Lumberjack Folklore
-
Landlocked Walrus
The Landlocked Walrus is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore in Maine. It has the “scientific name” Odobenus rosmarus var. chesuncookia. It’s described as smaller than the oceanic walrus and lives in freshwater in the region of Chesuncook Lake. It’s thought they became trapped in this area during the ice age. They are typically thought to be more dangerous than the typical walrus due to having less marine territory. They have been known to attack people and capsize boats with their tusks, or break through the ice to attack those walking on it. They are rare and not often seen, with them being seen as likely extinct now. Citations: Packard, Christopher.…
-
Joint Snake/Glass Snake
The Joint Snake is a strange creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It’s a small snake most notable for its ability to reassemble its body if it is dismembered. If cut into pieces, all the pieces of this creature would wiggle until they reconnected. It quickly darts away after it reassembles itself. If a piece from the middle is removed before it heals however, the Joint Snake can’t recover and dies. Some accounts also say it had a horn at the end of its tail as long as a needle and incredibly sharp. Citation: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
-
Ice Hornets
The Ice Hornets are creatures from Lumberjack Folklore in Maine. They have the scientific name “Vespula glacialis.” They’re often found when ice fisheries drill into the ice, and unintentionally hit a nest inside the ice, causing the hornets to swarm. They’re difficult to find unless they’re disturbed and can only be found during the winter. It’s unknown how they survive during the summer. They resemble large ill-tempered wasps camouflaged for winter and have incredibly barbed stingers containing large amounts of venom. Stinger can only be removed with blackberry brandy. One way to escape a swarm is by jumping into open water, which comes with its own separate risks. They can…
-
Hugag
The Hugag is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They’re thought to be prehistoric looking creatures that live in lake states. They are roughly the size of and shape of a moose, with leathery heads, necks lacking hair, incredibly long upper lips that hangs low and prevents them from grazing, long tails, ragged, uneven floppy ears, and bushy coats. They have no ankle or knee joints, and four toed feet. They are constantly moving and wobble as they move. They eat leaves and tree bark. When they sleep, they lean against trees to keep themselves stable. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.
-
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.
-
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…
-
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.
