Wild Man legends



The Wild Man is an archetype and legendary figure that has occurred across many cultures around the world since the earliest days of humanity. This article is an attempt to index and catalogue the various legends of the Wild Man.

Europe

 * Wild man (of the woods), wodewose (woodwose), a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands. (Wild man entry in the Jimmy Wales Project)

Ge-no'sqwa (Seneca Iroquois)

 * Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Seneca legend of the Ge-no'sqwa, or Stone Giants, tells of living beings that were personified implements of stone. These woodland giants were regarded as malevolent creatures and believed to be cannibals and man-eaters. They were described in tribal lore to have 'rock-hard' skin that they obtained by rolling in earth and sand regularly - hence the 'Stone Giant' moniker. (teamnesra.net)

Urayuli (Eskimo)

 * The Urayuli, as described, stands about 6 to 10 feet tall and is covered with shaggy, coarse hair or fur of approximately 2 to 4 inches long. It has glowing eyes and is said to look somewhat like the extinct primates. Its arms are elongated enough that the creature can reach its ankles. (archive.org)

Arulataq (Yupik)

 * "He's very tall, taller than a 9- or 10-foot-tall spruce tree. When he was standing, his hands could touch the ground next to his feet. He grew hair to keep warm" (ncf.ca)

Nant'ina (Den'aina)

 * Dena’ina Athabascans — some of whom live in and around Anchorage — speak of Nant’inas: large, shaggy creatures that “are fairly malevolent and dangerous. One of the themes is that they (like the Woodsman) steal children and raise them in the wild.” (woodlandindians.org)

Bukwas (Kwagluth)

 * Bukwas, or wild man of the woods, is a significant supernatural spirit being of the Kwaglulth Nation and casts a haunting figure in their great annual winter dance. (windspirit.com)

Yi'dyi'tay (Nehalem, Tillamook)

 * Yi'dyi'tay (the Wild Man) "is an ugly giant [...] causes sickness or grants certain powers and skills"; compare to the Wild Woman, who is a beautiful giant that can curse or bless. "The mythic forest, the green man and the spirit of nature", Gary R. Varner (books.google.com)

Yohemiti (Miwok)

 * The name Yosemite was derived from the Miwok Indian word "yohemiti" ("some among them are killers"), referring not to homicidal Amerinds but to a violent, aggressive variety of Bigfoot. (mythfolk@yahoogroups)