Learm more about the offspring and companions of the Oglala Sioux major dieties.
Skan (Sky) created of his essence a daughter to be the Mediator and named her “Wohpe.” He endowed her with God-like attributes and made her the Patron of Harmony, Beauty, and Pleasure. She is more beautiful than any other being.
Inyan (Rock) has two offspring. The older was brought forth full-grown from an egg in an anti-natural manner by Wakinyan. His name was originally Ksa and he was the God of Wisdom. Later he became the Imp of Mischief and his name was changed to Iktomi (also known as the Trickster).
The second son of Inyan is Iya, who is utterly evil and the Chief of All Evil Beings. He comitted incest with his mother, Unk, and their offspring is a very beautiful, very enticing, and very deceitful demon whose name is Gnaski.
These are the charachters that appear most often in Oglala mythology. THe mythic legends give the genesis of the Gods and of all creation. A brief of those relative to the four Superior Gods is this:
Before there was any other thing, or any time, Inyan was, and his spirt was Wakan Tanka. Han was then but she was not a thing, for she is only the black of darkness. Inyan was soft and shapeless but he had all powers. The powers were in his blood, and his blood was blue.
Inyan longed for another that he might exercise his powers upon it. There could be no other unless he would creaet it of that which he must take from himself. If he did so, he must impart to it a spirit and give to it a portion of his blood. As much of his blood would go from him, so much of his powers would go with it.
He concludeded to create another as a part of himself so that he could retain control of the powers. So he took from himself that which he spread over and around himself in the shape of a great disk whose edge is where there is no beyond. He named this disk Maka and imparted to it a spirit which is Maka-akan (the Earth God).
TO create Maka, he took so much from himself that he opened all his veins and all his blood flowed from him and he shrank and became hard and powerless. As his blood flowed it became waters, and it is the waters.
But powers cannot abide in waters, so they separated themselves and became a being in the shape of a great blue dome whose edge is at but not upon the edge of Maka. The powers are a spirit and the blue dome is the sky. The great spirit is Skan.
Inyan, Maka, and the waters are the world and Skan is the sky above the world.
Maka was contentious and upbraided Inyan because he did not create her a separate being and demanded that he banish Han. Inyan confessed that he was powerless and then she taunted him with his impotencey and nagged him until he agreed to appeal to Skan.
Skan heard the complaint of Maka and the appeal of Inyan that she be appeased. Thus Skan was created a judge and is the final and supreme judge of all things.
He decreed that Maka must remain forever attached to Inyan as she was created. To appease her, he created Anp, who is not a thing for he is only the red of light. Skan banished Han to the regions under the world and placed Anp on the world. Then there was light everywhere on the world but there was no heat nor any shadow.
Maka saw herself, that she was naked and cold, and complained to Skan of this. Skan then took from Inyan and from Maka and from the waters and from himself that with which he created a shining disk. This disk he named Wi (the Sun), and imparted to it a spirit which is Wi-akan (the Sun God). He placed Wi above the blue dome and commanded him to shine on all the world, giving heat to everything, and to make a shadow for each thing. Wi did as he was told and all on the world was hot.
Maka had no comfort except in shadow and she implored Skan to return Han upon the world. Then Skan comamanded Anp and Han to follow each other and remain for a space upon the world. He commanded Wi to go before Anp to the regions under the world and follow him above the world. All did as they were commanded.
Thus there were the four Superior Gods and there was establihed Anp-etu and Han-yetu, the first two of the four times, the daytime and the nighttime.