The Wolf Moon, the first full moon of January which shined down on us last night, carries with it a mystique that’s been woven into folklore and legends across cultures.
In Native American traditions, it is named after the hungry howls of wolves heard during the frigid winter months. These howls were thought to signify the wolves’ yearning for the sustenance and warmth that the cold, barren landscape lacked. This moon marked a period of hardship and endurance for both the wolves and the people who lived alongside them.
In other cultures, the Wolf Moon is associated with transformation and inner strength. Legends speak of mythical creatures that were said to roam under this luminous moon, including werewolves, who would shift from human to wolf under its silvery light. The eerie glow of the Wolf Moon was thought to awaken a primal instinct within, urging individuals to connect with their wild, untamed nature.
There are also tales of spiritual awakenings and mystical encounters happening beneath the Wolf Moon. It’s a time believed to be ripe for introspection, releasing old habits, and setting intentions for the year ahead. Some legends even suggest that the Wolf Moon opens a portal to the realm of spirits, allowing for communication between the earthly and the otherworldly.
It’s fascinating how a single celestial event can inspire such a rich tapestry of stories and beliefs!
And sadly, I apologize that I wasn’t able to publish this last night due to a teeny hiking injury, but, better late than never! 🌕🐺✨
“In or round 1557, Jean Lerius and two other members of the company were trekking through a forest in the interior of Brazil with some local Tupinamba Indian guides but armed only with swords or bows and arrows when, while passing through a deep valley there, they abruptly encountered at a distance of only thirty paces or so a very large reptilian creature of extremely distinctive appearance, squatting on top of a hill in the heat of noon, with one of its forefeet raised. Lerius described it as a lizard bigger than the body of a man, measuring 5-6 ft long, yet its most eyecatching feature was not its size but rather its extraordinary tegument. For according to Lerius, this unfamiliar animal was entirely covered in rough white scales that resembled oyster shells (and presumably, therefore, were opalescent, or nacreous, i.e. resembling mother of pearl?”
It must be amazing to have possibly been the first learned human to see a creature like this. The very roots of cryptozoology, to find undiscovered creatures such as this. I feel like people believe it’s just about filming a weekend stake out at a bigfoot hotspot. And as fun as that is, don’t forget to look around the rest of the forest as you may be the next person to discover something new.
Looking for bigfoot evidence is important to me, as you probably know, but learning the fascinating historical tales of every creature’s first appearance to man is wonderful and fascinating…
TGIF everyone, be safe in the forest this weekend…
And follow along with the Shuker Nature’s blog if you get a chance, link is above….
“A wild man is loose in the woods at Hancock, N. Y. A group of hunters have just returned from Port Jervis, where they went for guns and ammunition with which to slay him.
But the question has arisen whether they have a right to kill a wild man? Some of the hunters argue tnat it would be murder. Others say that it wouldn’t, but that wild men are protected by the game laws. His life will probably be spared until legal advice has been taken, unless some impetuous woodsman slays him and then waits for a ruling. The first intimation the farmers had of the presence of the wild man was the disappearance of cows, young cattle and sheep.
They at first thought that a bear had taken them. John Cook, a farmer, heard a terrible rumpus in his piggery the other night and, believing that the pigs had upset a beehive placed temporarily in their stye, he ran ont. As he stepped into the shed be was grabbed by the wild man. The fellow looked seven feet high and was quite naked. He was a hairy man.
From his mouth protruded big teeth like fangs. Farmer Cook is six feet three and very powerful, but he was helpless in the grasp of the wild man, who carried him to the door and hurled him thirty feet The farmer fell unconscious; when he woke up he found himself lame and bruised. His best pig was gone. crowbar lay on the ground tied into knots. Farmer Cook says the wild man did this to show his annoyance at being interrupted. The next night Peter Thomas was driving near Dead Man’s Lane when he met the wild man.
Thomas says he looked like an ape. He seized the near horse and, with a single sweep of his long, hairy arm, tore off the harness. Then he wrung the horse’s neck and dragged him to the woods. This story is vouched for by Mr. Thomas, who is a church deacon.
A party of hunters fallowed the tracks to a lonely swamp. The footprints showed that ths man’s nails had developed into claws. He had uprooted trees.The lair ot the wild man was found on Friday, but he was not at home. Berry pickers discovered it in the woods near Rattlesnake Hill.
Near by was a portion of Mr.; Thomas’ horse, which evidently had been torn with the teeth of the wild man. Scattered about were tbe bones of sheep and other animals. The wild man takes his meat raw. Some say the wild man is an escaped chimpanzee or gorilla, but a member of the New York Veterinarian Association who is boarding at Port Jervis says monkeys don’t eat meat.”
In 1673 French explorers going down the Mississippi River they noticed a painting on the rocks as they went by, in father Jacques Marquette’s journal he wrote the following;
“…while skirting some rocks, which by their height and length inspired awe, we saw upon one of them two painted monsters which at first made us afraid, and upon which the boldest savages dare not long rest their eyes…they are as large as a calf; they have horns on their heads like those of a deer, a horrible look, red eyes, a beard like a tiger’s, a face somewhat like a man’s, a body covered with scales, and so long a tail that it winds all around the body, passing above the head and going back between the legs, ending in a fish’s tail…”
Quarrying destroyed the original art we now know as being the Piasa Bird in 1860. Renditions attempted to recreate the artwork in 1924, 1950, and 1983, all of which were also destroyed because of development
The Piasa Bird was a creature that allegedly lived in the steep cliffs along the Mississippi River.
According to Native American myths. The Piasa was quite different from the Thunderbird as it was depicted as a flying dragon in ancient paintings dating back as far as 1200 CE.
“Many years ago a huge and fearsome creature began to carry off members of that tribe of Indians called the Illinois. Whole villages were depopulated. One night Ouatoga, a brave chief of this tribe, had a dream. In this dream the Great Spirit gave him a plan by which he could kill the man-eating creature.
When Ouatoga’s warriors eventually ambushed and killed the Piasa, they carved its image into a cliff face as a memorial.
According to legends, the Piasa Bird feasted on human flesh, but not fresh flesh. Rather, it circled around when Native American warriors battled enemy tribes. When the fighting ended, the Piasa Bird would swoop down to dine on the bodies of the fallen warriors.
McARTHUR, Ohio A man who has been searching for the legendary ‘ Bigfoot ‘ in southern Ohio says he has found new evidence that several of the elusive creatures may be living in the area.
Robert Gardnier of Columbus, Ohio, said he and several other hunters went into the Wayne National Forest west of McArthur recently and found footprints measuring 17 ? inches long and 9 inches wide.
Gardiner, who described the creatures as being ‘very shy,’ said he and his hunting party were surrounded by the creatures at one time.
‘We had been to this deserted A-frame … and were looking in this ravine for tracks and didn’t find anything,’ said Gardiner. ‘Later on … we came back to the A-frame and there were big tracks. These had to be made within an hour before we got there.’
He said the hunters went into the ravine where the visibility is limited because of dense woods, brush and brambles.
‘We were looking at a specific sign on a tree,’ he said. ‘We found something on a tree. I’m not going to divulge what it is, but we were checking it out and we heard one bark.
‘They have a barking-type growl like a chimpanzee or like a gorilla,’ he said. ‘We listened and then we heard one behind us, and what these two things were doing was communicating back and forth. They couldn’t have been over 25 or 30 yards away from us.
‘One was between us and the A-frame and the other was on the other side of us,’ he said.
Gaadiner said he feels the creatures are only passing through the area heading for mountains in the southern part of the United States. He said one may have been injured and that is why they are staying in the McArthur area for so long.
‘I’ve told everybody to quit shooting at these things,’ Gardiner said. ‘If you come across one, he won’t bother you. He’s just curious.’
Many hunters have tried to find the creature, also called Sasquatch , which is about as elusive as the Himalayan Yeti _ the ‘Abominable Snowman’ _ and supposedly comes from the Pacific Northwest.
Throughout the summer, Sasquatch -like creatures have been sighted and reported in southern and central Ohio.
Bigfoot reportedly was first sighted in Ohio near McArthur Aug. 24. Larry E. Cottrill said he found three Sasquatch -like animals near his home, shot at them and may have wounded one in the shoulder. Cottrill has since moved away.
“Back in 1886, George Washington Ready, who was the town crier in Provincetown at the time, believed he saw a sea serpent.
Ready was walking near the shoreline in Provincetown when he observed a whirlpool-like disturbance in the water. A giant head with four rows of teeth, an eight-foot horn, and six eyes then emerged from the whirlpool. These eyes ensured the monster could look in every direction at once, and three of them were a fiery red color.
The rest of the monster’s body was about 300 feet long with a 12-foot diameter. It was accompanied by a sulphuric smell and an intense heat emanating from its body. The creature was massive, but Ready was able to hide behind some bushes on the beach to escape its gaze.
Ready claimed that the serpent made its way to nearby Pasture Pond before burrowing into the earth beneath the water. Much of the pond’s water drained through the hole the creature created, and the monster disappeared, as well.”
A little serenity and lore from Cape Cod. Just a little spot I carved out this morning for peace and coffee…
I was planning on doing a fluff piece on everyone’s favorite Yeti, Bumble. But thinking about Rudolph made me think on how they want to ban the program from airing on any major channels and exposing America’s children to bullying. And I was immediately frustrated. I’m not saying that Rudolph may not have a few hinky gray areas in it, but in no way will it warp anyone’s mind. I’m okay, I’ve watched it every year for forever and now I’m a Bumble enthusiast and blogger. See where it got me?
My mother will start to worry (beautiful what’s your hurry)
My father will be pacing the floor (listen to the fireplace roar)
Suffice it to say, Rudolph does have bullying, but bullying happens all over the world everyday, having some exposure that it and that it’s not okay and that you aren’t alone when your young is a good thing. And also for the children to see Rudolph rise above it. And really who better to tell the reindeers they were wrong then Santa! Every child’s hero. And also, I watched it when I was young too, I knew then that the other reindeer were wrong and I defended people my whole life against bullies, ask my family and they will tell you…Who knows, maybe I got that fire from the show. It also has the land of misfit toys. Shunned toys that weren’t perfect so they were sent to the island never to have love. But it also showed that those different toys deserved love and acceptance too, and that we have all types of differences. Those are both good life lessons to learn and If not from Rudolph and Santa then who?
So really I’d better scurry (Beautiful please don’t hurry)
Well maybe just a half of drink more (I’ll put some records on while I pour)
We all need to relax and take a deep breath. We need to take in account what era and climate something was written. Yes, there is a bunch of potentially politically incorrect programming out there. But it is our past and a sign of the times. Our history. We can’t wipe it all out. We need to learn something from our past.
The neighbors might think ( Baby it’s bad out there)
Say what’s in this drink (No cabs to be had out there
This evening has been… (been hoping that you’d drop in)
Say what’s in this drink (No cabs to be had out there)
As you can see the lyrics to one of the most sung holiday songs has been interjected throughout this post. That is because this song is also on the chopping block. They are saying it practically screams date rape. Now, no doubt Deano loved the ladies, (and his drinks) but not by force. Again, I implore you to remember the era it was written in. The expression “what’s in this drink?” Was said in response to being served a strong drink, not because a drug was slipped into it.
My father was a singer, and he sang this all the time and I loved hearing it. What about my fond memories? I just want to have a white Christmas with family and friends without a side of bullying please. I’m more concerned about the mental harm the song “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” is doing to the little ones of the world. I remember being mad at my Mom over this annual indiscretion of hers. Please don’t take from this that I don’t care about America’s children or are insensitive to women’s issues. I am a women and was a teacher too, and I’m saying this for them, banning and hiding everything is not the answer. The bubble you put everyone in will pop eventually, and then what? They have been left with no exposure and coping skills for these issues. But this blog is just one girl’s opinion. My thoughts. And I thank you all for reading them even though you just wanted Bumble and Yukon Cornelius. (Without the soap box)..
