Asgaya Gigagei : The Thunder God

Asgaya Gigagei

Introduction

Asgaya Gigagei is a bigendered deity believed to have been a thunder god. In North American Indian mythology, it is said that he is invoked by a medicine man to cure sickness.

This god of the Cherokees is called either the red man or red woman as the god tends to change his gender according to the person he/she is interacting with. He was a powerful god who could punish people for their wrongdoings like lying, begging and stealing. He was also capable of causing extreme punishment.

Physical Traits

An intense red colour is associated with the god.

Family

It was believed that the presence of the thunder beings near the Earth’s surface could harm the people. There were three known ones from the West – greater spirit and his two sons.

Powers and Abilities

The Thunder Beings were regarded as the most powerful servants of the Creator Spirit. There were two classes of these beings, who lived close to Earth and the holiest and most powerful were those who lived in the land beyond the Mississippi River.

He/She is associated with the power of healing and is depicted in red because of the intense red colour they are known to generate during the healing process when induced by a shaman.

The control over natural elements like thunder and lightning is very much in lines with the abilities that are associated with other gods like Thor and Indra.