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Uncanny Georgia: Water Cannibals
Cherokee mythology includes a number of supernatural beings: some friendly, some neutral, some definitely hostile. In this last category are the ama yvwigisgi or “water cannibals.”
Water cannibals live at the bottoms of deep rivers. As their name implies, they are partial to the taste of human flesh, especially that of small children. According to James Mooney’s Myths of the Cherokee (1900),
They come out just after daybreak and go about unseen from house to house until they find some one still asleep, when they shoot him with their invisible arrows and carry the dead body down under the water to feast upon it. That no one may know what has happened they leave in place of the body a shade or image of the dead man or little child, that wakes up and talks and goes about just as he did, but there is no life in it, and in seven days it withers and dies, and the people bury it and think they are burying their dead friend. It was a long time before the people found out about this, but now they always try to be awake at daylight and wake up the children, telling them “The hunters are among you.” (349)
Kidnapping children and replacing them with a magical decoy sounds like the tactic of a European troll or faery. I can’t help but wonder if this detail came about after the Cherokee had dealings with Europeans or whether it reflects a more universal mythical theme, perhaps a way to rationalize the sudden death or sickness of a child.
Water cannibals have yet to appear in the Into the Wonder Series, although a character refers to them at one point in Children of Pride. Similar creatures from Choctaw mythology called the okwa naholo do appear, however, in The Devil’s Due.
Uncanny Georgia: Fire Devils
This is the first in what will be at least a twenty-part series of posts on the weird and supernatural aspects of the state of Georgia. When I began research on the fourth book of the Into the Wonder series (working title, The River of Night), I knew I wanted it to be chock-full of as many references to native Georgia monsters and spirit-beings as I could fit. What I’ve found could easily fill several books! I’m sharing my findings here so I won’t feel guilty about all the cool beasties I’m going to have to leave out when I start writing. 🙂
Disclaimer: Some of the creatures to be featured here are cryptids, meaning people claim to have actually seen them though they are undocumented by science. Do not take the fact that I’m featuring them in this series as a statement that I believe they’re real—only that I think they’re cool and that they would make an awfully good story.
We’ll start in Rabun County in the extreme northwest of the state. Here, it is said, live a race of fire-breathing devils that stand guard over sacred caves and strange stone cairns deep in the forest. According to Indian legends (most likely Cherokee; Internet sources are vague), even the bravest warriors would refuse to go into certain deserted regions for fear of these “little demons.”
These creatures are apparently associated with strange sounds coming from the woods that the locals call “the music of the Bald” after nearby Rabun Bald, the highest peak in the county. The first published account of these sounds comes from the Monthly Weather Review in 1897. Ken Rasure summarizes this report as follows:
Two “reliable men” were camping one night on top of Rabun Bald…when they were awakened by “eerie, haunting melodies” coming from the woods. After some time, the melodies were replaced by sounds which reminded them of cannons being discharged in the distance. These noises went on for several minutes and then began getting closer and closer to them. Finally, the sounds seemed to be coming from deep in the ground right beneath their feet! The men later said they weren’t afraid, but they were very deeply perplexed. The sounds traveled on into the distance over the next few minutes and they were able to hear it for most of the night. The men reported this strange phenomena the next day to the sheriff who told them it was probably caused by bears rolling small boulders off the mountainsides while searching for worms and insects to eat. The boulders would sometimes roll downhill or off cliffs which would create the explosive sounds. The men were unconvinced as this explanation didn’t account for the eerie melodies or the way the noises traveled through the woods and it certainly didn’t explain how the sounds came from under the ground beneath their feet.
So, fire-breathing devils who love to play weird music with a hardcore rhythm section. Cool.
Sunday Inspiration: Dreams
It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.
—Gabriel García Márquez
Sunday Inspiration: Courage
The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.
—L. Frank Baum
Sunday Inspiration: Freedom
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.
—Dr. Seuss
The Wild Hunt, British Style
This post by Sigurd Towrie on the Wild Hunt legends of the Orkney Islands is a great follow up to Dan McCoy’s explanation I linked to about a year and a half ago. While McCoy focuses more on Norse folklore, Towrie leans more heavily on British/Celtic tellings of the legend:
But traditions of a Wild Hunt also existed in areas away from Norse influence.
In Wales, for example, the leader of the Hunt was Gwynn ap Nudd. The “Lord of the Dead”, Gwynn ap Nudd was followed by his pack of white hounds with blood-red ears.
These red-eared hounds are also found in northern England, where they were known as Gabriel Hounds. Their appearance was also a portent of doom.
In southern England, it was Herne the Hunter who led the hunt, while elsewhere it is also referred to as “Herlathing” – from the mythical King Herla, its supposed leader.
According to the 12th century write, Walter Map:
“This household of Herlethingus was last seen in the marches of Wales and Hereford in the first year of the reign of Henry II, about noonday: they travelled as we do, with carts and sumpter horses, pack-saddles and panniers, hawks and hounds, and a concourse of men and women.
“Those who saw them first raised the whole country against them with horns and shouts, and . . . because they were unable to wring a word from them by addressing them, made ready to extort an answer with their weapons. They, however, rose up into the air and vanished on a sudden.”
Sunday Inspiration: Hardship
Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny..
—C. S. Lewis
Galatians Commentary
I’m pleased to announce that commentary on Galatians in which I had a part has now been published.
Marty Soards did a fantastic job on the biblical exegesis, and I provided supplemental materials to connect the message of Galatians to contemporary life for the sake of teachers and preachers who will strive to bring this important Pauline letter to life in the church.
In his seventh letter to Lucilius, the philosopher Seneca observed that people learn while they teach. Perhaps it should be added that people learn a lot while they try to write biblical commentaries!
I’m also incredibly grateful for this fine endorsement from my Doktorvater, Dr. John Polhill:
In their Galatian commentary, Soards and Pursiful present a fresh and comprehensive exposition of the epistle. They set forth a careful exegesis of the Greek text that is accomplished in clear language, easily understandable to the non-specialist. Although thoroughly acquainted with the best scholarship, they stick to the text itself and avoid the excessive speculation and over-emphasis on theology so characteristic of many Galatian commentaries. I rank this right at the top of commentaries I have read on Galatians.
So, there you have it. Why not buy one for the whole family?
Sunday Inspiration: Perseverance
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
—Thomas Edison
Darrell J. Pursiful 