Hahgwehdiyu (also called Ha-Wen-Neyu, Rawenniyo, Hawenniyo or Sapling)[1] is the Iroquois god of goodness and light, as well as a creator god. He and his twin brother Hahgwehdaetgah, the god of evil, were children of Atahensic the Sky Woman (or Tekawerahkwa the Earth Woman in some versions), whom Hahgwehdaetgah killed in childbirth.
Hahgwehdiyu created the world from his own body and that of his mother's. His outstretched palm became the sky, his mother's head the sun, and her breasts became the moon and stars. He made her body the earth, into which he planted a seed, which grew into the maize plant.[2]
- ^ "Raweno (Ha-Wen-Neyu), the Iroquois Creator". www.native-languages.org. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ Cotterell, Arthur. (1989). The illustrated encyclopedia of myths & legends. Sydney: Collins Australia. p. 204. ISBN 0-7322-0099-7. OCLC 27581076.