The Mapinguari

According to Brazilian stories, the Mapinguari was once an Amazonian shaman who discovered the key to immortality. He angered the gods and was punished, forcing him to wander as a hairy beast for the rest of his long days. But what is this strange creature?

This creature has been described as a primate with a thick body. It would walk on two legs, had a flat snout and robust claws. When it would rear up to its full height, it would emit an extremely foul odor.

It sometimes is described to have a single eye in the center of its forehead – like a Cyclops and a mouth in its abdomen. Historians note that the single eye appears predominantly in older legends and has been lost as time progressed.

The creature is said to walk bipedally, but it is often unsteady. While it looks large and intimidating, the animal feeds on the vegetation of the forest it lives in – such as bacaba and babassu palms.

The animal is known to scream and shriek. Its name is actually derived from this. Mapinguari is usually translated as “the roaring animal.”

Megatherium is a genus of extinct ground slots that lived in South America from the Pleistocene to the Holocene (400,000 to 8,000 years ago). These animals grew up to 4 m and coexisted with the first human colonists in the Americas.

Megatherium was a giant ground sloth with a long thick coat that was used as protection in the colder climates of the last glacial period. This animal had a large barrel-like body and would be able to switch between quadrupedal and bipedal movement.

Much like the Mapinguari, Megatherium has a long, shaggy coat. It has a robust body and can move between two and four legs. The face of both creatures is squat, with Megatherium ending a large nose. The long claws on its hands are another clue that these animals are linked.

The large scythe-like claws found within the family are sloths are fairly unique. Yet they appear in almost every description of the Mapinguari. These large claws were used in ground sloths to pull branches toward the creature for feeding. Most likely the same could be said for the Mapinguari.

Often the Mapinguari is depicted with a second mouth on its stomach. This could have been mistaken for the large muscles that help make up the body. Giant sloths would have had giant pectoral and abdominal muscles. These may have been seen through the shaggy fur.

When the first humans encountered these large animals, it could have been mistaken for a close maw on the stomach.

However the legend of the Mapinguari came about, these creatures are fascinating. If you would like to learn more about fossil sloths, check out @slothgirlmel on Twitter!

Sources:

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Mapinguari

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-13-1995013206-story.html

H. Gregory McDonald, Gerardo de Iuliis: Fossil history of sloths. In: Sergio F. Vizcaíno, WJ Loughry (Ed.): The Biology of the Xenarthra. University Press of Florida, 2008, pp. 39-55.

Bell, C. M. (March 2002). “Did elephants hang from trees? – the giant sloths of South America”. Geology Today. 18 (2): 63–66.

Fiedel, Stuart (2009). “Sudden Deaths: The Chronology of Terminal Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction”. American Megafaunal Extinctions at the End of the Pleistocene. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. pp. 21–37.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html

The Mothman

This creature was first spotted in November 1966 in Clendenin, West Virginia. A group of gravediggers looked up and noticed a massive figure moving rapidly from tree to tree. They described the creature as a “brown human being.”

A few days later, in Point Pleasant, WV, two couples noticed a white-winged creature about six or seven feet tall standing in front of a car they were sitting in. They say the beast had bright red eyes and a wingspan of ten feet. It appeared to be trying to hide from the lights of the car. They said it screeched at them and flew quickly but was clumsy on the ground.

Sitings continued in West Virginia until the collapse of the Silver Bridge that connected Pleasant Point, WV to Kanauga, OH. It was the first eye-bar suspension bridge of its type in the US. It collapsed at rush hour on December 15, 1967, resulting in 31 vehicles falling into the river. 46 people were killed.

Many people take the Mothman sitings as a warning of the imminent disaster. After the bridge collapsed, Mothman disappeared.

So, is Mothman a local legend or is it a case of mistaken identity?

Dr. Robert L. Smith, an associate professor of wildlife biology at West Virginia University, was the first to connect Mothman to the less mystical – the Sandhill Crane.

Sandhill Cranes live commonly along the Nebraska Sandhills on the American Great Plains. They average about five feet in height with red foreheads, white cheeks, and long dark, pointed bills. Their wingspan can average up to 6.5 ft.

These cranes frequently give loud, trumpeting calls and can be heard from a long distance. Their large wingspan makes them very skilled soaring birds, similar to eagles and hawks. They are migratory birds, flying south each winter. They typically flock in groups of over 10 thousand birds.

So, how did a Sandhill Crane become mistaken as Mothman in West Virginia?

The explanation is compelling, given the number of early reports describing the creature as “bird-like.”

It was theorized this crane was deformed- possibly residing in the “TNT area.” This area was given to a series of nearby bunkers that were used to manufacture munitions during WWII. The bunkers leaked toxic materials into neighboring wildlife and affected their health.

This particular bird also would have been off its regular migratory path. Such a large animal with deformed features would have further confused locals. It is no wonder legends sprung up around it!

Whether Mothman is a legend or a Sandhill Crane, Mothman can still be seen today in Point Pleasant at the historical museum and in the form of a 12-foot chrome statue with massive steel wings and red eyes.

A festival is held every year for the enjoyment of locals and tourists. The September attraction is one of America’s strangest legends.

Sources:

Palma, Bethania. “Mothman About Town”. Snopes.com. Snopes.

Associated Press (December 1, 1966). “Monster Bird With Red Eyes May Be Crane”. Gettysburg Times.

“Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something”. Point Pleasant Register. Point Pleasant, WV: WestVA.Net, Mark Turner. November 16, 1966.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/mothman

“Sandhill Crane Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology”. http://www.allaboutbirds.org.

Gravestone Art

A walk through the cemetery can be a spooky but beautiful experience. Aside from the names and dates on the gravestone, there are often symbols and icons that decorate the markers.

These carvings were popularized by the Victorians who loved to find meaning in the most miniscule detail. Many of the symbols are more than pure decoration.

The anchor was regarded in ancient times as a symbol of safety. It was adopted by Christians as a symbol of hope. It is often included on gravestones to show the anchoring influence of Christ. It also serves as a symbol for seaman or used as a tribute to St. Nicholas. An anchor with a broken chain symbolizes the end of life.

A book found on a tombstone can represent a few things. Most often it symbolizes the Book of Life or the Bible. A book is also often used to depict learning, a scholar or someone who worked as writer. Books and scrolls also represent Evangelists.

A column in a cemetery represents a complete and full life. Alternatively, a broken column indicates a life cut short or an unexpected death. It acts as a memorial to the death of someone who died young.

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Hands on gravestones represents the deceased’s relationship with others and God. Hands tend to be doing one of four things: blessing, clasping, pointing, or praying. A hand with a index finger pointing can symbolize a couple different things depending on the direction of the finger. A hand pointed upward symbolizes the hope of heaven, while a hand pointing down represents God reaching for the soul.

Ivy on a tombstone is said to represent friendship, fidelity, and immortality. The green leaves denotes immortality and rebirth – due to the hardiness of the actual plant. Alternatively, oak leaves signify strength, honor and steadfastness. Olive branches symbolize peace and that the soul has departed. This association can trace back to Greek mythology where the goddess Athena gave an olive tree to Athens. The olive tree is known to represent longevity, fertility, fruitfulness, and prosperity.

The lion serves as a guardian, protecting the tomb from unwanted visitors and evil spirits. It symbolizes courage and bravery. Lions can often be found sitting on top of vaults and tombs.

A lit torch represents immortality and everlasting life. The inverted torch is more commonly used in graveyard art. An inverted torch represents death or the passing of the soul into the next life. The torch generally will bear the flame to symbolize life in the next realm.

In its generic form, the wheel represents the cycle of life or the wheel of time. It could also symbolize a wheelwright. Specific types of wheels may be found including the eight-spoked Buddhist wheel of righteousness and the circular wheel of the Church of World Messianity.

The winged death head most often means a person’s journey is not over. They have shed their physical form and are moving on to the next realm. In the United States, the death’s head was initially a non-religious symbol used to denote a corpse.

Next time you are visiting a graveyard, perhaps you may learn a bit more about what was important to the people you pass with what is etched on their gravestones.

Sources:

The Hidden Meanings of Common Gravestone Symbols

https://weburbanist.com/2015/10/28/the-language-of-death-15-gravestone-symbols-explained/

https://www.thoughtco.com/photo-gallery-of-cemetery-symbolism-4123061

Vampires (Part II)

Last week we discussed how the myth of vampires was made famous by writers like Bram Stoker taking inspiration from historic figures such as Vlad the Impaler. There is another more medical explanation to vampirism. It even caused a region-wide panic in the United States during the 1730’s.

During the 1730’s, people of New England believed that a mysterious force was coming back from the dead to take down loved ones. As seen in many vampire myths, one person would start wasting away, showing signs of weakness, pale skin, and even bleeding from their face.

Once one person in the family became sick, many others would follow. It was thought that the original was coming back from their grave to drain the life of their family members.

Looking back on these symptoms, we realize now, the afflicted were suffering from consumption – now called Tuberculosis.

In the early 1700’s, Tuberculosis was not a known disease. In fact, the bacteria causing the sickness would not be identified until 1882. During this time, TB killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe. It is not hard to see how this would strike fear in the stricken populations.

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. It generally affects the lungs, but can also cause damage to other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms but can spread the bacteria. Symptoms of active cases include chronic coughing with bloody mucus, fever, night, sweats, and weight loss. It was called Consumption due to the weight loss seen in many patients.

Those at highest risk to contract the disease are those that share household, workplace, and social contacts with people with active TB.

Examining the symptoms of TB and comparing the usual markers of a vampire, we can see a large number of overlaps. The pale bodies, blood, and wasting body can all be drawn back to those afflicted with TB. The thought that vampires prey on loved ones can also be tied to TB.

As noted, those most in danger of contracting the disease are those sharing space with an active case. Once one person in the household became sick, the others would likely fall ill as well. TB is a deadly disease without the treatments we have today. It was fatal to many who contracted it.

This led to the New England Vampire Panic.

The panic raged along with the tuberculosis outbreak in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut, Vermont, and other parts of New England. States dealt with the panic in different ways, but to stop the attacks many bodies were exhumed and mutilated.

Their bodies were exhumed to prove that the deceased were vampires. They would look for evidence of movement in the coffin and the growth of their hair and nails. If they found evidence of this, it was a sign that they had returned from beyond.

In some cases, such as Mercy Brown in Rhode Island, they found she had “turned in the grave.” Experts say this was due to muscle spasms after death. Mercy Brown was buried in the middle of winter and not exhumed until after thaw. It is believed her body twisted during this, leaving her sitting oddly in her coffin.

Due to the New England Vampire Panic, the idea that your hair and nails grow after death became prevalent. It was thought this phenomenon was happening and that is what the exhumers were seeing. However, as the body decays, the skin pulls away from the nail and hair. This gives the appearance that the body continued growing after death.

Evidence of movement and growth were not the only signs the panic villagers looked for to confirm vampiric activity. They would cut into the heart and look for “fresh blood.” It is not defined what qualified as fresh blood. From reports, it can be inferred if blood was present, it was enough to be considered evidence of vampiric activity.

After checking for evidence of vampiric activity, the villagers had to then take care of the demon residing in the deceased to save the remaining family members.

The heart was exhumed from the body and burned. This was done to kill the demon and prevent its nightly stalking. In some cases, the askes of the heart were mixed with water to give to the afflicted family members to drink. Others were forced to breathe in the smoke from the burning body.

If the exhumation did not work and the family was still falling ill, it was believed that the demon had not been found. There was another family member haunting them.

Cases where the body was decayed or the heart was not present did not stop the frightened villagers. In these cases, the head was removed from the body. Garlic was stuffed in the mouth and the head was placed between the legs. The body was then staked to the coffin for good measure.

The panic ended as the pandemic died in the town. The superstitions were calmed in the towns. Many newspapers reported that these practices were enacted by “the uneducated” and seen as “vicious.” Even at the time, it was considered an old superstition, but that did not stop 11 recorded exhumations and mutilations.

Sources:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis

https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/history.htm

https://salemghosts.com/the-new-england-vampire-panic/

Tucker, Abigail. “The Great New England Vampire Panic”. Smithsonian magazine (October 2012).

You can learn more from:

Morbid Podcast: Episode 264 The New England Vampire Panic

Distillations Podcast: Vampire Panic (Jun 28, 2021)

Vampires

The myth of the vampire has been around for a long time. They are most commonly seen as evil beings who roam the night looking for blood to feast on. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures often visiting loved ones and cause mischief in the neighborhood they used to live in. They wore shrouds and were described as bloated, remarkably different from the pale, gaunt vampires we know today. But where did they originate?

Vampires have been recorded in most cultures. The term vampire was popularized in Western Europe after reports of an 18th-century mass hysteria of fold belief in the Balkans that resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused in vampirism.

The word vampyre first appeared in English in 1732. It is derived from the German Vampir possibly taken from a Slovak verb vrepit sa and upir meaning “someone who thrusts or bites.”

While the myth of the vampire has evolved over time, some things have stayed consistent. Vampires have fangs used for feeding. The fangs can bee used to transform vampires and they are often seen as having a weakness to sunlight. Vampires are often shown to have a weakness to pure objects, such as holy ground or the inability to see reflections (since mirrors were originally made from silver). Other accounts suggest that they can be thwarted by forcing them to count items. This was the inspiration for the Count in “Sesame Street.”

Many attribute the idea of vampirism to Vlad the Impaler. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was based on this infamous King of Romania. He was the second son of Vlad Dracul. He ruled after his father and elder brother were murdered in Wallachia in 1447.

Stories about Vlad’s brutal acts began circulating during his lifetime. After his arrest around 1462, the stories had become widespread. The pope even included Vlad’s misdeeds in his Commentaries.

In 1456, Vlad was charged with leading a force to defend his home from invasion. His battle to protect his homeland was victorious. He personally beheaded his opponent in one-on-one combat. Still, his lands were in a ruinous state due to warfare and internal strife caused by feuding aristocrats. Vlad invited hundreds to a banquet. He had his guests stabbed and bodies impaled from anus to mouth. The bodies were displayed in his courtyard. Other stories report him having religious hats nailed to Ottoman diplomat’s skulls due to a perceived slight. Other legends speak of him dipping his bread in the blood of his victims.

In total, Vlad is estimated to have killed around 80,000 people through a variety of means. 20,000 of these people were impaled and put on display outside the city of Targovsite to be picked apart by crows.

Bram Stoker never visited Vlad’s homeland. However, he learned of these atrocities from British consul William Wilkinson. He wrote “An Account on the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia” With Various Political Observations Relation to Them” in 1820. In this book, Wilkinson dives into the history of Vlad Tepes – known as Vlad the Impaler.

In modern times, vampires are seen as tragic, romantic figures with works like Twilight and Vampire Diaries gracing book shelves and screens. But we can all agree the legend is here to stay!

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/vlad-impaler-real-dracula-was-absolutely-vicious-8c11505315

Florescu, Radu R.; McNally, Raymond T. (1989). Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and his Times. Back Bay Books.

Treptow, Kurt W. (2000). Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula. The Center of Romanian Studies. 

Reader’s Digest Association (1988). “Vampires Galore!”. The Reader’s Digest Book of strange stories, amazing facts: stories that are bizarre, unusual, odd, astonishing, incredible … but true. New York City: Reader’s Digest. 

“Russian Etymological Dictionary by Max Vasmer”

Silver, Alain; Ursini, James (1997). The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Interview with the Vampire. New York City: Limelight Editions.

The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster or Nessie is a creature of Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as having a long neck and humped body. It was brought to popular interest in the 1930s. The famous “Surgeon’s Photograph” was taken in 1934 furthering the mystery. But where did this creature come from?

Reports of a monster inhabiting Loch Ness date back to ancient times. Local stone carvings by the ancient inhabitants of Scotland -the Picts – show a strange beast with flippers.

The first written account in the biography of St. Columba from 565 AD. According to the work, the monster bit a swimmer and was prepared to attack when Columba intervened. He ordered the beast away. It listened and was only seen occasionally from then on.

In 1933, the legend grew to a worldwide phenomenon. The road next to the Loch was finished. This offered an unobstructed view of the lake. Over time, reports of a dragon or beast were reported. People went sea serpent hunting. Footprints were reported from “a very powerful soft-footed animal about 6 meters long.”

Naturalists determined these to faked and made by umbrella stands with hippo feet on the end.

In 1934, English physician Robert Kenneth Wilson photographed the creature. This iconic image appeared in the Daily Mail sparking controversy. Many speculated that the creature was an animal that had been extinct for 65 million years.

This image was considered valid for 60 years. Though skeptics dismissed it as driftwood or an otter. The photo is often cropped in so that you cannot see the scale or surrounding environment.

In 1993, the photographed was analyzed. It was found that the object was being towed causing distortion in the ripples on the water. Also from the environment and ripples in the water, the object photographed was determined to only be about 2 to 3 ft long.

So what is this creature that many people believe the Loch Ness Monster is based on?

Plesiosaurs are a group of extinct, large marine reptile that can be found around the world. The Plesiosaurus lived in the early Jurassic period and is known from nearly complete skeletons found in chalk bluffs of England.

It is distinguished by its small head, long neck, broad turtle-like body, and pairs of paddles. These animals swam by flapping it paddles in the water in a style of underwater “flight.”

The flexible neck would have allowed the animal to swing its head from side to side through schools of fish to capture its prey using the sharp teeth in its jaws. With its long neck, it is also thought, the plesiosaur would hide its mass in the deep and reach into the schools with its small head to hunt, surprising its prey

Late in their evolution, plesiosaurs were marked by great increases in size. For example, the North American Elasmosaurus grew up to 13 meters in length. These creatures went extinct with the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period.

It is unlikely that “Nessie” lives today or that a lone plesiosaur survives in the Loch. It simply is not large enough to sustain a creature of that scale. There would also have to be multiple breeding pairs to have continuous sightings over the years. If this were the case, we would have confirmation that the creatures were in fact living in the Loch.

It is most likely that these stories were passed down over time and through cultures. The Pict drawings may have been inspired by finding the Plesiosaur skeletons before it was officially named.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/animal/plesiosaur

“The Loch Ness Monster and the Surgeon’s Photo”. Museumofhoaxes.com.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Loch-Ness-monster-legendary-creature

Carroll, Robert Todd (2011) [2003], The Skeptic’s Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 200–201

Birthday Myths

July 13th is my birthday. I have made it another year around the sun. So I thought it would be fun to talk about some birthday myths that we celebrate.

Roman Celebration

The tradition of giving gifts on your birthday can be traced way back to the Romans. They believed that you must appease your “genius.”

The word “genius” had a different meaning to their culture. A genius was personal God or guardian angel. Your genius needed to be respected, especially on birthdays, for them to protect you.

To honor these beings, lavish gifts were given as offerings. Wine, flowers, and incense were popular gifts to appease the genius.

Some countries – like Germany and Russia – believe it is bad luck to wish someone an early birthday. This is thought to be connected to the idea that ghosts return items on their birthday.

Folklore tells of a mischievous spirit that would steal family possessions if someone misbehaved. The item would be returned – if the person was good – the week of their birthday.

Sugared Primrose Cake

The book The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World was published in 1903. It claimed to record superstitions from England and is often considered unreliable.

The book states that if you eat primroses on your birthday, you will be blessed with good luck. It also played on a variation of a King Cake. Rings were baked into the dessert. Whoever found the ring would be next to marry.

Medieval Birth

During the Medieval Period, births were dangerous. It often led to the death of the mother or child. People did whatever they could to ensure a safe birth.

This included carrying birthing charms. These rituals aided the birth in several ways. The “birthing bag” – which often included a baby’s caul – was used to encourage the baby to come out and to ease the mother’s pain.

Another common ritual was to have the mother eat certain letters out of the palindrome sator arepo tenet opera rotas carved in butter. The phrase means “The sower – with his plow – holds the wheel with care.” This ritual was used to expel a dead fetus or to delay delivery.

Sun aligning with the Karnak Temple

Finally it was a great honor to have buildings that lined up with the sun on your birthday.

Alexander the Great built Alexandria so the road would line up with the sunrise every year on his birthday. The engineers also perfectly aligned the city, with “The King’s Star,” in the Leo constellation. This star rose close to Alexander’s birthday.

We have taken and changed the traditions over time. But it is fun to see where they started.

This year to “appease my genius” I am putting my book on sale! Be sure to check out “Rise of the Dragon Queen” with its reduced price. This deal is for a limited time only!

Sources:

http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2016/05/childbirth-rituals-in-medieval-england.html

https://symposia.library.utoronto.ca

https://www.bustle.com/articles/147073-5-weird-historical-myths-about-birthdays

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/birthday-traditions-around-the-world

4th of July Myths

It has been 245 years since the United States declared its independence from Great Britain. But still many time-honored patriotic tales are more fiction than fact. What are some myths we believe about our Founding Fathers?

We celebrate US Independence on July 4th. However, this day would have seemed arbitrary to the Founding Fathers.

The Second Continental Congress officially voted for the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. This day is the official date of our independence. However, the written document wasn’t edited and approved until July 4, 1776. This was the date printers affixed to the announcements sent across the land.

Further still, no one signed the Declaration during July. This did not begin until August 2 with John Hancock. The 56 signatures were not completed until late November.

Legend holds that the Liberty Bell cracked after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. While U.S. independence sparked celebration for some, the bell was not rung until it cracked. It did ring along with the other bells in the city on July 8th, according to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The crack had been present since its arrival in 1752. The bell had been poorly cast originally. The bell cracked, was recast, and recast several times in its life. It was determined to be intact during the Revolutionary War.

Today’s crack appeared sometime during the 19th Century. It was as this crack appeared that the bell became known as the Liberty Bell – named by abolitionists.

Ben Franklin’s Propaganda

Stories told today about the American Revolution tell of an underdog fighting against an unbeatable giant. The Revolutionary War also pitted Americans against their neighbors in large numbers. Perhaps 15% to 20% of all Americans remained loyal to the Crown. Many tried to stay neutral.

Records from the time period are spotty, but 50,000 Americans are estimated to have served as British soldiers at one time or another. This is a significant force pitted against the Continental Army that may have included 100,000 regular soldiers over the course of the entire war.

Betsy Ross sewing the first American Flag

People have long credited Betsy Ross as designing and sewing the first American flag that was debuted in 1777. There is no proof either way. And she was thought to be sympathetic to the American cause. So it is possible she was involved in some form.

The story that the famous seamstress was involved never circulated until nearly a century after the fact. Her grandson began spreading the story. Only family tradition remains as evidence.

Scene from “National Treasure”

Over the years people have thought that the Declaration of Independence holds secret messages. This became very popular after the release of the “National Treasure” movie. The National Archives does admit that there is something written on the back of the document.

A line on the bottom of the Declaration reads: Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.

This was most likely written when it was rolled up for storage during travel. The reverse side writing helped the document be quickly identified.

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/120704-4th-of-july-fourth-myths-google-doodle-nation-independence-day

https://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/holidays/july-4th/7-myths-about-the-4th-of-july.aspx

Jackalope

If you travel to any Midwestern state, you will most likely see the bust of a Jackalope for sale. It has become a kitschy souvenir for tourists traveling through. While the busts for sale in the gift shop aren’t real, the animal that inspired it is.

The Jackalope is described as a jackrabbit with the antelope horns. Their popularity started in the 1930’s when taxidermist Douglas Herrick and his brother began selling the busts we still find today. To further their sales they told stories about the mythical creature.

Some of the outlandish tales that have gone along with the Jackalope include the need to wear stovepipe on their legs to prevent the animal from goring you.

Another states you can trap a Jackalope with whiskey, as it is the beverage of choice.

Jackalopes also have the ability to mimic human voices. When cowboys would gather round the campfire and sing, a lone tenor would often join in. This would be the wild Jackalope. It was also said to try to lure cowboys away from their group and leave them stranded in the wilderness.

All these tales notwithstanding, the origins of the Jackalope come from a very real jackrabbit.

The first Jackalopes were determined to be jackrabbits suffering from Shope papilloma virus (SPV). This virus affects rabbits creating keratinous carcinomas that resemble horns. The virus is fatal as the carcinomas affect the animals ability to eat.

The virus was first studied and named in 1933 by Dr. Richard E. Shope in rabbits across the Midwestern United States.

This time line falls exactly with the Herrick Brothers start of the taxidermy Jackalope. They most likely saw the afflicted animals and capitalized on the story.

Sources:

ICTV Taxonomy History for Kappapapillomavirus 2″. International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. 2014.

Van Praag, Ester (2003). “Do Horned Rabbits Really Exist?- Papillomatosis”. MediRabbit.com.

Delbridge, Rena (2006-12-16). “Chasing the Jackalope”. Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming.

 Martin, Douglas (2003-01-19). “Douglas Herrick, 82, Dies”. The New York Times. p. 23.

The Sphinx

Only one color, but not one size.
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies.
Present in sun, but not in rain.
Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.

A sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. She is said to be merciless and will kill those who cannot answer her riddles.

The most well known Sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Giza. However, this sphinx shows the face of a man. It is also told to be a benevolent guardian but showing similar strength. But what inspired these strange creatures?

The Sphinx with Oedipus

The Sphinx is a hybrid creature similar to a griffin or chimera. As previously discussed, the idea of the griffin sprang from the broken skeleton of a Protoceratops. The idea of the Sphinx is thought to be derived from a similar – perhaps larger – creature, found without a skull.

Without the skull, the persons finding the skeleton were free to interpret the head as they saw fit. It was often placed with a woman’s face. This could be due to the gracile nature of the skeletons.

The Sphinx of Giza

The Egyptian Sphinx is not considered a true Sphinx. This is mainly because of the male face that was placed on the body after Pharaoh Khafre. It also lacks wings which further muddies the traditional mythology. The Giza Sphinx is often called an androsphinx because of this.

It is believed that Pharaoh Khafre is responsible for the Great Sphinx, but no one knows for sure. The pharaoh is credited with the second largest pyramid in the Giza Necropolis. The proximity of this pyramid – called the Pyramid of Khafre – is responsible for the connection as well as certain similarities in the face to monuments of Khafre.

Sphinx Temple

The word sphinx comes from the Greek word sphingo – which means to strangle. The Greek Sphinx was malevolent and associated with strength and trickery. When the passerby couldn’t answer the riddle, the sphinx would strangle them.

As the myth of the sphinx evolved it became associated with protection, mystery, strength, and wisdom. This is why is is most often seen depicted outside tombs. It is no surprise that overtime a cult developed to worship this creature.

During the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV, the sphinx was unburied from the sand. He introduced a religion connecting the Sphinx with the sun god – Harmakhet. Statues, paintings, and reliefs of the figure popped up across the country. The Sphinx became a symbol of royalty and the power of the sun.

Mythology changes and grows as it passes through the lenses of different cultures. You can see that in how the Sphinx has changed. It likely started as a story based on a broken skeleton and evolved into the oldest known monument in the world.

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67668/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-sphinx

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/the-sphinx

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncovering-secrets-of-the-sphinx-5053442/