Talking God, Haashchʼééłtiʼí, is the white-bodied chief of the yéʼii and the foremost intercessor among the Diné Holy People, so central that he is called the 'maternal grandfather of the gods' (Yeʼii Bicheii). He speaks on behalf of the other Holy People, appearing at moments of guidance and instruction throughout the tradition: he is present in the emergence and the ordering of the world, attends the birth and rearing of the Hero Twins, and helps direct them on their perilous journey to the house of the Sun. He is invoked at the head of the eight other male yéʼii in the nine-night Nightway (Tłʼééʼjí), the great healing ceremonial in which masked dancers personify the gods, and his white mask crowned with eagle plumes identifies him among the sacred impersonators. He is associated with dawn and the east and embodies benevolent authority and right speech.