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The Deer Woman

11/1/2018

13 Comments

 
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In honor of Halloween, let us turn our trivial attention towards the crossroads (in Latin, trivia is literally where 3 roads meet) where myth and reality meet, and speak of things that go bump in the night. West Virginia may have its Mothman and New Jersey its Jersey Devil, but Oklahoma’s regional “Boogieman” of choice differs somewhat in that she is female- Deer Woman. Fittingly, deer also appear as physical manifestations of the boundary between worlds in many stories, including C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series and Tolkien’s Hobbit.

Deer Woman can trace her origins to many of the eastern Woodlands and Central Plains tribes that came to Oklahoma, although her legend extends even into the Pacific Northwest. In traditional cosmology, she is a type of supernatural being distinct from spirits or Gods. Among the Cherokee these beings are called Nunnehi “the People Who Live Anywhere” or Ani Yunwitsandsdi, literally "Little Men." Their function is similar to that of European Fairies- in turns both helpful and devious, but usually their ire serves as punishment for the violation of cultural taboos.

There are many variations of her story, describing her as everything from Nunnehi to Witch or normal Human originally. In her more beneficent aspect, she is associated with fertility and love, but when crossed has quite a dark side. While the Jersey Devil delights in mischievous chaos, and the Mothman serves as an omen of tragedy, Deer Woman operates much more directly, literally with a vengeance.

Most commonly she is depicted as the mortal victim of a savage rape, her body being found in the woods next to a sleeping fawn who lay down beside her so that she would not die alone. Since her attackers went unpunished, the Gods (or Nunnehi, or sometimes even the Deer themselves) grant her wish for justice, whereby she is reborn as a half Human/half Deer. In this guise she lured her former tormentors out into the woods, unaware of her true nature. When they noticed too late that she had hooves instead of feet, she trampled them to death. Afterwards she lived on, continuing to punish those who would prey on feminine innocence.
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According to Ojibwe tradition, she can be banished through tobacco and chant, but in most tales, the only way to save oneself from Deer Woman is to look at her feet, see her hooves, and recognize her for what she is (before she gets you alone). The legend is meant to show that attraction does not a proper pairing make, and that men ignore or usurp the power of women at their own peril. To recognize the truth the story conceals is to save oneself from misfortune. To ignore the moral is to proceed inexorably into the death dance with Deer Woman.
13 Comments
R B
3/16/2021 11:57:16 am

Mr Fagan, thanks for writing this article. I heard this legend while living in Ponca in the 90s, became fascinated and have looked for sources and documentation of deer woman folklore ever since. More, please?

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Colleen
9/11/2021 02:32:40 pm

Wow. Interesting story of the legendary deer woman. Heard of the Deer Woman since I’ve lived in Ponca City

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Julie Fernandes
10/22/2021 11:19:43 am

If anyone has other sources they can send my way on this legend please let me know. I am doing a project on sacred Indigenous narratives and legeneds and am hoping to reserach the legend of the Deer Woman

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ryder hembree link
3/1/2022 11:33:58 am

I am doing a report on deer woman and was wondering of any other facts

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Kerry Roberts link
6/15/2022 01:56:28 pm

I’m nearly 65, and to this day I get chills thinking of Deer Woman!! I lived in Ponca in 5th, 6th and 7th grade and Deer Woman was the local horror legend of the day. She was our Michael Myers! Now my 11 year old grandson, who lives 250 miles south East f us, is intrigued with Deer Woman!! This is 55 years later, amazing!!

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Hallie link
10/17/2024 07:50:42 pm

I'm sorry you were abuse

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Ron
6/26/2022 03:50:58 pm

I grew up in the area of Tonkawa, OK. As a teen in the 60s, my friends and I were well aquatinted with the Deer Woman legend. There is a cemetery near Marland that we called the "Deer Woman Graveyard" and would sometimes visit at night to see if we could coax her into revealing herself. She never did, so we created our own Deer Woman by dressing up one of the guys with a cloak like garment and a set of antlers. We would leave a guy or two at the graveyard and then return later with a pickup full of victims. We literally scared the poop out of some of our buddies when our Deer Woman emerged from behind a grave stone. I guess we were "Dancing with the Deer Woman".

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Lue
10/24/2022 07:58:25 pm

I live close to there now, and just herd of a spooky witch that flys down from the sky , as darkness falls, she whales like a banchie so loud it hurts to be anywhere near. And I grew up on Tonkawa res. I used to be frightened daily by the tales of deer woman. Still lock car doors when I think about her. Lol.

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Cortney L Damron
11/3/2022 05:35:39 pm

I am having full apparition of this spirit on Potawatomi and Odawa Lands shared with Ojibwe here in Michigan. I would love to have some professional assistance as I am newly understanding why these things are occurring and what to do because reading smoking cigarettes and chanting..I am a little inexperienced to know what to chant.

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zidane link
2/1/2023 05:48:47 am

thank you for the article

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Alyssa M Shade
7/5/2023 07:18:02 pm

The Deer lady is not Nunnehi (she's a different race entirely). Nor is she or the Nunnehi the same as the little people (again different race.). While there are some similarities between the Celtic fae and some Tsalagi mythic creatures, there's not and shouldn't be a blanket generalization because it's way more complicated than that. They are all separate beings. Even if you go to our museums like the one in Cherokee NC they have their own individual slate.

And we Tsalagi don't have multiple Gods, we are monotheism and have the Unetlanvhi or the Creator.

I grew up with these stories, and this is my culture.

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Teresa
12/4/2023 11:47:25 pm

I live in Cache near Lawton and Quanah Parkers Star House. My son and his friends say they have been seeing the deer woman since the 90’s

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Telkom University link
7/31/2024 06:17:22 am

Nice for information
<a href="https://kinkyliterature.com/axds.php?action=click&id=&url=https://smb.telkomuniversity.ac.id/jakarta/">URL</a>
<a href="http://anifre.com/out.html?go=https://it.telkomuniversity.ac.id/mengetahui-pengertian-fungsi-serta-cara-kerja-splitter/">URL</a>
<a href="https://gr.ppgrefinish.com/umbraco/Surface/Cookie/Disable?item=_ga%252c%2B_gat&returnUrl=https://it.telkomuniversity.ac.id/mengenal-apa-itu-wifi-mulai-dari-cara-kerja-hingga-kelebihannya/">URL</a>

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    Author

    Keith Woodstock Fagan was born in Philadelphia, PA but grew up in southern NJ,  where he developed a strong interest in history, mythology, and the natural world, which only intensified when he attended nearby Stockton State College (now University).  His father was the singer/songwriter Richard Fagan, while he is a distant descendant of the Swedish fairy tale author Charles Perrault on his mother's side.  He served as the Marine Education Program Counselor at the Atlantic City Aquarium from 1999-2007.  Keith moved to Oklahoma in 2007 along with his wife, Kara (from Tonkawa), in order to be closer to her family after the birth of their daughter, Tessa, in 2005.  They live in Ponca City with their four cats and a bearded dragon.  He has been the Historical Interpreter for the Pioneer Woman Museum since 2013.

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