In Cherokee mythology, the great horned serpent is called Uktena.
Uktena is described as a gigantic, dangerous serpent with horns on its head and a brilliant crest resembling a diamond on its forehead. Cherokee stories say that this shining object, called Ulun’suti, could grant extraordinary power to someone who managed to obtain it, although approaching the serpent was nearly impossible.
The creature’s scales were said to glow like sparks of fire, and its body was as large around as a tree trunk. Traditional accounts also describe a deadly breath and a vulnerable point near the seventh spot from its head, where its heart and life were believed to lie. These details come from recorded Cherokee traditions, especially accounts associated with ethnographer James Mooney.
“Uktena” is not a generic name for every horned serpent in Native American mythology. Horned-serpent traditions occur among many nations, but names and attributes differ. For example, Iroquois, Cree, Shawnee, and Dakota traditions have their own distinct serpent figures and names.