends, it plays an important role in the creation of the
world. The reptile's thick and strong shell is protection. It was also used for healing purposes or for spiritual
rituals. The Amerindians had noticed that certain species of turtles have 13 sections on their plastron. They
thought this represented the cycle of the thirteen moons. For the Indians, the moon is a strong celestial
symbol that is synonymous with motherhood.

8. Who is a Coyote?
It is a species of canine native to North America. Coyote features as a trickster figure and skin-walker in
the folktales of some Native Americans, notably several nations in the Southwestern and Plains regions,
where he alternately assumes the form of an actual coyote or that of a man.
In Native American creation stories, it either introduces work, suffering, and death to the world, or it is the
companion of the Creator. In many of these stories, he is a major sacred character with divine creative
powers; in others, he is a malevolent and often comical trickster. In some stories, he combines both roles.

9. What is the moral of these myths? What can 21st-century people learn from them?
- Bible: Central to the biblical notion of creation is the idea of order. God creates order out of
primordial chaos. This order is moral as well as physical; it requires ethical behavior to maintain
the harmonious working of creation.
- Characters in myths sometimes lead by example, reminding people how they should behave.
Other times, mythic characters lie, cheat or steal, and are then scolded or punished for their bad
behavior.
- They still have value as literature, offering timeless and universal themes; they give us insight
into other times and places, and they help us to see how much humankind had and has in
common.
- Solution that is important to humanity in general needs cooperation, time, patience, ingenuity,
and wisdom.
- The world can function properly and can prosper only if we maintain a balance between essential
things (e.g., to protect and respect nature, live consciously)

10. Can you ask any unanswered questions about the story, which do not match your logical
thinking? Write it down on a slip of paper.
Iroquois:
- Why does the husband get angry at his wife’s pregnancy?
- Why are the animals so determined to help the woman?
Salinan:
- Why does an Eagle feel entitled to rule over men?
- Why does the Coyote obey the eagle?
- Why is the Coyote chosen to “try” the woman first?
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
Cherokee:
- Why are animals given the role of the creator?
- Why strike a woman with fish? What does fish symbolize?
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi

Shu-god of air Pangu, an ancient Chinese deity considered to be the first living
being and creator of the world in Chinese mythology.. Emerging
from an egg containing the entire cosmos, his birth released the
universe.

Maori creation myth: Rangi and Papa, the heaven and the earth, were regarded as the source
from which all things, gods, and men originated. There was darkness, for these two still clung
together, not yet having been rent apart; and the children begotten by them were ever thinking
what the difference between darkness and light might be. At last, worn out with the oppression
of darkness, all the beings begotten by them wanted to rend them apart. Finally, the god and
father of forests, of birds, and of insects could do that and since then both darkness and light
have been made manifest. (Neumann, 102-103).
Upanishads: In the beginning, this world was nonbeing. This nonbeing became being. It
developed. It turned into an egg. It lay there for a year. It burst asunder. One part of the eggshell
was of silver [earth], the other part was of gold [sky]. What was born of it, is yonder sun.
 DAM 1 – History of American Literature 1
Lesson 2 - Native American Texts
Renáta Lengyel-Marosi
Literature:
Carl G. Jung, M.-L. von Franz , Joseph L. Henderson , Jolande Jacobi, Aniela Jaffe: Man and his
Symbols. Anchor Press. Doubleday: New York London Toronto Sydney Auckland, 1988.
Joseph Campbell: The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press: Princeton and
Oxford, 2004.
Erich Fromm: The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy
Tales and Myth. Open Road, New York, 1951.
Erich Neumann: The Great Mother. An Analyses of the Archetype. Bollingen Series XLVII,
Princeton University Press, 1972.
Erich Neumann: The Origins and History of Consciousness. With a Foreword by. C. G. Jung;
Translated from the German R. F. C. Hull. Marsefield Library, London, 1989 (reprinted)
Andrea Puskás, An Introduction to Literature: a textbook for university students of English as a
foreign language. Bymoon, 2019.