Wí
Sioux/Lakota · deity · first world · Recorded classification
Wí, the Sun, is the fourth Superior God and is named chief among them — the source of light, warmth, and generative power, patron of the cardinal virtues (bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom). The supreme ceremony of the Lakota, the Sun Dance, is offered to him. In the great origin narrative he was deceived at the Feast of the Gods into preferring the two-faced Ité over his wife Haŋwí, for which Škáŋ separated the Sun from the Moon, giving day and night their division.
Domains
- sun
- light and warmth
Powers
- give light, warmth, and generative power to the world
- patronize the four cardinal virtues of bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom
Relations
- spouse: HaŋwíHusband of Haŋwí the Moon; the two were estranged by Škáŋ's judgment so that one rules the day and the other the night.Walker, Lakota Myth (1983); Lakota Belief and Ritual (1980) (secondary)
Sources
- existence: Walker, The Sun Dance and Other Ceremonies of the Oglala (AMNH 16, 1917) (secondary); Walker, Lakota Belief and Ritual (DeMallie & Jahner eds., 1980) (secondary)