The Cherokee (who call themselves the Tsalagi) originally occupied a large portion of the Alleghany mountains. Their myths feature animals, birds, supernatural beings, or the exploits of legendary tribesmen and women and attempt to explain how things came to be, as most legends often do. Cherokee tales were passed down orally from generation to generation by the tribe's story-teller. A self-trained ethnologist, James Mooney (1861-1921) was author of one of the best published sources of Cherokee myths, stories, religious practices, and culture, "Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees."
Important Mythological Figures
The Cherokee, like other Native American groups, believe in a Creator or Great Spirit. Unetlanvhi is the Cherokee word for God and is considered to be a divine spirit with no human form or attributes and is not usually personified in Cherokee myths. Uktena is a dragon-like horned serpent, and the first one was said to be transformed from a human man in a failed assassination attempt on the sun; they are deadly monsters. Tlanuwa are giant mythological birds of prey with impenetrable metal feathers. The Nunnehi are a friendly supernatural spirit race, who normally remain invisible, but sometimes intercede in battles on the Cherokee's behalf.
Sacred Stories
These stories are the serious type of stories that tell about why the Cherokee came to have certain healings, songs and how things came to be. The creation myth would fall under one of these. "The Deluge" is a myth in which a dog tells a man to build a raft because a great flood is about to arrive. "The Legend of the Cedar Tree" explains the origin of day and night and the duality of things. "What the Stars are Like" and "The Moon and the Thunders" are about celestial objects and how they came to be.
Animal Stories
In Cherokee mythology, there is essentially no difference between men and animals. The Cherokee believed that in the beginning, man had the ability to speak with the animals. Man abused his privilege by taking too much and becoming greedy, so humans lost this ability. Animal stories tell why a certain animal looks and acts the way it does. The rabbit is a prominent feature in Cherokee mythology. It is usually depicted as a trickster figure, but in "Why Rabbit Has a Short Tail," the tables are turned and the rabbit gets tricked by the fox. Other prominent animals featured are deer, bears and many types of birds.
Cherokee Creation Myth
The Cherokee creation myth describes the earth as a great floating island surrounded by seawater. It hangs from the sky by cords attached at four points, and when the ropes break, this world will come tumbling down, and all living things will fall with it and die. The story describes the creation of earth when Water Beetle came to see what was below the water. He skimmed over the water, but found no solid footing, so he dove underneath and brought up some soft mud, which magically expanded to create the earth. The story also tells how plants and animals acquired certain characteristic, and about the first people, who were brother and sister.
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