#snawfus

This is the Snawfus. It's a creature from the mythology of the Ozarks - a huge white deer that lives far out in the woods, with flowering branches growing from its head instead of antlers. It's said to be able to jump extraordinary distances and fly through the forest canopy - sometimes it's depicted with wings. Most versions of the story agree that it's incredibly rare and seeing one in person is a terrible omen of death. The blue fog that sometimes hangs over the mountains is said to be the Snawfus' breath.

(got the image here)

To most people the Snawfus is just a tall tale, but because I can I'm gonna read into this more. I'm not gonna say it literally actually exists but there's symbolism that really seems intentional especially coming from where it does

The Snawfus is always a deer. Ofc deer are associated with wilderness and especially forests but in the Ozarks they also have a very strong association with hunting to feed your family. Hunting can seem like a violent act but it's not really about death. It's about being part of the land you live on and sustaining yourself and the people you love. You take life to give life, to keep an ancient cycle going.

I'm not just making up this connection, a lot of stories about the Snawfus' origin revolve around someone hunting for deer - like one version says a hunter found the perfect deer but ran out of bullets so he tried to shoot it with a plum pit instead, and the deer miraculously survived while a tree grew from its head.

The type of tree varies (dogwood, plum, black apple, etc) but it's always depicted with flowers and it's always something that blooms early in the spring. It's seasonal, and Spring is associated with life, growth, vitality- it fits with the deer. The tree is usually something that makes food too, except for dogwood, which is used to make fire. Again with the same themes.

So why is seeing it an omen of death?

I think there's a moment before a hunter kills a deer when the deer knows exactly what's happening. People say the deer seems to be perfectly aware that the time has come for it to give life to something other than itself. Many Native American belief systems, which have always been influential in the Ozarks, say that animals give their lives to us willingly. Maybe that's what happens to us when we see the Snawfus. That same moment, with the roles reversed. Our time comes.

And who could look out across the hills, seeing the way the mist floats over them in the morning, and not be struck with awe and wonder at the world?

I haven't before, but I looked it up right after this, and those things are so gorgeous!! }:D

I love all the flowers on their antlers, and their wings are so pretty!!

Thank you so much for telling me about these! }:)

Pics I Found:

Actually really surprised I haven't managed to post this anywhere yet, so now I am posting this now! This is the winning piece for the Metazoo 2022 fanart contest for the Snawfus. I did this back in May/June of 2022 with a mix of alcohol markers and colored pencil, with gel pen highlighs. The Ozark lore of the Snawfus states that it is usually a white deer with wings, and antlers that are branches of a tree (either plum or dogwood). In Metazoo, it is considered a Light creature, and a lot of the light cards have a hint of rainbow, so I tried to add a hint of rainbow to the Snawfus' main body.

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Snawfus

Is this the Ghibliest or Zeldaest creature I've ever found? Magical deer, check. Albino, check. Lives in forested hills, check. Wings that fly without a sound, check. Flowering antlers, check. Emits clouds of mystical blue smoke, check mate.