After reading the slides about cryptozoology, I wanted to do more research on it. I love hearing stories about them, as I think they are so interesting. While I do not believe in these creatures, it is fun to read about them. Some of the creatures I had heard of before, like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and chupacabras. I decided to search for some others and came across the giwoggle. I chose to research this cryptid because it is from Pennsylvania, where I am also from.
Stories of the giwoggle started in the 1800s, describing the creature as a 6-foot tall wolf that stood on its hind legs, with claws and hooves instead of front and hind paws. The mix of traits is to confuse trackers so they would not know if the creature they were following was a bird, horse, or giwoggle. It is said that they are summoned by irritated witches in order to annoy those who angered them. The giwoggle is also said to not be violent, just a nuisance. In 2011, the government of Clinton County, Pennsylvania named the giwoggle as the county's official monster.
Here are some links to do more research on cryptozoology and giwoggles, in particular.
https://pawilds.com/giwoggle-clinton-countys-monster/
https://libguides.wwu.edu/cryptozoology
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Hi Lauren, this post was so interesting! I think it's really funny that giwoggles are said to be nonviolent and only used to annoy those who bother witches. I'm glad you wrote about giwoggles because their folklore is so uniquely lighthearted.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of cryptozoology is very interesting. I like the fact that this happens all over the world within many different cultures. I never heard about the giwoggle but thats very cool the government of Clinton County recognized this as the county's official monster.
ReplyDeleteI think cryptozoology is quite interesting to begin with. I like how you incorporated an animal that was no discussed and gave a little background on the giwoggle. It is funny to me though how it was brought to annoy witches and they are non-violent
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! Ive never heard of Giwoogle before so I was intrigued. Ive heard of Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster and Chupacabras too. Maybe I should do more research as well on this topic because it is so interesting!
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