Seneca mythology refers to the

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

of the

Seneca people The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west ...

, one of the six nations of the

Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

from the northeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Figures

Some important figures in Seneca mythology are: * Eagentci, whose name translates as "ancient-bodied one", is the Earth-mother, or First Mother. Her Huron name is

Atahensic Atahensic is an Iroquois sky goddess. Atahensic is associated with marriage, childbirth, and feminine affairs in general.Douglas M. George-kanentiio (1995).''Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois.'' Clear Light Books According to legend, at the tim ...

. * Djieien was a man-sized spider who survived most attacks because its heart was buried underground. * Djodi'kwado' () was a horned serpent * Othegwenhda (

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accou ...

) stabbed the heart under the Earth with a tree limb. * Dagwanoenyent is a vicious northern witch who is depicted as a whirlwind. Her child's father killed her. *

Gaasyendietha Gaasyendietha, according to Seneca mythology, is a giant serpent that dwells in the deep areas of rivers and lakes of Canada, especially Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, w ...

is a fire-breathing dragon that inhabits Lake Ontario. * Hagondes is a cannibalistic

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise ...

and clown spirit. * Kaakwha (also Kanawha) is the solar deity and god of light and truth, subordinate to Hawenniyo, a fertility god. * The Dahdahwat are animals who appear in dreams and visions. * Gagqa () is the crow spirit. * Awaeh Tegendji is an old woman who lives with her three beautiful daughters. * Gijesa are spirits of the night sky. * Hadowe are the Iroquois' equivalent of Dryads.

References

Iroquois mythology Seneca tribe {{NorthAm-myth-stub

Figures

See also

References