Illa

Illa is one of only two named members of the younger generation of Big-Raven's kin in Koryak oral literature (the other being Kilu). Usually described as a nephew of the Raven, he assists the creator's household through its many adventures. In the widespread pattern of cousin-marriage that structures the tales, Illa is paired with Yiniaaneut, Big-Raven's eldest daughter, just as Kilu is paired with Big-Raven's son Ememqut. A variant narrative instead makes Illa the son of the creator Tenanto'mwan, an aspect of Big-Raven himself.

Domains

• kinship and marriage

Powers

• to help Big-Raven's family carry out its exploits

Relations

• consort of: YiniaaneutThe cousin-marriage of Illa and Yiniaaneut, Big-Raven's eldest daughter, is a recurring pairing in the legends recorded by Jochelson and Bogoras.Jochelson, Waldemar. The Koryak. Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. X. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1908. (secondary)
• sibling: KiluIlla and Kilu are paired as the two named younger kin of Big-Raven; in one narrative both are the son and daughter of the creator Tenanto'mwan, making them brother and sister.Bogoras, Waldemar. Koryak Texts. Publications of the American Ethnological Society, Vol. V. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1917. (secondary)

Sources

• Illa is a named younger male member of Big-Raven's kin (a nephew, or in one variant the creator's son) who recurs through the Koryak Raven cycle as a helper and as the cousin-husband of Yiniaaneut.: Jochelson, Waldemar. The Koryak. Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. X (Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Vol. VI). Leiden: E. J. Brill / New York: G. E. Stechert, 1908. (secondary); Bogoras, Waldemar. Koryak Texts. Publications of the American Ethnological Society, Vol. V. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1917. (secondary)