Delgeth
Delgeth are the man-eating antelopes of Navajo tradition, monstrous survivors of the world's early age destroyed by the twin heroes who cleared the land for people to live in.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Native American folklore
- Region
- American Southwest (place of origin)
- Trait family
- The Hero-Slain
- Symbols
- Antelope
Near this figure
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Antelope is The antelope denotes swiftness, lunar and divine power, fierceness, and dangerous strength; its horns and skins also serve as charms, spirit-containers, and medicine emblems.
why
Delgeth are the man-eating antelopes of Navajo tradition, monstrous survivors of the world's early age destroyed by the twin heroes who cleared the land for people to live in.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Behaviour
- Defeated by a god or hero restoring order
why
In that cycle a set of enormous and predatory beings occupy the land — a giant, a bird that carries people off, a kicking monster at a cliff, and others — and the twin sons of Changing Woman go out one after another to destroy them.
Offensive powers
- Ambush predation
why
The antelope is one of these, described as devouring people rather than grazing. The destruction follows the pattern of the cycle: the twins are armed and instructed by their father the sun, approach the monster in its own place, and overcome it by a combination of weapon and stratagem, often with help from a smaller creature who supplies crucial advice.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Hero meets
3 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Delgeth."
- Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, editors, American Indian Myths and Legends.
- Theresa Bane, Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore, s.v. "Delgeth."