Iya (mythology)

In Lakota mythology, Iya is a storm-monster,[1] brother of Iktomi the spider. He eats humans, animals and consumes villages to satisfy his otherwise endless appetite. He is in fact considered a demon in various traditions. The tornado, the snowstorm, the hurricane or the thunderstorm would all be considered manifestations of this deity. He travels with his storms in a tipi painted with magical symbols, and when he appears, he is often faceless and formless. His home is said to be under the waters, where he resides with his mother, Unk.

He is considered to be the chief of the North, symbolically encompassing the spheres of winter, famine and disease. He is the guardian of the Aurora Borealis and holds to a rivalry against both the chief of the South, Okaga, as well as the thunderbirds, though this is vastly exaggerated in tales told to outsiders.

He is the younger brother of Iktomi, and the pair comprises the two progeny of Inyan, the creator, who is the head of the Lakota pantheon.

Notes

  1. Walker (137-138)
gollark: What should be legally allowed or whatever and what you *should do* are different things.
gollark: Well, I personally feel that there's not much of a good ethical case for *forbidding* it, although you probably should try and make sure they actually want to.
gollark: It seems perfectly ethical to me.
gollark: Well, why should you NOT be able to request to be eaten?
gollark: I can't really remember life events very well at all (I use advanced "journal" technology on my computer to help with this, recently), but can remember random facts quite well.

References

  • Walker, James R. (1983). Elaine Jahner (ed.). Lakota Myth (Reissue ed.). U of Nebraska Press. pp. 428. ISBN 0-8032-9706-8. Retrieved 2009-03-04. Iya (mythology).


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