Gendenwitha (also spelled Gendewitha) is a mythological character represented by the

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

Iroquois mythology Mythology of the Iroquois includes the creation stories and folktales of the Native Americans who formed the confederacy of the Five Nations, later the Six Nations. Historically, these stories were recorded in wampum and recited, only being w ...

. Her name means "It Brings the Day." Gendenwitha was originally a beautiful maiden who was loved by Sosondowah, a great hunter held captive as a guard by

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

. Dawn transformed Gendenwitha into the Morning Star after Sosondowah attempted to make her his bride.

Sosondowah and The Legend of Gendenwitha

Sosondowah was a greatly skilled hunter who was captured by Dawn when he pursued a Sky-Elk up into the heavens. Dawn commanded him to spend eternity guarding the door of her lodge in the sky. From his post, Sosondowah caught sight of Gendenwitha as she stood by a river, and fell in love. During Spring, Sosondowah escaped from Dawn while she was sleeping and entered the heart of a

bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

in order to visit his beloved. Gendenwitha, not knowing the true identity of the bluebird, welcomed Sosondowah as a sign of Spring. Sosondowah escaped from Dawn again during Summer, and entered the heart of a blackbird. Again he visited Gendenwitha at the river, and was greeted as a sign of Summer. During Autumn, Sosondowah escaped once more, this time in the body of a giant

nighthawk The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, native to the western hemisphere. The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Bible of 1611, was originally a local name i ...

. He swooped down to the river and took Gendenwitha up to the lodge in the sky to make her his bride. Dawn, angry at the defiance of Sosondowah, transformed Gendenwitha into a star and put her on Sosondowah's forehead so he "must long for her throughout all time without attaining her."

References

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External links

Gendenwitha entry on Goddessaday.comGendenwitha article on Godchecker.com
Iroquois mythology Goddesses of the indigenous peoples of North America