In Lakota mythology, Unk Cekula (uŋȟčéǧila or uŋkčéǧila) is a serpentoid creature which was responsible for many unexplained disappearances and deaths. Her male counterpart is known as Unk Tehi.
Description
She was described at first as having no real shape or form; she had eyes of fire, and a fanged mouth that was shrouded in a smoky or cloudy mass. As time went on further, her form was exposed as being massive, with a long scaly body whose natural armor was almost impenetrable. Her eyes burned with wrathful hunger, her claws were like iron, and her voice raged like thunder rolling in the clouds.
Whoever looked upon her will become blind or go insane.
Her weakness is the seventh spot on her torso, behind which lies her fiercely burning heart. To kill her, one has to shoot a medicine arrow at this flaw in her natural armor.
In another myth, Unk Cekula emerged from the primordial waters to flood the land. The resulting devastation angered Wakinyan, who flapped his wings to create a great storm to dry up the land and shoot lightning, killing Unk Cekula. Her heart was destroyed, but her bones were scattered across the land.
She appears in a story told in the 2003 film Dreamkeeper, in which Eagle Boy is the one who slays her with weapons given to him by an old woman.
Unk Cekula appears in the urban fantasy novel Boundary Lines by Melissa F. Olson.
She appears briefly in the urban fantasy prequel Death Valley Magic by Linsey Hall.
J.K Rowling's Ilvermoney House, The Horned Serpents, refers to the Unktechi, or the children of Unchegila.
See also
- Horned Serpent, including Unk Tehi, and her other counterparts from other Native American cultures.
- Apep, another monstrous Reptilian defeated by the Spirits.
- Tiamat, a primordial ocean goddess from Mesopotamia who is also associated with serpents.