Ayahos

An Ayahos (Lushootseed: ʔayahus; spelled variously in English as A'yahos, Ayahus, Aiyahus) is a spirit power in the traditional religion of the Lushootseed-speaking peoples of Puget Sound. A rock near the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in Seattle, Washington is associated with the Ayahus.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]: 118} The Ayahos is a "malevolent and dangerous" spirit,^[6]: 72 capable of shapeshifting, who sometimes appears in a two-headed serpent form, who is associated with other earthquake-related areas like landslides near the Seattle Fault.^[4][8][9]

Representation of the Ayahos spirit.

LIDAR imagery of the Seattle area revealed a previously unknown landslide in the Fauntleroy area. Another area associated with the Ayahos near Mercer Island could be related to the Lake Washington sunken forests, caused by landslides triggered by a Seattle Fault event around 900 CE.^[4]