He came as had his father before him ....as the Guardian of the Fire. When the Earth had cooled and the Great Spirit had formed the heavens and the earth , He had given the coyotes ancestors the promise of great honour.As time passed and Man encroached upon the Wilderness, so the coyote had grown impatient and had asked of the Great Spirit when he would be given his power.

The Great Spirit said "I have given you stealth and cunning and with these gifts you must take what you desire,but you must not take a life to get it. You may only have something you can hold in your paws, and pass on to your young ones in due course."

The coyote thought for a long time.He considered many things, but at last he knew what he wanted.It was something that only man had,and it had given him great power.The coyote wanted Fire.

How was he to carry this,he would burn if he touched it ? Then one day he watched the Sun glint on the crystal teardrops of dew on a spiders web and he knew how he would catch and hold the fire.

When the Earth had first cooled many beautiful stones had formed.He knew a secret place where the stones had formed into long slender faceted gems that were as clear as the dew drops. He called them rock crystals. He gathered some and late one night after man had gone to sleep and left his fire to burn low, the coyote crept into the clearing and with a stick ,pushed the crystals into the embers.He stole away and waited.

The next morning Man rekindled the Fire and through the day tended it.When night fell the coyote again crept into the clearing.

With great care he pulled the crystals from the ashes with a stick and wrapped the hot shards in moss. He took them to the lake and dipped them in the water. The crystals shattered into millions of pieces in their mossy pocket and each piece held a burning spark of flame.Thus was born Fire Opals. Each precious stone held an eternal fire , a spark of light so beautiful and pure that it could send an eternal flame through heaven itself.

And so it came to be that the coyote became the Guardian of Fire and the Bringer of Light.



PAJ

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Coal , Bread and Silver are traditional New Year gifts.... I still bring them over the threshold at Midnight.

Coal that you be Warm
Bread that you may have Food
Silver that you may have riches

And a Peaceful New Year to you all.

For Auld Lang Syne ~ Wishing you and yours a Peaceful New Year