James Mooney 
Myths of the Cherokee 

Noted anthropologist James Mooney (1861–1921) spent much of his life studying American Indians. In North Carolina, he lived for several years with the Cherokee, studying their language, culture, and mythology. His research resulted in this comprehensive volume, comprising 126 Cherokee myths, including sacred stories, animal myths, local legends, wonder stories, historical traditions, and miscellaneous myths and legends.

Among the myths included are these:

How the World Was Made; Origin of Strawberries; Why the Deer’s Teeth Are Blunt; How the Turkey Got His Beard; The Rattlesnake’s Vengeance; The Ice Man; The First Fire; Why the Possum’s Tail Is Bare; The Bride from the South; The Water Cannibals; The Haunted Whirlpool; The War Medicine,  and many more.

In addition to his clear retelling of the myths themselves, the author provides extensive background information on Cherokee history, notes on the myths, parallels between Cherokee and other myths, and further important information. Anyone interested in mythology or Native American legend and lore will welcome this treasury of authentic tales presented in the context of Cherokee history, life, and culture.

Table of Content

I Introduction

II Historical sketch of the Cherokee

The traditionary period

The period of Spanish exploration-1540-?

The Colonial and Revolutionary period-1654-1784

Relations with the United States

From the first treaty to the Removal-1785-1838

The Removal-1838-1839

The Arkansas band-1817-1838

The Texas band-1817-1900

The Cherokee Nation of the West-1840-1900

The East Cherokee-1838-1900

III Notes to the historical sketch

IV Stories and story-tellers

V The myths

Cosmogonic myths

1. How the world was made

2. The first fire

3. Kana’ti and Selu: Origin of corn and game

4. Origin of disease and medicine

5. The Daughter of the Sun: Origin of death

6. How they brought back the Tobacco

7. The journey to the sunrise

8. The Moon an the Thunders

9. What the Stars are like

10. Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine

11. The milky way

12. Origin of strawberries

13. The Great Yellow-jacket: Origin of fish and frogs

14. The Deluge

Quadruped myths

15. The four-footed tribes

16. The Rabbit goes duck hunting

17. How the Rabbit stole the Otter’s coat

18. Why the Possum’s tail is bare

19. How the Wildcat caught the turkeys

20. How the Terrapin beat the Rabbit

21. The Rabbit and the tar wolf

22. The Rabbit and the Possum after a wife

23. The Rabbit dines the Bear

24. The Rabbit escapes from the wolves

25. Flint visits the Rabbit

26. How the Deer got his horns

27. Why the Deer’s teeth are blunt

28. What became of the Rabbit

29. Why the Mink smells

30. Why the Mole lives under ground

31. The Terrapin’s escape from ‘the wolves

32. Origin of the Groundhog dance: The Groundhog’s head

33. The migration of the animals

34. The Wolf’s revenge: The Wolf and the Dog

Bird myths

35. The bird tribes

36. The ball game of the birds and animals

37. How the Turkey got his beard

38. Why the Turkey gobbles

39. How the Kingfisher got his bill

40. How the Partridge got his whistle

41. How the Redbird got his color

42. The Pheasant beating corn: The Pheasant dance

43. The race between the Crane and the Humming-bird

44. The Owl gets married

45. The Huhu gets married

46. Why the Buzzard’s head is bare

47. The Eagle’s revenge

48. The Hunter an the Buzzard

‘Snake, fish, and insect myths’

49. The snake tribe

50. The Uktena and the Ulûñsû´ti

51. Âgan-Uni´tsi’s search for the Uktena

52. The Red Man and the Uktena

53. The Hunter and the Uksu´hi

54. The Ustû´tli

55. The Uw’tsûñ´ta

56. The Snake Boy

57. The Snake Man

58. The Rattlesnake’s vengeance

59. ‘The smaller reptiles, fishes, and insects’

60. Why the Bullfrog’s head is striped

61. The Bullfrog lover

62. The Katydid’s warning

Wonder stories

63. ‘Ûñtsaiyi´, the Gambler’

64. The nest of the Tla´nuwa

65. The Hunter and the Tla´nuwa

66. ‘U’tlûñ´ta, the Spear-finger’

67. ‘Nûñ´yunu´wi, the stone man’

68. The Hunter in the Dakwa´

69. ‘Atagâ´hi, the enchanted lake’

70. The Bride from the south

71. The Ice Man

72. The Hunter and Selu

73. The underground panthers

74. The Tsundige´wi

75. Origin of the Bear: The Bear songs

76. The Bear Man

77. The Great Leech of Tlanusi´yi

78. The Nûñne´hi and other spirit folk

79. The removed townhouses

80. The spirit defenders of Nikwasi´

81. ‘Tsul’kaû´, the slant-eyed giant’

82. ‘Kana´sta, the lost settlement’

83. ‘Tsuwe´nahi, a legend of Pilot knob’

84. The man who married the Thunder’s sister

85. The haunted whirlpool

86. Yahula

87. The water cannibals

Historical traditions

88. First contact with whites

89. The Iroquois wars

90. ‘Hiadeoni, the Seneca’

91. The two Mohawks

92. Escape of the Seneca boys

93. The unseen helpers

94. Hatciñondoñ’s escape from the Cherokee

95. Hemp-carrier

96. The Seneca peacemakers

97. Origin of the Yontoñwisas dance

98. Ga’na’s adventures among the Cherokee

99. The Shawano wars

100. The raid on Tikwali´tsi

101. The last Shawano invasion

102. The false warriors of Chilhowee

103. Cowee town

104. The eastern tribes

105. The southern and western tribes

106. The giants from the west

107. The lost Cherokee

108. The massacre of the Ani´-Kuta´ni

109. The war medicine

110. Incidents of personal heroism

111. The mounds and the constant fire: The old sacred things

Miscellaneous myths and legends

112. The ignorant housekeeper

113. The man in the stump

114. Two lazy hunters

115. The two old men

116. The star feathers

117. The Mother Bear’s song

118. ‘Baby song, to please the children’

119. When babies are born: The Wren and the Cricket

120. The Raven Mocker

121. Herbert’s spring

122. Local legends of North Carolina

123. Local legends of South Carolina

124. Local legends of Tennessee

125. Local legends of Georgia

126. Plant lore

VI Notes and parallels

VII Glossary