creatures remembered in death?

steddyeddy

Hey Im not sure if this will go down as being psuedo science but thats not the intent, can you think of any creature recently extinct which may have been portayed in myth, legend or folklore?

A few stick out in my mind as being rooted in fact that has been passed down in folklore, the most interesting ones to me (and possibly our ancestors) are the hominids. what peoples dont have legends of hairy men like creatures.

To get the ball rolling in my mind the clear example would be of the legends of the island people of flores regarding the ebu gogo (grandmother who eats anything).

These "little people" are said to be about one meter tall, covered in hair, pot-bellied and with ears that stick out. The women Ebu Gogo had extremely pendulous breasts, so long that they would throw them over their shoulder. They are held to walk somewhat awkwardly and are often said to be "murmuring" in what is assumed to be their own language. It is also said by the islanders that the Ebu Gogo can repeat what is said to them in parrot-like fashion

This on an island that the first homo floresiensis fossils were found (actually all of the islands of indonesia are rich in legends of short hairy men). Are these stories a coincidence or rooted in fact and has does anyone know of any other extinct creatures that may have been represented in myth?

marco_polo

Diprotodon has been posultated as a possible real creature behind the mythical 'Bunyip' of Aboriginal folklore. It only became extinct at least 20,000 years sfter humans first arrived in Australia some 60,000 odd years ago.

steddyeddy

marco_polo wrote: »

Diprotodon has been posultated as a possible real creature behind the mythical 'Bunyip' of Aboriginal folklore. It only became extinct at least 20,000 years sfter humans first arrived in Australia some 60,000 odd years ago.

I do remember reading that somewhere, excellent! Another simular one is the mapinguari of the amazon could be based on the giant ground sloth.

As regards hominids I think a case could be made for the almasty of mongolia (short,hairy,stocky men often seen by the mongolian tribes as basically men without agriculture) being homo georgicus or possibly neanderthals. Interstingly evidence of a new possible hominid "woman x" was found in the same area of siberia were the almasty are remembered in folklore.

Galvasean

*copied from another thread*

The Thunder Birds were a race of giant birds in Native American mythology. Some have speculated that the legends were inspired by cave people's encounters with teratorns (the family of giant birds that Argentavis belongs to). The last of the teratorns seem to have died out some 10,000 years ago so encounters with humans are likely.

The other prehistoric 'Thunderbirds' are the giant flightless dromornithids which lived in Australia. THey went extinct possibly as recently as 20,000 years ago, so their timespan would have overlapped with the Aboriginal people.

steddyeddy

Galvasean wrote: »

*copied from another thread*

The Thunder Birds were a race of giant birds in Native American mythology. Some have speculated that the legends were inspired by cave people's encounters with teratorns (the family of giant birds that Argentavis belongs to). The last of the teratorns seem to have died out some 10,000 years ago so encounters with humans are likely.

The other prehistoric 'Thunderbirds' are the giant flightless dromornithids which lived in Australia. THey went extinct possibly as recently as 20,000 years ago, so their timespan would have overlapped with the Aboriginal people.

Something that size would be hard to forget alright! I think we dont give these legends and oral folklore the respect they deserve. I wonder could the fir bolg of irish legend be a reference to neanderthal?

Galvasean

Actually there was a similar thread posted ages ago which might inteerest you:
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055464697&highlight=dino+myths

Rubecula

Another giant bird that humans encountered was the Haarst Eagle of New Zealand that preyed it is thought on the Giant Moa (A big flightless bird) Stories say that when humans encountered both of these creatures they ate the Moa into extinction and that the Haarst Eagle began to prey on human beings before finally becoming extinct itself.

(From what I have read, the Eagle waited until a person was at a water hole and swooped in hard and fast using it's talons to snap the hapless person's spine. However I have no evidence to support this, just stories.)

Galvasean

Well considering the eagle's talons could crack moa bone, which is considerably bigger than that of a human, they probably would have made short work of a person. of course when humans start getting hunted by ananimal they generally make it their business to kill it off very quickly.

marco_polo

Rubecula wrote: »

Another giant bird that humans encountered was the Haarst Eagle of New Zealand that preyed it is thought on the Giant Moa (A big flightless bird) Stories say that when humans encountered both of these creatures they ate the Moa into extinction and that the Haarst Eagle began to prey on human beings before finally becoming extinct itself.

(From what I have read, the Eagle waited until a person was at a water hole and swooped in hard and fast using it's talons to snap the hapless person's spine. However I have no evidence to support this, just stories.)

Actually I came across a video reconstruction of just such an event a few months back in some documentary, I think while I was considering the Haarst Eagle as my 'H' for Creature of the Week at one point.

Will try and find it later on.

Galvasean

Oh yeah.... creature of the week....

marco_polo

Found it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H89iXWEKMMc

Galvasean wrote: »

Oh yeah.... creature of the week....

Perhaps should try at least get to Z by christmas

steddyeddy

Rubecula wrote: »

Another giant bird that humans encountered was the Haarst Eagle of New Zealand that preyed it is thought on the Giant Moa (A big flightless bird) Stories say that when humans encountered both of these creatures they ate the Moa into extinction and that the Haarst Eagle began to prey on human beings before finally becoming extinct itself.

(From what I have read, the Eagle waited until a person was at a water hole and swooped in hard and fast using it's talons to snap the hapless person's spine. However I have no evidence to support this, just stories.)

In fairness the native maoris knew and spoke of the haarst eagle as a man eagle long before the scientists accepted it as such. This happens a lot I find.

Another example I think was represented in legend is the Elasmotherium, possibly remembered by the evenk or yakut in the following description.

"Near this river is a vast wilderness wherein they say is an animal that is less than a camel and more like a bull in size. Its head is like the head of a camel, and its tail is like the tail of a bull, while its body is like the body of a mule, and its hooves are like the cloven hooves of a bull. In the center of its head, it has a thick round horn, which as it rises from the head of the animal gets to be thinner until it becomes like the point of a lance. The length of some of these horns is from three to five cubits, and there are those that may attain to a greater or lesser length. The animal grazes on the leaves of trees, which are quite green. When it sees a horseman, it makes straight for him, and if he happens to have under him a fast horse, he is rendered safe from it with some effort. If it overtakes him, it removes him from the back of his horse with its horn, hurls him into the air, and then catches him with its horn. It continues in this manner until it kills him. It does not bother the horse in any form or manner. They seek out this animal in the forests in order to kill it. They do that by climbing the tall trees among which it is found, and with this object in mind, they assemble a number of archers with poisoned arrows. When it stands in their midst, they shoot at it until it is severely wounded and killed by them."

It is said this creature could also be the origin of the unicorn myth as it had hooves like a horse and a large horn like a rhino.

steddyeddy

Galvasean wrote: »

Actually there was a similar thread posted ages ago which might inteerest you:
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055464697&highlight=dino+myths

Thanks man very interesting, especially the part of the program were the island of the famed amazonians was chock full of dinosaur remains.