Fearsome critters

The hugag, a typical fearsome critter.

In early lumberjack folklore, fearsome critters were mythical beasts that were said to inhabit the frontier wilderness of North America.[1][2][3]

Origins

Fearsome critters were an integral part of oral tradition in North American lumber camps during the turn of the 20th century,[1] principally as a means to pass time (such as in tall tales)[4] or as a jest for hazing newcomers.[5] In a typical fearsome critter gag, a person would casually remark about a strange noise or sight they encountered in the wild; subsequently, another accomplice would join in. Meanwhile, an eavesdropper would begin to investigate, as Henry H. Tryon recorded in his book, Fearsome Critters (1939) —

"Sam would lead with a colorful bit of description, and Walter would follow suit with an arresting spot of personal experience, every detail being set forth with the utmost solemnity, and with exactly the correct degree of emphasis. At the end, so deftly had the cards been played that the listener was completely convinced of the animal's existence. This method of presentation is widely used. For the best results, two narrators who can "keep the ball in the air" are necessary, and perhaps an occasional general question is tossed to someone in the audience, such inquires being invariably accorded a grave, corroborative nod."[5]

Lumberjacks, who regularly traveled between camps, would stop to swap stories, eventually disseminating these myths across the continent.[4] Many fearsome critters were simply the products of pure exaggeration; while a number however, were used either seriously or jokingly as explanations for unexplained phenomena. For example, the hidebehind served to account for loggers who failed to return to camp,[6][7] while the treesqueak offered justification for strange noises heard in the woods.[5] A handful mirrored descriptions of actual animals. The mangrove killifish, which takes up shelter in decaying branches after leaving the water,[8] exhibits similarities to the upland trout, a mythical fish purported to nest in trees.[9] In addition, the story of the fillyloo, about a mythical crane that flies upside-down, may have been inspired by observations of the wood stork, a bird that has been witnessed briefly flying in this manner.[10] In particular instances more elaborate ruses were created using taxidermy[11] or trick photography.[12]

Attributes

The character of the fearsome critters themselves was usually more comical than frightful.[1] Often the greater emphasis is placed on behavioral traits with little or no detail mentioned on their appearance, as in the cases of the hidebehind, teakettler,[13] squidgicum-squee,[14] and hangdown.[6] Some like flittericks or the goofus[7] appeared to be ordinary animals that just behaved out of the ordinary. The more physically emphasized and improbable creatures seem to be distinguished by how far the storyteller could push the boundaries of biomechanics. Both the tripodero[6] and snoligoster[4] demonstrate facets more in common with mechanical apparatuses than animals, and the hugag and sidehill gouger[5] seem to be more a play on applied physics than fanciful inspiration. While much of the literature that has been written on the subject echoes a naturalist's perspective, commonly specifying a range of distribution, behavioral habits, and physical appearance,[4][5][9] it should be noted that as many of these myths were never widespread. It is common to find a lack of consensus on a specific fearsome critter, if not clear contradictions. To illustrate, the wampus cat differs widely between Vance Randolph’s We Always Lie to Strangers and Henry H. Tryon’s Fearsome Critters, with Tryon describing a cat with pantographic forelimbs[5] and Randolph portraying it as a supernatural, aquatic panther.[10]

List

Beasts

Fish

Serpents

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Dorson, Richard M. Man and Beast in American Comic Legend. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 1982.)
  2. Leach, Maria. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary Of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. (New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1949.)
  3. South, Malcolm. Mythical and Fabulous Creatures: A Source Book and Research Guide. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1984.)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cox, William T. with Latin Classifications by George B. Sudworth. Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods. Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler Inc., 1910
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tryon, Henry Harrington. Fearsome Critters. (Cornwall, NY: Idlewild Press, 1939)
  6. 1 2 3 Brown, C.E. Paul Bunyan Natural History. (Madison: self-published, 1935.)
  7. 1 2 Cohen, Daniel. Monsters, Giants, and Little Men from Mars: An Unnatural History of the Americas. (New York: Doubleday, 1975)
  8. Derbyshire, David. (2007). "The fish that can survive for months in a tree." Retrieved March 08, 2011, from MailOnline. Web site: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-488193/The-fish-survive-months-tree.html
  9. 1 2 3 4 Wyman, Walker D. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada. (River Falls, WI: Univ of Wisconsin Riverfalls Press,1978.)
  10. 1 2 3 4 Randolph, Vance. We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1951.)
  11. Wisconsinosity. (2010). "Barron County: The Friendly Buckhorn Bar." Retrieved March 09, 2011, from Wisconsinosity.com. Web site: http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Barron/barron.htm
  12. Wisconsin Historical Society. (2011). "Larger Than Life: Tall-Tale Postcards." Retrieved March 09, 2011, from Wisconsin Historical Society. Web site: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/feature/talltales/
  13. 1 2 3 4 Borges, Jorge Luis; Guerrero, Margarita. Book of Imaginary Beings. (New York: Dutton, 1969.)
  14. Schwartz, Alvin. Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters. (Binghamton, NY: Harpercollins Juvenile Books, 1978.)
  15. Lennon, Vince (2003-10-22). "Is a Skunk Ape Loose in Campbell County?". WATE 6 News. WorldNow and WATE. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
  16. Fellowship of Fur-Bearing Fish. (2011). "Myth or Marvel?: The Fur-Bearing Trout." Retrieved March 09, 2011, from Furbearingtrout.com. Web site: http://www.furbearingtrout.com

Notations

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