The gallywampus, whistling wampus, and most common the wampus cat, is a half dog, half cat beast. She lives in the Appalachian mountains and stalks the likes of men. She’s a legend of Cherokee lore, a creature with glowing, yellow eyes that drive people to the edge of insanity. It has a scent that teams of something like a skunk with a wet dog by its side. The demon walks on all fours, but can also walk upright, as the creature is a shapeshifter.



Two stories are told of this spirit, she is both known as a vengeful, evil spirit, and a kind protector of her homeland. The first tells us that long ago, a group of Cherokee warriors were sent on what was to be a long and hard hunt. Due to this, the elders would not allow any woman to attend.



This angered one woman, so much that she left the village that night and followed the men. She disguised herself with the pelt of a cougar, lurking around the men’s camp and stealing food at night. But one night she made a mistake and was discovered by the men. She was taken back to the village and sentenced a punishment by the elders.



The elders decided she would be transformed into the very animal she wanted to be, a cougar. The tribe’s shaman cursed her, now she roams the Appalachian area speaking revenge on men for her punishment.



One dark night a group of four men were camping in the woods, the only light was that of their own fire. After some time of telling stories and a few drinks, the men all headed to their separate tents.



In the middle of the night, one man awoke and found he needed to use the restroom, so he stepped out into the woods. The fire had died to only hot coals, but the man’s eyes adjusted just enough to see shadows. As the man walked to the edge of the woods he leaned against a tree, still a little dizzy from his drinks earlier in the night.



As he began his business, he saw a quick dash of a shadow just beyond himself. The figure appeared to be standing on two legs. Unsettled, the man quickly began his way back to his tent. Along the way, he heard a scream, one that sounded like a woman screaming of fear and terror. He didn’t even look back. He sprinted to his thinly walled tent and dove into his sleeping bag, waiting for the others to ask what happened. They never did.



For some time, he laid in silence, the dead of night, shaking in horror, cold sweat dripping across his face, his breathing heavy and ragged. He finally gained his composure again about fifteen minutes. This is when he heard footsteps.



They sounded as though something was stepping lightly through the dirt and grass, nearing his tent, every step coming closer. He looked toward his unzipped tent door. Near the fire pit stood a shadow, one that looked like a cat. It had a rounded muzzle, two large pointed ears, and two great gl owing yellow eyes, but it was standing on its hind legs. The man heard a low growl from the figure and it darted into the woods as the sky began turning a light blue. The wampus cat is only seen at night.



The other tale of the creatures origin is more the story of a heroine. The strongest, most brave, and intelligent warrior was sent to kill an evil spirit known as the Ew’ah. His wife kissed him goodbye and he left with many great weapons from the tribe’s war chiefs. When he returned after days of hunting, he was screaming with madness. His wife knew he had found the demon.



After some time he was able to help the women harvest, but he was considered dead by the tribe, no one ever speaking his name again. Running Deer, the warrior’s wife, was enraged by the spirit taking her husband from her. She decided she would have her revenge.



She spoke with the tribe’s shaman and received a blessed mask. The mask was that of a mountain lion, the animal which the Ew’ah took the form of. Running Deer set out into the woods with only the mask to kill the demon with.



After days of searching, she came across the paw prints of an oversized cat near a river. After following them for a short while, she saw a large, ugly cat leaning over the river’s edge. She had placed upon her skin a special sav so the beats could not see or smell her. As quietly as possible, Running Deer crept behind the beast and let loose a loud womanly scream.



Caught entirely off guard the Ew’ah jumped to pounce on her. Instead, the creature saw the mask and began wailing the same sound she had made. It began tearing its flesh from its own bones. To this day, Running Deer is said to walk her homelands, protecting the area from evil spirits as the Wampus Cat.