Two-Face: The Terrifying Native American Legend of Sharp Elbows
When it comes to Native American folklore, few figures are as unsettling as Two-Face—sometimes known as Anúŋg Ité among the Lakota or Sharp Elbows in other Plains traditions. Unlike the Wendigo or Skinwalker, which have become pop culture staples, Two-Face hasn’t been widely adapted into movies or horror stories. But the legend is every bit as chilling.
Two-Face is more than a monster lurking in the dark. She’s a cautionary tale, a distorted mirror of human flaws like vanity, betrayal, and deceit. Her beauty lures the unsuspecting, while her second, hideous face—or her deadly, sharpened elbows—ensures that the encounter ends in terror.
So who exactly is Two-Face? And why has this lesser-known monster haunted the stories of the Great Plains for centuries? Let’s dive into the legend.
The Legend of Two-Face
Two-Face is most often described as a woman with two faces: one breathtakingly beautiful, the other grotesque and terrifying.
In some traditions, her second face is said to rest on the back of her head, hidden until it’s too late. In others, it’s split directly down the middle—half beauty, half horror. The imagery is disturbing not just because of her appearance, but because of what it represents: duplicity and deceit.
Among the Lakota, she is known as Anúŋg Ité, a once-human woman who was cursed. Depending on the version, she may have been punished for vanity, infidelity, or for trying to seduce the wrong man. Her second face is a divine mark of shame, meant to warn others about the dangers of arrogance or betrayal.
But the tale takes a darker turn when her punishment becomes a danger to others. Unable to live as she once did, Two-Face roams the land, preying on victims.
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In some stories, she kills children, either out of bitterness or because she feeds on their innocence.
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In others, she stabs sleeping men with her elbows, which have been transformed into razor-sharp weapons.
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Still others say she delights in luring people close with her beauty, only to reveal her monstrous second face and strike them dead.
What all the stories agree on is that Two-Face is not to be trusted. Beauty hides danger. Vanity hides corruption. And those who cross her path rarely live to tell the tale.
Sharp Elbows: A Cannibal in the Night
One of the most frightening versions of this legend appears in Plains traditions where Two-Face is called “Sharp Elbows.”
In this form, she isn’t just a cursed woman—she’s a full-blown cannibal monster. Her elbows are sharpened to deadly points, like stone knives or bones protruding from her body. At night, she creeps into camps or villages, sliding silently into tipis or cabins.
If she finds a man sleeping, she doesn’t hesitate. She stabs him through the heart with her elbow and then drinks his blood. Sometimes she drags the body away to eat later.
This version of the story is less about vanity and more about fear of predation—the idea that danger can strike in the most vulnerable moment: while you sleep.
It’s easy to see how such a tale would keep people cautious and wary at night, especially in a time when survival meant being alert to predators, both animal and supernatural.
Morality, Punishment, and Terror
What makes Two-Face especially fascinating is that she isn’t just a monster. She’s also a morality tale.
For the Lakota, her story carries a lesson about behavior and consequences. Vanity, arrogance, or breaking social taboos could lead to transformation and exile. Her second face is more than physical horror—it’s symbolic.
But for listeners, the moral quickly blurs into terror. Two-Face punishes not only herself but others. She takes her anger, shame, or hunger out on innocent victims. Children vanish. Men are found stabbed or drained of life.
This duality—part cautionary tale, part predatory horror—is what makes her stand out. She exists in that eerie space between human flaw and supernatural predator.
The Visual Horror of Two-Face
Two-Face’s imagery is undeniably striking. A beautiful woman with a second grotesque face? It’s the kind of nightmare that lingers long after the story ends.
Some descriptions say her second face is twisted and deformed, with rotting teeth, bulging eyes, and skin like ash. Others describe it as a corpse’s face, pale and dead. And still others suggest the face shifts depending on the viewer’s own fears—always reflecting something horrifying and personal.
Then there are the elbows—sharp enough to kill. Imagine seeing a figure approach in the dark, elegant and alluring, only to notice her arms bent unnaturally, her elbows glinting like blades.
The combination of beauty and monstrosity makes her both alluring and repulsive, a predator hidden inside a disguise.
Why the Legend Stands Out
Among Native American monsters, Two-Face is unique.
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She’s both human and monster. Unlike spirits and beasts that were never human, Two-Face’s horror lies in her humanity. She begins as a woman, transformed into a monster as punishment for her flaws.
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She embodies duality. Two-Face represents beauty and ugliness, good and evil, trust and betrayal. This makes her more psychologically unsettling than creatures that are simply monstrous.
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She punishes and preys. Some monsters kill indiscriminately. Others are warnings about morality. Two-Face does both. She is punishment incarnate and a predator at large.
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She’s lesser known. While pop culture has popularized Wendigos and Skinwalkers, Two-Face remains a hidden terror. That makes her a fresh and chilling legend for modern readers.
Similar Legends Around the World
The idea of a being with two faces—or beauty hiding corruption—isn’t unique to Native American lore. Similar myths appear across cultures, adding to the eerie familiarity of the tale.
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Hel (Norse mythology): The goddess of death who is half beautiful woman, half rotting corpse. Like Two-Face, she embodies both allure and decay.
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Janus (Roman mythology): A two-faced god, though not evil. His dual visage represented beginnings and endings, past and future. Two-Face echoes this symbolism but twists it into horror.
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Noppera-bō (Japanese folklore): Faceless ghosts that appear human until their features vanish. While the effect is opposite (no face vs. two faces), both legends deal with unsettling transformations of the human form.
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Medusa (Greek mythology): Not two-faced, but another example of female beauty turned monstrous, with deadly consequences for those who approach.
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Churel (South Asian folklore): A vampiric spirit of a wronged woman, often appearing beautiful in front but twisted or corpse-like behind. She punishes men who mistreated her, much like Two-Face targets the arrogant and unfaithful.
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Encantado (Amazonian folklore): Shape-shifting river dolphins who take on human form to seduce and abduct humans. The danger beneath beauty mirrors Two-Face’s deception.
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Doppelgänger (European legend): A sinister double of a living person, the doppelganger is often seen as an omen of death. While not monstrous in appearance, the doubling imagery connects strongly with the Two-Face archetype.
These parallels show how widespread the fear of hidden monstrosity is—beauty that conceals danger, or humanity that masks evil.
Firsthand Encounters
Unlike other Native American legends, there aren’t many modern reports of Two-Face encounters. But oral traditions and campfire stories do preserve chilling accounts:
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Children vanishing: Some stories tell of children lured away by a beautiful woman, only to be found dead with strange puncture wounds.
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Men attacked in their sleep: A few tales describe men who awoke to see a woman standing over them in the dark. When she vanished, they were left with bruises or scratches that looked like elbow strikes.
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Nightmare visitations: Among the Lakota, some say that dreaming of a two-faced woman brings misfortune or illness. The dream itself was considered an encounter with her spirit.
Whether these are literal accounts or cautionary tales, they reinforce the idea that Two-Face isn’t just a myth of the past—she still lingers in memory and story, haunting the imagination.
Protecting Yourself from Two-Face
Like most Native American legends, Two-Face stories came with warnings and protective advice. Elders used these tales not just to frighten but to teach.
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Truth and humility as armor: Because her curse stemmed from vanity and deceit, living humbly and honestly was believed to offer protection.
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Firelight as a shield: Keeping fires burning at night helped deter malevolent spirits, including Two-Face. Darkness was her ally.
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Prayers and offerings: Appealing to the spirits or making small ritual offerings was another way to keep her at bay.
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Avoiding temptation: Men in particular were warned never to follow a strange or alluring woman at night, no matter how irresistible she seemed.
At its heart, the legend teaches that the best defense against monsters like Two-Face is not just ritual, but discipline and wisdom: don’t let beauty blind you, and don’t let vanity make you careless.
Why We Still Fear Her
Two-Face endures because her story taps into primal fears.
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The fear of being betrayed by appearances. What looks safe or beautiful might be deadly.
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The fear of punishment for mistakes. In many versions, she isn’t a random monster but a consequence of human flaws.
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The fear of vulnerability. Sharp Elbows strikes at night, when people are most helpless.
Modern audiences may not live in tipis on the Plains anymore, but the idea of someone—or something—beautiful hiding something terrible still resonates. We see it in horror films, urban legends, and even true crime. Two-Face is a timeless archetype: the predator disguised as prey, the beautiful mask over the monster.
Conclusion
Two-Face isn’t as famous as the Wendigo or the Skinwalker, but perhaps that’s what makes her so terrifying. She’s a monster that hides in plain sight, a figure of caution and fear. Her second face is more than just grotesque—it’s a reminder that not everything is what it seems, and that human flaws can give birth to horrors.
Whether she appears as Anúŋg Ité with her cursed visage or as Sharp Elbows stalking men at night, Two-Face remains a haunting figure in Native American legend. She lingers in the shadows, a warning and a threat, waiting for those who dare to trust beauty too easily.
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