HOTAMINTANIO
Real
Name:
Thobadzistshin (Navaho name, Hotamintanio is his Cheyenne name)
Occupation:
God of war and bravery
Legal
Status:
Citizen of Shipolo
Identity:
The general populace of earth is not aware of Hotamintanio’s existence, but he
is well known to the Native American tribes that once worshipped him.
Other
Aliases:
Maasewe (Sia name), Balongahoya (Hopi), Ahayuta (Cherokee), Ondontata (Dakota),
Maho-Sish (Mandan)
Place
of Birth:
Somewhere in the Navaho Territory (now part of the Modern United States)
Marital Status:
Married
Known
Relatives:
Manabozho (father), Onatah (mother), Hino, Owayodota (brothers),
Omamama (sister), Tawa
(half-brother), Pawa (half-sister), Chibiabos, Wabasso,
Coyote (uncles), Hastseolti (wife), Calumet (possible son)
Group
Affiliation:
The Anasazi (Native American gods)
Base
of Operations:
Maski in the realm of Shipolo
First
Appearance:
(shadow) Pantheons of the Megaverse by C.J. Carella, (actual) Doctor Strange III #25
History:
Hotamintanio is the son of Manabozho, the Great Chief of the Native American
Gods and Onatah, the corn-goddess. Born on Earth in Navaho Territory, he was
originally named Thobadzistshin. He and his brother, Nayenezghani (later Owayodota), were particularly successful in hunting down the Anaye, demonic
enemies of the gods, who proved to be a threat to the mortals who worshipped
them. They traveled Ancient North America for years and killed as many of the
Anaye as possible or at least exiling them to the underworld. Both Hotamintanio
and his brother were revered for their power and bravery as gods by the mortals
of earth who knew them by numerous names. Among his worshippers, he was reputed
to have particularly favored the Cheyenne and the Comanches.
As god of war, Hotamintanio established
rites that established the bravery of his worshippers and as well became one of
the foremost champions of the Native American gods next to his brothers Hino and
Owayodota. In the First Millennium BC, Norseman and Vikings discovered the
northeastern coasts of North America and started exploring this new
region. In the act of doing so, they claimed it in the name of their native
gods, the Asgardians. This developed into a war between both the Native American
gods and the Asgardians that lasted for several years. Hotamintanio had his
first experience with foreign gods and desired to storm Asgard itself, but Odin
and Manabozho finally decreed to a truce that would be decided by their
worshippers. Since this New World was too distant for the Vikings to settle,
they withdrew to their homelands and Manabozho and Odin made vows to honor the
truce.
In the years that followed, Hotamintanio
was forbidden to interfere in the lives of mortals due to a pact his father and
the other god-kings made with the alien Celestials. More explorers began
traveling to the North American interior from Italy, Spain and later Britain
bringing more emigrants with them. Hotamintanio was prevented from rushing to
the help of his worshippers as they were removed from their lands and forced
west. Over several hundred years, however, the spirits of slaughtered Native
Americans called out to their gods for vengeance. Coyote, the Native American
trickster, recruited both Hotamintanio and Calumet to return the over five
hundred years worth of prosecution back on white men. When Owayodota refused to
assist in their war, Hotamintanio took him prisoner and tried to turn his mortal
disciple, Red Wolf, to their cause. The shaman Black Crow, however, turned to
Doctor Strange for help in rescuing Red Wolf and Owayodota as the heroes forced
Hotamintanio, Nanabozho and Calumet on the plains of Shipolo. Appearing before
the three angry gods, Doctor Strange forced them to realize the irony of their
attacks in that they were about to excise the same injustice to white men that
white men had done to their worshippers. Humiliated, Hotamintanio backed off his
vendetta.
Hotamintanio instead turned to a new
recourse by reminding the descendants of his worshippers of their heritage. He
traveled to Asgard under Odin’s permission where he chided Danielle Moonstar,
Mirage, for turning her back on her Cheyenne heritage, to become a Valkyrie. He
initially insisted on her leaving with him, which caused a fight between he and
Moonstar's Valkyrie ally, Mist. After Moonstar recognized him, she managed to
convince him to allow her to stay. He agreed, but only as long as she would
return to her own heritage eventually.
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 335 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Hotamintanio possesses superhuman strength enabling him to
lift (press) almost 70 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Hotamintanio possesses the conventional physical
attributes of the Anasazi Gods. Like all the Anasazi Gods, he is exceptionally long
lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He has not aged since reaching
adulthood and cannot die by any known conventional means. He is immune to all known
terrestrial diseases and is invulnerable to conventional injury. If wounded, his
godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would
take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily
molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
Manabozho or a number of gods of equal power working together to revive him.
Hotamintanio does have some superhuman strength and his own Olympian metabolism
gives him far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Anasazi flesh
and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to their
superhuman strength and weight).
Hotamintanio has greater physical strength than most of the Anasazi Gods except
for perhaps Hino and Manabozho. He has exceptional stamina and physical power. He
has little mystical power except for crossing dimensions and shape-shifting, but he
does have exceptional skills in fighting and warfare.
Abilities:
Hotamintanio is an exceptional warrior and fighter trained in wrestling. He also
has considerable expertise with a knife and bow and arrow.
Pets:
Hotamintanio’s presence was equated with the image of the bear and as such a
few sometimes accompany him in his presence.
Comments:
Hotamintanio's pre-modern history is adapted from Navaho, Hopi and Comanche myths.
Considering that his myth begins in Navaho
stories, Thobadzistshin may be his earliest name.