The United States
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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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Weetuck
The Weetuck were giant monsters from the Mohawk Native Americans. They’re thought to have been as tall as a pine tree and capable of wading into rivers 12-14 feet deep, catching multiple sturgeon at once. They hunted bears for sport by hitting them with large tree branches. They are thought to have lived ten generations or several centuries ago. Despite their ferocity, they were seen as peaceful to humans and could be placated with offerings of meat. Some think the legend can be related to the discovery of bones belonging to wooly mammoths, and there were bones found in Claverack, New York that were thought to belong to the Weetuck.…
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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.
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Speedemon
The Speedemon is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the “scientific” name Rapidusdemonicus dorsonae. They have round bodies with five legs. They love chasing around small animals just for fun. They can often be heard in the evening spinning around as if in a cartwheel. They are thought to be incredibly hard to spot because of their rapid speed. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
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Slide Rock Bolter
The Slide Rock Bolter is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore which are said to be found in Colorado. They live in mountains on inclines of at least 45 degrees. They have large heads, small eyes, mouths like a sculpin (a kind of fish) and tails with two tail flippers shaped like hooks. They anchor themself at the top of mountains and wait for people to pass underneath. When this happens, they drool down the mountain and slide down this saliva to consume their prey. After is slides down, it uses its momentum to slide up the next mountain and latch itself on to repeat the process. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia…
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Skatene
The Skatene is a bogeyman figure from the Choctaw Native Americans. Her story teaches children to not trust strangers, even if they seem nice. She appears as an old woman who could turn herself into an owl. There is a story where she befriends a child to gain access to the household, and then cut the fathers head off. She then fled with the severed head in a basket and threatened to blind any animals who asked about it. Some wildcats confronted her and ignored the threat. They saw the severed head and one held her down while the others grabbed a club. Skatene managed to escape in the form…
