Caddo Legends
These traditional stories are Caddo legends. The traditional stories of related tribes like the Pawnee and Wichita are very similar.
Common Characters in Caddo Legends
Caddi Ayo (or Ayo-Caddi-Aymay.) This means “Sky Chief” or “Chief Above” in the Caddo language, and is the Caddo name for the Creator (God.) Sometimes the Plains Indian term “Great Spirit” is also used. Caddi Ayo is a divine spirit and is not generally personified in Caddo folklore.
Village Boy and Wild Boy These mythical twins whose mother was killed by a monster are common to the folklore of many Midwestern and Plains tribes. In Caddo mythology, the twins (called Coninisí) are associated with thunder and lightning.
Coyote Coyote is the trickster figure of the Caddo tribe. As in other Plains Indian mythology, Coyote is sometimes anthropomorphized into human form and other times depicted in the shape of a coyote (sometimes both within a single story.) Caddo coyote stories range from light-hearted tales of mischief and buffoonery, to more serious legends about the nature of the world, to ribald jokes.
Caddaja A sort of man-eating ogre, similar to the Two-Face and Sharp-Elbow monsters of the northern Plains tribes. In some legends the Caddaja is portrayed as a horned serpent, more like the Cherokee Uktena.
Lost Elves Ghostly little people of Caddo folklore, who steal away people who become lost in the woods.