Yeitso
The story
of the Hero Twins and Yeitso
Yeitso, the
Giant, lived at Tqo'sedo, Hot Springs, and the Twins went there and waited for
him to come for water. They saw him coming over the hill from the south. The Elder
Brother sang two sections of a chant then and other chants as the Giant came nearer.
The Giant went down to the spring and drank four times. He drank all the water,
and then he spat it back four times and the spring was as before. He walked back
and forth and said: "What are the two beautiful things that I see ? And how
shall I kill them?" The Twins called back: "What beautiful Big Thing
is walking about? And how shall we kill it?" They called to each other four
times. Then the Little Breeze, who was with the youths, said: "Ako, look
out! Up you go. Jump high in the air." The black knife, the Giants powerful
weapon, passed under the Twins. The Little Breeze said:
"Keep low now." And over them passed the blue knife. The youths now
got hold of the Giant's two weapons. Now came the time for them to use the sacred
feathers that their grandmother, the mother of the Sun, had given them, and when
the Little Breeze said: "Jump to this side. Look out!" they were able
to do so. This time the Giant had thrown the yellow knife, and it passed them
and they recovered it. The fourth time the Little Breeze warned the Twins. "Leap
high up now,"it said. "Here comes the last weapon." And this time
the white knife with the many points passed under them. Then the Breeze said:
"He has no more weapons."
The Sun had told the Twins that the Giant should be allowed to act first, for
he was their elder brother. When their turn came there was a great, blinding flash
of lightning and it struck the giant, but he stood there. The Twins aimed the
first knife, the black knife, at the Giant. They threw it, but he stood there
as before. They aimed and threw the Giant's own blue knife at him. It struck him,
but still he stood up. The third knife was yellow, and they hit the Giant with
it, but it did not harm him. But when they hit him with the last weapon, the great
white knife, he commenced to fall with a terrible noise.
Then the blood began to flow from the Giant's mouth and the Little Breeze said:
"Stop the blood before it runs into the water." So the Twins placed
a stone knife and an arrow point between the blood and the water. Today you can
see a strange formation where the Giant's blood flowed, and also, where the Twins
placed the stone knife there is a big, black rock standing. This all happened
at Tqo'sedo, beyond Gallup and this (Mesa Verde) side of Tso dzil, Mt. Taylor.
The Twins went to the Giant and cut off his scalp. They saw that he was covered
with flint armor or clothing made of stone knives. This covered him from his neck
to his feet. They gathered some of the stone knives and threw them towards the
East, saying: "From now on the people of the earth shall use you. The Giant's
spirit has departed from you." They threw the rest of the knives to the South,
West and North, and they covered the whole country.
The Twins, carrying the Giant's scalp, started for their home. When they reached
there they hung the Giant's scalp on a pole to the east of the hogan. And when
they entered the home they found the three sitting there. First Man, First Woman
and the White Bead Woman were very frightened. They had squeezed themselves against
the wall for they thought that some monsters had arrived to kill them. They did
not recognize the Twins for they had been reformed in the house of the Sun. They
were now tall, handsome young men with long hair and beautiful beads and clothing.
The Twins called out:
"Mother do not be frightened, we, your sons, are here." They called
out to their grandfather and grandmother adding: "We have been to our father's
home."
The three came forward and looked about them. They were still frightened for the
Twins shone with beauty. The Twins said: "We have killed the Giant, Yeitso."
First Man said: "No one can kill the Giant." They said: "But we
have the Giant's scalp hanging on the pole outside." First Woman went outside
and, taking down the Giant's scalp, chanted and danced and then hung the scalp
on the pole again. She said: "It was by this that I was made to live alone
on earth." For long ago her maidens and her people were destroyed by their
sins in the Yellow World. Pgs. 83-84
The Dine':
Origin Myths of the Navajo Indians; 1956, Aileen O'Bryan.
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