The fearsome Dismal Swamp, on the border of Virginia and North Carolina, already a fearsome place, but here, a great, dismal swamp. And that’s its real name. British colonists thought it was a bit dismal so the name simply stuck. I might do something similar to mess with future people if I ever get to name something. Imagine that in the year 2100. “And we end our tour here, in Great Pancake Valley!” Imagine the stories they’ll make up about me. Originally, it covered 2,000 square miles, with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees, a humid and soggy place, a godforsaken hellhole worthy of its name: dismal. And I’m not still talking about me although, admittedly, many of those things DO apply to me. Sniff, whimper, sob…
The Great Dank Patch
Centuries after the British colonists named this place, it remains as dismal as ever, which I guess is great for the tourist board: “Oh no, it’s no longer dismal! We’ll have to change all our pamphlets to the ‘Great Happy Swamp’!” Filled with thorns and thickets, the Great Dismal Swamp is a foreboding place. It is dangerous, teeming with wildlife so inconsolably evil one’s pantaloons will be left well and truly watered, although one is in a swamp so you may get away with it.
The wildlife here is unpleasant, with black bears, poisonous snakes and swarms of yellow flies and mosquitoes swanning around. It was even once home to panthers, and I’m not necessarily talking about the animals. Ahem. Many dangers are lurking here, and, seemingly, some too foul to mention. This is a problem because mentioning things is kinda my job. ‘The Great Mentioner’ they used to call me. Like a naff Houdini, I guess…
So untamed was this wild land that horses and boats could not enter, like a branch of McDonald’s, although one suspects if one’s boat is IN a branch of McDonald’s one can only reply to such with a ‘kudos’. That’s some feat. This imperviousness, however, did not deter people from the swamp but lured them in, like a Venus fly trap or something equally as tempting. Like a tiny can of Coke. Why are you so small! Ooh, look how cute you are! Aww, I want to pinch your wittle cheeks! Don’t tell me that’s not possible.
Many detested the swamp. William Byrd II described it as a ‘miserable morass where nothing can inhabit’, but people did. Thousands of enslaved black people escaped their captors and set up homes here, in the swamp. Entire communities were formed. But there was something else lurking in the murk. Something that would live up to the great dismal name.
A wolf man was on the loose…
The Great Murk-tator
There are many mysteries of the great swamp, an infamous haunt of many strange beasts, but one stands out above all others, and I’m not talking about Swamp Thing, which definitely should not have been cancelled. This is a vast maze of waterways and low-lying mist, the dim shroud cast over the swamp leaving it murky and prone to endless howls shattering the chilling isolation. It is, most certainly, as spooky as the kind of abandoned roller disco that Scooby would frequent in the days when he rightfully couldn’t speak…
It is easy to peer into the gloom and see something that is not there, like when I took a shower last night in the dark because the bulb had blown. I sure hope that’s a loofah. Or at the very least something bumpy and spongy. Hmm. Weirdness surrounds the swamp, but among the numerous tales of ghostly lights, shadowy apparitions and inhabitants of the realm of the supernatural, the wolf man of this swamp stands tallest. A hairy, eight-foot-tall bipedal beast, smelling of rotten flesh, prowling the great murk. And, surprisingly, it is not me. The first recorded report came on March 20th, 1901. It was in an edition of the Richmond Dispatch, which reads:
‘The strange Dismal Swamp monster, which one day this week killed seven of Ed Smith’s dogs, ate two of them, and later attacked Mr Smith himself, has been seen again… last night, L Frank Ames, a merchant… saw the same thing and suffered from its ravages. Hearing a strange noise, Mr Ames went out with a pistol. He thought at first it was a strange dog. When he learned it was the much-sought monster Mr Ames shot several times, but without effect. The thing growled savagely. Being sent after it, six dogs refused to have conflict and fled in terror. They could not be induced to make an attack. The unknown animal escaped without being harmed. Afterwards, it appeared at the home of Henry Jordan… and sat defiantly on a covered wall. The description is like the one furnished by Mr Smith – a large, gaunt form, log yellow hair and vicious eyes.’
The creature had arrived. And it was spotted everywhere, from the great plains to the great outhouse, lamenting the great loss of no toilet roll…
The Real Swamp Thing
These various sightings were often greatly similar: a tall, bipedal creature, similar to a wolf. It was often described as shaggy, with matted hair covering its entire body. Its eyes were said to glow brightly. It had canine features and became notorious for savaging dogs and livestock, often leaving them horribly mangled. Hunters would travel out into the swamp each night trying to kill the beast. At this point in the movie, the hunters would start to be picked off one by one, but, sadly, that didn’t happen. Not that I’m saying I’m glad they’re still alive, of course. Mostly. It soon became apparent, however, that there were more than one of these things. As reported in the March 21st, 1902 edition of the Little Falls Herald:
‘Another monster has come forth from the dismal swamp jungles, and is spreading alarm among farmers… last week an unclassified animal not indigenous to high lands terrorised residents… so that they were afraid to leave home at night. After being chased by numerous armed posses this beast was killed by Harrison Walker… now Edward Smith… says that a strange being visited his premises and killed seven dogs, two of which were eaten, while the other five were mutilated. Another dog took refuge under a barn, and Smith, hearing the dog’s yells, went out with a pistol.
The monster sprang upon him. Smith fell, and the beast tore his clothing to shreds. He finally beat it off, but the revolver, being corroded, would not fire. Whit Walker, of the same neighbourhood, says the animal visited his home, too. From Smith’s description, the animal is larger than a wolf, with shaggy, yellow hair, a long head and sunken eyes. It is gaunt and vicious. People are wondering what will next come from the unexplored swamp… the more superstitious regard the visitation as supernatural, and families are having much trouble with their servants.’
The beast was here, leaving people with their clothes torn to shreds having to beat off a wolf man. Erm… but what would next come?
From the Dismal Lair
The creature, or something similar, has been sighted since those days, right up to modern times, but these sporadic sightings have largely fizzled away. Many are left wondering just what terrorised Great Dismal Swamp. Could it be an actual werewolf? Or perhaps, even, a Bigfoot-type creature? There are other, somehow more absurd, theories.
Some genuinely believe it to be a polar bear, somehow ignoring the impossibilities of such, but the truth is hard to fathom. Something most certainly spookified the locals of Great Dismal Swamp 120 years ago, but what, what was it? The only evidence we have is a handful of old newspaper articles. That is it. Perhaps we will never know what the creature was, or perhaps still is, but this terrifyingly macabre encounter makes for one grand tale.
The tale of the Nuisance of the Dismal Wolfman.
I give this tale a mark of 883.77 using my patented Mystery-o-Meter, putting it 51st in the list of 156, between the Monster of the Preseli Hills and the Battle of LA, with Lusca bottom and The Machine Elves holding the top spot.
The Nuisance of the Dismal Wolfman. A fascinating mystery indeed.
You Can Check Out My Top 10 Most Fascinating Mysteries by Clicking Here!
Ciao :)(:
Post 1,590: Comments, Likes & Follows Greatly Appreciated :)
My Other Blogs: The Indelible Life of Me | Hark Around the Greats
Click Here for Credits (click on image to enlarge)
Image Credit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dismal_Swamp
Post Sources
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2020/04/the-mysterious-wolfman-of-the-great-dismal-swamp/, https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/great-dismal-swamp/
To Contrive & Jive 
Leave a comment