Monster Slayer- Navajo HeroHero"Slayer of Alien Gods"

Birth and Origins

Monster Slayer was conceived when the Sun's rays struck Changing Woman as she lay on a flat rock. His twin brother, Born for Water, was conceived when Changing Woman bathed beneath a waterfall. Their natures followed their origins: Monster Slayer carried the fierce, burning power of the sun, while Born for Water carried the flowing power of water, sustaining through prayer and ritual.

The twins grew with supernatural speed, reaching maturity in days rather than years. Even as children, they knew that terrible monsters roamed the Glittering World, killing the Navajo people. The Naayééʼ had been born during the separation of men and women in the underworld. Yéʼiitsoh the Big Giant and Déélgééd the Horned Monster hunted freely, and the people had been reduced to a terrified remnant hiding in the canyons. The twins knew they must act.

The Quest for Weapons

When the twins asked Changing Woman about their father, she refused at first, knowing the danger of the journey they would attempt. Eventually she revealed that their father was Jóhonaaʼéí, the Sun, who lived in a great turquoise house in the east. To reach him, the twins would need to cross deadly terrain: crushing rocks that smashed together on anything passing between them, and cutting reeds that sliced travelers to pieces.

Spider Woman gave them sacred knowledge from her home in a hole in the ground. She taught them the specific prayers that would cause each obstacle to part, gave them life feathers to place on their chests and heads, and sacred caterpillars to swallow. Big Fly sat on their shoulders, whispering advice at critical moments. With this divine aid, the twins made their way across the treacherous landscape, each prayer opening the way before them.

Trials at the Sun's House

When Monster Slayer and Born for Water arrived at the Sun's turquoise house, they were not welcomed. The Sun's wife, suspicious of visitors claiming to be her husband's children, hid them under blankets. When the Sun returned and discovered them, he did not embrace them. He subjected them to a series of deadly trials.

The Sun threw the twins against walls of sharp flints. They survived, protected by the life feathers Spider Woman had given them. He boiled them in a great pot. They endured. He locked them in a sweat lodge with steam so hot it should have killed any mortal, then made them smoke a pipe filled with tobacco so powerful it would poison anyone who inhaled it. They survived each trial, protected by Spider Woman's gifts.

Having proved their divine parentage, the twins stood before the Sun as his acknowledged sons. Monster Slayer knew what he needed: weapons powerful enough to destroy the monsters threatening his people.

The Gifts of the Sun

The Sun gave Monster Slayer the lightning arrows, bolts of chain lightning that could strike down any foe, along with flint armor and a great stone knife. He taught the twins songs and prayers essential for battle, each weapon requiring its own invocation to unlock its power.

Before they departed, the Sun identified the great monsters and described their weaknesses. But he also issued a warning: Old Age and Poverty and Hunger and Cold must be spared, for without them life would lose its meaning. With their father's weapons and counsel, the twins returned to the Glittering World.

Slaying the Monsters

Monster Slayer's first opponent was Yéʼiitsoh, the Big Giant, chief of all the monsters. This terrible being lived near Tsoodzil, Mount Taylor, and had killed countless people. Monster Slayer confronted him at a lake near the mountain, calling out to announce himself as the son of the Sun. Born for Water stood nearby. His prayers and songs held the spiritual ground that let the weapons work.

The giant hurled boulders and swung a massive club, but Monster Slayer dodged each blow with supernatural speed. He launched his lightning arrows: the zigzag lightning first, then the straight lightning. With each strike the giant staggered. The fourth bolt brought him down. Monster Slayer cut off his head, and the giant's blood flowed across the land, cooling into the lava flows still visible near Mount Taylor.

The pattern held for every battle that followed. Monster Slayer struck while Born for Water prayed. He killed the Horned Monster, Déélgééd, whose body became the lava formations near the Zuni Mountains. He slew the Monster Eagle, Tsé Ninááhálééh, who had carried people to a rock spire to feed to his young. Monster Slayer killed the parent birds and transformed the eaglets into the eagles and owls of today.

The Monsters Spared

After destroying the great threats, Monster Slayer sought to kill all remaining dangerous beings. But when he approached Old Age, she spoke: without aging, people would never make room for new generations. Poverty spoke: without want, people would have no reason to work. Monster Slayer remembered his father's warning. He lowered his weapons and let them live.

The Monsterway

Monster Slayer's victories left their mark on the sacred geography of Dinétah. The lava flows near Mount Taylor are Yéʼiitsoh's blood. Rock formations near the Zuni Mountains are the Horned Monster's remains. The landscape itself records the story.

The Monsterway ceremony, Naayééʼ Hatááł, recounts the twins' journey and battles to cure illnesses caused by contact with violence and warfare. Sand paintings created during the ceremony depict the Hero Twins with their weapons. The Enemyway similarly invokes the twins' protective power against spiritual contamination from enemies. The ceremonies carry his story forward, and through them Monster Slayer's power remains available to the Navajo people.