Llao facts for kids

Llao is a powerful spirit from the stories of the Klamath Native American tribe. He is known as the god of the underworld. Llao had a huge battle with the sky god, Skell. This fight caused the eruption of Mount Mazama, which then created the beautiful Crater Lake.

The Story of Llao and Skell

The Klamath people have many exciting stories about two strong spirits: Llao and Skell. Llao was the spirit of the underworld. He lived deep beneath Mount Mazama. Skell was the spirit of the sky, living high "above-world."

In the beginning, the stories say Llao could come up through a hole. He would climb to the top of Mount Mazama. From there, he could almost touch the stars where Skell lived. The followers of these spirits could change into animals. They might become deer, foxes, or doves. They would often play together.

How Crater Lake Was Formed

The Klamath stories also explain how Crater Lake came to be. They call the lake giiwas in their own language. The stories say that arguments started between Llao and Skell. Soon, a big war broke out between them.

Loha and the Battle Begins

One day, Llao visited the top of Mount Mazama. He saw Loha, the daughter of the Klamath Indian Chief. Llao fell in love with her. But Loha did not like Llao's scary underworld nature. She rejected him. Llao became extremely angry. He cursed the Klamath people. Fire rained down on them from the sky.

The Klamath people asked Skell for help. Skell heard their pleas. He came down from the sky to the top of Mount Shasta. A furious battle began. Skell fought from Mount Shasta. Llao fought from Mount Mazama.

The Sacrifice and Victory

The fight was so fierce that two medicine men made a brave choice. They jumped into the pit of the underworld. This was a sacrifice to calm the angry spirits. Their sacrifice inspired Skell. He fought even harder. Skell finally defeated Llao. He drove Llao deep into the underworld.

The story says that Skell then covered the hole to the underworld. He used the top of Mount Mazama to trap Llao forever. As a final act, Skell filled the dark pit with water. This brought peace and quiet back to the land. This water-filled pit became what we now know as Crater Lake.

The Last Great Battle

Klamath myths tell many stories of battles between these powerful spirits. In one story, Llao actually kills Skell. Llao's followers took Skell's heart up a mountain to celebrate. But Skell's followers were able to steal the heart back. They used it to bring Skell back to life!

During the story of the "Last Great Battle," Skell finally kills Llao. Skell then ordered Llao's body to be cut up. The pieces were thrown to the creatures living in the lake. To trick the lake creatures loyal to Llao, Skell's followers said the body parts were Skell's. So, the creatures quickly ate them.

When Llao's head was thrown into the lake, the creatures recognized it. They refused to eat it. The story explains that Llao's head is now Wizard Island, a small island in Crater Lake.