Wampus cat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The wampus cat is a legendary creature from Tennessee and Cherokee folklore. This is a monster of the Fearsome Critters variety, coined by the lumberjack community of the United States. According to the tale, a Native American woman disguised herself in the skin of a mountain lion to spy on the men of the tribe as they sat around the campfire and told sacred stories on a hunting trip. When the woman was discovered, the tribe's medicine man punished her by transforming her into a half-woman, half-cat, who supposedly still haunts the forests of East Tennessee.
The Wampus Cat is also the mascot of several high schools:
- Leesville High School, Leesville, Louisiana
- Itasca High School, Itasca, Texas
- Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, Clark Fork, Idaho
- Atoka High School, Atoka, Oklahoma
- Conway High School, Conway, Arkansas
