For the mythic origin of these two chief gods under the Sun, as his right- and left-hand being, their relation to chance, war, games, etc., I again refer the reader to the Zuni Creation Myths. ↩
Pi-a-la-we (cord or cotton shields), evidently an ancient style of shield still surviving in the form of sacrificial net-shields of the Priesthood of the Bow. But the shields of these two gods were supposed to have been spun from the clouds which, supporting the sky-ocean, that in turn supported the sky-world (as this world is believed to be supported by under-waters and clouds), were hence possessed of the power of floating—upward when turned up, downward when reversed. ↩
Hé-lu-ha-pa; from hé-lu, or é-lu, “hurrah,” or “how delightful!”—and há-pa, a corpse-demon, death. ↩
This, like so many of the folktale songs, can only be translated etymologically or by extended paraphrasing. Such songs are always jargonistic, either archaic, imitative, or adapted from other languages of tribes who possibly supplied incidents to the myths themselves; but they are, like the latter, strictly harmonized with the native forms of expression and phases of belief. ↩
The onion here referred to is the dried, southwestern leek-clove, which is so strong and indigestible that, when eaten raw and in quantity, gives rise to great distress, or actually proves fatal to any but mature and vigorous persons. This, of course, explains why it was chosen for its value as a symbol of the vigor (or “daylight perfection” and invincibility) of the Twin gods. ↩
Dangerously susceptible, tender, delicate. ↩
Hazy, steam-growing. ↩
Mist-enshrouded. ↩
Venice. ↩
“Italy-people.” ↩
The maiden here addresses mankind generally. ↩
The twin children of the Sun were, in the days of creation, the benignant guardians of men; but when the world became filled with envy and war, they were changed by the eight gods of the storms into warriors more powerful than all monsters, gods, or men. The elder one was right-handed, the younger, left-handed; hence the form of expression here used. ↩
Colophon
Zuni Folktales
was published in 1901 by
Frank Hamilton Cushing.
This ebook was produced for
Standard Ebooks
by
Hendrik Kaiber,
and is based on a transcription produced in 2017 by
Larry B. Harrison, Sam W., and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team
for
Project Gutenberg
and on digital scans from the
Internet Archive.
The cover page is adapted from
Old Man of Zuni, High Priest (Cacique),
a painting completed in 1924 by
Gerald Cassidy.
The cover and title pages feature the
League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy
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