Wampus cat

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Bronze statue of the six-legged Wampus Cat located at Conway High School Wampus cat 20160530 123904 (cropped).jpg
Bronze statue of the six-legged Wampus Cat located at Conway High School

The Wampus cat is a cat-like creature in American folklore that varies widely in appearance, ranging from frightful to comical, depending on region.

Contents

Description

Early references, by the American Dialect Society, noted 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] 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. The creature was accused of killing livestock. [3]

Examples

The Wampus cat is the mascot of the following:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "American Dialect Society. Dialect Notes (1905-1912). Volume III. (New Haven: The Turtle, Morehouse & Taylor Company, 1913)". September 4, 1890. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ Randolph, Vance. We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1951.)
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School website Legend written by lifelong Clark Fork resident Shirley Dawson Crawford
  5. ↑ Owens, Judy (June 20, 2008). "Reporters Looking for Stories, Finding Wampus Cats | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural". Daily Yonder. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Atoka Alumni Association – Home". Wampuscatalumni.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ Itasca ISD - TX - IISD Home Archived September 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Leesville High School - Home Archived April 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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