#hugag

HHHMMMMMmmmm well as usual the answer is “kinda”! Look unless you’ve been in the middle of a massive corn field in the middle of growing season where the stalks are higher than your head and you can hear literally nothing except for a distant rustling you can’t fully understand the energy of the corn demons.

Logging fields bring a different sort of Energy to the americana table in the sense that they’re also emblems of american consumerism (and colonialism) so there are For Sure Beafts In There. but rather than corn demons you get a smattering of Old World beafts (will o’ the wisps leading you astray, wood nymphs turning your axe the wrong way) but you also get some New Fearsome Critters (literally what they’re called) like THE HUGAG.

THE HUGAG.

I’d also say that being a lumberjack is a scootch more dangerous than being a corn farmer, and that sort of environment can give rise to some Shit that is not exactly corn demons, but equally Fucked. (If you think the Hidebehind isn’t scary you haven’t thought about it enough). If you wanna learn more about Fearsome Critters you can check out the book “Fearsome Critters” by Henry H. Tryon.

Hugag sketch

In American folklore, the hugag is a fearsome critter resembling a large terrestrial mammal, quadruped, with an extensive upper-lip, preventing it from grazing, and joint-less legs preventing it from lying down.

The modern conception of the hugag is largely derived from 1910's Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William T. Cox. In the book, Cox describes the hugag as an animal, constantly meandering, in size corresponding with the moose and adds "in form it somewhat resembles that animal." Describing its range as northern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and "the Canadian wilds towards Hudson Bay," Cox elaborates:

Very noticeable, however, are its joint-less legs, which compel the animal to remain on its feet, and its long upper lip, which prevents it from grazing. If it tried that method of feeding it would simply tramp its upper lip into the dirt. Its head and neck are leathery and hairless ; its strangely corrugated ears flop downward; its four-toed feet, long bushy tail, shaggy coat and general make-up give the beast an unmistakably prehistoric appearance.

The modern conception of the hugag is largely derived from 1910's Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by William T. Cox. In the book, Cox describes the hugag as an animal, constantly meandering, in size corresponding with the moose and adds "in form it somewhat resembles that animal." Describing its range as northern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and "the Canadian wilds towards Hudson Bay," Cox elaborates:

Very noticeable, however, are its joint-less legs, which compel the animal to remain on its feet, and its long upper lip, which prevents it from grazing. If it tried that method of feeding it would simply tramp its upper lip into the dirt. Its head and neck are leathery and hairless ; its strangely corrugated ears flop downward; its four-toed feet, long bushy tail, shaggy coat and general make-up give the beast an unmistakably prehistoric appearance.

Cox adds that the only means the creature has for rest is to brace itself against a tree, in what  condition the animal may be captured should notches be made into the wood. Latter accounts, such as Henry H. Tryon's Fearsome Critters and Richard Dorson's Man and Beast in American Comic Legend, are heavily reliant in the details set down in Cox's work. However, Tryon divulges several characteristics independent from Cox's account including: warts on the snout, bumps on the head and pine needles instead of hairs on the body of the hugag. Similarly, whereas Cox's describes the hugag's diet as consisting of twigs or bark, Tryon contends that the hugag subsists on "a steady diet of pine knots makes the pitch ooze constantly from his pores."

Ancardia's Unusual Animals--the Hugag

Classification: Beast (pachyderm)

Habitat: Deep rainforest and wetlands in the Southern hemisphere.

            The Hugag is an unusual smaller pachyderm which dwells primarily in dense, wet forested regions in the Southern hemisphere, noted for its lack of pronounced tusks, prominent long trunk, or great size. It has a few small tusks like those of a domestic pig, and a short trunk which is fairly prehensile but not particularly dexterous, as well as long, shaggy coat of hair over most of its neck, shoulders, rump, and upper limbs while leaving the other parts mostly bare. The relatively harmless hugag is the subject of a number of logging camp superstitions from long ago; legend says it has no knees, and so cutting the tree it leans against while resting renders it helpless—in reality, the hugag, like other animals with bones… has knees, and while maybe disoriented by knocking over a small tree it leaned upon, will be fully able to get to its feet and make hell for the foolish loggers testing such a rumor. It is also falsely believed it has an immense upper lip that prevents it from grazing; in reality, the hugag’s “oversized upper lip” is its tapir-like short trunk, which assists greatly as it browses low limbs of beech, oak, and maple trees.

Hugag 

For Folklore Thursday, I decided to make a collage of my favorite types of mythical monsters: the Fearsome Critters!  They're cryptids that were recorded by American lumberjacks during the 1930s. I also added Mothman, since he fits in with the rest of them.

The Hugag is a fearsome critter of the Great Lakes region. It is large and hairy, rather resembling a moose. It can weigh up to three tons, and possesses a number of unusual features, including a bald head, corrugated ears and a swollen top lip.

The Hugag uses its elongated lip to sweep up twigs, leaves and other detritus off the ground. Its pores ooze sap, which it uses to stick the twigs and leaves to its body in place of fur. Its legs are also jointless, and therefore its gait is incredibly stiff. It also must sleep standing up.

Image source.

Monster master list.