the Ustû'tli

Also known as: Ustû'tli · Role: serpent · First appears: Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli

In Myth 54, the Ustû'tli made its haunt upon Cohutta mountain, and its threat kept local hunters from venturing there. At last, the hunter came and offered to find it; when he encountered the serpent, he fled along the mountain ridge to escape.

The hunter then set fire to the grass and leaves around the mountain, trapping the Ustû'tli near a cliff as the flames climbed. The smoke choked it, its grip on the rock loosened, and it fell among the blazing pine trunks, where it burned to ashes.

Relationship record

Life events

• The Ustû'tli made its haunt upon Cohutta mountain.(Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli · 📍 Cohutta mountain)
  • “There was once a great serpent called the Ustû'tli that made its haunt upon Cohutta mountain.”
• The Ustû'tli's threat kept local hunters from venturing near the mountain, until the hunter came and offered to seek it.(Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli)
  • With: the hunter (Myth 54)
  • “At last a man from one of the northern settlements came down to visit some relatives in that neighborhood. When he arrived they made a feast for him, but had only corn and beans, and excused themselves for having no meat because the hunters were afraid to go into the mountains. He asked the reason, and when they told him he said he would go himself to-morrow and either bring in a deer or find the Ustû'tli.”
• The hunter encountered the Ustû'tli and fled along the mountain ridge to escape it.(Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli)
  • With: the hunter (Myth 54)
  • “In the morning he started out and went directly toward the mountain. Working his way through the bushes at the base, he suddenly heard a fawn bleat in front. He guessed at once that it was the Ustû'tli, but he had made up his mind to see it, so he did not turn back, but went straight forward, and there, sure enough, was the monster, with its great head in the air, as high as the pine branches, looking in every direction to discover a deer, or maybe a man, for breakfast. It saw him and came at him at once, moving in jerky strides, every one the length of a tree trunk, holding its scaly head high above the bushes and bleating as it came. The hunter was so badly frightened that he lost his wits entirely and started to run directly up the mountain. The great snake came after him, gaining half its length on him every time it took a fresh grip with its fore feet, and would have caught the hunter before he reached the top of the ridge, but that he suddenly remembered the warning and changed his course to run along the sides of the mountain.”
• The hunter set fire to the mountain, trapping the Ustû'tli in the flames.(Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli · 📍 the mountain)
  • With: the hunter (Myth 54)
  • “He went down to the base of the mountain, opened his fire pouch, and set fire to the grass and leaves. Soon the fire ran all around the mountain and began to climb upward. When the great snake smelled the smoke and saw the flames coming it forgot all about the hunter and turned to make all speed for a high cliff near the summit.”
• The Ustû'tli fell into the blazing pine trunks and burned to ashes.(Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli)
  • “Taking a close grip of the rock with its hind feet it raised its body and put forth all its strength in an effort to spring across the wall of fire that surrounded it, but the smoke choked it and its hold loosened and it fell among the blazing pine trunks and lay there until it was burned to ashes.”

Myth 54 · The Ustû'tli

• enemies with the hunter (Myth 54) “He went down to the base of the mountain, opened his fire pouch, and set fire to the grass and leaves. Soon the fire ran all around the mountain and began to climb upward. When the great snake smelled the smoke and saw the flames coming it forgot all about the hunter and turned to make all speed for a high cliff near the summit. It reached the rock and got upon it, but the fire followed and caught the dead pines about the base of the cliff until the heat made the Ustû'tli's scales crack. Taking a close grip of the rock with its hind feet it raised its body and put forth all its strength in an effort to spring across the wall of fire that surrounded it, but the smoke choked it and its hold loosened and it fell among the blazing pine trunks and lay there until it was burned to ashes.”

Also listed in Other Figures — Minor Figures

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Extracted from the original text of Myths of the Cherokee. Made with Rho MD.