Wampus cat
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The wampus cat is a cat-like creature in American folklore that varies widely in appearance, ranging from frightful to comical, depending on region.
Description
[edit]Early references from the American Dialect Society described the wampus cat as "a creature heard whining about camps at night," "a spiritual green-eyed cat, having occult powers," or "an undefined imaginary animal."[1] Writing in 1951, folklorist Vance Randolph described the wampus cat as "a kind of amphibious panther which leaps into the water and swims like a colossal mink."[2]
The wampus cat was mentioned in newspaper accounts of the 1930s in the Piedmont of North Carolina, where the creature was accused of killing livestock.[3]
Henry H. Tryon's humorous 1939 book Fearsome Critters describes the wampus cat as being native to Idaho, and having an "amazing right forearm" that "works like a folding pruning hook on the pantographic principle". He gives it the binomial nomenclature Aquilamappreluendens forcipe.[4]
Use as a school mascot
[edit]The wampus cat is the mascot of the following schools:
- Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, Clark Fork, Idaho[5]
- Conway High School, Conway, Arkansas[6]
- Atoka High School, Atoka, Oklahoma[7]
- Itasca High School, Itasca, Texas[8]
- Leesville High School, Leesville, Louisiana[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "American Dialect Society. Dialect Notes (1905-1912). Volume III. (New Haven: The Turtle, Morehouse & Taylor Company, 1913)". September 4, 1890. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
- ^ Randolph, Vance. We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1951.)
- ^ Stonestreet, O. C.; Stonestreet, O. C. I. V. (March 2, 2016). Curse of the Wampus, and Other Short Spooky Stories of Piedmont North Carolina. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1523237494.
- ^ Tryon, Henry H. (1939). Fearsome Critters. Idlewild Press. p. 59.
- ^ Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School website Legend written by lifelong Clark Fork resident Shirley Dawson Crawford
- ^ Owens, Judy (June 20, 2008). "Reporters Looking for Stories, Finding Wampus Cats | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural". Daily Yonder. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "Atoka Alumni Association – Home". Wampuscatalumni.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ Itasca ISD - TX - IISD Home Archived September 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Leesville High School - Home Archived April 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine