Lumberjack Folklore
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Log Gar
The Log Gar is a fish from Lumberjack Folklore. It has saw-like teeth. They can cut through anything in the water and cut off limbs immediately. They will go through anything to kill prey. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
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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.…
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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.
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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…
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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,…
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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 giant creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the scientific name of Guyascutus Hunyanos, with the possible variation of Guyascutus Automobilica. The name is believed to come from the Chinook word Hyascultus, meaning worthless. In Oregon, people claim these creatures originate from Maine, while in Philadelphia, they’re claimed to originate from Boston. They are believed to live in the mountains and are consistently described as having legs that are shorter on one side than the other, much like the Sidehill Gouger. These legs can adjust telescopically to accommodate different mountain slopes, and they are also believed to have prehensile tails to grab rocks while climbing. These creatures…
