Context: This was a story told by a teenage girl in an isolated village on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. When asked for her favorite myths, she told me the story of Coyote and the Giant –

“Every day, Giant comes around and eats people. He’s too fast for the monster hunters to get him, too fast for anyone to outrun him, and too big to fight. He loved to come down and eat all the children. But Coyote had a good idea, a way to make Giant less dangerous. Because Giant’s so big, he can only go so fast, so Coyote offers to make him as fast as him! Of course, Giant agrees. Coyote tells him that the reason he’s so fast is because he breaks his leg and heals it with his spit. If Giant does that too, he’ll be just as fast as Coyote. So Giant wacks his leg into two pieces. Splinters the bone and tells Coyote to spit on the bone. Coyote does. But of course, nothing happens. Coyote just made Giant break his own leg. Became too slow to catch anyone, much less Coyote.

Analysis: This myth features Coyote, a central figure in Navajo folklore. It highlights the importance of cunning in Navajo culture, as it is well-established that brute strength is no match for Giant. Coyote’s actions prove that intellect can win over physical power while emphasizing how these traits are heroic. The telling also included a lot of physicality and a sound effect when describing the “spit” Coyote produces. This comedic element creates engagement and entertainment. Additionally, Coyote’s choice to make the Giant break his own leg emphasizes nonviolent means of resistance and survival, another key value of Navajo culture.