Being a lumberjack is a hazardous career choice. More dangerous than the blades and falling trees though, are the monsters. American folklore tells of mysterious woodland predators nicknamed Hidebehinds. No lumberjack has ever seen one and lived to tell the tale.
—
In the timberlands of late 19th and early 20th century America, lumberjacks lived a migratory lifestyle. Moving from camp to camp, down from the North East of the country, into the Upper Midwest, and eventually into the Pacific North West, the loggers kept themselves entertained during their non-working hours by swapping camp-fire tales. These stories took on a life of their own as they were passed from lumberjack to lumberjack, and camp to camp, becoming the folklore of the wood-cutters.
Many of these stories dealt with what came to be known as “Fearsome Critters” – strange, otherwise unknown or undocumented creatures which roamed the forests. It is believed that many of these stories originated as a means of scaring or pranking newcomers to an area (very much like the infamous Drop Bear which tourists are warned about in parts of Australia), with several story-tellers in on the joke warning about the particular hazards which might be faced in that region. That said, many of the creatures bear resemblances to previously documented folkloric and cryptozoological beasts.
One such creature, often blamed for the mysterious disappearance of any logger who left the camp that morning but back there at the fireside that night, is the Hidebehind.
The Hidebehind is never found in the open. He always conceals himself behind a tree trunk. His marvellously quick, stealthy gait makes it possible for him to stay constantly behind his prey, no matter how quickly the suspicious victim may spin about in the hope of glimpsing the marauder.
This description is taken from Fearsome Critters (1939) – a (somewhat tongue in cheek) field guide to the creatures of timberland folklore, written by Henry H. Tryon. He continues:
Its food is chiefly intestines. Leaping from its hiding-place with a demoniacal laugh, it swiftly disembowels its victim with one swipe. Sometimes the fiendish howl frightens the prey to death before the blow falls.
It was said that Hidebehinds hated the smell and taste of alcohol or tobacco, which was a good enough excuse for any lumberjack to always make sure he had a pouch of tobacco and a hip-flask with him. According to Tryon:
One bottle of Uno beer has been proven to be a complete safeguard even in thickly infested country.
Recent Comments