Kathi was wondering about Hodags. Well, you asked the right person! Apparently a lumberjack named Eugene Shepard who was from Rhinelander decided to come up with a story about a fierce beast which is depicted with a long spine of spikes, a giant mouth full of jagged teeth, 2 pointy horns, and razor sharp claws. It first appeared in 1893 I'm guessing he's trying to rival the legend of Babe the Blue Ox, but I'm not so sure that hodags ever got the acclaim of the blue ox. Poor Gene! They even made it the subject of many postcard images, I assume to attract people to the area???
This is a link to some of the history of the hodag.
http://www.rhinelanderchamber.com/history2.htm
I will add a picture later, I need to locate the one I took of the beastly hodag visciously attacking my poor unsuspecting children the summer before last!
Here's that picture I promised. Do you see how that mangy critter is sneeking up on them? Run, kids!
This is the statue outside of the Chamber of commerce. Even though Gene described it as having short, black hair, area artists seem to prefer o depict it as being green. You can see many renditions of the hodag scattered throughout town.
9 comments:
Now, that is one fearsome beast! Bet it would even scare the deer out of a garden. Too bad we can't put them on patrol!
Ben- Thanks for stopping by!
No kidding. Maybe that's why there are so many carved hodags around town???
At least hogag is smiling!!
Of course he is, he's about to capture an easy meal. LOL!
Cinj...I read the whole history on the hodag. Eugene Shepard was quite amazing don't you think? to create a monster that drew thousands of people to see his creation, amazing! I think your two kids can take that hodag! Thank you so much for sharing, what an adventure!
You know what? They probably could! If they weren't strong enough to fight that nasty thing off they could just start arguing and the poor thing's ears would be hurting so bad it would run away in no time flat!
cinj--that might be the funniest thing I've ever heard you say---I know there were kids arguing in the nursery today and I wanted to stuff their mouths full of potting soil!!
Aren't arguing kids just the worst thing to listen to?
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