The Rings of Fire

The Rings of Fire

Author/Designer: Ashtyn Terrell

This Twine story is an adaptation of the Native American creation story from the Klamath tribe, "Coyote Steals Fire." The main goal of the narrative is to have the reader see and understand both sides of the story, which are that of the Coyote and the Fire Beings. The original creation story did not give great detail about why the Fire Beings kept the fire to themselves besides the line, "These Beings kept fire to themselves, guarding it carefully for fear that man might somehow acquire it and become as strong as they." 

I wanted to explore why the Fire Beings may worry about the humans overpowering them because many Native American creation stories emphasize the harmonious, symbiotic relationship the people have with the earth or other non-human entities. The "Coyote Steals Fire" story seems to be one of the only ones that paint certain non-human entities as selfish or unwilling to help humans. Since we do not receive much backstory surrounding the Fire Beings, I felt it might be beneficial to explore their emotions based on the behaviors that can be seen in the creation story. After exploring the Fire Beings' feelings and motivations, I wanted to present the reader with a choice: reconsider what they may think of the Fire Beings or keep their focus on the coyote. 

The coyote is a character that is explored on a much deeper level, one that the reader will be far more familiar with and can sympathize with more because they understand his motivations. The coyote sees the struggles of humans and decides to help them even though he does not have to take any action. This idea is one that I wanted the reader to experience with the Fire Beings through this Twine story. I want the reader to see a different interpretation of the Fire Beings and find some level of humanity in them as they find with the coyote and other characters presented in the original story.