This week we are visiting Deer Woman. Deer Woman is a powerful spirit figure found in the oral traditions of many Indigenous peoples across North America, including the Lakota, Ojibwe, Muscogee, Cherokee, Ponca, and others. Often described as a beautiful woman with long hair and the legs or feet of a deer, she appears at dances, crossroads, or along quiet paths, sometimes to warn, sometimes to punish. While some see her as a trickster or seductress, her deeper role is that of a protector and avenger, especially of women and children. 



Deer Woman is said to lure unfaithful or violent men into the forest, where they meet a mysterious or deadly end. For those who live honorably and treat others with respect, she poses no threat. In some stories, she is the spirit of a woman who suffered great violence and returned in this sacred form to guard others from similar harm. Far from being a mere monster or myth, Deer Woman embodies justice, survival, and the fierce love that protects communities from within.