Aayaase (also known as ᐋᔾᔮᐦᔥ (Aayaash; unpointed as ᐊᔾᔭᔥ) or Iyash, is an epic hero of the Cree tribe and the neighboring Ojibwe, Innu, and Algonquin communities.
Aayaase is essentially the main character of a single heroic epic, beginning with his betrayal by family members and ending with the world fire. The details of Aayaase story vary from one community to another, but he always ends up abandoned on a deserted island by either his father or stepfather through no fault of his own. Usually Aayaase was either being punished for protecting his mother from abuse. Old Lady Fox becomes his mentor and with her help, Aayaase has a series of adventures in which he kills or defeats strange monsters, then returns them to life as good people or animals. In the end Aayaase finds his family again, rescues his mother, and kills the others by fire (including the second wife's baby, who he then resurrects as a duck) the fire then consumes the world, which is also reborn better than it was before.