Killing the Monsters
The journey to the Sun has been made, and the twins now have many monsters to rid the earth of. Each monster has a dwelling, and story accompanied with it which tells of the residence, and the actions that took place to kill it. The stories vary, and the monsters will sometimes also vary depending on who the storyteller is. It is too much to tell each of the stories corresponding with each of the monsters especially when the activities to follow should only take a week to complete. The killing of One Walking Giant must be told though, the reason it must be told is because it is the first of the many to follow, and because the rest will take much time, it is essential to at least tell one in brief. I do believe that it would take a whole semester, to tell all these stories, and have lessons attached, so in this case I will briefly describe each monster, and where it is they may be located.
One Walking Giant - Y4’ii Tsoh
The twins were let off their Holy rainbow road at T0 Sidoh, Hot Springs, which is known today as Tocito. From there they walked toward Mount Taylor near Grants, NM, this is where they were told Ye’ii Tsoh lived. The twins waited for Walking Giant, and soon enough they heard his thunderous footsteps, and saw his head bobbing up and down at the horizon. Ye’ii Tsoh approached Bluewater Lake and took four drinks, nearly emptying the lake. One of the twins known as Naay44’ Neezgh1n7, Monster Slayer is the slayer. He is the warrior of the two, while his brother T0 Baj7shch7n7, Child-Born-for-Water would be on the sidelines making sure his brother is kept safe by use of ritual. Monster Slayer made his presence known, and Walking Giant spotted him, and let him know that he was going to kill Monster Slayer and eat him right away. Giant threw the first blow by shooting a bolt of lightning at him, Monster Slayer was able to move and dart, and strike the Giant with his lightning bolts, straight and zig-zag. Walking Giant fell to the ground, and bled out. The twins approached his dead body, and decapitated him. Child-Born-of-Water was the one to scalp, or decapitate, and was also known as Na’7d7gish7. As the blood started to flow out, the twins got the message that the blood should not touch or else the Giant will be revived. Monster Slayer used a flint blade to block the blood tracks, and to this day the blood is evidenced in Grants as the lava flow.
The Horned/Antlered Monster that Charges- Deelg44d
After the first monster that was killed (One Walking Giant) the twins drop the head of the slain with their mom, how sweet, then they’re off again to the direction of the next monster which is Deelg44d. This monster is called the Horned Monster that Charges, which means that if you’re walking and this monster spots you, it will charge at you like a train, and mow you down, piercing you with its horns or antlers, and stomp you to death. This monster is said to dwell at a place called Bik’i Halzhin, the Dark Plain. This monster was much too fast for Monster Slayer, he wasn’t sure how he was to kill him. He sat far enough away to watch it, and make a plan. As he was planning, gopher came to him and asked if he needed help. Monster Slayer told the gopher what he wanted to do, and gopher told him that the monster’s skin was like armor and couldn’t be pierced, but gopher would chew his way, and dig an opening at the monster’s heart for Monster Slayer to pierce with his flint knife. Gopher scurried away and dug a hole right under the monster and gnawed away at the armor. The monster was unaware of what happened and when Monster Slayer charged, he was able to duck and stab him right in the open area.
Monster Birds - Ts4 nin1h1l44h
Next on the monster list are the Monster Birds, Ts4 nin1h1l44h, otherwise known as perched on top of the rock. These monsters live at a place called Ts4 Bit’a’7, Rock with Wings, and it is known as Black Pinnacle which is Southwest of Shiprock, NM. This site has been featured in such films as The Lone Ranger, and Transformers 2. The monsters can be described as two flying creatures, one male and one female, large enough to pick people up and drop them into a nest to feed their two baby monsters. The male arrives with the male rain, and female arrives with the female rain. Monster Slayer waited until he saw the monster birds leave and climbed up the pinnace. When he arrived the babies of the monster squealed and cried, Monster Slayer told them to be quiet and he would let them live. He asked them when their parents would be back, and they informed him of the rains. The female arrived first, and Monster Slayer drew his lightning arrow, and shot it down. The same was done for the male monster bird as well. Monster Slayer kept his promise to the babies, and proclaimed that they will be transformed into the eagle, and the owl. They are a reminder of what monsters lived on earth, and how they came to live a life of purpose and are now revered by many.
Monster that Kicks People Off a Cliff - Ts4 dah h0dz77[ta[ii
This monster is said to live near the La Plata mountains, which is Dib4 Nitsaa, at a place called Ts4 deez’1h7, Tall Standing Rock. This monster that goes by the name, Ts4 dah h0dz77[ta[ii, Monster that Kicks People Off a Cliff, looks much like a giant man would. He is thought to have been a man made of rock, but when Monster Slayer approached, he saw that it was a man who was laying on his back with his legs folded in front of him. His hair was fused or a part of the mountain, like roots of tree growing from the side of a mountain. He laid at the edge of a path, and when travelers approached, he would be welcoming and inviting for those to pass in front, then when they get close, he would kick them off the mountain down to a pit where the monster’s children feasted on the bodies of the kicked. Monster Slayer pretended he was going to pass in front of the monster, and jumped back each time. The fourth time is when he stabbed the monster with his flint knife, and cut the monster’s hair free from the canyon that it was attached to. The body fall into the pit, and the children down below ate their father. When Monster Slayer went down to see the commotion, he caught a child and saw how ugly it was with its face smeared with blood, he tossed it toward Navajo Mountain and proposed it to be buzzard as a reminder of what once roamed the earth, and to live a new life with a new purpose.
Monster that Kills with its Eyes - Bin11’ yee aghan7
Bin11’ yee aghan7, Monster that Kills with it Eyes is said to live at Ts4gh1lzhin7, Black Rock with a hole in it, supposedly south of Huerfano Mesa in New Mexico. In Yazzie’s version it is a solo monster that hypnotizes its victim by staring at it and then eats it, in O’Bryan’s version it is a family that lives in a Hogan with big, bulging eyes that also hypnotize with stares, and Zolbrod’s version also mentions the family, and bulging eyes, but instead of hypnotism, their eyes expel lightning bolts. Monster Slayer enters the home of the family when he invited in, and they all begin to stare at him. Just as they start to emit their powers to kill, Monster Slayer threw salt into their eyes, and smoke blinded them. Monster Slayer then killed them with his flint knife and lightning arrows once they were rendered defenseless. These beings were then turned into flies as a reminder of their presence once before on this land.
Wandering Rock that Kills - Ts4 naagh1ii
Ts4 naagh1ii is said to have lived at a place called Ts4[b1h7, or Grey Rock/Light Colored Rock, and in O’Bryan it dwells at a place called, B44sh[igai, or Shining Rock/Silver Rock. The directions of this place aren’t given except for that it is near a body of water and is lured toward the San Juan River. This monster rolls, and jumps at the victim. It will rush upon the traveler and crush the body and devour it. Monster Slayer had to jump, duck, and dive to out with the rock because even though it didn’t appear to have brains, it reacted quick and seemed like it knew where the traveler would move next. When the rock was destroyed, Monster Slayer proclaimed it to be of use to the Din4, it would become the flint that we use to build fires with.
Sleep, Hunger, Old Age, Poverty, Lice - Bi[, Dichin, S3, T4’4’9, Yaa’
There is no specified location for where these monsters were found, and the question that I wonder is whether or not these beings could be considered monsters at all. According to Yazzie, these beings dwelled in a large cave, or underground chamber. They all appear to be human and are a bit weathered. One of the beings was fast asleep, another being was skin and bones, another being was very, very old, another was laying on the floor with tattered clothing, and a dirty appearance, and the last had lice crawling all over him. The twins together discovered this chamber and entered with intent to kill, but one of the men begged for their lives. He had told the twins that they should be spared so that the living people on earth will appreciate what they have or face the consequences of one of the ills they represent. The twins thought about this, and agreed to let them live and this is why if you don’t care for yourself you get lice, we shouldn’t sleep so much, we need to remember to eat, we need to work hard to not live in poverty, and to enjoy our youth. There’s a joke that people say that if you sleep in the day, or sleep in, it is Bi[ Hastiin, or Bi[ Asdz33, depending on the gender of whose sleeping, that’s holding you down. Also, if you don’t fix your bed you remain lazy all day because Sleepy man, or Sleepy woman is still in your bed waiting for you.
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