In Lakota mythology, Unhcegila was a giant horned serpent associated with floods and dangerous waters.
Unhcegila, also spelled Unhcegila or Unktehi in related traditions, is described as a huge water serpent or dragon-like being. Lakota stories place such beings in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water, where they could threaten people and cause destructive flooding.
The creature belongs to a broader family of powerful water beings in Indigenous North American traditions. Accounts and spellings vary because the stories come from oral traditions and were recorded by outsiders using different systems for representing Lakota sounds.
Unhcegila is often confused with Uktena, a horned serpent in Cherokee tradition. Both are dangerous supernatural serpents, but they belong to different cultural traditions. Mishipeshu, another famous horned water being, is associated particularly with Anishinaabe traditions.