Ee-u
Karen · mortal · Karen traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Ee-u is the first woman of Karen tradition, formed by Y'wa alongside Tha Nai and, with him, ancestress of all humankind. Together the pair transgressed Y'wa's single prohibition after Mu Kaw li's deceit, and their fall is the tradition's explanation for the entry of illness and death into the human condition. As with her partner, the missionary sources preserve her name in several spellings, and popular retellings sometimes fold the ancestress role into other female figures of the cycle.
Domains
- first humanity
Powers
- stands with Tha Nai as ancestress of humankind
Relations
- spouse: Tha NaiH. I. Marshall, The Karen People of Burma (1922), 211 (secondary)
- enemy: Mu Kaw liDeceived by Mu Kaw li.H. I. Marshall, The Karen People of Burma (1922), 211 (secondary)
Sources
- Marshall records Ee-u as the first woman formed by Y'wa and, with Tha Nai, ancestress of humankind who fell through the deceit of Mu Kaw li.: H. I. Marshall, The Karen People of Burma (1922), 211-212 (secondary)