Worldwide Myths

By: John Raspante Assistant Editor

Every corner of the world has its own monster stories. The mythical creatures known as “cryptids” that are said to share the same world with us have been talked about in legends for hundreds of years. It is said that Bigfoot roams the forests, the Loch Ness monster swims in the depths and the Jersey Devil is said to terrorize the skies. These creatures are all spoken about in myths and legends, but the evidence that points to their existence is very minimal. Let’s take a look into some of these monster myths, how they came about and if there is any validity to these stories.

One of the most popular cryptid myths is that of the Sasquatch, otherwise known as Bigfoot. Sasquatch is described as an apelike creature that walks on two legs and inhabits the forests of North America. The initial legend stemmed from a 1950s newspaper article written in the “Humboldt Times” that shared the story of California loggers who discovered large footprints in the woods.

Then, in 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin captured the most famous video of the creature in an area known as Bluff Creek in northern California. The clip shows the alleged Sasquatch casually strolling across a creek on the edge of a wooded area.

Since that video, people have tried again and again to find proof of Bigfoot’s existence. According to www.history.com, “Videos always seem to be blurry, hair samples are always proven to be from other creatures and in 2002 the family of a deceased logger claimed the original footprints that sparked the whole Bigfoot craze were fakes carried out by their father.”

The scientific community has questioned how a large creature like Bigfoot could sustain its life while remaining hidden, and have deemed its existence to be near impossible.

Similar to the Sasquatch, the Yeti (or Abominable Snowman) is another ape-like creature that is said to wander the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. The creature originated in folklore when Western mountaineers began exploring the Himalayas in the early 1900s. Reports of the Yeti came in rapidly, to the point that, famous explorer, Sir Edmund Hillary conducted an expedition to find the Yeti in the early 1960s.

However, just like its North American counterpart, no conclusive evidence has ever pointed to the Yeti’s existence, and explorers have probably misidentified other animals as the beast of legend.

Another mythical monster said to roam the Earth is the mysterious Chupacabra.

The Latin American legend tells of a creature that attacks animals and consumes their blood. According to www. britannica.com, “Chupacabras were first reported in 1995, in Puerto Rico, where they were blamed for attacks on goats, sheep and other domestic animals, supposedly leaving uneaten carcasses that were drained of blood.”

The Chupacabra is described as a canine-like creature with spines running down its back and tail. Sightings have been reported across the world, and so-called Chupacabra bodies were even discovered once. Unfortunately, all of them turned out to be dogs or coyotes with sarcoptic mange, which is a skin disease caused by mites that causes the animals to lose their fur.

The Jersey Devil is another monster of legend that has been spoken about for generations. It is described as a kangaroolike creature with the face of a horse, the head of a dog, batlike wings, horns and a tail. This mysterious entity has been said to prowl through the marshes of Southern New Jersey and emerge periodically to rampage through the towns and cities for more than 250 years.

The origin story of the Jersey Devil is one that is heavily believed by residents of the area. According to www. pinelandsalliance.org, “Mrs. Leeds... was distraught when she learned she was expecting for the thirteenth time. In disgust, she cried out, ‘Let it be the devil!’ The story continues that the child arrived and it was a baby devil. The creature then gave a screech, unfolded its wings and flew out the window and into the adjacent swamp.” Police, travellers and many others have all claimed to witness the activities of this devil and belief in the creature is quite real. However, like its fellow cryptids, any concrete scientific proof has yet to be found.

Last, and most certainly not least, is one of the most notorious cryptids: the Loch Ness monster. Fondly known as “Nessie”, the legend of the famous long-necked sea creature swimming through Loch Ness in Scotland dates back over 1500 years. The first written record of the beast comes all the way back from the sixth century.

Many years later in 1934, the first and most famous picture of Nessie was captured. The black and white photo showed a creature reminiscent of the extinct plesiosaurs, a lineage of dinosaurs that went extinct some 65 million years ago. However, during the 1990s the photo was proved to be a hoax and any expeditions since then have failed to provide any evidence that Nessie actually exists.

Whether any of these creatures truly exist or not, the mystery surrounding their existence is something that has intrigued humans for centuries. These are only a few of the mythical cryptids that are said to roam the earth, and perhaps one day some truth to their stories may be found.