Snake Boy - Cherokee

Long ago, lived a boy and his family. But this boy was no ordinary boy for
he loved to go bird hunting every day. Each day, when he returned, he would
take all of the birds he had taken that day to his grandmother. Now, this
made her very fond of him and she loved him greatly. She enjoyed his visit
at the end of the day, and she never wanted for a fresh meal.


Now the rest of the boy's family did not feel very good about this and where
jealous of the relationship between the boy and his grandmother. They
hardened their hearts and treated the boy in such manner that he determined
that he would leave them all and make a life of his own. He went to his
grandmother and told her that he was going to leave, and that she must not
worry about him, for all would be well.


The boy was up early and made his preparations for the day in private. He
refused to eat his breakfast and was soon off into the woods on his days'
adventures. All day was he gone and not a sign was heard from him. The sun
had come down and at last he did return home with a pair of deer horns,
which he took straight to the hothouse. His grandmother was there when he
entered and greeted him kindly.


He spoke a greeting and gave her a hug and then told her that he must remain
alone in the hothouse tonight. With that, she took her leave of him and went
into the house, and spent the night with the rest of the family.


Long was the night and the grandmother was up at the break of the dawn. Out
she went to the hothouse. In the door she looked and found the entire house
was filled with a giant Uktena with horns on its head and two human legs
instead of a tail. It spoke to her and told her that it was what was left of
her grandson and that she should not worry as he would be fine. He then bid
her to leave so that he could leave the hothouse.


Long did it take for him to unwind his coils through the door and by the
time he was through the sun had reached the top of the sky. People began to
flee and shouted at him. He crawled through the village leaving a serpentine
trail behind him and found a deep place in the river and disappeared under
the water. Never again was he seen.


Much grief was felt by the grandmother for him. Long was the time which she
did bemoan the loss of her grandson. Again the family hardened their hearts
and became very angry with her and told her to go and join her beloved
grandson. So, she took her leave of them and followed the serpentine trail
that he had left to the river and disappeared into the river.


Long after that day a fisherman was fishing near the spot and saw her
sitting on a rock in the middle of the river. She looked just as she had the
day she had left and had not changed a bit. As he stood looking at her, she
noticed him and was quick into the water and was never seen again. And there

you have it.

from archives of Blue Panther