Compare and contrast the trickster god Hermes with the Native American trickster figure Coyote. Browse through the various stories from American Indian Trickster Tales, eds. Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz and the miscellaneous myths from American Indian Myths and Legends, eds. R. Erdoes and A. Ortiz (see posted PDF files on D2L). Consider the many facets of Coyote as creator, hero, lover (or emblem of fertility), etc. Does Coyote seem to serve a function within the Indian mythological system similar to Hermes for the Greeks? Are there significant differences as well? Explain. Be sure to use Norman Browns discussion in Hermes the Thief (on D2L) as well as your class notes to further your analysis. In addition, you may want to look at Carl Jungs The Psychology of the Trickster Figure in Paul Radins The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology, also posted on D2L). (You may consult other sources, though it is not required. But do not use on-line sources which do not appear to be vetted/refereed by experts. If the sources are published scholarly articles, or excerpts from books, then they probably are reliable. Note that Wikipedia is notoriously unreliable in many of its entries, since some are not properly documented/referenced.)

Hint: first read through all the Coyote myths supplied, then categorize them and set forth evidence to support your conclusions about Coyotes nature (as opposed to Hermes). Then proceed with a point by point comparison/contrast of the 2 divinities.