kudzu and muscadines and cicadas screamin' in summertime

Some Cryptid sketches for spooky season: Ozark Howler | Mothman | Jersey Devil | Fiji Mermaids

learning to draw using my Galaxy Tab s6 lite. Apps used: artflow and sketchbook 

The Green Devil of the Ozarks: The little green fairy of... moonshine?

It was 2005. I was with my grandfather in an old shop similar to "dick's 5 and 10" outside of Branson, Missouri. This is where The Green Devil caught my eye.

My grandfather frequented little old fashioned stores like this. He loved collecting all kinds of gadgets. Old movie posters, salt water taffy, and soda parlor paraphenalia. It was heaven on earth to him in this little corner of the world that was stuck in an older Ozark time. His house wasn't too dissimilar to a crackerbarrel gift shop. All kinds of wooden toys and dolls. He loved his little knickknacks. But on that day he found it. A copy of an old French absynthe poster with "the little green fairy" smirking at the viewer. He had to have it. It was being sold for $8! frame included! If only the seller knew the true value of it. Or how it's mere existence was breaking so many copyright laws.

Maurin Quina, as it's named, is a French apéritif advertisement painted by Leonetto Cappiello in 1906. The drink was made illegal soon after its creation. But this poster is now being reused today. It was not well known in the US at all back then. Not even in the 2000's. but my grandfather being a moonshiner, absynthe fan, and art history drop out, knew all about it.

My grandfather was not as religious as the rest of my family. But he sure prayed to God when he was trying to avoid the law. He was selling homemade moonshine without any sort of license or proper knowledge of sanitary practices. It was an arte form he learned from his father that I never had the pleasure of learning.

He decided to hang this new poster up in his storm cellar where he kept his aging bottles of various liquors. Over time it developed A life of its own. My grandfather would kiss his hand and place it on the poster of the little green fairy after every jar was sealed or sales were made. I Don't think he saw this as devil worship so much as just a simple good luck ritual. Not too disimilar to his high school basketball team kissing the image of their mascot before a game. He always practiced these superstitions even though he didn't seem to really believe in them.

Fast forward to today. I'm an Ozark trad witch. So of course I now work with this image as if it is the devil himself. He is a devil that rules spring and summer. Drunkenness, poison, lunacy, fairies, and nature. He is associated with law breaking, alcohol, healing, harming, and fertility. With Easter coming up He is on my mind heavily. A time I feed him red dyed eggs symbolizing the blood of christ and the blood of good Christians. I feed him this with intentions of causing those which share the eucharist to lust. Poisoning the church so to speak. I attend mass in spirit form and dip my blessed turkey wish bone down in the communion wine. The turkey is symbolic of love in the Ozarks. And the wishbone is horned like the stang, and my devil. Midnight mass on Easter is filled with drunkenness and sex. Those consuming this spiritually poisoned wine are consumed with lust for others in the church. An orgy ensues in the great house of God. Only for all members to awaken Easter morning with no memory of the incestuous rituals performed with their brothers and sisters in christ. To do such things in the house of God and not confess them (due to not remembering) is damanble. This is my goal as a witch. To bring the witches Sabbath to the church and to pervert the souls of good men.

By turkey wand and lustful stang I complete my work in the devils name.

A call to the Green Devil:

"Envy is his name. Drunkeness and poisoning are his arte. He is Lord of the little people and plants alike; come little green fairy and bring your lust and your lunacy. Green devil rise from the roots below like a serpent. Green devil come down from the tree tops like a booger in the night who takes its flight. Join me in this witching hour oh beast of the green and hear my call to the wild. By my witches flame may it be so."

Look out for a post on the black and red devils later this year. Our horned one changes with the seasons

OZARK HOWLER- ARKANSAS

The Ozarks are a range of low mountains found primarily in Northern Arkansas and southern Missouri with portions extending into Oklahoma and Kansas.   Their origins lie in the late Paleozoic when sand, silt, coral, and shells built up as layers of sludge on the bottom of a sea that covered  what would eventually become the American South. Over time these sediments hardened into rock- sand became sandstone, silt became slate, and the shells and coral became limestone- and the movement of tectonic plates pushed them upwards into a low dome-like plateau.  Over the next 485 million years rivers and rain gradually eroded the soft rocks into canyons, cliffs, and caves that have provided habitat for bears, bobcats, otters and other Southern wildlife along with more unusual creatures like blind cave fish, collared lizards and endangered grey bats. And perhaps a cryptid or two.

According to legend, the people of the Ozarks have been haunted for decades by the unearthly screams of a beast dubbed the Black Howler.  Those who have caught a glimpse of the monster describe it as a dark-furred cat nearly the size of a bear. Other reports claim it has glowing red eyes and demonic horns sprouting from its head.

Explanations for the beast range from a normal, though unknown, species of large cat to something more supernatural. A few people have even compared the beast to English and Welsh legends of black dogs, cŵn annwn, hellhounds, and other supernatural beasts that bring misfortune to those who see them.

More skeptical people have speculated that the Howler is simply a misidentified cougar. Though these big cats are believed to be extinct in this region, it’s possible that a small population has survived. Or perhaps a few lone individuals have wandered in from other areas. This theory is bolstered by photos from trail cams showing creatures that strongly resemble these animals, and by similar cases of “phantom big cats” occurring in areas of the US where they are not normally found.

Though some claim that legends of the Howler go back generations, cryptozoologist Loren Coleman has found that the first reports of the beast originated from posts on online forums in the late 1990s. His investigations indicate that the “folklore” about the beast was a deliberate hoax to mock the widespread reports of chupacabras and bigfoots that were becoming increasingly widespread at the time thanks to the advent of the internet. Hoax it may be, but the Howler has since become a popular piece of Ozark folklore and sightings are still regularly reported.

 The Howler is especially significant as one of the first urban legend monsters to be created online, laying the groundwork for later, more famous internet creatures like Slenderman, The Rake, Momo, and Trevor Henderson’s Siren Head.

RESOURCES

Cryptids & Creatures of Folklore Drawtober Day 16 — The Ozark Howler

The Ozark Howler is a creature from American folklore which is said to lurk in the wilds of the Ozark Mountain range in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Sightings have also been reported in Texas as well. It is described as being the size and shape of large bear with a dark, shaggy coat and a pair of horns sprouting from its head. The monster’s cry is said to be a combination of a wolf's howl, an elk's bugle, and the laugh of a hyena. 

The first recorded sighting of the Ozark Howler was in the 1800s when Daniel Boone supposedly encountered the beast. 

The Ozark Howler

My entry for the 1bit Cryptid Collab

I meant to post this sooner but! I've made a red bubble store! So if any of y'all wanna support a young hobby artist or you just think any of these are cute, then I'd love for you to check it out :)

https://www.redbubble.com/people/TheGhostea/shop?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campaign=share-artist&utm_medium=android

The Ozark Howler

A comic I did for Okie Comics back in 2020, for their Halloween issue.

Oklahoma has a surprising lack of local cryptids, but the Ozark Howler seemed a good candidate for two amateur cryptid hunters to go after...

Case #88: Two Creepy Cryptids

This week, we learn about the paranormal Banshee of the Badlands and the Ozark Howler. Do they actually exist? Are these alleged photos real? Why are they said to signal your impending death?

Tweet Link Here. Episode Link Here. Transcripts, so far as we’re aware, have not yet been created. If you know of transcripts, please feel free to drop us an ask!

For anyone who what's to know the second pic is the mythical creature called the Ozark Howler. I was doing some research on something and came upon the Howler and it looked liked the beast in beauty and the beast and decided to do this dumb little edit. Anyway have a nice day, night, or afternoon!

what if ozark did the irritated reptile tail wiggle

made a yo-kai based on the Ozark howler . I plan on making some more cryptids as yo-kai

The Dog Days of Summer- Booger Dogs and Shapeshifting.

The dog says of summer are July 3 - August 11. These days are believed to be the hottest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. They are based around the Sirius (Cerberus) star system reaching its highest point. In the old Ozarks they were believed to be times to avoid feral dogs as dogs may be more prone to rabies on these days. animal attacks by wolves or coyotes were considered common as well.

Another event happening during this time was the appearance of the “booger dog.” Whose etymology derived from “bogey man” or “boogy man”. The booger dog was a monstrous and spiritual creature who was believed to be a witch, shapeshifter, or haint. It was a maligned spirit that attacked people as well as stole milk and other riches from common folk. It was essentially an ozark version of a werewolf. Only it was around all summer from the point of sundown to sunrise.

As a witch based in the Ozarks I have adopted this season into my practice. During this time I join the witch ancestors and haints alike in the form of a shadowy beast. It is truly a time for gluttony and other selfish acts. To quite literally run with the wolves and eat the living. As slipping out of one’s skin and shapeshifting, it’s common to feel the tendons and flesh release. [ or even tear if the trance is deep. ] Running into the mountains as a black creature of vile grandeur is cathartic and addicting. It’s truly a time to be alive. A time for the witch to rule the hot summer nights.

For those new to shapeshifting, the dog days are the best time to do it. The animalistic nature of the witch is unleashed with ease during the dog days. During this time witches may develop strange behaviors after shapeshifting. These altered states of consciousness change behavior to be very canine-like. Craving meat or blood is a common occurrence for those running among a pack of booger dogs during the season of Sirius. In fact, a true professional knows that these side effects actually aid the witch in more accurate shapeshifting states as the maligned season progresses. It is helpful to use the bones, pelts, or other parts of a black dog or wolf to aid in shapeshifting. My preferred method is traveling in spirit through a pelvic bone of a black dog. As my spirit mingles with the bone it takes on its properties.

It is common to hold a piece of dogwood bark in the mouth like a bone when shapeshifting. This plant ally is very tied to booger dogs. It can help make them and repel them. It is believed that throwing a piece of dogwood away from you when pursued by a booger dog could save your life. This folk belief never confirms if this is tied to the idea of dogs playing fetch or not. But I can confirm that I would be very interested in anything that appears to be running away from me in that state. A flying stick would draw my attention with much success.

Happy dog days, boogers!

Side note: On July fourth, a time for fireworks and loud noises, it could be said that these loud and light filled celebrations are to keep the booger dogs away.

I made some cryptid paintings a while ago

A couple of early style exploration drawings for The Crypt Has Opened. We're shooting for an old, Tales From the Crypt comics vibe.

First is an Ozark Howler attacking a magical practitioner and the second a variety of Chupacabra.