INTRO:
Hello and welcome to Myth Monsters, my name is Erin and I’ll be your host for these little snack bite size podcasts on folklore and mythical monsters from around the world.
These podcasts focus on the actual cryptids, folklore and mythic monsters from global mythology, rather than focusing on full stories of heroes and their big adventures.
I’ll also be dropping in some references that they have to recent culture and where you can see these represented in modern day content so you can learn more, and get as obsessed as I am about these absolute legends of the mythological world.
So you know last week where I said I was going to buy Baldur’s Gate 3 and I said you might lose me - well that’s definitely confirmed. I’ve spent 100 hours in the game and I have no regrets and am romancing a literal demon so that’s all fun - it is very very good though, if you’re looking for a sign to buy it, this is it.
DESCRIPTION:
Anyway, that’s been my week! Now for this week’s monster, we’re not in the D&D space (from what I know anyway) and we’re heading back to North America for a very specifically seen monster - yes we’re in Wisconsin, looking at the mystical Hodag.
Before we get started on the actual monster, here’s some facts about Wisconsin - just in case you don’t know anything about this relatively large state in the US. It’s in the upper midwest according to its definition and it’s right next to the Great Lakes region, and with that comes pine trees and the pine barrens. If you remember all the way back to 2021 when I started the podcast, we covered the Jersey Devil who was also only seen in New Jersey’s pine barrens - so this kind of environment is perfect for monsters.
However, this monster’s locale is even more specific than Wisconsin and it’s to a certain city called Rhinelander. Again, this city is surrounded by nature, and is known for its nature trails, woodland and lake views - but most importantly for us, it's most known for the Hodag.
Now onto the Hodag itself, this monster is described as a large lizard type beast that stands on four legs. It's about 30 inches tall, 7 feet long and weighs 200 pounds, and has dark green, thick reptilian skin, glowing red eyes, two horns protruding from its head and massive fangs. It also has spines like a stegosaurus, and stinks to high heaven of ‘buzzard meat and skunk perfume’.
Early reports said that it had the head of a frog and the face of a giant elephant - but I’ve not been able to find many examples of this version. It can apparently breathe fire as well as having massive claws to catch any prey. The only noted power that it has is breathing fire, but it’s a massive dinosaur so I think that’s a power unto itself. However, it never uses this power to attack people - and there have been no reported Hodag attacks. They generally avoid people, but are mostly spotted by them whilst trying to pass by unnoticed or by their loud calls, which are apparently unlike any other forest animal. If they are spotted, they are aggressive and incredibly territorial though, but you can fight them off with lemons as they have a problem with citrus fruits.
There’s so much information on the Hodag, I can even tell you what it likes to eat - and it’s not people. The Hodag likes mud turtles, water snakes and oxen, but on Sundays, it will also go for a white bulldog specifically. It has been known to steal fish off of fisherman’s lines, but is also partial to the local delicacy, which is a potato pancake. How people found this out, I do not know. They are generally solitary creatures, and only come together for mating purposes, and the female Hodags give birth to eggs, not live young.
The Hodag is known to live in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, which covers Rhinelander, which was previously lumber country - with mostly a lumberjack population. Now there is a bustling city but a quarter of the county is still undeveloped land and woodland, and that’s mainly for the Hodag - so we can also consider this a blessing in the form of a monster. But in terms of their natural environment, they mostly like it either in underground dens, or hidden amongst the trees.
ORIGIN:
For etymology, unfortunately, I’ve drawn completely a blank on this one. I couldn’t find any information anywhere on why it is called the Hodag, and this is the first time this has happened. It's popular enough to have a latin name assigned to it though, Nasobatilus hystrivoratus but I couldn’t find a translation for that either - so I apologise, there’s not much for this one this week. I’d love to say it's totally my fault for not finding it, but honestly - I don’t think there is an etymology for this word out there!
For its history, this is where it gets interesting. The Hodag was first reported in the early 1800’s, and it is thought that it was reported by lumberjacks in the area who may have spotted it through the trees. Throughout Rhinelander, a rumour started spreading that there were monsters in the woods amongst the lumberjacks and their families. It was thought that the Hodag was possibly a reincarnated oxen, as the lumberjacks used them to drag logs from the forest, and returned to live a free afterlife.
I will say too that it might even be earlier than this, because the Native Americans tribe, Ojibwe, believed that in the same area, there was a water panther called Mishipeshu who lived here and is one of the most important mythical water beings within the Anishinaabe people. We’ll cover this at another time, but it was important to bring up.
In 1893 though, the story hit mainline news. A resort owner called Gene Shepard started spreading rumours that he had a picture of the beast haunting the woods, and that a group of local hunters had finally tracked down the monster. He said that they had taken dogs, rifles and squirt guns filled with poison water to attack the Hodag, but nothing seemed to work on the creature. Then they ended up using dynamite, and blew up the monster - but he still managed to have a picture of the Hodag, albeit, black and white and the supposed monster in pretty bad shape. You can still look at this photo if you look it up too, you might think the same as I am - and that this was a big old hoax.
And it was! Gene Shepard then came back three years later to say he had caught a live Hodag with the help of some bear wrestlers and chloroform, and he took the monster on a tour of the US, charging people to go into dark tents to hear the growl and see it move. It got the attention of the US media, and a group of scientists went to see what the commotion was, only to find that the monster was actually made of wood and oxen leather that was moved with wires behind the scenes.
Just because this was exposed as a hoax doesn't mean that the belief in the monster went away though, and it is still very real to this day, especially in Wisconsin and Rhinelander. In Rhinelander today, golfers blame the Hodag for stealing their misshot golf balls and fishers still blame it for stealing their prize catch. As well as this, the locals have embraced this local legend and there is a whole website dedicated to the Hodag run by the Rhinelander chamber of commerce, where a Hodag statue sits proudly outside. You can look here too for a Hodag trail throughout the city, where statues are put up to commemorate this local cryptid (and if you find them all, you get an actual prize), and you can follow them on Instagram under @therealhodag too!
As well as this, there are gift shops, tours and even their local High School and country music festivals dedicated to the Hodag. They even have a fan club if you’re in the United States, you can sign up and get a signed photo of the statue outside the Chamber of Commerce, as well as some Hodag themed goodies - I went to sign up and found its not available in Europe which made me sad, so I do need someone to live vicariously for me and sign up, then tell me what they send please. One last fun fact too is that US President JF Kennedy went to Rhinelander once and got a replica Hodag, and apparently used it for inspiration when writing his inaugural address in 1959 - so that’s pretty cool.
Going back to folklore though, there’s not many creatures or cryptids that are like the Hodag that I can relate to. The closest one I can think of, and they are often compared to each other is the Jersey Devil - as they are a forest cryptid from the same kind of area as the Hodag. Although the way they look and act are completely different, there is a great history with hoaxes and travelling circuses with both of them. We can definitely relate it to a US cryptid phenomena like Bigfoot in terms of the wide-spread either complete belief or complete disbelief in it, but it’s certainly not a big in terms of its worldwide significance either.
For real life comparisons, I think it could possibly be a case of mistaken identity. Of course, in these kinds of environments, there are lots of bears, moose and other larger forest animals - especially in the States and near the border of Canada and the Lakes. However, it could be something such as a few hunting dogs being lost all the way back in the 1800’s that could have spooked people, it could have been bear mating calls that they heard - but either way, the Hodag has become firmly lodged in the heart of Wisconsin, and I love it.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Now onto modern media, I’ve struggled to find things this week - and honestly, I’m going to just include Hodag media here, because it’s a few, but I think they live in a league of their own.
For art, I would really recommend looking at the Hodag statues all around Rhinelander. If you’re in Wisconsin, go check them out in reality, but if not - you can look on the Rhinelander Hodag website and look at all of them on the trail! Otherwise, have a look at the independent art this week, and the original photo from 1893 for comparison, as they are so starkly different, but the new art is so cool!
In movies, we have; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them & Backwoods Bloodbath.
For TV, we have; Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Mysteries at the Museum, InCryptid, Boogeymen: Monsters Among Us, America’s Monsters & Exploring Cryptids. I actually watched Boogeymen recently on Amazon Prime and it was a really good series. I really recommend that one for some real life stories by the locals!
In video games, we have two; Pathfinder & Magical Diary.
My book recommendation this week is Long Live the Hodag!: The Life and Legacy of Eugene Simeon Shepard by Kurt Daniel Kortenhof for a great summary of the monster and the hoax, but you can also find them in Fearsome Critters by Henry H Tyron, who literally wrote the book on US cryptids, and is great for all those other monsters too!
DO I THINK THEY EXISTED?
Now it’s time for, do I think they existed?
You know what, it’s another one where I get so compelled by the local belief that I start to believe it myself. I think in reality, it is probably a case of misidentification - BUT and this is important, I think I get very swayed by how much a community respects their local folklore and history, and because Rhinelander embrace this so much - it’s hard to deny its existence.
Another example of this is the Loch Ness monster over here in Scotland - there’s such a widespread love of it that Loch Ness is so respected and looked after. The locals know that there’s nothing in that loch, but it compels you to look at things a little differently, especially when there is no physical evidence of existence in either way.
But the Hodag is one that is very close to my heart, and I really hope to get out to Rhinelander one day and do the tour myself, not particularly helpful that I can’t drive - but I will do my best. One of my colleagues is from Michigan and I might see if he wants to do a Hodag road trip with me some day.
But what do you think? Does the Hodag roam the forests of Wisconsin? Let me know on Twitter!
OUTRO:
What a fantastic local cryptid, I’m so happy that we can cover monsters like this that are so important to local people - I hope if we have any Wisconsin locals listening that you thoroughly enjoyed this episode, because I know I did.
Next week, we’re heading over to the seven seas - nowhere in particular - but looking at a well-known folklore figure who is in most of our sea-based fairytales and is even a way of saying someone had drowned. Get your crew together for Davy Jones next Thursday as we go sailing with this ominous sea metaphor that has become corporeal.
For now, thank you so much for listening, it’s been an absolute pleasure. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give it a rating on the service you’re listening on - I’ve got the twitter for any questions, or suggestions on what monsters to cover next and I’d love to hear from you. The social media handles for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram are mythmonsterspodcast, and twitter is mythmonsterspod. But all of our content can be found at mythmonsters.co.uk - you can also find us on Goodpods, Buymeacoffee and Patreon if you want to help me fund the podcast too.
Come join the fun though and share this with your pals, they might love me as much as you do.
But for now, stay spooky and I’ll see you later babes.