Native Myth

In Cherokee myth - as in other indigenous American traditions - the whole of creation is alive and able to communicate like humans and with the human beings who share their environment. Cherokee myths explain how the world came to be the way it is and imparts important lessons about Cherokee cultural values.

As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.

In this story from the Abenaki people, the Native Americans who lives in New England long ago, you’ll learn how one starving man learned to grow a new crop to feed himself.

With his seemingly mundane act of taking one step forward, he effectively walked from myth to reality. A mysterious friend reappears in the lives of cousins Hannah Mitchell and Jenna Warnke. His return causes a haunted past to be revived and a search for answers about ancient myths in the Snoqualmie Valley of Washington State is born. Could modern science hold the key, or does the truth lie in something supernatural? An unlikely romance is encouraged by hope but threatened by heartbreak. Tragic loss and prejudice loom over the friends, drawing out the darkness of unexpected enemies. Is love...

As fans of Tony Hillerman's detective novels know, he is a skilled interpreter of southwestern Indian cultures. In this book, first published in 1972, he recounts a Zuni myth first recorded a century ago by the anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing. Hillerman's version of the story, written to be listened to by children ten years old and up, will have equal appeal for adults with an interest in Native American culture.

Delve into the mystical worlds of Celtic enchantment, the heroic sagas of Bulfinch's lore, the enigmatic tales of Slavic spirits, the celestial dances of Japanese deities, the profound fables of Turkish origins, the creation epics of Sumerian and Mesopotamian civilizations, the rich tapestry of Native American heritage, and the captivating chronicles from the Filipino archipelago.

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home—until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher).

Be ready to immerse yourself into the myths and long forgotten stories of the Native Americans. Discover how those myths took life through many stories, and what they were at their core. Native Americans were one with nature, and that’s why their myths are so fascinating as well. This book by author Lewis Spence serves as an insight into how the First Nations saw the world and how they forged history as we know it through their beliefs and traditions, before the impact of other cultures.

Everyone, at some point, has experienced something they can't explain. Perhaps they've felt a presence or heard voices when alone, or maybe they've seen something in the woods that, in their mind, shouldn't exist. Imagine hiking along a favorite trail with your labrador when suddenly, an eight-foot-tall creature covered in dark hair steps onto the path before you. Your dog, usually fearless, cowers behind you, trembling. The creature notices you, turns, glowers, and charges. You have no way to defend yourself. You close your eyes and pray, fully aware that you'll be torn to shreds in an ...

THE LADY OF THE LAKE —-The mystery of Lake Ronkonkoma Legends such as The Loch Ness Monster, Atlantis, Big Foot, and the Bermuda Triangle, the Lady of the Lake on Long Island have mystified people for centuries. As the story goes, an Indian princess became romantically involved with an English woodcutter who toiled across the lake from the Indian camp. When her father, Chief of the Setauket Tribe, discovered her love affair with the English settler, he forbid her from seeing him again. Saddened with depression, the princess rowed to the deepest part of Lake Ronkonkoma and took her own ...

Leslie Marmon Silko's groundbreaking book Storyteller, first published in 1981, blends original short stories and poetry influenced by the traditional oral tales that she heard growing up on the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico with autobiographical passages, folktales, family memories, and photographs. As she mixes traditional and Western literary genres, Silko examines themes of memory, alienation, power, and identity; communicates Native American notions regarding time, nature, and spirituality; and explores how stories and storytelling shape people and communities.

In this story from the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, you’ll learn how the trickster raven brings light back to the world from a greedy chief.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century. The Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today. But of all the world's civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In 2012 especially, there was a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends.

The First People had only four lights to illuminate the world. The First People asked First Man and First Woman to give them more daylight. In this traditional Navajo story, learn how First Man and First Woman created the sun, moon, and stars to give light to the First People.

The humans are freezing during a cold winter and have no fire to warm themselves. They ask Coyote for help! Under the leadership of a Coyote, all the animals of the forest band together to steal fire from three wicked sisters and deliver it to humans in this tale from the Pacific Northwest. Can he defeat the skookums or will they continue to keep the fire all to themselves?

One of the most well-known constellations in the night sky, the Big Dipper, traces its origins to a Native American legend. Many animals attempted to break through Sky in order to spread light and warmth onto the Earth. Only one of them, a Great Bear—also known as Ursa Major—succeeds. How does Great Spirit reward him?

Pocahontas, a young Indian princess, follows the lives of a family of beavers. When White hunters come on the scene, Pocahontas goes to father, the chief, for help. In time, Pocahontas learns a valuable lesson of forgiveness.

The Aesir call a Wild Hunt when a man crosses the ocean towards Asgard. Jormungander, the Midgard Serpent, should be stopping him but is missing. Is the man an advance scout for an invasion? What has happened to Jormungander? It’s up to Thor to solve this mystery.

For cousins Jenna and Hannah, life is anything but ordinary. When Jenna loses her parents in a tragic accident, their lives in Washington’s Snoqualmie Valley change in unexpected ways. Despite the changes, Jenna still finds love with a mysterious young man she once believed was Hannah’s imaginary friend. Tall, dark and hairy, Adam brings to light rumors of Bigfoot. Can science explain his appearance? Is he really a supernatural creature, like some people propose? Or, is he just as human as anyone else? Age-old fears and superstitions revive myths and reveal ancient secrets, but is there...

Back at home after their first adventure in the Barren Grounds, Eli and Morgan each struggle with personal issues: Eli is being bullied at school, and tries to hide it from Morgan, while Morgan has to make an important decision about her birth mother. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most and make the journey to Misewa to visit their animal friends. This time they travel back in time and meet a young fisher who might just be their lost friend. But they discover that the village is once again in peril.