Editing Iya (mythology)

In [[Lakota mythology]], '''Iya''' is a storm-monster,<ref name="Lakota">Walker (137-138)</ref> brother of [[Iktomi]] the spider. He eats humans, animals and consumes villages to satisfy his otherwise endless appetite. He is in fact considered a demon in various traditions. The tornado, the snowstorm, the hurricane or the thunderstorm would all be considered manifestations of this deity. He travels with his storms in a [[tipi]] painted with magical symbols, and when he appears, he is often faceless and formless. His home is said to be under the waters, where he resides with his mother, [[Unhcegila|Unk]].

He is considered to be the chief of the North, symbolically encompassing the spheres of [[winter]], famine and disease. He is the guardian of the [[Aurora (astronomy)|Aurora Borealis]] and holds to a rivalry against both the chief of the South, Okaga, as well as the [[Thunderbird (mythology)|thunderbirds]], though this is vastly exaggerated in tales told to outsiders.

He is the younger brother of Iktomi, and the pair comprises the two progeny of [[Inyan]], the creator, who is the head of the Lakota pantheon.

==Notes==
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==References==
*{{cite book|last=Walker|first=James R. |editor=Elaine Jahner |title=Lakota Myth |publisher=[[U of Nebraska Press]]|year=1983|edition=Reissue|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lakotamyth00walk/page/428 428]|isbn=0-8032-9706-8|url=https://archive.org/details/lakotamyth00walk|url-access=registration|quote=Iya (mythology).|accessdate=2009-03-04}}

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[[Category:Lakota mythology]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]


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