Native tribes map
What's new on our site today!Indigenous groups
Native tribes map
What's new on our site today!
This is our collection of links to Shoshone folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American mythology section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Shoshones, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Comanche and Ute tribes are very similar.
Issa/Wolf:
Creator and culture hero of Shoshone mythology. Like other figures from the Shoshone mythic age,
Wolf is usually represented as a man, but sometimes takes on the literal form of a wolf.
Coyote:
Wolf's younger brother, Coyote is a trickster figure. Though he often assists his brother
and sometimes even does good deeds for the people, Coyotes behavior is so irresponsible
and frivolous that he is constantly getting himself and those around him into trouble.
Nimerigar:
A violent race of magical little people who were said to kill and eat people.
Water Baby:
Mysterious and dangerous water spirits from the mythology of the Shoshone and other Western Indian
tribes, water babies inhabit springs and ponds, and are usually described as water fairies who lead humans to a watery grave
by mimicking the sounds of crying babies at night. Sometimes they are said to kill babies and take their place as changelings in
order to attack their unsuspecting mothers. Water babies and their eerie cries are considered an omen of death in many
Shsohone communities.
Western Shoshoni Myths:Wolf Tricks the Trickster:The White Trail In The Sky:Queen of Death Valley:The Wolf, the Fox, the Bobcat and the Cougar:Pachee Goyo: History and Legends from the Shoshone:Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies:
Learn more about the Shoshone tribe.
Back to our spirit animals page
Read a North American Indian book
Indian crafts
South American tribes
Gwich'in tribe
Tribal tattoo art
Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?
Contacts and FAQ page