# The Young Man — Zuni Folktales character guide

> The Young Man in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** ye, yours, thou, the young man, thee

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

## Snapshot

A hopeful suitor from the Pueblo of the Winds who bundles his finest mantles and necklaces to court the maiden of Salt City.

## Who they are

He arrives at the priest-chief's house with gifts wrapped in white buckskin, navigating the delicate protocols of Zuni courtship with careful ceremony. His restraint at the meal—eating 'ever so little'—reveals a young man keenly aware that desire must be tempered by propriety. His journey across the western plains sets the tale's central trial in motion, making his earnest pursuit the emotional anchor of the opening arc.

## In the story

### [Zuni Folktales](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/zuni-folktales)

Participates in courtship and trials.

### [The Trial of Lovers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-trial-of-lovers)

The poor youth from Hálonawan who wins the maiden through kindness and humility.

### [Told the First Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/told-the-first-night)

Works in the cornfield, passes the insect test, and accidentally kills his beloved wife, mistaking her for her jealous sister.

### [Told the Second Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/told-the-second-night)

Grieving husband who pursues his wife's spirit, receives counsel from the Owl, but fails to obey and loses her again.

### [The Youth and His Eagle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-youth-and-his-eagle)

The youth who loves his Eagle and follows her into the sky, only to perish due to his faithlessness.

### [How the Summer Birds Came](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-summer-birds-came)

The miraculous son of the maiden and the Rain God, who grows rapidly and hunts monsters.

### [The Boy Hunter Who Never Sacrificed to the Deer He Had Slain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-boy-hunter-who-never-sacrificed-to-the-deer-he-had-slain)

The hunter who is cast into the river and guided by the serpent maiden to the Sun-father.

### [The Warrior Suitor of Moki](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-warrior-suitor-of-moki)

The poor, outcast youth who becomes the hero by winning the maiden's hand after a successful raid on Zuni.

### [How the Gopher Raced with the Runners of Kʻiákime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-gopher-raced-with-the-runners-of-k-i-kime)

Dispatched by the council to recruit the Gopher for the race.

### [How the Corn-Pests Were Ensnared](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-corn-pests-were-ensnared)

An ugly, poor young man who cleverly traps the corn-pests and wins the maiden's hand.

## Links

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