Coyote
The Trickster, Fire-Bringer, Old Man Coyote
Coyote is one of the most important and complex figures in Native American mythology, appearing in the traditions of nearly every tribe west of the Mississippi River. He is simultaneously creator and destroyer, wise teacher and utter fool, sacred being and outrageous buffoon. Through his endless scheming, his spectacular failures, and his occasional triumphs, Coyote teaches the deepest truths about human nature, the cosmos, and the delicate balance between chaos and order.
Attributes & Domains
Tribal Traditions
Coyote appears across many nations, each with their own understanding of his nature and role:
Major Stories & Teachings
Coyote's stories are among the most numerous and varied in Native American traditions. Here are some of the major cycles:
Coyote Steals Fire
In the time before humans had fire, the Fire Beings (or Fire Spirits) jealously guarded it on a distant mountain. Coyote, seeing that the people were cold and suffering, devised a plan. He organized the animals into a relay team stretching from the mountain to the human village.
Coyote tricked his way into the Fire Beings' lodge and stole a burning brand, running with it until he was exhausted, then passing it to the next animal - sometimes Squirrel (whose tail was scorched, forever after curled), then Chipmunk (who got his stripes from the Fire Beings' claws), and so on until Frog swallowed the coal and gave it to Wood, where fire lives to this day.
Teaching: Great gifts often require sacrifice and cooperation. Coyote was burned and nearly killed, but his trickery and determination brought an essential gift to humanity.
Coyote and the Origin of Death
In many traditions, Coyote is responsible for death entering the world. In one common version, when the world was new, the beings debated whether death should be permanent. Some argued that the dead should return to life, like the moon waxing after waning.
Coyote argued that death should be permanent - "If the dead came back, there would be no room for the living, no reason to value life." The others reluctantly agreed. But shortly after, Coyote's own son died. Devastated, Coyote begged to change the rule, but it was too late - his own words had bound the world.
Teaching: Our actions have consequences we cannot foresee. Even the trickster cannot escape the laws he helps create. Death, though painful, gives meaning to life.
Coyote and the Monster
In Pacific Northwest and Plateau traditions, Coyote defeats various monsters that threaten the people. Sometimes he allows himself to be swallowed by a great monster, then cuts his way out from within, freeing all the people and animals the monster had eaten.
As he cuts up the monster's body and throws the pieces across the land, each piece becomes a different tribe of people, explaining how the various nations came to live where they do.
Teaching: Sometimes you must enter into danger, even destruction, to bring about liberation. The hero's journey may require being consumed before emerging transformed.
Coyote's Foolishness
Alongside his creative and heroic deeds, Coyote is famous for his spectacular failures. He is endlessly undone by his own appetites - for food, for sex, for admiration. He tries to fly like the birds (and crashes), tries to be handsome (and humiliates himself), tries to trick others (and is out-tricked).
In one famous story, Coyote sees some birds flying overhead carrying something delicious. He begs to join them, and they give him wings. But they warn him not to look down. Of course, Coyote looks down, loses his wings, and falls - but somehow survives to scheme another day.
Teaching: Pride and greed lead to downfall. But also: failure is not the end. Coyote always gets up, dusts himself off, and continues. Resilience and humor in the face of defeat are sacred qualities.
The Deeper Nature of Coyote
Coyote is not simply a "trickster" in the modern sense of a prankster. He embodies profound spiritual truths:
- Sacred Chaos: Coyote represents the creative chaos necessary for transformation. Without the trickster's disruption, the world would become rigid and lifeless.
- The Shadow: Coyote often acts out the impulses that "civilized" beings repress. His stories allow communities to acknowledge and laugh at their own shadows.
- Boundary Crosser: Coyote moves between worlds - between the sacred and profane, between animal and human, between creation and destruction. He is a mediator.
- Teacher Through Failure: Coyote's failures teach more than his successes. We learn from his mistakes without having to make them ourselves.
- Eternal Survival: No matter what happens to Coyote - burned, drowned, dismembered - he always returns. He represents the indestructible spirit of life itself.
Symbolism & Significance
Understanding Coyote requires embracing paradox:
- Creator/Destroyer: Coyote makes and unmakes, often in the same story
- Sacred/Profane: His stories include both the most holy and the most crude elements - often simultaneously
- Wise/Foolish: Coyote's wisdom comes through his foolishness; his foolishness reveals deep wisdom
- Survivor: Above all, Coyote survives. The actual coyote animal's adaptability - thriving even as other species disappear - mirrors this spiritual quality
- The Coyote Today: Coyote remains relevant because he represents the irreducible, irrepressible spark of life that refuses to be tamed or extinguished
Cultural Respect
Coyote stories are living traditions, still told in Native communities today. While some stories are shared publicly, others are restricted to certain seasons or ceremonial contexts. The trickster is not merely entertainment - Coyote is a spiritual teacher whose stories carry power and responsibility.
When encountering Coyote in story or in life, approach with both humor and humility. The trickster is always teaching, often in unexpected ways.
Related Across the Mythos
Raven
Pacific Northwest Trickster-Creator