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Published: 2010-12-03 04:14:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 19018; Favourites: 489; Downloads: 0
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~~~To the Wakiya of the Lakota people and those of the tribes--
The beast from whom lightning sparks from his eyes and his wingbeats slapping with the bang of thunder--
Lightning curling from his horns and the snakes he carries with him over the skies--
As he passes through the clouds, pulling them together with his mighty wings...
RAR.
I've been doing some off-the-wing studies on cryptids lately, giants, ufos, whatever. But I remembered the compelling stories of the 'Thunderbird,' particularly by stumbling upon a random article with one of the much-circulated images of the 'Thunderbird Pteranodon' shot by some western rangers and by the Civil War soldiers - both of which are said to be hoaxes.
But, in reality, the only thing that comes second to the Quran and dragons that invokes such powerful imagery in my head is none save for the exciting stories of the many-coloured eagle with lightning in his eyes and thunder in his wingbeats.
According to primarily the Pacific Northwestern Native Americans, the Thunderbird was said to be a servant/messenger of the Great Spirit. The Thunderbird was a herald of rain and storms, and he would gather the clouds with his wings and blink lightning, shoot lightning from his eyes, and form the largest bolts from the snakes he carried with him. The Lakota tribe called him Wakiya, which means 'sacred' and 'winged.'
He is also said to wage war and defend the people from reptilian monsters called the Unktehila... This is paralled by the stories of the Roc in India and the Zuz in Biblical mythology.
Some oral traditions describe them as being able to transform into human form by flipping their beaks up and over their head, revealing a human face and body, and they would sometimes marry human spouses. Many families are said to have traced their lineage back to such events. One story tells of a tribe who had forgotten the character of the Thunderbird, and they planned to enslave a family who happened to have Thunderbirds amongst it. It is said that the Thunderbirds revealed their true form and destroyed the village who had forgotten their power.
Many tribes and villages along the Pacific Northwest still pay tribute to the Thunderbird by performing elaborate dance ceremonies before great statues of the Bird, and a special instrument called the 'Thunderbird Pipe' is used exclusively at such events. ^^
So yeah.
Thunderbird is pretty epic.
Speaking of which, put ' Pow-Wow ' in your comment if you read all that. ^^
And this started out as a speedpaint but turned full-blown. I did it in a little different style than my normal lineless...but I'm happy with how it turned out.
ENJOY!
Art (c) me.
Rippers will be nuked and swiftly disposed of!
~~~
Related content
Comments: 120
Shadowulf1 In reply to ??? [2011-08-15 14:52:39 +0000 UTC]
Oh, sure. That'd be great, thanks!
Yeah, it's a small, up-and-coming wiki about mythical creatures, and I think this would go great there. I'll send you the note with my email shortly, and I'll let you know when the page is done, so you can see what you helped contribute to!
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arcane-phoenix [2010-12-15 03:30:30 +0000 UTC]
Aaaah he is badass! Like, Pow-Wow in the face badass.
I love the story about the family who abandoned the Thunderbird and tried to enslave a family with strong ties to the Thunderbird only to be destroyed. I enjoy mythical beings and figures who are protectors that don't take that sort of crap from people. XD; I feel like Native American tradition goes overlooked for other folklore and mythology, which is sort of sad... it really is very fascinating.
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TwilightSaint In reply to arcane-phoenix [2011-12-10 19:59:43 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! Hell yes!
Omg, crazy! And yeah, Native folklore is so interesting, and totally different than the other more 'famous' forms like Greek and roman. I should do a pic about the Orca legend...
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DarkStatic In reply to ??? [2010-12-05 17:34:13 +0000 UTC]
Pow-Wow
I love the Thunderbird; native american legends are a fantastic read and do have such vivid imagery involved. Though the Tunderbird is especially epic in my opinion.
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TwilightSaint In reply to DarkStatic [2011-12-10 19:58:51 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! And yeah, they're so neat and different from other kinds of mythology.
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wildmagic13 [2010-12-04 20:31:12 +0000 UTC]
Pow-WOW that's awesome ^_^
My family is Cherokee, but somewhere along the line we've got a couple ancestors claiming Thunderbird blood (which leads me to believe there must be other tribes in the woodpile, haaha).
...but alas, I cannot create lightning. Drat.
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TwilightSaint In reply to wildmagic13 [2011-12-10 19:58:32 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! And wow, that's so cool! I have Native in me too, but we're not sure if it's Pennsylvanian like Iroquois or from Wyoming, as someone in my family remembers something about Wyoming. :0
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Kin-Maru [2010-12-04 18:06:50 +0000 UTC]
Pow-Wow :3
This is powerful and absolutely stunning.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
XiwyCain In reply to ??? [2010-12-04 15:14:59 +0000 UTC]
Pow-Wow
That's so nice!^^ I like so much your style, it's great! The name of Wakiya is very cool, I like it!
Well, I hope you'll do more pics like this
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daffnieer In reply to ??? [2010-12-04 02:38:56 +0000 UTC]
That's really nice!
I like the lightning.. its awesomee
Great jobb!!!
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Haddrian In reply to ??? [2010-12-04 02:37:48 +0000 UTC]
Mice one! I like it a lot One of your best work as far as I'm concerned
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwilightSaint In reply to Haddrian [2011-12-10 19:53:48 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! Definitely one of the most intense!
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Tillydae In reply to ??? [2010-12-04 02:19:10 +0000 UTC]
this is absolutely gorgeous! i love all of the blues and white in this pic
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K-M-Bloomy [2010-12-04 02:08:39 +0000 UTC]
oh my....we're watching a movie about indian stories in creative writing, and the Thunderbird was in one of them. COOL! nice job!
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sAMMIDAwOLF [2010-12-03 21:56:26 +0000 UTC]
Wooaahhh. That's awesome, like a Pow-wow. The idea of them flipping up their beaks to transform into humans is wonderfully creepy.
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TwilightSaint In reply to sAMMIDAwOLF [2011-12-10 19:54:19 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! Seriously, it's awesome, yet so scary at the same time!
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Daellus [2010-12-03 15:52:06 +0000 UTC]
Pow-wow-WOW
me likes
part cherokee, here
seems my great-great-great-whatever was the last cherokee princess, and her mother supposedly of Thunderbird stock.
i don't have wings.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwilightSaint In reply to Daellus [2011-12-10 19:55:40 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! Omg, sweet! I have Native in me too! Don't have wings either. XD
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Daellus In reply to TwilightSaint [2011-12-14 13:08:17 +0000 UTC]
and it only took a year for your reply
i actually had to go searching because i didn't remember posting the comment
i'll get ye some wings for the holidays
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwilightSaint In reply to Daellus [2011-12-16 01:30:45 +0000 UTC]
Heh, I'm down to under 500 comments to respond to! I'm trying to go through it all.
Okay!
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Luane-Silverwing [2010-12-03 13:02:49 +0000 UTC]
Pow-wow! this be amazing stories and amazing picture
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Dragonmagik [2010-12-03 12:41:17 +0000 UTC]
Pow-wow
I love his sleek powerfulness! The blue scar near his eye is a good detail.
I had no idea they carried snakes with them. Do they turn the snakes into lightning?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwilightSaint In reply to Dragonmagik [2011-12-10 19:56:20 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! ^^
I believe so - would make sense, and is kinda cool - snakes bite, and lightning 'bites' the earth!
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taz73jo In reply to ??? [2010-12-03 10:43:50 +0000 UTC]
Absolutely gorgeous! The colors ands details you put into this one are amazing! Great work! I also love the pose.
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