Analysis Of Coyote And Hermes

Tricksters are prevalent in multiple folktales and mythological accounts worldwide. Despite variation differences, each of the roles played originate from cultures. Often ostentatious, the persona of a trickster is the opposite of mundane. Coyote and Hermes are two trickster gods that share the common themes of responsibility, gender roles, intent, and morale through diverse personas; their main differences are in translations and impact on Ancient Greek and Native American cultures.

The actions and mindset of a trickster always results in a lesson learned, whether it is deemed ‘good’ or ‘bad’. With society in particular, it is this characterization that shapes what one should or should not do. Although tricksters may know the common rules

Females are rarely mentioned or directly encountered in the Native American Coyote myths, and in the Greek myths, there are not many trickster ones that include Hermes and other women. Hermes is also always portrayed as male, as well as the Coyote persona, which highlights a common understanding of gender roles and significantly dominant figures of these cultures. One particular myth pertaining to two girls and the Coyote consisted of him tricking the girls to spend the night with him by entertaining the two with live music. Upon learning the musician is indeed not Coyote, they trick him in return by leaving and pinning him onto the ground. This myth demonstrates that although women may not be prominent characters, they still prove to be

Hermes, although apart of the Greek gods, is not held in such a high regard to the Greeks as juxtaposed to the function of the role Coyote plays within Native American myths. For Native Americans, a majority of their culture sees Coyote as the sole figure and leading god, since he is seen as the creator and example-setter, regardless if it is for something good or bad. Hermes, on the other hand, does not have as much of an impacting influence on Greek myths as the god Zeus does, who is the main Greek mythological figure. That being said, that is not intended to deem Hermes is insignificant; it merely defines the functioning mythological systems and values of the different cultures. One could assume that both cultures isolate and individualize the trickster characters, not quite accepting either as a “normal” or common member of society, despite their impact they place on the culture as a