Wampus Cat Cherokee Legend

As the story goes a cherokee woman was cursed by a village medicine man and she took on the form of a half woman half cougar beast.

Cat in the hat joke kitten for adoption qld. In cherokee mythology the monster is the cat like embodiment of a female onlooker cursed by tribal elders as punishment for hiding beneath the pelt of a large wild cat to witness a sacred ceremony. The name wampus cat is derived from the old terms cattywampus or catawampus which are used to refer to things that arent quite right. So while the central figure in the story of the wampus cat is said to be a cherokee woman its clear that this is a story told about the cherokee rather than a cherokee story.

And the wampus cat itself seems to go back further than the story as its told today. The wampus cat is walking through again. The wampus cat or cherokee death cat is a feline creature in american folklore that can be depicted as frightening or comical depending on the region.

The cherokee had another legend of the wampus cat in that it was a demonic spirit known as ewah and the bravest warrior of the cherokee standing bear would go out with holy weapons provided by shamans and confront the demon. The wampus cats roots can be traced to cherokee folklore. During the 192030s newspapers reported of a wampus cat killing.

Legends hold that a woman dressed in the skin of a cougar spied on a group of men. A wampus cat might sound like the name of a cartoon cat but in reality it is something much more complex and much more sinister. Cherokee woman wearing a wampus mask to defeat the ewah spirit.

An evil demon called ewah the spirit of madness had been terrorizing the village of etowah or chota depending on the version you hear in what is today north carolina. More about this story edit edit. The wampus cat is used as a mascot for numerous educational institutions.

Cherokee folklore which is filled with tales of evil spirits lurking in the deep dark forests that surrounded their villages offers a different view of the wampas cat. The cherokee inhabited much of the southern appalachians before being displaced as a result of the indian removal act of 1830. Cats have figured in mythology and folklore the world over from gods taking feline form in egypt to the superstitions around black catsin north america the wampus cat is a creature that features in appalachian and southern regional lore according to appalachian history having been a part of native american history that became a mainstay in american tradition and is even the mascot for.

The wampus cat has been associated in. In cherokee mythology the monster is the cat like embodiment of a female onlooker cursed by tribal elders as punishment for hiding beneath the pelt of a large wild cat to witness a sacred ceremony. Although wampus cat legends can be heard throughout the south in the united states they seem to be predominantly prominent in appalachia and has its origins in cherokee lore.