Lumberjack Folklore
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Splinter Cat
The Splinter Cat is a creature from lumberjack folklore, particularly in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They’re described as large cats with hardened skulls. They solely feed on raccoons and bees by charging into trees and breaking them into splinters. The result of their actions makes the trees look like they were struck by lightning. Citations: Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
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Hinge-tailed Bingbuffer
The Hinge-Tailed Bingebuffer is a potentially extinct creature from lumberjack folklore. It’s thought one of the last was killed in 1881 or 1882. They resemble huge hippopotami with long, flat tapering tails that can reach forty feet in length. They have short legs which makes moving their heavy bodies slow and difficult. They have a large pouch under their jaws that can hold an entire bushel. They often fill this pouch with small stones when hunting. The tail of this creature is hinged, and it can use this tail to launch the stones they store. This attack has incredible power and accuracy, allowing it to hit targets even hundreds of…
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Wampahoofus
The Wampahoofus is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore in Maine. It has the “scientific name” Limmertakus boottii, supposedly discovered by Dr. Francis Boott in the White Mountains. They live in puddles and boggy areas, and all that can be seen of them is a single bubble-like eye sticking out of the water. They anchor themselves in place and quickly retreat when discovered. The rest of the body is similar to a leathery lily pad and is incredibly strong despite its small size. They’re thought to have one arm that they use to grab at the boots of hikers. They do this because they eat boot leather and have a voracious…
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Cougar Fish
The Cougar Fish is a creature from Lumberjack folklore. They have the “scientific name” Pterygium unguis acutis. They’re described as violent and savage fish with claws at the ends of their fins. They’re found only in the Big Onion River and rest in shallow rough sections of water, clawing any lumberjacks that pass. A reward was placed on them, and after which the fish seemed to disappear, and none were ever found. Citations: Wyman, Walker D. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada.(River Falls, WI: Univ of Wisconsin Riverfalls Press,1978.)
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Whirling Whimpus/Knuckledragger
The Whirling Whimpus is a strange creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has a variety of descriptions, often with a barrel shaped body, head like a gorilla, and long hairy arms that drag the ground. They often have tangled tawny hair but are sometimes described as also having purple and green feathers. Their legs resemble those of a mule, sometimes fusing at the bottom to make one giant hoof. They are known to polish this hoof until it shines. They’re known to eat bear, elk, and moose, but could only digest things in a gelatinous form. They’re known to spin in circles so fast that they become just a blur of…
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Wedge-Ledge Chomper
The Wedge-Ledge Chomper is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore in Maine. They’re hippo-sized creatures with massive mouths like bulldozers. They can range from the size of a car to a football. They have perfect camouflage and are rarely seen, with stony skin and sometimes even moss growing on them. They scrape up stone ledges, causing erosion and rockslides. They are thought to enjoy carving stair-like structures into the sides of mountains. After breaking the rocks, they consume the ones they can fit in their mouths. They rarely venture far and often return to the same place to eat nightly, leading to them often mistaken for boulders. They have great hearing…
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Wamp
The Wamp is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They have the scientific name “Caudasal lakeshorekearn.” They have grey bodies shaped like salt sacks roughly the size of a raccoon. They notably have hollow tails with a structure resembling a salt shaker at the end. They sprinkle salt on tree roots for deer to lick up. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
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Trapspringer
The Trapspringer is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore with the scientific name Inconcinnuscasus wymani. They’re small creatures with spring-like legs. They only come out at night and use their weird legs to trigger traps and still avoid being caught. They live in the dens of fur-bearing animals who give them food in return for keeping them safe from the traps intended for them. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
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Three Tailed Bavalorous
The Three Tailed Bavalorous is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the scientific name “Theriornis tricauda unicornus.” It’s described as half animal and half bird. Its front half was covered in feathers and the back half was covered in hair. It had legs like a cow or a buffalo, a horn like a corkscrew coming from its forehead, and three tails. The end of one tail was a barb as sharp as a spear, which it used for fighting. The end of the second tail was broad and flat and was used as a chair. The end of the third tail was fanned out like a peacock tail and…
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Squonk
The Squonk is a sad creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They can be found most commonly in Pennsylvania. They have loose, wrinkly skin covered in moles and warts. They only travel at dusk and at night, and they constantly cry because of their ugly appearance. They can be found if hunters follow the paths left by their tears. When captured or cornered, they cry so much that their body dissolves. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
