The Trickster Brain by Williams David;

Author:Williams, David; [Williams, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-04-15T04:00:00+00:00

Some Trickster Stories from Around the World

Coyote Marries a Man (Plains Cree, North America)

Coyote traveled to a new tribe where there was food and lots of people. A handsome man lived there named Not Enough Horses, who desired marriage, but none of the women there were good enough for him.

Coyote shape-shifted into a gorgeous woman to make this man marry him. Not Enough Horses fell for the female version of Coyote, they married, and Coyote bore three children, but no one was allowed to see them, until one day Coyote accidentally left them behind, and Not Enough Horses’ mother discovered the children were wolf pups, not humans, and she began laughing, knowing that Coyote had played a trick and gotten his comeuppance for being so arrogant. Not Enough Horses left the village, determined to marry the first ugly woman that he saw, and he did. But once again, it was Coyote in disguise. He had married Coyote twice.2

This story deals with the ways in which the brain tricks itself to believe what it wants. As Robert Burton says in On Being Certain, belief in something has little to do with its validity: “Once firmly established, a neural network that links a thought and the feeling of correctness is not easily undone. An idea known to be wrong, continues to feel correct.”2 Bias becomes us, both through biology and culture, and this tale relates the problem of being myopic, while also dealing with the humor of lust and the importance of social standing.

Coyote and Beaver Exchange Wives (Cochiti, North America)

At Amatsushe they were living; Old Coyote and Old Coyote Woman lived on one side of the hill and Old Beaver and Old Beaver Woman lived on the other. They visited each other every night. One night it was snowing, deep, and Old Coyote said to his wife, “I shall go to Old Brother Beaver to invite him to go hunting, and to make plans for exchanging our wives.”

When Coyote got there, he called, “Hello.” Beaver answered, “Hello, come in and sit down.” They sat together by the fireplace to smoke.

Coyote said, “I came to tell you we are to go hunting. If we kill any rabbits we’ll bring them to our wives. I’ll bring mine to your wife, and you can bring yours to mine.”

“All right,” Old Beaver agreed.

“You go first,” said Coyote. “No, you go first. This is your invitation; you invited me,” Beaver insisted.

“All right, I shall go early in the morning.”

Coyote said to Old Beaver Woman, “In the morning I am going hunting for you.”

“All right. I shall sing the song so that you will kill many rabbits.”

Old Beaver Woman started to fix the supper. She wanted it ready for his return. Old Coyote was gone for the whole day. It was evening, and he did not come home at all. Sitting near the fireplace, Old Beaver Woman waited and waited. She started to sing her song: Old Coyote, Old Coyote, come sleep with me, Come have intercourse with me.

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