APRIL 21, 2013 Kokopelli… The Shocking Truth!

Kokopelli, Wooing Women of the Southwest Kokopelli was a frisky and fruitful guy. As a matter of fact, you could say that he was the Johnny Appleseed of the Southwest. His trade route was large. He played his music and spread his seed from Southern Utah to Mexico. To the Navajo, Kokopelli is called “Water Sprinkler”, and he is a symbol of fertility in both the natural and human sense. To the Hopi he is the symbol of the Flute clan, and he adorns pottery, baskets, and Katsinas. And, he is always surrounded by humor. This funny-looking being, with his back hunched, carrying seeds, was somehow able to enchant women into loving him and mesmerize men out of their most prized possessions. Many women considered it to be an honor to be chosen as his “dreamtime companion” when he stayed in a village until he moved on. If you’d had trouble having a baby, Kokopelli would take care of that. He fathered children left and right. The Hopi people believe Kokopelli gets his energy and heat from the very center of the earth. And, coming from the center of the earth, he brings love and fertility to all plants and animals. Kokopelli has the spirit of the Trickster. This hunchbacked flute player is sometimes called the Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers. His image was cleaned up hundreds of years ago by Catholic priests as they arrived in the Southwest. But, he is still here, etched in petroglyphs, playing his flute for everyone to enjoy. We believe that Kokopelli is with us still, just beyond our reach but inside our dreams, and that he will continue his journey and trade route into the future. Oh, magical southwest… We love you. https://twinrockstradingpost.wordpress.com/category/native-american-legends/ 21 DECEMBER, 2014 The Enigmatic , a Trickster among Gods in

The Norse trickster god, Loki is undoubtedly the most debated figure from Norse mythology to this day. Though he appears to be a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, scholars still explore what his purpose might have been in the ancient stories. Was he merely a plot device, a foil for the pantheon of gods in Norse religion? Loki was the son of a jötunn (giant), and Laufey, a lesser known female god. His jötunn heritage aids in explaining the complexity of his character, as the son of a giant as well as a goddess, he straddles the two warring factions, a trait which plagues his character throughout his mythology. Loki appears to take great pleasure in fooling or insulting the gods. One of the most notable examples is his fluctuating relationship with . For example, when Thor comes to the great hall of the sea god he immediately becomes bothered by Loki and his antics. Three times Thor threatens to silence Loki with his hammer , and three times Loki proceeds to insult him. At the end of the tale, Loki flees the scene, hiding from the gods, only to be found and captured, and bound to the rock where a serpent drips painful venom upon him. However, it is Loki to whom Thor turns for aid when Mjölnir, his powerful hammer, goes missing. Loki is the first person Thor seeks out, and together they work to uncover which god or magical creature has stolen the weapon. Though these are only two of many stories that describe Loki, these tales revealing the wide spectrum of his personality and thus why his portrayals in the ancient Norse constantly conflict. Loki is neither depicted as completely evil nor completely helpful, and appears to have no regret of his actions or sympathy for his family members. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/enigmatic-loki-trickster-among- gods-norse-mythology-002484