# Coyote — Zuni Folktales character guide > Coyote in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the Coyote, The Coyote, the old Coyote, A Coyote, the little Coyote, This Coyote, Your **First appearance:** 0001-zuni-folktales ## Snapshot A silver-tongued trickster who demonstrates his 'training method' by smashing bones and sprinting, luring the Demon into a devastating imitation. ## Who they are Coyote stages an elaborate performance of self-mutilation and miraculous healing, substituting antelope bones for his own legs with theatrical cries of pain. His flattery—'there is no deer that can run away from me'—hooks the gullible Demon, whose eagerness to match Coyote's speed blinds him to the con. This episode showcases Coyote's signature blend of cunning and cruelty, establishing him as a figure whose tricks entertain even as they maim. ## Relationships ### [Blackbirds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/blackbirds) _rivalry_ Blackbirds and Coyote are frequent trickster opponents, with the birds often getting the better of him. ### [Locust](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/locust) _rivalry_ Coyote and Locust are trickster rivals, often engaging in contests or deceptions. ### [Blackbirds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/blackbirds) _rivalry_ Blackbirds and Coyote are frequent trickster opponents, with the birds often getting the better of him. ### [Blackbirds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/blackbirds) _rivalry_ Blackbirds and Coyote are frequent trickster opponents, with the birds often getting the better of him. ### [Locust](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/locust) _rivalry_ Coyote and Locust are trickster rivals, often engaging in contests or deceptions. ### [Locust](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/locust) _rivalry_ Coyote and Locust are trickster rivals, often engaging in contests or deceptions. ## In the story ### [Zuni Folktales](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/zuni-folktales) Appears in multiple tales as a trickster figure. ### [The Warrior Suitor of Moki](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-warrior-suitor-of-moki) Not directly mentioned; the dogs serve as the youth's allies instead. ### [How the Corn-Pests Were Ensnared](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-corn-pests-were-ensnared) Tricked by the Owls into killing his grandmother and breaking his legs to join their dance, then humiliated and seeking revenge. ### [The Coyote Who Killed the Demon Síuiuki](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-coyote-who-killed-the-demon-s-uiuki) Tricks and kills the Demon Síuiuki, then claims the youngest sister of the Gods of Prey as his wife. ### [How the Coyotes Tried to Steal the Children of the Sacred Dance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-coyotes-tried-to-steal-the-children-of-the-sacred-dance) The old Coyote of Cedar Canyon who discovers the K'yamakwe children and organizes the failed theft. ### [The Coyote and the Beetle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-coyote-and-the-beetle) Threatens to bite the Beetle but is tricked into fleeing after hearing a false warning about trail defilement. ### [How the Coyote Danced with the Blackbirds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-coyote-danced-with-the-blackbirds) The protagonist who desperately wants to join the Blackbirds' dance and fly, leading to his humiliation. ### [How the Turtle Out Hunting Duped the Coyote](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-turtle-out-hunting-duped-the-coyote) The Coyote helps skin the deer, demands half, and later returns with his family to retrieve the meat, but is repeatedly duped by the Turtle. ### [The Coyote and the Locust](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-coyote-and-the-locust) The old Coyote who tries to learn the Locust's song but forgets it twice, then angrily bites the Locust's decoy and breaks his teeth. ### [The Coyote and the Ravens Who Raced Their Eyes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-coyote-and-the-ravens-who-raced-their-eyes) The trickster protagonist who foolishly tries to imitate the Ravens' eye-racing trick and loses his eyes. ### [How the Corn-Pests Were Ensnared](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-corn-pests-were-ensnared) The trickster who falls into the pit but escapes by climbing over the other animals. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/endnotes) Referenced in the context of his wonder and admiration for the Kʻyámakwe children. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/coyote - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters