Gaasyendietha
Gaasyendietha (Seneca: Gá:šöje:ta’,[1] Onondaga: Hadawinétha’,[2] Tuscarora: Tharęhyawáˀkę[3]), also known as the meteor dragon according to Seneca mythology, is a giant serpent that dwells in the deep areas of rivers and lakes of Canada, especially Lake Ontario. This serpent could fly on a trail of fire, and it could also spew fire, which has led to it being viewed as analogous to European dragons.[4][5][6]
It is also known as the "meteor dragon", in reference to its supposed origin from a meteoroid that had impacted the Earth. It is also capable of crossing the heavens on a trail of fire.[7] Another reference to it is as the "fire lion", which is the Iroquioan version of the underwater panther.[8]
In some versions of the Haudenosaunee creation story, Gaasyendietha caught Atahensic as she fell to earth from the Sky World.[9]
In the tale "Ganyadjigowa", the hero Ganyadjigowa (The Mudhen) was killed by Gaasyendietha, in the form of an old man.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Chafe, Wallace. "English-Seneca Dictionary" (PDF). p. 35. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- ↑ Woodbury, Hanni (2003). Onondaga-English/English-Onondaga dictionary. Toronto ; Buffalo : University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Rudes, Blair A. (2015). "Tharęhyawáˀkę". Tuscarora–English/English–Tuscarora Dictionary. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442628809.
- ↑ "Sea Serpents of Canada" Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, Charles Alexander Moffat.
- ↑ The Serene Dragon Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Darek Isaacs (2010). Dragons Or Dinosaurs?: Creation Or Evolution?. Bridge Logos Foundation. p. 121. ISBN 9780882704777. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ↑ Ash Dekirk (2006). Dragonlore: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. Career Press. p. 48. ISBN 9781564148681. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ↑ Walker, Deward E. (1989). Witchcraft and Sorcery of the American Native Peoples. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0893011277.
- ↑ Borgia-Askey, Melissa (Fall–Winter 2020). "Hadigeodönyöh (They Tell Stories)" (PDF). New York Folklore. 46 (3–4). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Curtin, Jeremiah; Hewitt, J.N.B. (1918). Annual Report, Volume 32. Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology. pp. 236~251. Retrieved Dec 21, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Hewitt, J.B.N. (1918). "Seneca Fiction, Legends, and Myths". Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 32: 37. Retrieved Aug 17, 2018.
- Fee, Christopher R.; Webb, Jeffery B. (2016). American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales. ABC-CLIO. p. 411. ISBN 978-1-61069-568-8. Retrieved Aug 17, 2018.
- Meet Gaasyendietha, the meteor dragon in Lake Ontario at biinaagami.org
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