Many areas have a legend of a strange animal with monster-like characteristics. I remember hearing of the Yeti when I was very young. It seems every corner of the world has such a legend. But, many of these so-called monsters are different. The Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster are nothing alike.
Southern Louisiana is no different. In fact, there are two monsters believed to roam the swamps. Are they real? Well, one thing all such monsters have in common is they are rarely seen. They seem to avoid people. And many pieces of evidence turn out to be hoaxes. It does not help in determining what kernel of truth might lie in the legends as long as there are pranksters planting false evidence.
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I mentioned the tyrannosaurus under the bed. But today I was with my three year old grand-daughter who tells us of the dinosaur under her bed. I have never mentioned the tyrannosaurus so as not to frighten her, but we each had/have the same childhood fear, something lurking in the dark down there. So swamp monsters lurk in the nether darkness of the swamp. Maybe the real location of the monster is our subconscious minds and we project it into dark and/or dangerous locations. It is not without significance that we locate the Devil, the ultimate monster, in the underworld.The Mayans had an idea of the underworld as mud-filled, a swamp in fact.
Thanks for this information.
As long as the topography is the same, and the wind direction repeats, it certainly could repeat. Some high mountains have a cloud feature that is close to permanent called a banner cloud.
The problem was that moving cloud encountered the summit, The centre rose above it and the sides went round, but due to the topography of the mountain each of the side streams divided into two, making it look as though there were arms and legs, with the centre being the head. This phenomenon could happen again.
Clouds at summits are not unusual, and replicating wind direction can cause a similar appearance that repeats or persists. So, it is possible many will see a similar feature over time.
The legend started when a mountaineer saw a cloud formation that had human shape. It was actually clouds moving round the summit. While he was descending the peak he claimed that in the mist into which he had walked he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He ran down in terror.
Fear and disorientation in mist is common. My second son [then aged 10] once suffered it on Snowdon,] but fortunately I was there to support him.
But the legend of the Great Grey Man has grown so much that he is said to be hair-covered, ten feet tall and to walk with huge strides. You see how the blanks are being filled in.
Imagination is a real issue, and once having heard of some legend one can easily fill in blanks with the mind.
I think that when we are alone in wild places our imaginations begin to work overtime. Noises acquire new significance, and shadows become threatening.
In Britain we have the legend of the Great Grey Man of Ben Macdui, a ten foot giant said to haunt the mountain.Some claim to have seen him, but this is imagination working without control. The legend has grown around peculiarly shaped cloud formations rising over the summit, and any crunching of gravel on the mountain, which is explicable as falling scree, is perceived as his footsteps.Where a giant would live on that rocky Scottish summit is not explained.
The problem is a legal one. There could be a large fine and have one's fishing or hunting equipment confiscated.
blackspanielgallery, Thank you for the legends and the products. What are the consequences of being in Mississippi with a Louisiana license and vice versa? Is it terrain or tradition that leaves the boundary between Louisiana and Mississippi unclear in the Honey Island Swamp?