Wampus cat

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For the band, see Oscar "Buddy" Woods.

Bronze statue of the six-legged wampus cat located at Conway High School

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

Description

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Early references from the American Dialect Society described 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] Writing in 1951, 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, where the creature was accused of killing livestock.[3]

Margaret R. Tryon's humorous depiction of the Wampus cat catching an eagle, from the 1939 book Fearsome Critters

Henry H. Tryon's humorous 1939 book Fearsome Critters describes the wampus cat as being native to Idaho, and having an "amazing right forearm" that "works like a folding pruning hook on the pantographic principle". He gives it the binomial nomenclature Aquilamappreluendens forcipe.[4]

The Oxford English Dictionary describes the "catawumpus" or "cata wumpus" as 19th-century American slang for "a bogy, a fierce imaginary animal." [5]

Use as a school mascot

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The wampus cat is the mascot of the following schools:

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. ^ Tryon, Henry H. (1939). Fearsome Critters. Idlewild Press. p. 59.
  5. ^ "catawumpus". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/4804183703. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  6. ^ Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School website Archived May 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Legend written by lifelong Clark Fork resident Shirley Dawson Crawford
  7. ^ Owens, Judy (June 20, 2008). "Reporters Looking for Stories, Finding Wampus Cats | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural". Daily Yonder. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  8. ^ "Atoka Alumni Association – Home". Wampuscatalumni.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  9. ^ Itasca ISD - TX - IISD Home Archived September 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Leesville High School - Home Archived April 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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