A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

An earlier birth episode says an abandoned child survives to become Teelget. Gopher offers the hero access in exchange for the hide, tunnelling beneath the resting beast, opening escape passages and removing hair near its heart. The hero strikes upward with lightning. Teelget tears open successive tunnels with his horns, but collapses before completing the final one. The hero retreats, still uncertain whether it has died.

Ground Squirrel tests the body by dancing on the horns, then marks his face with its blood. Gopher takes the hide so future people will know its appearance. The main version compares the horns with a deer's; Torlino's Version A specifies antelope horns. Matthews lists Delget and other pronunciations as the same name, not additional creatures. The hide and markings are narrative origins, not a biological claim that modern gophers descend from this individual monster.

Horned quadrupedTears open underground refugesHide and blood linked to smaller animal features
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Origins & earliest records

Matthews published Navaho Legends in 1897. His introduction identifies Hatali Nez as the principal Origin Legend witness, Torlino as Version A and Jake the silversmith as Version B; supplementary matter is distinguished in notes. He used readable rather than strictly literal English and reports winter storytelling restrictions. This published narrative is not a complete ceremonial transcription or every Diné version.

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Records & interpretation

Origin Legend paragraph 200 and paragraphs 330-335; notes 131 and 134. Complete selected episode, variant notes where cited, and the introduction on versions and translation read. No ritual formulas or practical ceremonial directions reproduced.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Navaho Legends: Origin Legend

    Washington Matthews, collector and translator; principal narrative from Hatali Nez · 1897

    Origin Legend paragraph 200 and paragraphs 330-335; notes 131 and 134.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textMatthews 1897: Origin Legend paragraph 200 and paragraphs 330-335; notes 131 and 134.Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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