What is the Wampus Cat?
Most legends agree that it is a cat of some kind. The most pervasive legends describe the Wampus Cat as a hideous hybrid beast that is half woman and half cat. The Wampus Cat folklore is Appalachian in origin. There are mentions of it in Tennessee, North Caronlina, Kentucky, and in both Virginia and West Virginia. I also found a mention of it in Alabama. This legend originates in places were civilization has only carved a foothold in the wilderness. The beasts in the woods are a very real threat. When darkness falls, they have the upper hand and the forest belongs to them. The oldest fairy tales were didactic in nature, warning people of the harm that could befall them. I suspect folklore such as the Wampus Cat serves both as an attempt to explain the unexplainable and as a warning to those who might venture into places best left unexplored. The legend has many variations. I will present what I’ve been able to learn, but I do not claim this information to be definitive. There are lots of variations out there, and it would be impossible to do them all justice. |
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