Mocker" is universal among the Cherokee and has close parallels
in other tribes. Very near to it is the Iroquois belief in the
vampire or cannibal ghost, concerning which Schoolcraft relates
some blood-curdling stories. He says: "It is believed that such
doomed spirits creep into the lodges of men at night, and during
sleep suck their blood and eat their flesh. They are invisible"
(Notes on the Iroquois, p. 144). On one occasion, while the author
was among the Cherokee, a sick man was allowed to die alone because
his friends imagined they felt the presence of the Raven Mocker or
other invisible witches about the house, and were consequently afraid
to stay with him. The description of the flying terror appears to be
that of a great meteor. It is a universal principle of folk belief
that discovery or recognition while disguised in another form brings
disaster to the witch.
The "diving" of the raven while flying high in air is performed by
folding one wing close to the body, when the bird falls to a lower
plane, apparently turning a somersault in the descent. It seems to
be done purely for amusement.