Hidebehind
Encyclopedia
A hidebehind is a nocturnal fearsome critter from American folklore that preys upon humans that wander the woods, and was credited for the disappearances of early colonial loggers when they failed to return to camp. As its name suggests, the hidebehind is noted for its ability to conceal itself. When an observer attempts to look directly at it, the creature hides again behind an object or the observer and therefore can't be directly seen: a feat it accomplishes by sucking in its stomach to a point where it is so slender that it can easily cover itself behind the trunk of any tree. The hidebehind uses this ability to stalk human prey without being observed and to attack without warning. Their victims, including lumberjack
s who frequent the forests, are dragged back to the creature's lair to be devoured. The creature subsists chiefly upon the intestines of its victim, and has a severe aversion to alcohol, which is considered a sufficient repellent. Tales of the hidebehind may have helped explain strange noises in the forest at night. Early accounts describe hidebehinds as large, powerful animals, despite the fact that no one was able to see them.
. For example, in Pecos Bill Catches a Hidebehind, the creature is captured and donated to a zoo by the cowboy Pecos Bill
.
Diane Duane's
Young Wizards series mentions hidebehinds, and in her wiki that describes the fictional universe they are set in, different species of hidebehind have even been assigned mock scientific names. For example, one of the carnivorous species is referred to as Cryptopsthenis nondescriptis. In her other fictional descriptions suggest that most types of hidebehind are small creatures and that the fear they engender in those they stalk is a defense mechanism. The 2006 suspense novel The Hidebehind featured one of the creatures stalking rafters on the Snake River
in Idaho
. In the Silver John
story "The Desrick on Yandro", author Manly Wade Wellman
included a variant called the Behinder.
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
s who frequent the forests, are dragged back to the creature's lair to be devoured. The creature subsists chiefly upon the intestines of its victim, and has a severe aversion to alcohol, which is considered a sufficient repellent. Tales of the hidebehind may have helped explain strange noises in the forest at night. Early accounts describe hidebehinds as large, powerful animals, despite the fact that no one was able to see them.
In popular culture
The hidebehind has appeared in a number of novels and stories. Some of these stories have revolved around other characters in American folklore and fakeloreFakelore
Fakelore or Pseudo-folklore is inauthentic, manufactured folklore presented as if it were genuinely traditional. The term can refer to new stories or songs made up, or to folklore that is reworked and modified for modern tastes...
. For example, in Pecos Bill Catches a Hidebehind, the creature is captured and donated to a zoo by the cowboy Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is an American cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. Their stories were probably invented into short stories and book by Edward O'Reilly in the...
.
Diane Duane's
Diane Duane
Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...
Young Wizards series mentions hidebehinds, and in her wiki that describes the fictional universe they are set in, different species of hidebehind have even been assigned mock scientific names. For example, one of the carnivorous species is referred to as Cryptopsthenis nondescriptis. In her other fictional descriptions suggest that most types of hidebehind are small creatures and that the fear they engender in those they stalk is a defense mechanism. The 2006 suspense novel The Hidebehind featured one of the creatures stalking rafters on the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. In the Silver John
Silver John
Silver John is a fictional character from a series of fantasy stories by Manly Wade Wellman. Though fans refer to him as Silver John or as John the Balladeer, the stories call him simply John....
story "The Desrick on Yandro", author Manly Wade Wellman
Manly Wade Wellman
Manly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective...
included a variant called the Behinder.