The theme of the High Desert Mythological RoundTable is change and stories about change, big changes, creative changes, shifts in cosmic order. After several months with the Greeks, Titans, and Prometheus, we're introducing stories of the Trickster, which is certainly one way to view Prometheus and his theft of fire.
Here is the first story told last Tuesday, my paraphrase of the version Barry Lopez shares in Giving Birth to Thunder. The story originates with the Okanagon from northern Washington and British Columbia.
One day, a long time ago, the Great Spirit called all of the Animal People together. "There is going to be a change, "he said. "New People are coming and when they arrive, you will all need names." Some Animal People had names at that point and some did not. "Set up your lodges here around mine"," the Great Spirit said, "and we'll start in the morning. The first to arrive can choose any name and so forth until all have been named. When you get your name, I will also give you a job to do. The name and the task will belong to you and your descendants always."
All of the animals wanted power names. Coyote especially, wanted a new name, a warrior name, because he was called Trickster and Imitator and the others sometimes ridiculed him and he didn't like it. Coyote decided that he would get the name Bear, and be chief of the four-leggeds, or Eagle, and be chief of the birds, or Salmon, and be chief of the fish. These were good, power names.
Coyote spent the rest of the day going around telling the other animals that he was going to get a super-powerful name. Coyote ran into his brother Fox and Fox just laughed. "Trickster is trickster," he said. "You can't change that and besides, you know that no one will try to steal your name because nobody wants to be Coyote." They argued about it a bit and Coyote insisted that Fox would be laughing out of his hat come tomorrow morning and set off down the road.
Coyote came upon other animals and asked them questions. Whenever they answered he said, "Oh, I already know that," because that's just his way. On the road home, he stopped to play a game of stick and hoop and lost badly.
When Coyote got home he talked to his wife (who would be called Mole after the naming day) and told her of his plan to get a power name. "I will be Bear," he said, " or maybe Eagle, or maybe Salmon." Coyote told his wife to make him some dinner and a big fire because he was going to stay up all night, to be sure and be the very first one at the Great Spirit's lodge the next morning.
Mole built a fire and she sat with Coyote for awhile. Then she tossed on a couple more logs and went to bed. Coyote sat and watched the flames. He started to get sleepy and his eyes drooped. He got a couple of twigs and propped up his eyelids to get them open but eventually, finally, Coyote fell dead asleep and sat before the fire in a deep snore with his eyes wide open.
The sun was well up in the sky the following morning when Mole made a sound and woke up her husband. She didn't wake him up before this because she was afraid that if he did get a power name, he would leave her. Coyote leaped up and ran over to the Great Spirit's lodge. It was very quiet. There didn't seem to be anyone else around so Coyote thought that he was probably the first to arrive.
He went in and loudly announced, "I will be Bear!" "That name has been taken," said the Great Spirit. "Well, I will be Eagle then" said Coyote. "That name has already been taken as well" answered the Great Spirit. In a rather subdued tone Coyote ventured, "How about Salmon?" and the Great Spirit said that name had also been claimed. "The only name left is yours, Trickster," said the Great Spirit, "so you will again be called Coyote."
Coyote was sad at this news and sat forlornly by the fire with his head hung low. The Great Spirit felt sympathy for him. "I wanted you to keep the name Trickster," he said, "and it's my fault you overslept. I wanted you to be last. Trickster is a good name for you and I have a special job for you to do."
"You will be chief of the New People," the Great Spirit said. "When they come, they won't know how to do anything, not how to dance, or dress, or laugh, or shoot a bow. You will teach them all of these things. There are dreadful monsters on earth too, who will try to eat the new people and you will protect them. For this you will be honored. But you will also do foolish things and people will laugh at you and that will just be your way."
This was clearly an important job. The Great Spirit continued. "Because this is a big job, I will give you three special powers. One, you can change into any thing that you want. Two, you can understand and communicate with every being except water. Three, when you die, you will come back to life."
Coyote thought about this. He got up from the fire, brushed himself off, and went to make things right.
