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SYMBOLS: The main symbols of Coyote are his namesakes the coyotes.
USUAL IMAGE: As a shape shifter Coyote was said to appear in many different forms, from human, to coyote humanish, to four legged coyote. Mostly depending on the tale, and the need of Coyote at the time.
HOLY DAYS: Pretty much any he wants.
PLACE OF WORSHIP: Not a being that received much in the way of worship. Unless you count having his tales told.
RELATIVES: Pretty much you and me.
SYNODEITIES: Raven (Native American), Loki (Norse), Hermes (Greek), Spider (African), Hanuman (Hinduism), Fox (Shinto), Bro Rabit (African American folk tale), Wile E. Coyote (Pop Culture.)
DETAILS: Tales of Coyote can be found among dozes of different tribes of American Indians.
He is found among the Zuni, Winnebago, Menomini, Nes Perce, Navajo, Crow, and Apache to name only a few.
Though it is not always the same character that is found, he ranges from God, to folk hero, to clown, to clever animal. But always he is a trickster, sometimes a heroic one, sometimes an evil one. After all it is said that the form most often taken by the evil Skinwalkers is that of a coyote. But always a trickster, and many times the biggest tricks he ends up playing are on himself.
Coyote is one of the Original People, those who came before human's, and animals who took their essence from both. But instead of talking about Coyote here is one of his stories as told by the Nez Perce.
COYOTE AND THE MONSTER:
A long, long time ago, people did not yet inhabit the earth. A monster walked upon the land, eating all the animals--except Coyote.
Coyote was angry that his friends were gone. He climbed the tallest mountain and attached himself to the top.
Coyote called upon the monster, challenging it to try to eat him. The monster sucked in the air, hoping to pull in Coyote with its powerful breath, but the ropes were too strong. The monster tried many other ways to blow Coyote off the mountain, but it was no use.
Realizing that Coyote was sly and clever, the monster thought of a new plan. It would befriend Coyote and invite him to stay in its home. Before the visit began, Coyote said that he wanted to visit his friends and asked if he could enter the monster's stomach to see them. The monster allowed this, and Coyote cut out its heart and set fire to its insides. His friends were freed.
Then Coyote decided to make a new animal. He flung pieces of the monster in the four directions; wherever the pieces landed, a new tribe of Indians emerged. He ran out of body parts before he could create a new human animal on the site where the monster had lain. He used the monster's blood, which was still on his hands, to create the Nez Percé, who would be strong and good.
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Don't however think that Coyote is a thing of the past, he is alive and well in America today in many different forms. Some of them that might surprise you.
Consider Wile E. Coyote and his brethren such as Buggy Bunny and other. Meer cartoon characters? Perhaps it is that the spirits and force of Coyote is to strong to be but down, he will find a way to come back and bring his tales with him. As Jung said you must look to the myths of the land where you are, and Coyote, Buffalo, Spider Grandmother are a part of this land.
Consider this tale told by the White Mountain Apache and tell me if it is not familiar to you.
COYOTE RACES FROG.
One day Slim Coyote was traveling along. He met Frog. Slim Coyote said to Frog, "Come on, let's race together and see who is the faster."
Frog said, "You must be making fun of me to talk like that." "No, come on, let's race together!" said Slim Coyote. "All right," said Frog, I I but first I want to go some place for a minute." Slim Coyote said he would wait. Frog went off and went to where the other frogs were, his people.
He told them he was going to race Slim Coyote and that he wanted them to place themselves all along where the race was to be, at intervals. "Now," he said, "if Coyote is the loser, then the frog who has the place at the finish will say to Coyote, 'My aunt, you are no runner at all; you are no man, only a boy,' and make fun of him."
Frog went back to where Slim Coyote was waiting, and they started to race. Frog took one jump and then another frog took his place, and then another for one jump and so on. This way Slim Coyote lost the race and the last frog said to him, "My aunt, you are no man, only a boy. I beat you racing.
You are no runner." Slim Coyote answered, "My aunt, you are a good runner and you beat me. I have raced with lots of Apaches and other people, but you are the first ever to beat me." That's the way Coyote lost the race.
