Spearfinger, or U'tlun'ta', is a monster and witch in Cherokee legend, said to live along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina.[1] U'tlun'ta is Cherokee for "the one with the pointed spear”. 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.[2][3] She is also known as Nûñ'yunu'ï, which means "Stone-dress", for her stone-like skin.[1] Often she clutches her right hand tightly, because she is hiding her heart and her only weak spot, which is her right palm.[3]
Spearfinger, being made of stone, sounds like thunder when she walks, crushing rocks into the ground when she steps on them. Her voice echoes down the mountains to the Cherokee villages and scares the birds of the forest away, which the people have traditionally seen as a warning sign.
In Tennessee, Spearfinger is believed to enjoy walking the trail that joins Chilhowee Mountain and the nearby Little Tennessee River. She is said to have also walked throughout the mountain range, around streams, and through shadowy Nantahala River passes. The Cherokee say her favorite home is Whiteside, a thunder mountain.[1]
Dancing in clouds, she sang her favorite song with her raven friend:
Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.
Liver, I eat it. Su sa sai.
Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.[1]