# The Old Demon — Zuni Folktales character guide

> The Old Demon in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the old Demon, The old demon, the Demon, himself

**First appearance:** 0001-zuni-folktales

## Snapshot

A hulking predator with bulging eyes and a hunter's frustration, eager to learn Coyote's secret for catching swift deer.

## Who they are

The Demon complains of hard times catching deer and antelope, his eyes sticking out further as Coyote boasts of outrunning any quarry. His vanity—'Do you think I am a baby? or a woman?'—makes him the perfect mark for Coyote's con, and he smashes his own thigh without hesitation. His gullibility and physical ruin serve as a cautionary counterpoint to Coyote's cleverness, illustrating how pride and desperation invite deception.

## In the story

### [The Rabbit Huntress and Her Adventures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-rabbit-huntress-and-her-adventures)

The Cannibal Demon who devours the maiden's rabbits and garments, and is slain by the War-gods.

## Links

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