--- title: The Coyote and the Thunder-knife — The man who married the moon, and other Pueblo I… · full text with trees description: The Coyote and the Thunder-knife, «The man who married the moon, and other Pueblo Indian folk-stories» by Charles Fletcher Lummis: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: ANOTHER Isleta myth tells of an equally sad misadventure of the Coyote. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg77804/14/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The man who married the moon, and othe…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg77804/) / The Coyote and the Thunder-knife # The Coyote and the Thunder-knife The Coyote and the Thunder-knife of «The man who married the moon, and other Pueblo Indian folk-stories» by Charles Fletcher Lummis: the whole text, 47 sentences and 696 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. ANOTHER Isleta myth tells of an equally sad misadventure of the Coyote.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Once upon a time an old Coyote-father took a walk away from home; for in that season of the year his babies were so peevish they would not let him sleep.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") It happened that a Locust was making pottery, under a tree; and every time she moved the molding-spoon around the soft clay jar, she sang a song.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") The Coyote, coming near and hearing, thought: “Now that is the very song I need to put my \_óo-un\_ to sleep.”[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") And following the sound he came to the tree, and found Cheech-wée-deh at work.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") But she had stopped singing.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") “Locust-friend,” said he, “come teach me that song, so that I can soothe my children to sleep.”[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") But the Locust did not move to answer; and he repeated:[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") “Locust-friend, come teach me that song.”[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Still she did not answer, and the Coyote, losing his patience, said:[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") “Locust, if you don’t teach me that song, I will eat you up!”[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") At that, the Locust showed him the song, and he sang with her until he knew how.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now I know it, thank you,” he said.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") “So I will go home and sing it to my children, and they will sleep.”[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") So he went.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") But as he came to a pool, half-way home, a flock of Afraids-of-the-Water\[48\] flew up at his very nose, and drove out his memory.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") He went looking around, turning over the stones and peeping in the grass; but he could not find the song anywhere.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") So he started back at last to get the Locust to teach him again.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") \[48\] The ironical Tée-wahn name for ducks.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") But while he was yet far, the Locust saw him, so she shed her skin, leaving a dry husk, as snakes do, and filled it with sand.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she made it to sit up, and put the molding-spoon in its hands, and the clay jars in front of it; and she herself flew up into the tree.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Coming, the Coyote said: “Friend Locust, show that song again; for I got scared, and the song was driven out of me.”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") But there was no answer.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") “Hear, Locust\![24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") I will ask just once more; and if you do not show me the song, I’ll swallow you!”[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Still she did not reply; and the Coyote, being angry, swallowed the stuffed skin, sand, spoon, and all, and started homeward, saying: “\_Now\_ I think I have that song in me!”[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") But when he was half-way home he stopped and struck himself, and said: “What a fool, truly\![27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") For now I am going home without a song.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") But if I had left the Locust alive, and bothered her long enough, she would have shown me.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") I think now I will take her out, to see if she will not sing for me.”[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") So he ran all around, hunting for a black thunder-knife,\[49\] and singing:[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") \[49\] One of obsidian, or volcanic glass.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Where can I find Shée-eh-fóon?[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Where can I find Shée-eh-fóon?[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he found a large piece of the black-rock, and broke it until he got a knife.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") He made a mark on his breast with his finger, saying: “Here I will cut, and take her out.”[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he cut.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") “Mercy!” said he, “but it bites!”[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") He cut again, harder.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") “Goodness! but how it bites!” he cried, very loud.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") And cutting a third time, he fell down and died.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") So he did not learn the song of the pottery-making.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") The Quères Pueblos have exactly the same folk-story, except that they make the Horned Toad, instead of the Locust, the music-teacher.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") In their version, the Horned Toad, after being swallowed, kills the Coyote by lifting its spines.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Remembering what I have said of the maker of the thunder-knives, you will readily see the analogy between this and the obsidian splinter of the Tée-wahn story.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") It is, indeed, one of the most characteristic and instructive examples of the manner in which a folk-story becomes changed.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") XIII[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [The Stone-moving Song](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg77804/13/) - next →: [The Magic Hide-and-seek](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg77804/15/) - ↑ back to [The man who married the moon, and other Pueblo Indian folk-stories](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg77804/)