Hello One and All!
When one mentions the term "wild man" it conjures up images of a disheveled and bearded individual dressed in furs (or, alternatively, in rags) possessing supernatural strength. This was a mythical being of folklore in North America, but also had roots in real encounters, shedding a light on the anxieties and fears of that society.
Wild Men of America
Numerous encounters and sightings of wild men took place all across the United States during the 19th century. These were people who lived close with nature and outside the perceived norms, thus they were thought to have lost their humanity in the process. All of this drew on the European tradition of the Wild Man, transmuted into the North American environment, seemingly in 1830, when settlers in Texas needed a narrative that could alleviate their anxieties of the unknown.
In 1851 a pair of hunters spotted a drove of cattle being chased by a humanoid being; a giant, covered with thick hair all over his body. After he had disappeared out of sight, the footprints were found to be thirteen inches long. People of the region called him the Wild Man of Arkansas and theorized that he had been an orphaned child who had been left to fend for himself. Five years later this wild man was glimpsed by a party hunters near the Red River. During this encounter one of the hunters tried to capture him but was thrown off his horse by the particular man, who promptly took his horse and galloped off out of sight. The hunter described the Wild Man as a stout male, 6 foot 4 inches in height, covered in thick hair.
In 1871 the inhabitants of the county of Berks, Pennsylvania were kept awake by nocturnal screams. It wasn't long before the source of the noises made an appearance - a man, looking like a man/bear hybrid, was seen standing on Welsh mountain, howling at the moon. Fear grew to such a level that an armed posse was formed. The hunting group set out in the dead of night, when the howling always rose up, but the man always managed to elude the groups and stay one step in front. This so-called devil moved on his hands and feet, at such a speed that no one was able to catch him, but would always return each evening to howl from his mountain-side perch. On the 30th of July 1871, the being was spotted in a field near the village; this time the people were able to capture it. Interrogated at a nearby hotel, it turned out that he was a nearly nude Irishman, a certain Thomas Foley, who had been roaming the forests for the last two years. After the truth was discovered, the townspeople clothed him and tried to convince him to live with them, but he managed to escape and ran into the mountains once more.
One wild man story concerns a person well-known to the inhabitants of an area. Mason Kershaw Evans was a citizen of Monroe County, Tennessee, born on May 10, 1824. A respected teacher and member of the Tennessee Militia, he seemed to be well liked by his peers. One day he broke all ties, to live in the wilds in the vicinity of Starr Mountain, becoming the "hermit of Chilhowee". No one knew exactly what the trigger was for this change - some said a broken heart, job troubles or religious conviction. Whatever it may have been, from then on he dressed in rags and grew a bushy beard and his appearance is said to have filled some locals with fear. In 1890 it was reported that he was captured, which was a common occurrence, but he always escaped and returned to Starr Mountain. In 1892 the frozen body of the"Wild Man of the Chilhowee" was discovered. He had reached the age of 67, about forty of those years were spent living as a hermit.
The wild man trope held such a fascination for people because it was supposed to show the dangers of living too intimately with nature. The territorial expansion of the USA and the prevalence of the written word made perfect conditions for enticing tales of these individuals, fictional or not, to reach a wider audience and fire the imagination of the reading public.
Thank you for reading!
When one mentions the term "wild man" it conjures up images of a disheveled and bearded individual dressed in furs (or, alternatively, in rags) possessing supernatural strength. This was a mythical being of folklore in North America, but also had roots in real encounters, shedding a light on the anxieties and fears of that society.
Wild Men of America
Numerous encounters and sightings of wild men took place all across the United States during the 19th century. These were people who lived close with nature and outside the perceived norms, thus they were thought to have lost their humanity in the process. All of this drew on the European tradition of the Wild Man, transmuted into the North American environment, seemingly in 1830, when settlers in Texas needed a narrative that could alleviate their anxieties of the unknown.
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| Two Wild Men, 1486-96, Colegio de San Gregorio, Valladolid. |
In 1851 a pair of hunters spotted a drove of cattle being chased by a humanoid being; a giant, covered with thick hair all over his body. After he had disappeared out of sight, the footprints were found to be thirteen inches long. People of the region called him the Wild Man of Arkansas and theorized that he had been an orphaned child who had been left to fend for himself. Five years later this wild man was glimpsed by a party hunters near the Red River. During this encounter one of the hunters tried to capture him but was thrown off his horse by the particular man, who promptly took his horse and galloped off out of sight. The hunter described the Wild Man as a stout male, 6 foot 4 inches in height, covered in thick hair.
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| Shield with Greyhound Held by Wild Man, by Martin Schongauer. |
In 1871 the inhabitants of the county of Berks, Pennsylvania were kept awake by nocturnal screams. It wasn't long before the source of the noises made an appearance - a man, looking like a man/bear hybrid, was seen standing on Welsh mountain, howling at the moon. Fear grew to such a level that an armed posse was formed. The hunting group set out in the dead of night, when the howling always rose up, but the man always managed to elude the groups and stay one step in front. This so-called devil moved on his hands and feet, at such a speed that no one was able to catch him, but would always return each evening to howl from his mountain-side perch. On the 30th of July 1871, the being was spotted in a field near the village; this time the people were able to capture it. Interrogated at a nearby hotel, it turned out that he was a nearly nude Irishman, a certain Thomas Foley, who had been roaming the forests for the last two years. After the truth was discovered, the townspeople clothed him and tried to convince him to live with them, but he managed to escape and ran into the mountains once more.
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| A Trapper by Frederic Remington |
One wild man story concerns a person well-known to the inhabitants of an area. Mason Kershaw Evans was a citizen of Monroe County, Tennessee, born on May 10, 1824. A respected teacher and member of the Tennessee Militia, he seemed to be well liked by his peers. One day he broke all ties, to live in the wilds in the vicinity of Starr Mountain, becoming the "hermit of Chilhowee". No one knew exactly what the trigger was for this change - some said a broken heart, job troubles or religious conviction. Whatever it may have been, from then on he dressed in rags and grew a bushy beard and his appearance is said to have filled some locals with fear. In 1890 it was reported that he was captured, which was a common occurrence, but he always escaped and returned to Starr Mountain. In 1892 the frozen body of the"Wild Man of the Chilhowee" was discovered. He had reached the age of 67, about forty of those years were spent living as a hermit.
The wild man trope held such a fascination for people because it was supposed to show the dangers of living too intimately with nature. The territorial expansion of the USA and the prevalence of the written word made perfect conditions for enticing tales of these individuals, fictional or not, to reach a wider audience and fire the imagination of the reading public.
Thank you for reading!
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