# The Young Swift-Runner — Zuni Folktales character guide

> The Young Swift-Runner in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Swift-runner, himself

**First appearance:** 0032-the-young-swift-runner-who-was-stripped-of-his-clothing-by-the-aged-tarantula

## Snapshot

A fleet-footed youth stripped of his clothing by the Aged Tarantula, he must run a desperate race to recover what was taken from him.

## Who they are

The Young Swift-Runner belongs to the world of Zuni animal tales, where human and creature meet on equal footing and every encounter carries a test. His defining ordeal is the loss of his garments to the Aged Tarantula, a humiliation that forces him to rely on speed and wit rather than pride. His plight anchors the early arc of his tale, turning a simple contest of swiftness into a lesson about vulnerability, resourcefulness, and the price of underestimating even the smallest adversary.

## In the story

### [The Young Swift-Runner Who Was Stripped of His Clothing by the Aged Tarantula](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-young-swift-runner-who-was-stripped-of-his-clothing-by-the-aged-tarantula)

The priest-chief's son who is stripped of his fine apparel by Old Tarantula.

## Links

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