myth

Myths

Myths were very important to the Shoshone people. They created stories to explain the things they saw around them. Coyote was a very important character in most of the Shoshone myths. We think this may be because coyotes are very abundant where the Shoshone peoples live.

Here is your chance to write your own myth. Think of something in nature. Then write a story, using animal characters, that explains why that thing is the way it is. Once you have written it, send it to us. We will publish the stories here.

Here is one of the stories that we wrote.

How Beaver Got a Flat Tail

    One gloomy day Mouse stumbled into Beaver in the forest while Beaver was chopping trees. "You clumsy mouse," Beaver cried angrily. "I'll get you for this."
    Mouse replied, "I'll meet you here tomorrow
to wrestle."
    The next morning was a beautiful day. The sun painted the sky in a rainbow of colors as it rose over the trees. Beaver and Mouse met each other exactly on time. They started to wrestle. Beaver threw mouse down in a rage and easily won the match.
    "Tomorrow, I'll bring my friend Elephant to wrestle you," yelled Mouse.
    "It is a deal," declared Beaver.
    The followng morning Beaver and Mouse met on the wrestling grounds. "Wrestle," mouse squeaked. Immediately the ground shook. Beaver looked up and saw the largest animal he had ever seen. He started to run. Quickly, Elephant tromped on his tail.
    To this day, Beaver still has a flat tail.

If you would like to see stories that other visitors have written, go to our Myth page.

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