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American Myths

Sacred and symbolic stories that explain creation, natural phenomena, and humanity’s origins.

Parchment-style artwork of white crow flying with burning coal, Cherokee folktale of courage and fire.

Why the Crow Is Black: Cherokee Folktale

by Ayomide Adekilekun

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Nature & Animal Myths

In the time before memory, when the earth was still young and filled with wonder, the crow was not black as we know it today. His feathers shone white as winter snow, and when he sang, his voice carried through the valleys, soft and sweet like the songs of spring. Among all birds, Crow was the most beautiful and the

Parchment-style artwork of the Morning Star boy falling from the sky, Pawnee Native American folktale.

American Myths·Native American Sun, Moon & Star Myths

The Boy Who Became the Morning Star: Pawnee Folktale

In the heart of the Pawnee lands, where the endless plains met the morning horizon, the people often gazed upward at dawn, admiring the brilliance of the Morning Star. To them, it was not merely a celestial body but a living being, a spirit of light that bridged the heavens

Parchment-style artwork of Coyote stealing fire from the mountain sisters, Native American folktale

How Coyote Brought Fire to the People: American Folktale

In the ancient lands of the Pacific Northwest, when the world was

Parchment-style artwork of Raven releasing the Sun and Moon into the sky, Haida folktale scene.

The Theft of the Sun and the Moon

In the time before time, when the earth was still covered in

Parchment-style illustration of two Lakota children meeting Star People under a starlit sky, Native American folktale scene.

The Star People and the Lost Children: Lakota Sioux Folktale (United States)

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Sun, Moon & Star Myths

In the days when the Lakota folktale traditions were first spoken beneath the boundless skies of the Great Plains, two young children wandered from their village, drawn by a light shimmering in the evening heavens. The older sister held her younger brother’s hand as they followed a bright star glowing

Parchment-style artwork of the Sun and Moon facing each other in the sky, Cherokee folktale scene.

The Sun and the Moon Are Man and Wife: Cherokee Folktale (United States)

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Sun, Moon & Star Myths

In the ancient days, before the world found its rhythm of day and night, the Sun and the Moon lived together on earth as husband and wife. They shared one lodge under the vast sky, their home surrounded by whispering trees and flowing rivers of silver light. The folktale of

Parchment-style artwork of Aataentsic falling with the Sky Tree toward Turtle, Iroquois creation folktale.

The Sky Tree: Iroquois Folktale

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Nature & Animal Myths

In the beginning, when the world was still new and unshaped, there was only the Sky World above and the endless waters below. In that celestial realm grew a magnificent tree, called the Sky Tree, the source of life itself. Its branches shimmered with fruit of every kind, apples, berries,

Parchment-style artwork of Navajo figures with four wind bags glowing in a desert landscape.

The Origin of the Winds: American Folktale

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Nature & Animal Myths

In the earliest days of creation, when the world was new and the earth was still soft beneath the feet of the Holy People, there was no wind. The air hung silent and heavy, unmoving as stone. Without breath or breeze, the world could not live, no crops would sprout,

Raven and the Snowless Winter

October 17, 2025

American Myths

In the earliest days, the land was green and gold all year long. Rivers shimmered, but they ran shallow, and the salmon—who once filled every stream—could not return home to spawn. The forests whispered in thirst. The People prayed for cold to come, but no frost ever touched the earth.

Sky Woman’s Basket

October 17, 2025

American Myths

Before there were rivers to name or hills to climb, there was only the wide wind and the endless water—sky reflected upon sky, stretching without beginning or edge. The stars hung low and silent, waiting for something solid to shine upon. High above that water lived a woman called Sky

American Myths

Why the Crow Is Black: Cherokee Folktale

The Boy Who Became the Morning Star: Pawnee Folktale

How Coyote Brought Fire to the People: American Folktale

The Theft of the Sun and the Moon

The Star People and the Lost Children: Lakota Sioux Folktale (United States)

The Sun and the Moon Are Man and Wife: Cherokee Folktale (United States)

The Sky Tree: Iroquois Folktale

The Origin of the Winds: American Folktale

Raven and the Snowless Winter

Sky Woman’s Basket

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