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Native American Legends: Stoneclad
Name: Stoneclad
Tribal affiliation: Cherokee
Native names: Nvyunuwi, Nvyvunuwi, Nuyunuwi, Nûñ'yunu'wï
Pronunciation: nun-yoo-noo-wee
Type: Stone being,
monster
Related figures in other tribes: Stonecoat (Iroquois),
Windigo (Ojibwe)
Stoneclad is a monster from Cherokee folklore. Details about Stoneclad vary from telling to telling--
in some versions there is only one, while in others there are a whole race of Stoneclads. In some versions
Stoneclad is man-sized, or indeed is a human witch that turned himself into an invulnerable monster; in others,
he is a stone-skinned giant like the Stonecoats of the northern Iroquois tribes. In all cases he has rocklike
plates of armor that protect him from fire, cold, and weapons; he is defeated only through sapping his magical
power by destroying his talismans or exposing him to menstruating women.
Stoneclad Stories
Nûñ'yunu'wï 
Conquering Stone Clad:
Cherokee legends about the defeat of a Stoneclad.
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
The First Fire:
Anthology of stories from the Kickapoo, Cherokee, Kiowa, and Tigua tribes.
Southeastern Native American Legends:
Book comparing the traditional stories of the Cherokee and other Southeast tribes.
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Additional Resources
Cherokee myths
Cherokee language
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Cherokee Indian names
Native people of North Carolina
Southeast Native American tribes
Iroquoian Indians
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