Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Kickle Snifters and Other by Alvin Schwartz Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters. Brief text and illustrations introduce such strange creatures from American folklore as the snawfus, billdad, lufferlang, and tripodero. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title. We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks website. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the "Ask bookseller a question" link to contact us and we'll respond as soon as possible. All domestic Standard US shipments are distributed from our warehouses by OSM, then handed off to the USPS for final delivery. US 2-Day Shipping is delivered by FedEx, which does not deliver to PO boxes. International shipments are tendered to the local postal service in the destination country for final delivery ? We do not use courier services for international deliveries. Fearsome Critters of American Folklore. The Fearsome Critters are a group of mythical beings from the Tall Tales told by European colonists in North America, mainly in New England (naturally), and to a lesser degree in forested Midwest states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite that, there are stories of Fearsome Critters spread all across the country, including several notable "species" specific to the southwest. Fearsome Critters are notable for being described primarily by their behavior, not by their appearance, and for often having names that reflect that (Hide- Behind, Come-at-a-Body, et cetera ), meaning that what they actually look like fluctuates wildly from tale to tale in the style of — whose loyal friend and partner, Babe the Big Blue Ox, might well be a Critter himself. Genuine belief in the Fearsome Critters was never widespread; even in most of modern America they're relatively obscure, and almost completely unheard-of in other parts of the world. They originated, variously, as exaggerated accounts of native fauna unfamiliar to the European travelers who described them and as a humorous means of describing the strange goings-on in the woods by lumberjacks, carnies, and other outdoorsy types. Fearsome critters are not cryptids, nor are they associated with Native American faiths; the sasquatch and the wendigo are not Fearsome Critters. Some of the notable Critters are: Known by a myriad of other names, including the Guyanoosa and Sidehill Gouger, the Guyascutus is a terrible predator variously described as being like an alligator covered in protective plates, like an armadillo's, or like a deer with the ears of a rabbit and a mouth full of fierce teeth. Its most notable feature, however, is that the legs on one side of its body are much shorter than the ones on the other, so it can move about easily on the steep mountain slopes where it makes its home; therefore, to escape a Guyascutus, one need only run onto even ground. The creature, with its mismatched legs, will be unable to follow. The most famous legend of the Guyascutus involves an old carnival grift. A traveling carnival show rolls into town, claiming to have wild animals from all around the world on display—including, incredibly, a live Guyascutus. The people paid their fees and flocked to see the alleged beastie, at which point the leader of the plan would run before the crowds, looking desperate and beat-up, claiming that the creature had escaped. The people, terrified, would immediately run to their homes, leaving the carnival troupe to ride away with their "earnings". Perhaps the most famous of the bunch (and the subject of more than one popular song), the is a miserable animal, "The most melancholy of creatures", that allegedly inhabits the coniferous forests of northern Pennsylvania. Because its skin is covered in warts, blemishes, blisters and abrasions, the Squonk is disgusting to look at — and it knows this, which is why it hides underground during the day, hoping not to offend any other creature with its hideous appearance. At night, the Squonks all come out into the open and openly weep; the strange sounds lumberjacks and other frontiersmen heard in the forest at night were attributed to their crying. The Squonk also has a legend surrounding it. This one tells of a man named J.P. Wentling, who wanted to capture a live Squonk and prove its existence to the world. One night he succeeded, trapping the creature in a bag; but when he took it home and opened the bag to show his friends and family, he found nothing but water inside. The Squonk, more miserable than ever, had dissolved into a pool of its own tears. The most famous southwestern Critter, popular in Texas, New Mexico, and southern California. note Douglas, Wyoming, claims to be the hometown of the legend—and does appear to be the origin of the "stuffed " taxidermy gag—but stories of "horned hares" date back to medieval Europe. The Jackalope is a wild hare or jackrabbit with the antlers of a deer, reportedly very difficult to catch or even to spot (though U.S. President Ronald Reagan did claim to have caught one once — purely as a joke, we expect). are highly elusive and will run at the very sight of a human, but at night, they all gather in the desert and sing harmoniously with their strange, enchanting voices. Of course, that's only one interpretation; it's occasionally described as a vicious killer rabbit, and residents of snowier parts of the West will sometimes troll tourists by claiming that the snow fences along highways are actually seating for watching Jackalope races. To this day, the "stuffed Jackalope" is a fairly common sight in southwestern bars and taverns. Sadly, any reported Jackalope sighting is much more likely to be a regular rabbit afflicted with the Shope papilloma virus. Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters by Alvin Schwartz. At the turn of the twentieth century, hundreds of local rumors of natural absurdities sprang into existence. These imaginings were neither legendary in their proportions like Norse or Greek epics, nor, at any time, were they ever intended to inspire any sincere or moral convictions. Rather such stories existed mostly in the practical jokes and tall tales popular among people of a particular trade. Despite their facetious tone, they bear the distinct markings of a rich tradition. Yet legends they are not. In fact, such stories appear in many ways to be an antithesis to traditional legends. Taken together we have placed this class of tales under banner of natura ad absurdum (nature to absurdity), as the tradition may encompass fantastical aspects of any variety (plants, weather, minerals, objects, etc.) in addition to imaginary beings. However, these stories are chiefly remembered for their play on the animal kingdom. It is these extraordinary animals what are known in North America as “fearsome critters.” Fearsome critters flourished at the turn of the twentieth century within logging camps near North America’s Great Lakes region. However, at the time, immigrant presence in the region had practically established the industry as an international affair. Folklorist Charles E. Brown recounted loggers who remarked that logging camps comprise of a, “babel of tongues.” 1 Similarly, Luke Sylvester “Lake Shore” Kearney in his book, The and Other Tales of the Logging Camps , upholds this characterization by stating that of the Scandinavian, Irish and French loggers, “Each, in his turn, goaded and cursed in his native tongue, using the blasphemy characteristic of his nationality.” 2 An 1880s census taken in Wisconsin showed that foreign born loggers comprised over half of the entire industry, the greater majority being Canadian. 3 Logging camps were separated from mainstream society for months at a time. There, loggers of multiple nationalities would entertain each other through story, song or joke. Likewise, woodsmen would often invent colorful ways to induct new arrivals to camp. A common initiation right for inexperienced loggers was the “” (sometimes “ hunt”). This task involved novice woodsmen, referred to as “greenhorns,” being led deep into the woods at dusk. Subsequently, each participant is given a bag and directed to go out, with their primitive tools, to catch the elusive animal. The joke is that the snipe, which bears no relation to the wading bird, is a purely fictitious enitty; only ever existing in the imaginations of those pursuing it. Afterwards, those participants, who were victims of the gag, would inevitably induct later recruits in the ritual and so on and so forth. Fearsome critters enjoyed much popularity in tall tales told aloud in logging camp bunkhouses. After a hard day’s work, loggers would spin tales to regale their fellow woodsmen. Perhaps unbeknownst to their original creators, these anecdotes would be retold over and over again eventually coming to form a rich folkloric tradition. This same tradition also came to incorporate the modern perspective and knowledge of the storytellers. To illustrate, the hodag of North American traditions is described as having, “stegosaurian dorsal spines,” 4 while the salvager sucker, of the Puget Sound vicinity, is reported to be able to do the work of “a steam derrick.” 5 Just the same, the snow wasset, of the Canadian boreal zone, is reported to “hibernate” during the warmer seasons. 6 Each one of these comparisons is sometjing that the originators of classic mythology would have not have had the knowledge to draw. Perhaps it is their ever curious nature or a varied sense of bafflement that continues to endure fearsome critters to many today. While most fearsome critters probably disappeared from existence as abruptly as they came to be, a good number of such traditions not only survived but continued to make lasting impressions. Several fearsome critters have even become celebrated symbols of regional or local pride. The hodag has become synonymous with the city of Rhinelander, adorning numerous business and clubs, as well the jackalope has grown into a recognizable icon of Douglas, Wyoming. Moreover, fearsome critters, themselves, help foster a sense of wonderment into the mundane everyday; a sprinkling of fantasy, if you will, into an otherwise demystified world. As well, fearsome critters were the product of a fanciful and bold exercise of imagination. Consequently, each fearsome critter possesses a uniqueness that make them truly stand out as local icons in a way that many classic legends simply cannot. However, perhaps the most powerful aspect, fearsome critters hold over traditional legends, is that fearsome critters, collectively, appeal as essentially, “mythological underdogs,” and, in truth, even if one cheers on the popular team—one cannot help but root for the underdog. ♢ 1 Michael Edmonds, Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan (Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2009), 163. ♢ 2 Lake Shore Kearney, The Hodag and Other Tales of the Logging Camps (Wausau: Democrat Printing Company, 1928), 10. ♢ 3 Edmonds, 34-35. ♢ 4 Henry H. Tryon, Fearsome Critters (Cornwall, NY: Idlewild Press, 1939), 23. ♢ 5 The Seattle Star, “Speaking of Fish, Old Reader of Star Writes of Salvager Sucker, Which Does the Work of Steam Derrick.” April 08, 1913. 3. From Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers , Library of Congress. http://tinyurl.com/m39m8lp ♢ 6 William T. Cox, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (Washington: Press of Judd & Detweiler, Inc., 1910), 39. Carden, Gary. (2003). Wondrous and Fearsome Creatures of the Southern Wild. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from Appalachian Rant. Web site: Folklore Subjects. Retrieved April 09, 2009, from The Read on WNC. The Gollywampus.(1996). Gallywhat? Retrieved April 07, 2009, from Gallywampus, Irish and American Folk Music Andersen, Alan Lance. (2005). CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, Wizard Academies. Retrieved April 09, 2009, from Wizard Academies. Various. (2004). Odd and Curious Beasties. Retrieved April 09, 2009, from WORDCRAFT Forums. Mott, D. (n.d.). Unusual Animals. Retrieved April 07, 2009, from ussscouts.org. Wooldridge, John. (2007). Monsters of the Ozarks and Missouri - Information Wanted. Retrieved April 09, 2009, from Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods. ". Carlson, Marc. (1997). American Fabulous. Retrieved October 08, 2009, from Marc Carlson's Homepage, Gaming Materials. Roadsideamerica.com Team. (2005). Monico, Wisconsin - Rhinelapus: Tree Root Monster Rival to The Hodag. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from RoadSideAmerica.com. Various. (2008). Swamp Booger. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from Taxidermy.Net Forum. Zapato, Lyle. (1998). About The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Help Save The Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus from Extinction. Other names for the side-hill gouger include, but are not limited to: Sidehill Gouger, Dodger, Badger, Guano, Hoofer, Slicker, Walloper, Wowser, Winder, or Sauger; Cutter Cuss, Dodger, Goatithro, Gudaphro, Gwinter, Gyascutus, Haggletopelter, Hunkus, Wapahoofus, Mountain Stem- winder, Prock, Rickaboo Racker, Side-Swiper, Sidewinder, Walloper, and Yamhill Lunkus. The sidehill gouger's appearance itself is not necessarily link to one particular temporal or mythical creature. A few of its variants however, the sidehill hoofer (favoring a beaver, castorine; 107c), side-hill bear (ursidine; 107d), rackabore (Sus lithotrepanicus; Wymn.) 8, 26 (suidine; 107e), wyman wowser4 (feline; 50f), and sidehill dodge hodag (hodaine; 79d), are. Another couple of its variants, as listed by Tryon, the powerful and long-necked yamhill lunkus (var. robustissimus; 107a) and a nameless, hairless breed (var. semihirsutus; 107b.) Shawn McBurnie. creatures from the Minnesota Northwoods tradition are making a comeback by way of song. Shawn McBurnie and The Slight Exaggerations present a collection of singable and family-friendly original songs about these little-known characters. Audiences learn a bit about the menagerie, and are invited to chime in on choruses. The Northwoods have a rich folklore tradition of stories and ballads, but the most unique creatures of the boreal forests never attained the fame of Babe the Blue Ox; the squonk, , splintercat, and wapaloosie - and many others - have been sorely neglected. These ‘fearsome critters,’ as they were known, were featured in stories told in logging, mining, or railroad bunkhouses; around trappers' fires; or anywhere frontier workers relaxed and swapped yarns. Because these tall tales were designed to impress, stretch credibility, and pull the legs of ‘greenhorns’, they circulated as stories and did not enter the song tradition until Shawn McBurnie, traditional singer and wordsmith, decided to write them into ballads - and, we hope, bring them out of obscurity. Further reading. Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (the first comprehensive study of these creatures, published in 1910 by William T. Cox, Minnesota's first State Forester) and Henry H. Tryon's 1939 Fearsome Critters are available to be read online at lumberwoods.com, along with a number of other resources and references. A more modern introduction to these beasties can be found in Alvin Schwartz's Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters. Your Etsy Privacy Settings. For the best experience, we use cookies and similar tools to help Etsy function, for performance, analytics, personalization and advertising. Learn more in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Update your choices any time via Privacy Settings. Настройки конфиденциальности. 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