Lumberjack Folklore
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Hoop Snake
The Hoop Snake is a dangerous southern snake from Lumberjack Folklore. They may be black or multicolored. They can grow to 8 feet long but are very thin. They have a stinger 1-5 inches in length at the end of their tails. They can grab their stingers in their mouths making themselves into large hoops. If a person is injected with venom from this stinger they will die within minutes. They can’t chase people uphill by rolling but they still can slither, though they get tired of this very quickly. If you are being chased by a hoop snake, you can also jump through its hoop to confuse it, making…
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Hodag/Black Hodag
The Hodag is a well known creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They live in the swamps of West Virginia and Wisconsin. They have horns and spikes on their bodies and are often depicted with a crazed grin. Sometimes they have the head of a bull with a human face, short legs, clawed feet, a humped back like a dinosaur, and a prehensile serpentine tail ending in an arrowhead. Some describe them as chimerical hybrids of a frog, lizard, and mammoth. They eat wildlife, often feed on turtles, snakes, and muskrats from nearby swamps, and sometimes also eat humans. They smell so bad that people have been known to faint when they…
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Hidebehind
The Hidebehind is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It is incredibly dangerous and is often responsible for men disappearing in the woods. It will follow behind a person, and no matter how quickly they turn around, it will immediately hide behind something. At the right moment it will ambush them and drag them away. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Matthews, John, and Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. United Kingdom, Harper Element, 2009.
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Hellidad
The Hellidad is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They resemble crosses between ostriches and zebras. They are known to lick bald people’s heads while they sleep. They are recounted in stories of Pecos Bill. Citations: Bowman, James Cloyd. Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time. United States, Albert Whitman, 2017. Fantasy: Shapes of Things Unknown. United States, Scott, Foresman, 1974.
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Guyascutus/Guyascutas
The Guyascutus is a bizarre creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They are sometimes described as large dragons. Sometimes they’re described as ten-foot-long alligators with armadillo shells and horns running down their spine. Others times they are described as whitetail deers with sharp teeth and rabbit ears. Sometimes they resemble forty foot long monstrous lizards with long necks covered in scales, teeth large enough to grind boulders to dust, red smoke billowing from their nostrils, and writhing tails covered in yard long dagger-like horns. They are often thought to be so dangerous that simply seeing one could scare a person to death. Often the legs on one side of their body were…
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Gumberoo
The Gumberoo is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They are larger than bears and looks like walking footballs with leathery skin. Their skin can withstand any attack, even bullets. They can be killed if you set them on fire and wait for them to explode. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Matthews, John, and Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. United Kingdom, Harper Element, 2009. Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
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Gilaopolis
The Gilaopolis is an obscure creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They are thought to look like a gila monster, but are capable of growing to the size of a large calf. Some accounts say they have breath hot enough to melt cans. Citations: A Treasury of Western Folklore. United States, Crown Publishers, 1975. Bowman, James Cloyd. Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time. United States, Albert Whitman, 2017.
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Fog-Hog
The Fog-Hog is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It is known by the “scientific name” Purcusnebulus vancerandolphi. They are believed to inhabit Star Lake in Wisconsin. When the fog gets dense enough for fish to swim through it like water, the Fog-Hog follows to prey on them. They only eat fish and have a ravenous appetite. People who live in this area have to close their windows to keep the fish from swimming into their houses to keep the Fog-Hog from entering. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
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Flittericks/Flitterick
Flittericks are small creatures that come from Lumberjack Folklore. They are believed to be an odd form of flying squirrel. They are noted for being able to move so fast they’re impossible to avoid. They can hit hard enough to kill another creature, but also kill themselves in the process. Citations: The American People: Stories, Legends, Tales, Traditions and Songs. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2020. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Matthews, John, and Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. United Kingdom, Harper Element, 2009.…
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Fish-Fox
The Fish-Fox is a silly creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the “scientific name” Piscivulpus coertduboisia. They can be commanded like dogs. They dive into the water and make sounds like an angleworm. They then return to the shore, causing the fish to follow it back onto land, leaving themselves completely vulnerable to anyone to kill. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
