Haudenosaunee TraditionGuardian of the Upper Air
Dew Eagle
O's'hä'dä'geä'(Oshadagea (Parker's spelling, simplified))
Also known as Oshadagea, Cloudland Eagle
- dew
- the upper air
- watching over the people
The great eagle of the upper air in Seneca tradition, who lives above the clouds, gathers dew in its feathers, and watches over the people, coming down when calamity threatens.
About Dew Eagle
Above the clouds
Parker calls O's'hä'dä'geä' the chief of all creatures of the air. It lives above the clouds and collects the dew in its feathers; some say it carries a pool of dew on its back between its shoulders. It is described as watching over humankind, the Haudenosaunee especially, and coming to earth when great calamities threaten.
The eagle on the Tree of Peace
A separate and much better-known eagle stands at the top of the Great Tree of Peace in the Great Law tradition, watching for danger to the Confederacy. The two are not the same figure in the sources this site uses, though both express the eagle's role as a far-seeing guardian.
Restraint
Parker adds that the Iroquois regard the Dew Eagle with great reverence and connect it with many worthy exploits. In keeping with the guidance followed throughout this tradition's entries, this site does not describe any ceremony or society associated with it.
Worship and cult
Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Dew Eagle
No ceremony is described here; this site follows the Haudenosaunee request that ceremonial and medicine-society matters not be published by outsiders.
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.
- Arthur C. Parker, Seneca Myths and Folk Tales
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.