A couple of weeks ago we ran the story and image of a bigfoot that was taken by Leo A Frank. (Click here) The bigfoot in the picture was rather unusual looking and had what most people consider the appearance of a troll. The nose was very large and is not what is commonly reported by witnesses. What some may fail to realize is that not all bigfoot look the same. In fact, some are really different looking but still have an overall humanoid appearance.
But all the troll talk got me to thinking more about the word troll and the word bigfoot. We all know the term bigfoot was not coined until 1958 by Jerry Crew, but what about the word troll?
I was talking with a friend last night on facebook and we got to taking about Pukwudgie. So I thought it might be a good idea to make a short post about this lesser known cryptid.
The Pukwudgie
A Pukwudgie is a 2-to-3-foot-tall (61 to 91 cm) being from the Wampanoag
folklore. Pukwudgies' features resemble those of a human, but with
enlarged noses, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being a
smooth grey, and at times has been known to glow.
In Native American lore, Pukwudgies have the following traits and abilities;
they can appear and disappear at will
they can transform into a walking porcupine (it looks like a porcupine from the back, and the front is half-troll, half-human and walks upright)
they can attack people and lure them to their deaths
they are able to use magic
they have poison arrows
they can create fire at will
Pukwudgies control Tei-Pai-Wankas which are believed to be the souls of Native Americans they have killed.
Native Americans believed that Pukwudgies were best left alone. When
you see a Pukwudgie you are not supposed to mess with them, or they will
repay you by playing nasty tricks on you, or by following you and
causing trouble. They were once friendly to humans, but then turned
against them. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs,
attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to
blind their victims.
"Legends of the Pukwudgie began in connection to 'Maushop', a
creation giant believed by the Wampanoag to have created most of Cape
Cod. He was beloved by the people, and the Pukwudgies were jealous of
the affection the Natives had for him. They tried to help the Wampanoag,
but their efforts always backfired, until they eventually decided to
torment them instead. They became mischievous and aggravated the Natives
until they asked 'Granny Squanit', Maushop’s wife, for help. Maushop
collected as many as he could. He shook them until they were confused
and tossed them around New England. Some died, but others landed,
regained their minds and made their way back to Massachusetts.
Satisfied he had done his job and pleased his wife, Maushop went away
for a while. In his absence, the Pukwudgies had returned. They again
changed their relationship with the Wampanoags. They were no longer just
a nuisance, but began kidnapping children, burning villages and forcing
the Wampanoag deep into the woods and killing them. Squanit again
stepped in, but Maushop, being very lazy, sent his five sons to fix the
problem. The Pukwudgies lured them into deep grass and shot them dead
with magic arrows. Enraged, Squanit and Maushop attacked as many as they
could find and crushed them, but many escaped and scattered throughout
New England again. The Pukwudgies regrouped and tricked Maushop into the
water and shot him with their arrows. Some legends say they killed him,
while others claim he became discouraged and depressed about the death
of his sons, but after these events Maushop disappears from the
Wampanoags' mythology."
There are reportedly encounters of the Pukwudgie in the Freetown-Fall River State Forest in Massachusetts. Ironically, part of the FFR state forest belongs to the Wampanoag Nation. There have also been several odd suicides at a ledge in the state forest. The suicides have led some to believe that the Pukwudgie pushed the people off the ledge.
Here is a video done by Animal Planet about Pukwudgie.
Some say that Pukwudgie is nothing more than a troll or a hobbit, while others say it is a jinn because it shape shifts abilities. Regardless of what you may call it or what it's appearance may be, I think we can all agree that the Pukwudgie is a scary cryptid.
Thanks
~Tom~
This
post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the
cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto
Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of
unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild
land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.
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