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Wampus cat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Description

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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

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The Wampus cat is the mascot of the following:

Margaret R. Tryon's 1939 depiction of the Wampus cat catching an eagle. An almost identical illustration attributed to "Nick" Nicholas C. Villenueve was published and copyrighted in 1938 in A Saga of the Sawtooths by Henry L. Senger
Margaret R. Tryon's 1939 depiction of the Wampus cat catching an eagle.
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See also

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References

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  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
  9. ^ Uncle Dave Lewis. "Buddy Woods". Allmusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  10. ^ Sian Cain (March 8, 2016). "New JK Rowling story History of Magic in North America depicts Native American wizards". the Guardian.
  11. ^ Rowling, J.K. (March 11, 2016). "1920s Wizarding America", "History of Magic in North America". Pottermore.
  12. ^ Rowling, J.K. (June 28, 2016). "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Pottermore.
  13. ^ "Strangeways Wampus Cat Triple IPA". RateBeer. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  14. ^ McCarthy, Cormac (August 11, 2010). The Orchard Keeper. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307762504.
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