Category: Cryptids

Lore and stories about cryptids, names of cryptids, types of cryptids

A B D F G H J K O P Q S T W Y Z

Adlet Northern Monster

The Adlet
Artwork by Mary Farnstrom

Date of Discovery

Discovered by Europeans during the late nineteenth century, 1888 to be exact when ethnological studies were being performed across the far northern reaches of North America and Greenland.

Name

Known as the Adlet (ah-dlit), also known as the Erqigdlet (urk-kig-dlit) in Greenland.

Comparable to the well-known werewolf of popular culture.

Physical Description

Even though the Adlet is considered a close cousin to the werewolf, there are certain differences that are apparent through the stories that were passed down through generations of oral storytelling. The Adlet is a half-man, half-wolf hybrid that has razor-sharp teeth, a pronounced canine snout, pointy ears, piercing yellow or red eyes, a wolf-like tail, and rusty red fur.

Origin

The Adlet comes from the oral culture of the indigenous people of the arctic circle, Greenland, and Canada–the Inuit people in particular, but it is shared amongst many of the different indigenous people of the area. The Adlet is not a shapeshifter, nor does the moon have any effect on it. As the lore goes, the Adlet is the product of the unnatural mating between an Inuit woman and a dog/wolf. The woman birthed a litter of ten, five were full dogs and the other five were the half-human, half-canine monsters that became known as Adlets.

Mythology and Lore

The following is the story of the Adlet, which came from an oral tradition–recorded by ethnologists that were researching the traditions of the arctic circle.

Is the Adlet the Werewolf of the Far North?

Uinigumissuitoq married a dog. One night she was found outside the hut sleeping with the dog. She gave birth to ten children, one half of them dogs, the other Adlet. The children grew up. Every time their grandfather had got a seal, he loaded it upon his kayak and carried it to them. His grandchildren were very voracious. Therefore, he selected an island for their place of abode and carried them over there, his daughter, the dog, and the children.

Their father, the dog, swam every day to the old man’s hut to fetch meat in a pair of boots which he had hung around his neck. One day the grandfather filled them with stones instead of meat and thus drowned the dog. When he was drowned their grandfather continued to send them food.

The mother, however, said to her children, “Watch your grandfather, when he goes out in his kayak, and attack him!” They killed him. Then she searched for her children, and after having cut a sole for herself, she transformed it quickly into a boat, in which she ordered them to travel across the ocean. She sang, “Angnaijaja. When you have arrived on the other side, you will make many little things. Angnaija.”

Excerpt from Journal of American Folklore v. 1-2 (1888-1889): Eskimo Tales and Songs



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Ahool

Brown Bat in Flight
Photography by James Wainscoat


Date of Discovery

Stemming from yet another oral culture, the first reported case of the Ahool is not very likely to be the first sighting to have ever occurred, but it was the first date that its existence was entered into the record.

First reported by Dr. Ernest Bartels in 1925, who was the son of the noted ornithologist M.E.G. Bartels.

Name

The Ahool got its name from the slightly onomatopoetic sound that is created by this bat-like creature; the Ahool calls, “a-hool!”

Physical Description

Reported to be a bat-like creature, it is said to have a body structure that is of similar size to a one-year-old child, with a wingspan of roughly twelve feet in length. The Ahool has short, dark grey fur, large black eyes, and flattened forearms which support its leathery wings. Despite being described as a bat, the Ahool also reportedly possesses the head of a primate, with a flat, human-like face.

A sub-species of the Ahool is found on the island of New Guinea, which goes by the name of the Ropen; this sub-species has a long snout, large wings, and a long thin crest. Its face is a combination between a bat’s and a chimp’s, with bulbous dark eyes. The skin of the wings is a ruddy reddish color but otherwise covered in grey fur, with large claws protruding from its forearms. The Ropen is said to have a wingspan of between 18 and 28 feet (6-9 meters) which is 3 to 4.5 times the size of the largest known bat, the Flying Fox.

The diet of both the Ahool and the Ropen is mainly fish, but they have been known to attack humans because of their extremely territorial nature.

Origin

Said to live in the deepest parts of the jungles of Java as well as across most of Indonesia–considered the world’s thirteenth largest island, Java was formed mostly as the result of volcanic activity. Said to be one of the world’s most densely populated regions on earth, with roughly 124 million inhabitants; its overpopulation has resulted in the disappearance of most of the rainforests, with Gunung Halimun National Park as one of the last remaining lowland forests on the entire island. Despite a loss of space and biodiversity in the region, Java’s rainforests still harbor a wide range of wildlife, with over twenty-three distinct mammal species, over two hundred species of birds, as well as over five hundred species of plant life. One more species, so far officially remaining unidentified, is the winged creature known as the Ahool.

Mythology and Lore

In some reports, it has been known to be seen squatting on the forest floor with its wings closely pressed against its body–it is believed to be a nocturnal creature, so it spends its days concealed in caves located behind or beneath waterfalls, then spends its nights fishing out of the rivers within its habitat.

In 1925, the first official written report of an Ahool sighting occurred when Dr. Ernest Bartels a naturalist was exploring a waterfall on the slopes of the Salek Mountains when this giant unidentified bat flew directly over his head. Two years later, in 1927 at approximately 11:30 pm, Bartels came across the Ahool for a second time, while he was laying in bed in his thatched house in western Java near the Tjidjenkol River. He was listening to the sounds of the jungle surrounding his home when he heard the strange call of the Ahool. Bartels immediately sought to investigate the noise and less than twenty seconds later he heard it’s vocalization again, which was headed downstream near the river.

Bartels later conjectured that it may not have been a bat at all, but possibly a very large species of owl, however, this theory was not met with much agreement with his peers who believed in no uncertain terms that they could distinguish the differences between a bat and an owl. Cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson was passed down the accounts that Bartels left behind of the Ahool by Bernard Heuvelmans and after much research and exploration eventually concluded that the Ahool is an unclassified species of bat. He took a special interest in the Ahool after encountering a creature he believed was similar in the Assumbo Mountains of Cameroon in western Africa. While he believed that what he encountered was a different giant bat-like species, he surmised that the Ahool could be an Oriental form of what he witnessed, which was known by the African natives as the Kongamato.

Pterosaur (Pterodactylus) Illustrated by Charles Dessalines D' Orbigny (1806-1876)
Pterosaur (Pterodactylus) Illustrated by Charles Dessalines D’ Orbigny (1806-1876)

There are some researchers who believe that the Ahool is actually a small surviving population of a pterosaur, a flying reptile who was believed to have gone extinct around the time of the dinosaurs, roughly 65 million years ago. Although the description of an Ahool does match what we know about the pterosaur species, including large forearms and leathery wings, however, the shape of the head of an Ahool doesn’t match the description of the pterosaur at all. The majority of investigators seem to agree that the Ahool is most likely a form of unclassified giant bat species, as the reptilian face structure goes against the reported evidence. A third theory, that is more accurate as far as the reported facial features, is that the Ahool may actually be the world’s first reported case of a flying primate.



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Alaskan “White Death” Tiger

Categories
Horror Mystery and Lore

Date of Discovery

According to records, the first reports of the White Death monster was over 200 years ago, before modern America had touched the lives of the Alaskan Native peoples.

Name

The Alaskan White Tiger is also known as the White Death to locals because it would come during snowstorms: killing cattle, hunters, and wild game.

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Physical Description

Legends and reports have this creature at 9 feet long, 5 feet tall; around 1000 pounds, and with very thick white fur. Supposedly two large dark stripes run along it’s back, and 8-inch canine fangs hang out its mouth like a Sabertooth cat.

Origin

This large feline-like creature inhabits the outside areas of Paxson, Alaska which is full of marshy terrain. The tails surrounding this creature began when locals missing cattle and hunters from the villages almost 200 years ago. Little of the old tails and legends have been recorded, so not much is known past the recent reports from modern times.

Mythology and Lore

There are reports to this day about the White Death sightings by locals on dog sled rides. Another report came from a young man Jason, who spotted the creature in a tree line. Others are from snowmobilers who claimed to capture a clear photo, which to this day is the only one inexistent. Many people claim the White Death has a roar so loud it rattles your chest. To this day locals comb the wilderness of Alaska trying to find this creature.



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Bigfoot

Date of Discovery

If we listen to the theory of Bigfoot being part of the genus of gigantopithecus, or giant ape, then they are believed to have been in existence when homo erectus first came into being. This means that they have existed for roughly two million years. However, there have been modern reports that date back as far back as 1818, when the Exeter Watchman reported having seen an “animal resembling the Wild Man of the Woods,” near Ellisburgh, New York.

Name

Bigfoot is possibly the most common name given to the gigantopithecus of North America–a genus of giant ape, that is said to have gone extinct around one hundred thousand years ago. Bigfoot also goes by the identifying name of Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, Skookum, Fouke Monster, Momo, Mogollon Monster, Yowie, Ban-Manush, Tornit, Honey Island Swamp Monster, Wild Man, Wauk-wauk, Saskehavis, and Grassman in the United States as well as other parts of the world. The name of this widely distributed creature varies based on the cultural influence of the region it was discovered to inhabit.

Physical Description

Bigfoot’s general appearance is more primitive than that of Neanderthal Man, standing between six to nine feet, and weighing between four hundred and one thousand pounds. They have a ruddy dark complexion, generally are known to have black eyes, with dark fur covering all of its bodies except its hands, the soles of its feet, as well as its upper facial region.

Origin

The villagers of the Caucasus Mountains have legends of this apeman going back for centuries, as do the Tibetans living on the slopes of Mount Everest. These are the first human accounts of Bigfoot being a creature that had been undocumented, but if sticking with the theory that Bigfoot is in fact a gigantopithecus then they have been around since man’s ancient ancestors first stood upright. From the Native American myths and legends, we have gotten a rich body of tales about hairy, manlike beasts that roam the forests; depending on the tribe, they have often been considered cousins of creatures such as the Wendigo, Tornit, Strendu, Chenoo, Oh-Mah, Skookum, the full list is exhaustive. Bigfoot may well be the most widely known and farthest-reaching cryptid across the world.

Mythology and Lore

Possibly the earliest and most notable report of Bigfoot was made by Theodore Roosevelt in his 1893 memoir, The Wilderness Hunter–his account came secondhand by a hunter and trapper by the name of Bauman. Bauman was trapping with a friend in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and Montana when they noticed that there was something raiding their camp every time they went to check their traps. One evening after the two men fell asleep, Bauman awoke to a large, dark shape standing outside of his lean-to, without hesitation Bauman fired his gun at the shape. Over the next few days, the men often felt as if they were being watched from afar, that they were being followed as they went about their business, with something hiding behind the thick brush and trees. Eventually, the two men became so unnerved that they made the decision to leave the mountains entirely. In order to leave as quickly as possible, Bauman went to collect their traps while his friend packed up their camp. Upon returning to their camp, Bauman found that his friend’s body had been horribly mutilated and he fled as quickly as possible.

These creatures are apparently recorded to have had aggressive behavior well into the early twentieth century. Fred Beck reported that he and three other miners had been attacked by “mountain devils” whilst working their claim near Mount Saint Helens. They had continuously heard whoops, hollers, and screams from these unseen creatures for several days until one day Beck saw the unidentifiable creature staring at him from across a small canyon and immediately began firing his weapon.

The creature I judged to have been about seven feet tall with blackish-brownish hair. It disappeared from our view for a short time, but then we saw it, running fast and upright, about two hundred yards down the little canyon. I shot three times before it disappeared from view.

Fred Beck

As a result of Beck’s aggression towards the creatures, the miners reported that their cabin was attacked and at least three large, hairy creatures circled the cabin, pounded on the walls, tossed rocks, and jumped on the roof. Beck even recalled that at one point a hairy arm reached through a notch in the wall and attempted to grab one of the men’s axes–throughout the entire assault on their cabin the men alternated between being frozen in fear and firing their guns at the walls and roof.

Modern Pop-Culture References

Surprisingly, Bigfoot is a fairly popular topic when it comes to media references. When it comes to fiction and supposedly non-fiction material, there is a wealth of information both for entertainment and research purposes.

Patterson – Gimlin Bigfoot Footage

Books & Literature

Movies

Television Series



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Dogman

Date of Discovery

First witnessed in 1887, but there is no real knowledge of how long the Dogman has been around. It’s said that the hieroglyphs of the Egyptian god of the underworld, Anubis could possibly be an ancient explanation of the Dogman. Whether or not the Dogman existed thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt, or if it was truly their depiction of the entity of the underworld, it will never be known.

Name

The Dogman, also known as the Wisconsin Werewolf and the Beast of Bray Road.

Physical Description

The basic description of these creatures shows them as being seven feet tall, with blue or amber eyes, a half-man and half-dog humanoid, that is said to be bipedal. Dogman, however, describes a group of more than one type of cryptozoological beings that are large and described as looking like upright canids. There are reportedly two types of Dogman, one which is called a K9-Type and the other which is a Type-3.

Its howl is said to sound like a human scream.

K9-Type

The basic K9-Tupe is described simply as looking like an upright canine. They are characterized specifically by their canine legs, with hocks and stifle joints. Some of them have disproportionately large heads, while others have more hyena-like appearances. The most visual appearance is when they are described as looking like the black Werewolf from the Van Helsing movie, but by far the most comical are when they are described as a large timber wolf that ambulates bipedally. This version of the Dogman accounts for over 90% of the sightings that have occurred and are more prone to aggression than Type-3.

Type-3

The basic Type-3 is described as looking like a sasquatch, or bigfoot, with a muzzle–instead of having the flat face of a bigfoot. Eyewitness accounts report that these particular creatures have claws on the tips of their fingers and toes, instead of fingernails and toenails. Like the K-9 Type Dogman, the Type-3 Dogman does not always look the same. They are characterized by their hominid-style legs, with ankles and knees that are the same as humans or sasquatch.

Origin

Originating from the folklore of Michigan–Wexford County, Michigan to be exact. This creature was unknown to most of the modern world until very late in the twentieth century but was said to have been stalking the area around the Manistee River since the days of the Odawa tribes.

First allegedly encountered in 1887 by two lumberjacks who reported having seen a creature that had the head of a dog and the body of a man.

Authentic sources aside from the song made by Steve Cook have not been documented due to the claim of the whole thing being a hoax.

Mythology and Lore

According to most legends, the Michigan Dogman appears every ten years. Sightings have occurred in several locations throughout Michigan, but primarily within the northwestern quadrant of the Lower Peninsula.

1938 Paris, Michigan, Robert Fortney was attacked by five wild dogs one of which he said walked on two legs and reports of similar creatures also came from Allegan County in the 1950s, then again in 1967 in the Manistee and Cross Village.

One night in 1961, a night watchman was patrolling a manufacturing plant in Big Rapids, Michigan when he saw a peculiar creature–he believed this creature to be a person until it got close enough to see that it had doglike features. He was just about to pull his gun to shoot the creature when he remembered that he had his camera with him. Any photographic evidence remains an unsolved mystery, however, as the photos were never analyzed.

Modern Pop-Culture References

The Cook song

In 1987, disc jockey Steve Cook recorded a song about the creature as well as alleged sightings, which is when the creature gained much of its popularity. He recorded and aired a song called, “The Legend,” on the station he jockeyed for at WTCM-FM in Traverse City, Michigan, which he introduced as an April Fool’s Day joke. He said he based the songs on mythology and legends from all over North America and had never heard of a dogman in Michigan before recording.

I made it up completely from my own imagination as an April Fools’ prank for the radio and stumbled my way to a legend that goes back all the way to Native American times.

Steve Cook, Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman

Apparently, Cook maintains his skepticism about whether or not the dogman really exists though.

I’m tremendously skeptical because I’ve sort of seen the way folklore becomes built from the creation of this song to what it’s turned into … but I do believe people who think they saw something really did see something. I also think the Dogman provides them with an avenue to explain what they couldn’t explain for themselves.

Steve Cook, Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman

Oddly enough after airing the song as a fun April Fool’s prank, he received numerous calls from listeners who claimed they had encountered a similar creature, and in the weeks following it became the most-requested song on the station. In the years since, Cook has received more than one hundred reports of the creature’s existence and in March of 2010, it was featured in an episode of MonsterQuest.

The Legend of the Michigan Dogman by Steve Cook

Linda S. Godfrey, in her book The Beast of Bray Road, compares the Manistee sightings to a similar creature sighted in Wisconsin known as the Beast of Bray Road.

Books & Literature

Movies



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