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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Woodwose
From the Speculum Regale (also called the King's Mirror, written in Norway
around 1250): "It once happened in that country (and this seems
indeed strange) that a living creature was caught in the forest as to which no
one could say definitely whether it was a man or some other animal; for no one
could get a word from it or be sure that it understood human speech. It had the
human shape, however, in every detail, both as to hands and face and feet; but
the entire body was covered with hair as the beasts are, and down the back it
had a long coarse mane like that of a horse, which fell to both sides and
trailed along the ground when the creature stooped in walking. I believe I have
now recounted most of the marvels that have their origin in the nature of the
land itself, so far as we seem to have sure knowledge concerning them."
One possible explanation for this myth is feral children, who grow up in the wild. There is an extensive site on this phenomenon at:
http://www.feralchildren.com/en/index.php
