Diné (Navajo) TraditionHoly Person · Hero Twin
Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)
Tóbájíshchíní(Tóbájíshchíní)
Also known as Tóbadzĭstsíni (Matthews's spelling), Child of the Water
- protection
- the Hero Twins' partnership
The younger of the Hero Twins, Monster Slayer's brother; in Matthews's version the son of White Shell Woman by the water, in many later tellings Changing Woman's son by the Sun.
About Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)
The younger twin
Tóbájíshchíní, Born for Water, is the brother of Monster Slayer, and the two act together through the journey to their father's house and the killing of the first monster. His name, usually translated "born for water" or "child of the water", reflects the version of his birth told in Matthews's Navaho Legends, in which White Shell Woman conceives him by the dripping of water, while Changing Woman conceives Monster Slayer by the Sun. In many later tellings both are Changing Woman's twin sons by the Sun.
Staying home
After the twins kill Yéʼiitsoh, the brothers' paths divide in many tellings: Monster Slayer goes out to destroy the other monsters, while Born for Water stays at home to watch over their mothers, keeping watch over a sign (in some tellings a prayer-stick) that will show whether his brother is in danger. The partnership, one who goes out and one who guards, is part of what the twins represent.
Together
The twins are often invoked together, and in ceremonial contexts that this site does not describe they have complementary roles.
Worship and cult
Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)
The Holy People are part of a living religion. Ceremonies associated with them, including the Blessingway (Hózhǫ́ǫ́jí) and the chantways conducted by hataałii (ceremonial practitioners), are not described on this site, and sandpaintings are not reproduced, because they are sacred and made for healing within ceremony. Many Diné families teach that the origin stories in which the Holy People appear should be told only in winter, after the first frost and before the first thunder of spring.
Family
Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)'s family at a glance
- Who are Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)'s parents?
- The atlas's kinship records name 2 parents of Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní): Changing Woman (Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé) and White Shell Woman (Yoołgaii Asdzą́ą́). Ancient accounts do not always agree on divine parentage.
- Who are Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)'s siblings?
- Siblings of Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní) recorded in the atlas: Monster Slayer (Naayééʼ Neizghání).
In the atlas
Where Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní) appears
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Washington Matthews, Navaho Legends
Appears in
Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.
Tóbadzĭstsíni, his brother (origin legend, the war gods)
Further reading
Tóbadzĭstsíni in the 1897 version
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.
Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.
Genealogy
Family tree
Born for Water (Tóbájíshchíní)'s parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.