Spearfinger
A stone-skinned Cherokee witch who eats livers with her spear-finger.
Spearfinger, also known as U'tlun'ta' or Nûñ'yunu'ï, is a monster and witch in Cherokee legend. She is notable for her stone-like skin, a right forefinger resembling a spear or obsidian knife, and her insatiable appetite for human livers, which she extracts from victims without leaving a scar.
- Also known as
- U'tlun'ta', Nûñ'yunu'ï (Stone-dress)
- Location
- Eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina; associated with Chilhowee Mountain, Little Tennessee River, Nantahala River passes, Whiteside Mountain, and the area called U'Tluntun'yi i
- Physical traits
- Stone-like skin; right forefinger like a spear or obsidian knife; blood-stained mouth; right palm is her only weak spot, where her heart is hidden
- Powers
- Shapeshifting (into family members of child victims, or a harmless old lady); cannot change form while in sight of others; arrows shatter against her skin; can lift, stack, break, and morph boulders
- Enemy
- Nun'Yunu'Wi (Stone Man), another stone being who also eats livers
- Death
- Killed by Cherokee hunters after a chickadee (Tsï'kïlilï') landed on her right hand, signaling the hunters to shoot there; her heart was severed where the wrist and right hand joined
Lore & Background
Spearfinger is a monster and witch in Cherokee legend, said to live along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. Her name U'tlun'ta' means 'the one with the pointed spear,' and her right forefinger resembles a spear or obsidian knife, which she uses to cut her victims. Her mouth is stained with blood from the livers she has eaten. She is also known as Nûñ'yunu'ï, meaning 'Stone-dress,' for her stone-like skin. Often she clutches her right hand tightly, because she is hiding her heart and her only weak spot, which is her right palm. Being made of stone, she sounds like thunder when she walks, crushing rocks into the ground. Her voice echoes down the mountains to Cherokee villages and scares the birds of the forest away, which the people have traditionally seen as a warning sign. In Tennessee, she is believed to enjoy walking the trail that joins Chilhowee Mountain and the nearby Little Tennessee River, and her favorite home is Whiteside, a thunder mountain. She dances in clouds and sings a song: 'Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai. Liver, I eat it. Su sa sai.'
Reader's Guide
Spearfinger's significance in Cherokee tradition lies in her role as a cautionary figure, embodying the dangers of deception and the importance of vigilance. The Cherokee have traditionally been very cautious about strangers, and were suspicious of those who wandered off alone, as they could be the liver-eater in disguise. Parents warned children not to go into the forest alone because Spearfinger waited for them, appearing as 'grandmother or [their] favorite aunt.' Her most dangerous attribute is deception—appearing harmless and trustworthy, hiding her identity and powers while luring unsuspecting children. The story of her death, involving a titmouse and a chickadee, has lasting cultural resonance: the titmouse is remembered as a liar for its vague guidance, while the chickadee is known as the 'truth teller,' and if it perches near the house of a man who is away hunting, it is taken as a sign that the hunter will return safely. The site of her remains in Blount County is called 'U'Tluntun'yi,' meaning 'The Spearfinger Place,' and Cherokee in the nineteenth century pointed out the location where they claim the ruins of her 'Tree Rock' remain even today.
Did You Know?
- Spearfinger's only weak spot is her right palm, where her heart is hidden.
- She was formed from stones of the Chillhowee mountains.
- A chickadee (Tsï'kïlilï') helped the Cherokee kill her by landing on her right hand, signaling where to shoot.
More in Legendary Creatures of the Indigenous Peoples of North America 1-24
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