Illa
Koryak · deity · mythic / first times (creation epoch) · deity
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: Yiniaaneut
- sibling: Kilu
Sources
- 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.
- Bogoras, Waldemar. Koryak Texts. Publications of the American Ethnological Society, Vol. V. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1917.