Ahayuta Twins and Lightning Ahayuta, also written Ahayu'da, are the twin war gods of Zuni tradition, said to have been created by the creator deity Awonawilona to protect the first people using lightning. The elder twin, Ahaiyuta, and the younger, Matsailema, are carved from lightning-struck wood, and worn or aging images of the twins are retired to open-air shrines where the Zuni allow them to disintegrate naturally.
Facts
Attestation
Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Function
Domain / Function Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
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