Does this sound like a joke – what has the head of an alligator, the beak of a bird, and a 25-foot wingspan? Well, to many who have witnessed it, this is no joke. The answer to the riddle is the Snallygaster, and it is as strange as its name suggests. This scary abomination dates all the way back to the 1730s when German settlers would share stories about the beast attacking others.
They named the creature Schneller Geist, which means “quick spirit.” It got this name because it was known to swoop down on unsuspecting victims. If that weren’t enough, it would then suck all the blood out of the victim, leaving the empty husk to be found by anyone unlucky enough to happen upon it. The hunt for the Appalachian Snallygaster reached a peak in 1909, where several newspapers printed reports of attacks. The prestigious Smithsonian Institute announced a reward for the monster’s hide. Even the President at the time, Theodore Roosevelt, considered postponing an African safari so that he could hunt down the mysterious creatures. The Snallygaster has a lot of superstitions associated with it. One tale has it that a five-pointed star would keep the beast away. Even today you can find some old barns with a fading star symbol, put there to protect the household from the creature. Like a matchup of the century, there have been multiple reports of witnesses seeing a Snallygaster and a Dwayyo locked in mortal combat. It seems that the Snallygaster and the Dwayyo are natural enemies and will fight upon seeing each other. |
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