FRONTIERS OF ZOOLOGY Dale A. Drinnon has been a researcher in the field of Cryptozoology for the past 30+ years and has corresponded with Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson. He has a degree in Anthropology from Indiana University and is a freelance artist and writer. Motto: "I would rather be right and entirely alone than wrong in the company with all the rest of the world"--Ambroise Pare', "the father of modern surgery", in his refutation of fake unicorn horns.
I thought this was interesting: an internet art-collector's site was advertising this dish as being a piece of Lithuanian Folk art, depicting "Dragons and other legendary monsters"
Except for the addition of the uselessly short stubby wings, the two larger creatures shown on the plate seem to be pretty good representations of giant salamanders such as are known to live in Japan and China. From some descriptions of "Small (2-foot-long to 4-5 foot-long) four-legged dragons" we had already come to suspect the presence of giant salamanders as water monsters and legendarily as dragons in and around Lithuania (Smij, Ukis / Pukys / Puhkis / Puk / Puuk /Pisuhand / Puik and Tulihand in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Karelia, said to bring luck if they live on your farm but they can bring disaster if displeased. They can deliver material goods to the farmer's benefit, but the goods will have been stolen from neighbours. Source: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons)
I always say that in Cryptozoology when you are working with traditions, you have the different component parts of Folklore and then again the actual reports to work with. Following are two popular secions of Folklore about some common Latin-American Cryptids, published many times in many internet Folklore sites. In this case the legends come from Northern Argentina. Very few aspects of the reports come through in the Folklore, but it is more important to remember that the Native informants will always have the Folklore in mind when they are making reports.
[Babel Fish Translation]
The ucumar also called "UKUMAN".
The word comes
from the Quechua and means "body, material part of a living being." That's what it was just a
body. A body
without a soul apparently awful. The ugly things are forbidden to roam the range of
feelings. And
he was a human, covered with black hair, long, dirty, hard, but elastic.
The lines of
his face only included two small eyes, intense, dark and sunken. The hairs that fell were
born on the forehead over the nose and mouth, separated only by snorts and jowls
on either side. The mouth was a huge, slimy pit, and protruding teeth,
isolated from each other, each with its own angle. If senas had breasts or was not a
matter of controversy among the villagers half jungle half walk. When he was born, his
father wanted to drown him. The mother protected his in her arms and never abandoned.
She had more
love for the little monster for his five beautiful children before. By his zeal and his
sentence was being alone and sick. As she lay dying, more strongly than ever hugged and looked
at the strange body that she had given birth. tore his body rigid and the
monster that roared and howled. As luck would be thrown into a corner of the big hut,
until the funeral rites were met with the mother. When they returned the brothers
and the father not knowing what to do, between the sounds of other people, found
curled up and released the strange sounds, like crying. It was not mercy that saved his
life. There
was fear in the hut. As you could see no genitals, but his legs were stained
with each moon, was the "ucumara."
It was huge,
sullen and grumpy and apparently fearful. One of the men of the village , of
the same time, between twilight and solitude stealth approached the village-hut
with increasing frequency. Undeterred he feared neither the grunts and jumps with
that ostentatious "ucumara" repaid their visits were brief, but tense.
One
he threw fruit and another day a
piece of man. The tribe devoured the prisoners
of war and the owner of enemy dead was the owner of the banquet. The "ucumara" ate and left
no remains. It
was understood then that he appreciated the gift and therefore man repeated as
often as he could, receiving payments more suspirados grunts, jumps less
aggressive. One day in the middle of the village walked to the distant
river, to meet the annual ceremony of worship the growing tumultuous and
thunderous bringing the melting of the white peaks. The man returned, choosing places
to be seen and not after a fierce struggle, raped the "ucumara." Since then his surliness
was total and his anger increased. Hated men and the around them. The stones of her hut disappeared,
thrown with great force against every living creature that was approaching.
When he had no
stones, fled. returned a stormy afternoon and kidnapped her rapist and
no one dared to stop it, let alone the victim, overcome its to shock and dragged one leg by
rocks and mudslides to the stone den where, we imagine, arrived more dead than
alive. There
had to choose between life and marriage: she chose love, and for a time the pace
was the pace of "ucumara" that, and pregnant and confused, with swollen abdomen,
breathing, thinking more of themselves, which in complacent prisoner.
One day she
seemed to find opportunity, when the monster was groaning with labor pains.
fled from the
cave, fast and frightening, but the "ucumara" between roars and pain hit him.
He grabbed her
head and dragged the body of his love to the cave. Between tears and convulsions ate
it. Poso after
another UCUMARA born, all covered with hair, black, hard, but elastic, head to
toe. Nursed
her daughter, taught her to eat meat and when the shoot and hunt with
his hands, with a roar of soul, died easily death and went to heaven of the
monsters in the peace of the mountain. The legend bifurcates from the
birth of ucumar. One side says the monster crying for the death of his
mother, was so strong and torn that it reached the ears of Wiracocha -
seafoam-white-bearded god who ruled Cuzco blondes and soothe his pain, he
promised immortality. Another argues that mythological venerate Wiracocha was
presented to ucumar and to punish him for his crimes and licentiousness, given
eternal life roaming the hills and jungles. So too stoned rapists who hung on
the permanent threat of being devoured by the ucumar. The legend, of Peruvian origin, is
widespread in Salta and Jujuy. In our province lies the monster in the departments of San
Pedro and Ledesma hovering around sugar mills. The popular imagination made him
prisoner or shareholder of one of them.
El
Duende They call it "dobente" in Puna. It is the universal trickster in its
Puna. They
believe in him and fear him. are nature spirits who wander in the wilderness all
farmers of the world and probably has its origins with the arrival of Spanish.
They are the
chimerical beings born in the popular fantasies of all countries, which have in
common with each other Lilliputian size, natural genius, restless and playful
and constant penchant for torturing men, boys and maidens, in a thousand
different ways. In the highlands is identified naked and no more than 50
centimeters [18 inches] in height, with an iron hand and a wool hat and a huge wide brim
that covers entirely from above his little body. There are good Duendes and evil Duendes; neither side is very
good nor very bad. Always mischievous. In Jujuy they lurk behind the lonely rock
of the Puna and in the depths of the spring. In the jungle they are known very little
and in the plains they are ignored. According to tradition it is always good to carry a
rosary or a tie, which serves to keep them away. The people with guns go away, the
magic does not get past the sombrero. They have some countrymen, who, at times have heard him
play music in the hills, in a sad way, and sing like weeping.
Duendis: at right artist's conception for Sanderson's version
When Pukwudgies Attack
{I do not consider that the "Possession" video has anything to do with the actual reports, but here is the rest of what was posted on the string at Unexplained Mysteries.com):
Posted 02 December 2008 - 04:59 AM
Aanica, Thanks for sharing this interesting & creepy video. She really does have a creepy hiss going on .
I find it strange they titled it 'When Pukwudgie Attacks'. I'm not an expert or anything, but I don't recall reading anywhere that the Pukwudgie can possess a person. Apparently they can shapeshift into any being and could mimic a person, though.
I hope you don't mind that I'm adding info links about the Pukwugie, if anyone wants to go and check it out.
(If you do mind, pm me and I'll delete/edit the info out of this post... I won't mind a bit and I'm very understanding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pukwugies of Indiana Dark Destinations - Mounds state park The Modern day sightings of the pukwugies in Indiana are described as small, glowing, grey, about 2 ft tall, big noses-ears-fingers, shapeshifters, killers, lures their victims with spirits.
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Pukwudgies of Massachusetts
---
The
Pukwudgies: Myth or Monster website has a legend of the beginnings of the Pukwudgies.
A couple of the more modern day stories tell of different individuals that encountered a Pukwudgie in the woods and is seemingly stalked and observed by it ever since.
There's also a cliff in the area that has had a unexplained suicides by people who are seemingly happy and sane. The legend suggest that it's the pukwudgies that lure the people to the cliff and through some type of negative encounter they cause the person to fall to their death.
---
excerpt from the 'Pukwudgies: Myth or Monster' website:
*Of all the unknown horrors that live in Bristol County, the most feared is not a animal or a ghost or the members of Satanic cults that walk the forests, but a demon only two feet high, and if the history of the area represents the history of our America society, these Pukwudgies are the gatekeepers of our darker side. The Pukwudgies have haunted the forests of Massachusetts since before the first European Settlers ever thought about setting out for a new land. For centuries they tormented the local Native Americans and crept their way into their creation myths and oral history. They could easily be passed of as legend, and in fact, their physical description is much like mythological creatures from other cultures in other times. The difference is these demons jumped from the page and evolved as the people around them changed, changing from reluctant helpers to evil tormentors. The difference is these demons are still seen by people today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pukwudgie ----(wiki link)
excerpt:
*A Pukwudgie is a two or three foot tall troll-like being from the Native American Wampanoag. Pukwudgies' features resemble those of the Native Americans, but with enlarged nose, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being grey, smooth and at times has been known to glow.
[The glow is either from foxfire on the fur, or simply being wet and shiny in strong moonlight-DD]
In Native American lore, Pukwudgies have the following traits and abilities;
* to appear and disappear at will
* to transform into other animals
* they are able to use magic
* they have poison arrows
* they can create fire at will
* Pukwudgies control Tei-Pai-Wankas which are believed to be the souls of Native Americans they have killed.
Native Americans believed that Puckwudgies were best left alone. When you see a Puckwudgie you are not supposed to mess with them, or they will repay you by playing nasty tricks on you, or following you and causing trouble. They were once friendly to humans, then they turned against them. They are known to kidnap humans, push people off of cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears and to use sand to blind their victim.
Pukwudgies are fairy or
troll-like beings in the folklore of several Native American tribes, but
especially of the Wampanoag people in and around
Massachusetts. Appearance: Pukwudgies appear as small people,
approximately three-feet tall and having a large nose, large, ears, and long
fingers. Their skin color is either bluish-grey, or ashen, and according to some
sources their skin glows in the dark. Pukwudgies may also be part-porcupine and
may possess porcupine quills on their backs. Pukwudgie clothing is made from
items taken from nature and may serve as a form of camouflage.
Lore: In the distant past Pukwudgies were friends of humanity.
Unfortunately some Pukwudgies are now quite hostile toward humans. Pukwudgies
delight in kidnapping children, like their European Fairy counterparts, and use
their magic to lure people to their doom, such as to fall into a body of water
and drown or to walk off a cliff. They also shoot magical arrows that will
sicken and kill a person with time. If that wasn't enough, Pukwudgies trap and
control the souls of anyone they kill. Not all Pukwudgies are evil and sometimes
beneficial Pukwudgies do good things for people but one should show caution when
dealing with them because they are tricksters and delight in making
mischief.
Powers: Pukwudgies have the power of invisibility, the
power to shape-shift into animals, especially porcupines, as well as balls of
light. Pukwudgies have the magical power to confuse people in order to lure them
to their deaths. Additionally, Pukwudgies shoot magic arrows that will cause the
victim to sicken and die with time. Pukwudgies enslave the souls of their
victims. Pukwudgies are also said to have power over fire or to delight in
setting fires.
Defense Against Pukwudgies: If one encounters a
Pukwudgies the best thing that person can do is to simply ignore it. Because
Pukwudgies are extremely similar to European fairies, it is possible that salt,
the Lord's Prayer, and Iron may be helpful in repelling them.
Pukwudgie Sightings Today: People continue to report sightings of
Pukwudgies to this very day. Be cautious when out and about in the woods and out
of the way places near the Great Lakes region or New England.
