BEFORE TELLING "THE AGES OF CREATION"
The Storyteller's Prayer is a beautiful symbol of the purpose of the telling of these stories. Go to: Navaho - The Storyteller's Prayer

Here are the stories of the Four Dark Worlds and the Fifth, the World we live in. Some medicine men tell us that there are two worlds above us. The first is the World of the Spirits of Living Things. The second is the Place of Melting into One.

THE FIRST WORLD
Navaho Indian - Ages of Creation
The First World, Ni'hodilqil, was black as black wool. It had four corners, and over these appeared four clouds. These four clouds contained within themselves the elements of the First World. They were in color, black, white, blue, and yellow.

THE SECOND WORLD
Navaho Indian - Ages of Creation
Because of the strife in the First World, First Man, First Woman, the "Great Coyote Who Was Formed in the Water," and the Coyote called First Angry, followed by all the others, climbed up from the World of Darkness and Dampness to the Second or Blue World.

THE THIRD WORLD
Navaho Indian - Ages of Creation
The bluebird was the first to reach the Third or Yellow World. After him came the First Four and all the others. A great river crossed this land from north to south. It was the Female River. There was another river crossing it from east to West, it was the Male River. This Male River flowed through the Female River and on; and the name of this place is tqo alna'osdli, the Crossing of the waters.

THE FOURTH WORLD
Navaho Indian - Ages of Creation
When the people reached the Fourth World they saw that it was not a very large place. Some say that it was called the White World; but not all medicine men agree that this is so. The last person to crawl through the reed was the turkey from Gray Mountain. His feather coat was flecked with foam, for after him came the water. And with the water came the female Water Buffalo who pushed her head through the opening in the reed. She had a great quantity of curly hair which floated on the water, and she had two horns, half black and half yellow. From the tips of the horns the lightning flashed.

THE FIFTH WORLD
Navaho Indian - Ages of Creation
First Man was not satisfied with the Fourth World. It was a small barren land; and the great water had soaked the earth and made the sowing of seeds impossible. He planted the big Female Reed and it grew up to the vaulted roof of this Fourth World. First Man sent the newcomer, the badger, up inside the reed, but before he reached the upper world water began to drip, so he returned and said that he was frightened.

These stories were told to Sandoval, Hastin Tlo'tsi hee, by his grandmother, Esdzan Hosh kige. Her ancestor was Esdzan at a', the medicine woman who had the Calendar Stone in her keeping.