# Átahsaia — Zuni Folktales character guide

> Átahsaia in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** himself

**First appearance:** 0033-tahsaia-the-cannibal-demon

## Snapshot

A cannibal demon with onion-popping eyes and a flint knife, who hunts maidens for his lunch while smiling with dreadful politeness.

## Who they are

Átahsaia is the terror of the ancient days, a giant who devours men, women, and children and carries a bow of mountain-oak and a knife as broad as a man's thigh. For all his ugliness he is a great liar and flatterer, luring his victims with gentle words before he strikes, and his chuckle of 'Good lunch! Two for a munch!' echoes across the mesas. His pursuit of the two maidens of Héshokta draws the twin war gods into the hunt, making him the first great threat the brothers must answer.

## In the story

### [Átahsaia, the Cannibal Demon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/tahsaia-the-cannibal-demon)

The cannibal demon who deceives and attempts to devour the two maidens.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/atahsaia
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters