ONHDAGWIJA – The moose goddess. Onhdagwija wandered the forests interacting with and looking after the animals she ruled over. The most prominent myth featuring her depicts her falling in love with an Iroquois hunter. She assumes human form and begins preparing acorn bread for him in his temporary bark cabin while he is off hunting during the day. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Iroquois mythology
IROQUOIS DEITY: ONHDAGWIJA THE MOOSE GODDESS
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IROQUOIS EPIC MYTH PART ELEVEN: THE WRATH OF HODADEION
FOR CHAPTER LINKS CLICK HERE
HODADEION PART 11: THE WRATH OF HODADEION – As the demigod Hodadeion stalked angrily toward the large longhouse lodge in which the cannibal wizards and their women were tormenting his younger brother Otgoe, he had but one regret. That was that the Chief of the cannibal wizards, Dagwahgweoses, was away at his private lodge and would need to be dealt with separately.
On the plus side, the absence of the long-eyebrowed leader of the vile sorcerors made Hodadeion feel sure that his own magic powers would be strong enough to overcome the entire village of cannibal wizards.
The demigod burst into the longhouse lodge before him and angrily took in the tableau of his brother Otgoe bound and being tortured with firebrands. The firebrands brought forth tears from Otgoe and, as the wampum-god, Otgoe’s tears, spit and mucous manifested as precious wampum.
One of the women of the village noticed the way Otgoe’s eyes lit up at the entrance of his older brother and drew everyone’s attention to the new arrival. The cannibal wizards ceased their smoking and the women ceased torturing their bound victim with firebrands.
Hodadeion was concentrating intently, partly speaking and partly singing his latest conjuration. After a few verbal challenges went ignored by the god of magic the cannibal wizards tried to stir themselves from their seated position to attack the intruder. Continue reading
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IROQUOIS EPIC MYTH PART TEN: THE CANNIBAL WIZARDS
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HODADEION PART 10 – THE CANNIBAL WIZARDS – Now safely on the northern side of Niagara Falls following his battle with the whirlwind, the demigod Hodadeion continued walking toward the northeast.
The god of magic knew he was getting closer and closer to the home village of the cannibal wizards who had abducted his younger brother, the wampum god Otgoe. Hodadeion could tell that from the greater frequency with which he came upon empty villages which the cannibal wizards had depopulated by feasting on all the inhabitants. Continue reading
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IROQUOIS EPIC MYTH PART NINE: BATTLE WITH A WHIRLWIND
FOR CHAPTER LINKS CLICK HERE
HODADEION PART 9 – BATTLE WITH A WHIRLWIND – At what is now called Niagara Falls, the demigod Hodadeion stood facing an enormous Dagwanoenyent. Those beings were the ancient whirlwinds so often fought by Iroquois deities.
Dagwanoenyents were enormous, flying humanoid heads with long hair which sliced the air like chainsaw blades as the whirlwinds spun around at great speed. The destruction wrought by Dagwanoenyents was legendary and Hodadeion, the young god of magic regarded the figure floating above him with dread as he stood there on the rocky outcrops at the base of Niagara Falls. Continue reading
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IROQUOIS DEITIES: SIX MORE
Here’s a look at six more deities of the various tribes in the Iroquois Confederation.
6. SHAGODIAQDANE – The Iroquois goddess of the summer. She was depicted as an old woman sitting cross-legged in the forest and she sang a song that only birds could hear and their own chirping and singing was considered to be their response to the goddess’ song.
As summer started to turn into autumn the entourage of the evil winter god Tawiskaron began to return. First the winter god’s nephews would race through the forests shooting trees with their ethereal arrows with flint heads, causing the leaves to die and fall from the trees. Continue reading
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IROQUOIS EPIC MYTH: HODADEION
Since these items have proven so popular here’s another of my neglected epic myths presented in chapter format.
PART ONE: THE GOD OF MAGIC – The demigod Hodadeion was the son of the creator deity Tharonhiawakon and a mortal woman. He and his siblings discover their mother’s village to be deserted, the latest victim of a coven of cannibalistic wizards. Hodadeion sets out to slay the wizards and to see if any trace of life remains in other villages. CLICK HERE
PART TWO: THE WASP-MEN – Hodadeion comes across a few more deserted villages and then gets attacked by the Wasp-Men, winged insectoid humanoids. CLICK HERE
PART THREE: THE WIZARD HODIADATGON – Hodadeion finds his path barred by an evil master of “otgon” – negative or dark life energy. To continue on his quest the hero must defeat Hodiadatgon in a duel of magic. CLICK HERE Continue reading
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THE IROQUOIS GODDESS SHAGODIAQDANE
SHAGODIAQDANE – The Iroquois goddess of the summer. She was depicted as an old woman sitting cross-legged in the forest and she sang a song that only birds could hear and their own chirping and singing was considered to be their response to the goddess’ song. As summer started to turn into autumn the entourage of the evil winter god Tawiskaron began to return. Continue reading
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AIRESKOI: THE IROQUOIS WAR GOD
Iroquois Confederation
AIRESKOI – The Iroquois god of war, identified with the Aurora Borealis. While other Iroquois souls would go to the conventional afterlife warriors slain in battle got to reside with Aireskoi in the heavens, their souls glowing with the grandeur of their battlefied heroics, thus accounting for the brightness of the Aurora Borealis. Continue reading
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IROQUOIS DEITY: ONHDAGWIJA THE MOOSE GODDESS
ONHDAGWIJA – The moose goddess. Onhdagwija wandered the forests interacting with and looking after the animals she ruled over. The most prominent myth featuring her depicts her falling in love with an Iroquois hunter. She assumes human form and begins preparing acorn bread for him in his temporary bark cabin while he is off hunting during the day. Continue reading
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GASYONDETHA: THE IROQUOIS METEOR GOD
GASYONDETHA – The Iroquois meteor god. Like the war god Areskoi he tried to woo the goddess Iagentci when she was taking Marriage Bread to Hawenneyu, the Chief of the Iroquois deities. Gasyondetha was associated not just with meteors and comets blazing across the sky but also with ones that struck the earth in Iroquois territory. These fallen meteors were considered Gasyondetha’s teeth, which he would sometimes pluck out of his mouth as a show of fortitude and toss to the earth below.
Many unusual rock formations that were NOT really meteors were mistakenly believed to be fallen meteors by the Iroquois in ancient times. Some stones that were believed to be meteors were said to talk and were the source of ancient stories about the world and the gods in a myth about the origin of Iroquois historical and religious tales.
One of the most famous myths involving Gasyondetha involved the god visiting an Iroquois man- Svengedaigea – in a dream warning him about monsters coming to devour everyone in his village. Continue reading
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