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Show 14 I. HAJIINEI about. The Water Monster living in this lake killed all who tried to cross it. Surrounding the lake were the razor-sharp Cutting Reeds (Lok'aa'adigishii). Seeing all of the victims' bones, the Twins said the prayers and sang the chants Spider Woman had taught them. Then they took the eagle plumes in their hands. Magically, the Cutting Reeds opened up, making a path on which the Twins passed through safely. At the lake, they met Field Rat. He helped them by giving them the names of the Sun's bodyguards. These they could use as passwords to enter the Sun's house. After leaving Field Rat, they met Mirage Man, who gave them protection against evil smoke. Jfe-^o gave them special arrows. These not only carried the Twins across the lake, but also raised up the Winds to destroy the Water Monster. When the Twins arrived at the Sun's house, they found four fierce animals in front of the entrance. The boys remembered what Field Rat had told them and called out the names of the guards â€" "Endless Giant Snake" (TJ'iish tsoh Dc^ftWt'i'ii), "Great Black Bear" (Shash tsoh), "Big Thunder" (Ii'ni'bika'ii), and "Big Wind" (Nfyol tsoh). In this way, the guards let the Twins pass. Inside the Sun's house, they met Dawn Woman, the Sun's wife. She was very angry at the Sun for having fathered children other than hers. Even so she asked her own children to hide the Twins in a corner of the house behind a blanket. When the Sun came home, he asked if anyone had come to visit. Dawn Woman told him there had been no strangers in the house. But the Sun did not believe her. He searched the house and found the Twins. The Sun began to test the Twins to see if they were really his children. There were four giant flints (beesh doolghasii) stuck in the walls of his house to mark the four directions. The Sun hurled the boys against each one. Then he buried the boys under four columns of flint, hoping to crush them. Both times the eagle plumes saved the boys. For the third test, the Sun called in the Moon to build a sweathouse. He hoped to burn the boys in it. But the Moon dug a hole in the wall and hid the boys. Then he covered them with jewels to protect them. Each time the Sun made the sweathouse hotter and hotter, he asked the boys, "Are you warm enough yet?" They always replied, "Not yet." Eight times he raised the heat of the fire, but the Twins were unharmed. When he opened the sweathouse, they emerged unhurt. "Truly this is amazing," he said. "Let us smoke together." But Little Wind |
