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Download Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping With His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America epub

by Barry Lopez


Barry_Lopez Social_Sciences English

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Prankster, warrior, seducer, fool -- Old Man Coyote is the most enduring legend in Native American culture. Crafty and cagey -- often the victim of his own magical intrigues and lusty appetites -- he created the earth and man, scrambled the stars and first brought fire . . . and death. Barry Lopez -- National Book Award-winning author of Arctic Dreams and recipient of the John Burroughs Medal for his bestselling masterwork Of Wolves and Men -- has collected sixty-eight tales from forty-two tribes, and brings to life a timeless myth that abounds with sly wit, erotic adventure, and rueful wisdom.
Download Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping With His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America epub
ISBN: 0836207262
ISBN13: 978-0836207262
Category: Politics
Subcategory: Social Sciences
Author: Barry Lopez
Language: English
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pub; First Edition edition (February 1, 1978)
Pages: 186 pages
ePUB size: 1534 kb
FB2 size: 1278 kb
Rating: 4.2
Votes: 776
Other Formats: rtf doc mbr azw

Gold as Heart
It was an interesting read, but I admit from my viewpoint I couldn't really make the connections with the myths involved, even though I have a connection of my own with the Trickster archetype. But it just probably is a cultural problem on my end.
Rigiot
For those people who are still trying to decide between evolution and intelligent design, here is yet another creation story to ponder (or add to the curriculum), this one involving Coyote, who "was not necessarily a coyote, nor even a creature of strict physical dimensions." The subtitle of this book is "Coyote Builds North America."

"Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with his Daughter" is a magical read, like all of this author's books. It is mythology without the density of "The Golden Bough," but still with the serious purpose of teaching world views that may seem strange to non-Amerinds.

I needed to ponder the implications of these stories. I wondered if coyote creation myths were any more unbelievable than the invention of a CNN 'faith and values' correspondent, or the news of a televangelist encouraging his fellow Christians to assassinate a foreign head-of-state. Are they stranger to the human experience than mullahs issuing death fatwas against authors or encouraging followers to gang-rape young women?

Coyote steals, rapes and murders in these sixty-eight stories from forty-two different First Nation tribes. He is a Creator, dupe, loving husband, and lusty rogue; a sorcerous Rhett Butler with a brushy tail and extreme bipolar disorder. My favorite stories involve other clever creatures who dupe the Trickster into eating his own anus or tossing his eyeballs into a tree. It's always good to see a powerful bully with an uncertain temper taken down a notch or two.

Luckily Coyote is able to laugh at himself, unlike certain gods on the other side of the Atlantic.
Vushura
I love Barry Lopez. This delightful collection of Coyote stories is curated with love and attention. Presented as a collection, they create a dynamic image of an ambiguous character from native folklore. A wonderfully entertaining book.
BOND
These tales are fanciful and magical and some are just bizarre. I have loved reading Barry Lopez's writings for many years and bought this book because I have read about Coyote in the books of Tony Hillerman and was curious to lean more of this Indian legend. This book is full of the stories of Coyote and gives a better understanding of his doings.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Indian legends and who loves to read good stories.
one life
I think I love it! These Coyote stories have a rhythm and feel all their own. Wish i could give a seminar on the history and significance of these American Indian creation myths but I don't have the background. Great read though.
romrom
great tales, beautifully written, as anything by barry lopez is.
Wen
Lopez heralds a message to our so-called "modern" Judeo-christian culture from the stone-age past: You can't separate the good from the bad. Coyote resembles nothing short of an agent of Bacchus, welding god-like powers of creation, with basal human desires and weaknesses.
In his anthology, Lopez has focused strictly on the Coyote of Native American lore, and thus has attempted to filter out most of the more modern interpretations and spin-offs, as well as removing any european influences. The observation that Lopez was not entirely successful in this effort shows the difficulty of such a task. The last story, "Coyote Finishes His Work", shows a distinctly "Euro-christian" influence. However, Lopez was at least successful enough to distinguish this piece from Bright's "Coyote Reader". Both are excellent works, and deserve your eye.
Of all the Coyote mythology collections I've read, this is the best. It features an assortment of styles from over 30 tribes, giving a broad sense of what the Coyote is. The author takes great pleasure in the introduction when he states that the greatest mistake is to generalize the Coyote, even to say he is a trickster is sometimes wrong. This book is just as if someone took all their favorite Coyote stories and put them in order (he starts the book at the creation of the Earth, and Man. Ending when "Coyote finishes his work.")
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the Coyote.

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