Atosis or Kci-Athussos is a mythological being from

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

and Algonquian folklore in northeastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It is a large, swimming snake. In one legend, Atosis had once been a human man but became a snake later. He fights the hero Glooskap but never manages to kill him. In one of the stories, Atosis captures Glooskap's brother, Abistanooch the

marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

. Glooskap tells Abistanooch how to trick Atosis, and they defeat him together. In another story, a woman has fallen in love with the snake, and she lures her husbands, one after the other, to the water for the snake to eat. In another, the woman falls in love with the snake but does not kill her husband or harm anyone. Maine writer Christopher Packard numbers

Champ Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

, the cryptid of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

among Atosis.

Etymology

The name ''Kci-Athussos'' means "great serpent."

References

Abenaki mythology Legendary serpents Mythological aquatic creatures {{NorthAm-myth-stub