Kokopelli

Kokopelli is a legendary figure that is widely recognized as a symbol of fertility, music, and happiness. He is a humpbacked flute player who is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to those who welcome him into their lives.

• Deity Title: The Traveling Minstrel,  The Trickster, Coyote, Huehuecoyotl, The Joker
• Deity Symbol: A hunchbacked figure, playing a flute, , a face of many expressions, a smiling coyote head.
• Home Plane: Kokopelli resides in the Beastlands or the Material Plane.
• Deity Level: Kokopelli is likely a Lesser or Intermediate deity, due to his limited powers and specific domains.
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Aliases: None known.
• Superior: The Great Spirit
• Traditional Allies: Other trickster gods and nature spirits.
• Traditional Foes: Orderly gods and those who oppose fertility and change.
• Divine Artifact: Kokopelli’s flute, which has the power to bring life, fertility, and change.
• Servants: Mischievous spirits and minor trickster gods.
• Servitor Creatures: Some believe Kokopelli’s flute can attract the spirit of insects and animals, such as crickets, coyotes, and jackrabbits.
• Sacred Animal: Coyote, Rabbit.
• Manifestations: a hunchbacked man playing a flute, bringing fertility and change wherever he goes.
• Signs of Favor: Increased fertility, abundant harvests, successful journeys and adventures.
• Worshipers: Native American tribal people, travelers, those seeking fertility, and those seeking change or a fresh start.
• Cleric Alignments: Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Good, Neutral Good
• Specialty Priests: Kokopellis, Trickster priests.
• Holy Days: Spring equinox, when fertility is celebrated.
• Portfolio: Fertility, Change, Trickery, Travel, Music.
• Domains: Chaos, Fertility, Liberation, Luck, Madness, Music. Transformation, Travel, Trickery,
• Philosophy: Trickery; Entertainment, music, art, jokes, humor, comedy, performance in general – both good and bad: Only mediocrity is boring; Fertility – especially when undesired: Special protector of its unwanted products, and of orphans, is often involved in designing special fates for them; Luck – good and bad, double-edged, and disguised; Theft and mischief; Thinking around corners, problem-solving, creativity – convoluted and complicated solutions are far more interesting than straight-line logic; intelligence, wit, cleverness; Coincidence, irony; Justice – preferably fitting, personal and twisted; Ambiguity and confusion – half-breeds, hermaphrodites, individuals of confused or atypical gender, the insane, shape-shifters, polymorphed creatures, and the lost (literally and metaphorically), among others, are under his personal protection… and are his personal playthings; Opposition to mediocrity – if there’s anything he can’t stand, it’s the ordinary; Drugs – especially hallucinagens, often an important part of his worship; Phobias, fetishes and irrationality; Time – especially “early” and “late”, and the tricks time can play; Contradiction; Extreme emotions; Tears – of laughter and sadness; Inconvenience; Weather (local only, preferably dramatic, inconvenient and/or inappropriate); Noise, and the absence of it; Crowded, anarchic groups of people – battles, riots, cities; The Butterfly Effect, obscure causality; Double-edged swords; Deception – through both lies and misdirection, and creative application of the truth.
• Favored Weapon: Kokopelli may favor the blowgun or throwing knives, which are traditional weapons of trickster gods.
• Favored Class: Bard, Ranger, Rogue.
• Favored Race: Native American tribes, Half-Elves, Halflings.
• Duties of the Priesthood: To spread fertility and change, to bring joy and laughter, to protect travelers and aid their journeys.
• Major Cult/Temple Sites: He may be worshiped at sacred springs, rivers, or crossroads.
• Benefits: Those who worship Kokopelli may receive increased fertility, protection on their journeys, and good luck. They may also be granted the ability to bring change and joy to those around them.

Born in the ancient Puebloan cultures, he is said to have traveled from village to village, spreading joy and music wherever he went. He is known for his mischievous spirit and his ability to play a magical flute that could bring people to tears, laughter or dance.

Despite his mischievous nature, he is also revered for his powers of fertility. It is believed that his flute playing could bring rains to the dry land, and make the crops grow. In this way, he is also known as a fertility deity, bringing new life and abundance to the world.

Kokopelli’s physical appearance is distinctive, with a curved back and a flute always in hand. He is often depicted as a jovial figure, with a broad smile, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. His flute is said to be made of the finest materials and is said to produce the most beautiful music in the world.

Despite the many changes that have taken place in the world, Kokopelli’s legacy continues to endure. He is still celebrated in many Native American cultures, and his image is widely used as a symbol of fertility, music, and happiness. To this day, Kokopelli remains one of the most beloved and revered figures of all time, and his music continues to bring joy and happiness to all who hear it.

Myths

Among the Hopi, Kokopelli carries unborn children on his back and distributes them to women; for this reason, young girls often fear him. He often takes part in rituals relating to marriage, and Kokopelli himself is sometimes depicted with a consort, a woman called Kokopelmana by the Hopi. It is said that Kokopelli can be seen on the full and waning moon, much like the “rabbit on the moon”.

Kokopelli also presides over the reproduction of game animals, and for this reason, he is often depicted with animal companions such as rams and deer. Other common creatures associated with him include sun-bathing animals such as snakes, or water-loving animals like lizards and insects.

In his domain over agriculture, Kokopelli’s fluteplaying chases away the winter and brings about spring. Many tribes, such as the Zuni, also associate Kokopelli with the rains. He frequently appears with Paiyatamu, another flautist, in depictions of maize-grinding ceremonies. Some tribes say he carries seeds and babies on his back.

Kokopelli is possibly closer to his over-deity than any other god. Worship, description and general nature of the trickster god varies between groups of worshippers.

Dogma

Kokopelli is a mercurial and complex deity, and the beliefs and practices associated with him vary dramatically from place to place, or even between people of the same tribe. Generally, he teaches – sometimes cruelly – that life is unpredictable and capricious, and that it is better to be flexible and take things as they come than to try to plan for everything. He is of the opinion that it is far better to fail spectacularly than to be merely adequate, and encourages his worshippers to be exceptional in everything they do.

Clergy and Temples

The worship of Kokopelli is surprisingly well-regarded in many communities. His festivals are huge events, and many tribes consider him their personal patron or even an ancestor.

Few of Kokopelli’s clergy have that as their primary occupation – many double as midwives or entertainers, and a large number of his clerics are also Rogues or bards. He also has few fixed temples – most of his worship is temporally focussed, rather than geographically, especially at celebrations or important events such as a birth. Sometimes a small temporary shrine will pop up, usually nearby some peculiar feature or event, where people will leave small offerings. There are also a few travelling temples, caravans devoted to Kokopelli, that tend to follow local festivals – whether Kokopelli’s or to crash some other god’s. More often individuals will perform their own small rituals when, where and how it seems right to them.

Personal Attributes

Rogue/bard/Cleric
Usually has a Musical instrument at hand.