Page 118 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

98 Mysterious Creatures

sissippi, published in Paris in 1681. In a small of The Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advo-
volume published in 1698, Father Louis Hen- cate: “[the Piasa] was artful as he was powerful,
nepin (1626–after 1701), another early explor- and would dart suddenly and unexpectedly
er of the wilds of the west, had also described upon an Indian, bear him off into one of the
the two enormously large petroglyphs. In his caves of the bluff and devour him. Hundreds of
48-page booklet The Piasa or the Devil Among warriors attempted for years to destroy him, but
the Indians (Morris, Ill., 1887), P. A. Armstrong without success. Whole villages were nearly
described the creatures as having “the wings of depopulated, and consternation spread through
a bat, but of the shape of an eagle’s…They also all the tribes of the Illini.”
had four legs, each supplied with eagle-shaped
In the legends of the Miami tribe, the
talons. The combination and blending together
Miamis were fighting their traditional ene-
of the master species of the earth, sea, and
mies, the Mestchegamies, at the upper end of
air…so as to present the leading and most ter-
the lower canyon near the cave of the Piasa.
rific characteristics of the various species thus
As the fighting was reaching its climax, the
graphically arranged, is an absolute wonder and
war whoops apparently disturbed the Piasa,
seems to show a vastly superior knowledge of
and two fierce, winged creatures emerged from
animal, fowl, reptile, and fish nature than has
their caves, “uttering bellowings and shrieks,
been accorded to the Indian.”
while the flapping of their wings upon the air
Whatever the petroglyphs truly represent- roared out like so many thunderclaps.” The
ed, all the native tribes of what then consti- awful winged beasts swooped low over the
tuted the Northwest Territory had a terrible heads of the combatants, and each snatched a
tradition associated with the creatures they Miami chieftain in its massive talons. The
called the Piasa (or Piusa). Sometime in the Miamis became instantly demoralized, believ-
1840s, Professor John Russell of Jersey County, ing that the Great Spirit had sent the Piasa to
Illinois, explored the caves that the Piasa were aid and assist their enemies.
said to have inhabited and reported that the
roof of the cavern was nearly 20 feet high and The Miamis were so crippled as a nation
vaulted. The shape of the cave was irregular, that the survivors fled toward the Wabash
but so far as Professor Russell and his guide River and did not feel safe until they had
could judge, the bottom averaged 20 by 30 crossed its waters. Here they remained for gen-
feet. According to Russell: “The floor of the erations before returning to Illinois territory. If
cave throughout its whole extent was one these stories are true, then the seeming assis-
mass of human bones. Skulls and other bones tance by the Piasa to the Mestchegamies in
were mingled together in the utmost confu- their desperate battle with the Miamis near
sion…we dug to the depth of three or four feet Alton, Illinois, proved to be a terrible curse
in every quarter of the cavern and still found instead of a sudden blessing. Soon after the
only bones. The remains of thousands must Piasa had flown off with the screaming and
have been deposited there.” struggling Miami chieftains in their talons, the
monsters apparently developed a taste for
Some of the traditions of the native people human flesh. Consequently, the Mestchegami
state that the Piasa was fond of bathing in the came to pay for their victory over the Miamis
Mississippi and was a rapid swimmer. When it through an unending sacrifice of their people to
was splashing about in the Father of Waters, it feed the ever-hungry Piasa, which now seemed
raised such a commotion as to force great waves insatiable in their forays for human flesh.
over the banks. Other ancient traditions state
that when the Piasa was angry it thrashed the According to Armstrong’s little book and
ground with its tail until the whole earth shook his recounting of the Miami tradition, the
and trembled. The Piasa was generally feared Piasa existed “several thousand winters before
because of its propensity for snatching tribes- the palefaces came.” Armstrong goes on to sug-
people and making off with them. John Russell gest the Piasa could have been surviving ptero-
published an account of the Piasa’s insatiable dactyl from the age of the great reptiles. “The
appetite for human flesh in the 1848 July issue fossil remains of some 25 species of this mon-

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