Raven Mocker

Raven Mocker

Grouping	Witch, Evil spirit
Folklore	Cherokee mythology
First attested	Pre-colonial Cherokee folklore
Other name(s)	Kâ’lanû Ahkyeli’skï (ᎪᎳᏅ ᎠᏰᎵᏍᎩ), Tsundige’wi, He Who Covers His Face, Death Caller, Heart Eater
Country	United States
Region	Appalachia
Details	Steals life from the sick and dying

The Raven Mockers are feared entities in Cherokee mythology. These figures, referred to as witches, are believed to extend their lives by preying on the sick and dying. They are described as withered and aged, flying through the sky in fiery forms, emitting sounds similar to the call of a raven. After tormenting their victims, they consume their hearts, gaining the remaining years of the victim's life. Raven Mockers are invisible to most people, but skilled medicine men are able to see or repel them. Once recognized, a Raven Mocker is said to die within seven days.

Mythology

The Raven Mocker, also called Kâ'lanû Ahkyeli'skï (Cherokee: ᎪᎳᏅ ᎠᏰᎵᏍᎩ), preys on individuals who are sick or near death to extend its own lifespan. At night, the Raven Mocker is believed to fly through the air in fiery form, with arms outstretched like wings and sparks trailing behind it. Their flight is accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, and their cries resemble the diving call of a raven, signaling death.

Raven Mockers are believed to gather at the homes of those who are dying, tormenting their victims by lifting them from their beds, pressing down on their chests to restrict breathing, or throwing them to the ground. Once the victim dies, the Raven Mocker removes the heart and consumes it, taking the remaining years of the victim's life. Though no marks are left on the body, the heart is said to be gone.

Other witches fear the Raven Mocker's power, often fleeing when it arrives. However, medicine men with the necessary knowledge and abilities can see the Raven Mocker and prevent it from entering the home. If a Raven Mocker is recognized in its true form, it is believed to die within seven days.

Physical Traits and Abilities

Raven Mockers are described as old, withered figures due to the many lives they have stolen. They are known to fly in fiery shapes, trailing sparks, and their flight is accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. Their cries resemble the sound of a raven diving, indicating that death is near.

The Raven Mocker's primary ability is the theft of life force, which they achieve by consuming the heart of a dying person. This act allows them to extend their lives by the number of years their victim would have lived. Though they are invisible to most, skilled medicine men can see and repel them. Gunskaliski, a renowned shaman, was said to have destroyed several Raven Mockers using a special tea made from duck-root, which enabled him to see them in their true form.

Other Names

In Cherokee mythology, Raven Mockers are also known by other names, such as "Kâ'lanû Ahkyeli'skï," meaning "The Death Spirit," and "Tsundige’wi," meaning "He Who Covers His Face." They are also called "Death Caller" and "Heart Eater," reflecting their role in consuming the hearts of the dying to extend their lives.

Stories

One story recounts a young hunter who, after a long journey, sought refuge at the home of an old couple. The house appeared abandoned, so the hunter entered the small winter house (âsï) attached to the larger building. As he lay resting, he heard the cry of a raven. Shortly after, the old man entered the house, followed by his wife. The hunter remained quiet and soon realized they were Raven Mockers when they spoke of their attempts to steal lives. The old man had been successful, while the old woman failed due to the presence of medicine men. The hunter watched them roast what appeared to be a human heart over the fire. The next morning, the old man gave the hunter a beadwork gift and urged him not to speak of what he had seen. The hunter threw the beadwork into a stream on his way back to the village and informed his people. Seven days later, a group of warriors returned with him to the couple’s house, where they found the couple dead. To ensure the destruction of the Raven Mockers, they set fire to the house and burned it.

Another account tells of two men who were prepared by a medicine man to witness supernatural events that were believed to occur at graveyards following a death. After fasting for seven days, the men had their eyes rubbed with the brain of a muskrat, which allowed them to see the unseen without fear. They hid near a fresh grave and, at midnight, watched as various creatures—including bats, dogs, cats, and birds—gathered around the grave. Suddenly, a large black bird, which they recognized as the Raven Mocker, descended from the sky and began digging into the earth. Terrified, one of the men shot at the bird, but it quickly vanished into the ground. The men fled in fear, and later they had to undergo healing rituals to recover from the encounter.

In another tale, a man was left alone to die, abandoned by his family and friends who feared the presence of unseen evil forces they believed to be Raven Mockers. As he lay dying, it was said that Raven Mockers tormented him, hastening his death by pressing down on his chest and lifting him from his bed. After his death, the Raven Mockers were believed to have stolen his heart to extend their lives, though no visible marks were left on the body. The fear of Raven Mockers was so strong that even loved ones avoided staying near the dying man, fearing they too would be affected.

One more account describes a group of witches attempting to enter a house where a dying person was being protected by a medicine man. The witches gathered outside, trying to find a way in, but soon heard the cry of a Raven Mocker, causing them to scatter in fear. Even the Raven Mocker, feared among other witches, was prevented from entering the house due to the powerful protective rituals performed by the medicine man. His presence successfully repelled the Raven Mocker and saved the dying person's life.

In fiction

Manly Wade Wellman featured Raven Mockers in his novel The Old Gods Waken (1979), where they are among the creatures encountered by Silver John in Appalachian folklore.

Scott Nicholson portrayed beings similar to Raven Mockers in his novel They Hunger (2007), set in a gorge resembling the Linville Gorge Wilderness in Appalachia.

P.C. Cast depicted Raven Mockers as antagonists in her House of Night series. In this series, they are the "spirit" children of the fallen angel Kalona and human women, possessing the ability to steal the lives of those near death.

Raven Mockers also appear in The Curse of the Raven Mocker by Marly Youmans, where the protagonist, Adanta, seeks to stop a figure resembling a Raven Mocker to save her mother.

A Raven Mocker is the main antagonist in "Evil in the Night," episode 57 of Walker, Texas Ranger, where it is depicted as a medicine man with shape-shifting abilities and the power to cause hallucinations in his victims.

In Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series, Raven Mockers are mentioned in connection with the protagonist , a skinwalker of Cherokee heritage.

The Raven Mocker is an antagonist in the series Mountain Monsters.

Further reading

• Mooney, James (1900). Myths of the Cherokee. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. pp. 401–403. ISBN 0-486-28907-9.
• Norton, Terry L. (2014). Cherokee Myths and Legends: Thirty Tales Retold. McFarland & Company. pp. 120–122. ISBN 9780786494606.