The Wampus cat is a creature in American folklore, described as a fearsome variation of a cougar.
Description
The wampus cat is often compared to the "Ewah" of Cherokee mythology, in that it was a woman who disguised herself in the skin of a cougar to spy on the men of the tribe, as they sat around the campfire with their wolf brothers, and told sacred stories on a hunting trip. When the woman was discovered, the tribe's medicine man punished her by transforming her into a half-woman, half-cat, who supposedly still haunts the forests of East Tennessee. The range of this creature has been tracked into the Carolinas as well. In folklore, it can be seen as one of a number of fearsome critters. In some sections of rural East Tennessee, the legend of the Wampus Cat takes on a more sinister tone. It is said that the Wampus Cat is a spirit of death and the earth, and when her cry is heard, it means someone is going to die and be buried within the next three days.
Mascot
The Wampus cat is the mascot of the following:
- Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, Clark Fork, Idaho â€" seen as a yellow cougar with a spiked ball on its tail.
- Conway Junior High/ High School, Conway, Arkansas â€" seen as a six-legged cat. Described by locals as "a mountain lion with six legs: four for running, and two for fighting.
- Atoka High School, Atoka, Oklahoma
- Itasca High School, Itasca, Texas
- Leesville High School, Leesville, Louisiana
- Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mount Greylock, Massachusetts
In popular culture
A musical ensemble who recorded several tracks in 1937 and 1938, and consisting of six or seven string musicians including Oscar "Buddy" Woods, were billed as 'The Wampus Cats'.
J. K. Rowling's Pottermore story History of Magic In North America lists the Wampus cat as a source for hair used in magic wands. The American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ilvermorny, also has named one of its four houses for the mythical beast.
The cat was mentioned in Faron Young's 1955 Country music hit Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young.
Notes
References
- Spooky South: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore By S. E. Schlosser, Paul G. Hoffman (Chapter 16, Wampus cat, Knoxville, Tennessee) pp. 92â€"98 [3]
External links
- Map of Wampus Cats High School Mascots