The SInt-Holo

One of the elders brought a blanket to the chief elder and laid it acoss his lap. As the fire crackled through the night air. Family were sitting close together with blankets around them to keep them warm. The elder started off by saying, “We finish our stories with a creature that is sought after by all of the Chahta people. The Sint-Holo is seen all the way from the beginning and will live on forever. This creature lives in the deepest valleys, in the deepest waters. These bodies of water are so deep they look lusa and have no bottom. The Sint-Holo drags people into the bottomless water and can only be beaten by being struck by a thunderbolt.”

There were some kids that were playing on the side of the mountain. Running up and down the side of the ridges, they came across a dark cave. Curious, the boys entered the cave to see what was inside. Looking at the walls, they could make out pictures, painted from pigments from clay and berries. The pictures showed a horned serpent that covered all the walls. The boys kept walking slowly until they came to a pond located inside the cave. It was dark, but the water was darker and was still. Frightened, they boys left and returned home.

The next day the boys decide to go back to the cave to play in the water. When they got there, the light from the sun shined into the mouth of the cave showing more of the water. When they came up to the edge of the water, it looked lusa in color and the boys couldn’t see the bottom. Unknowingly, the boys jumped in and started to play. Some time went boy and when they decided to go home, they started to make their way out of the water. As the last boy was stepping out, he could feel a sharp pain in his foot. As he screamed, the boys looked down and could see a horned serpent locked onto the boys foot. With a jerk, the boy was dragged into the water. The boys standing by the side of the water could hear the boy screaming underwater as he went further down. The boys ran home to tell their parents and never returned.

The elder finished by saying, “This is why you never play in the waters in caves. The horned serpent is a creature that preys on the weak children. The Sint-Holo is a spirit guide that can be seen in dreams and help you when you are lost. However, when it is time to feast, don’t be out when he is hungry.”