Hodag: Fearsome Critter

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A fearsome critter local to the Wisconsin area of the Northern U.S., the Hodag is one of the more popular mythologized characters in American folklore.

The Hodag is a maniacal faced beast, covered in large spikes and horns. The creature is said to resemble a giant frog, with stocky legs and fearsome claws. As large and dangerous as the Hodag is said to be, humans are in no danger of being eaten by the creature. The only thing a Hodag has an appetite for are white bulldogs.

Hodags are said to be repulsed by the smell of citrus fruit, as lemons are one of the only methods of killing these beasts. The other methods of Hodag destruction are dynamite and chloroform.

For some time in the late 1890s, many believed the Hodag to actually exists. A Wisconsin land surveyor by the name of Eugene Shepard managed to convince locals that he had captured a living Hodag, which he would display at the county fair. He constructed his own monster, which he then connected to wires, causing the fake Hodag to move and frightening viewers. The story spread nationally, and when scientists at the Smithsonian Institute caught wind of the creature, Shepard was forced to admit the hoax before they arrived to inspect it.

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Sculpture of a Hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Located in front of their Chamber of Commerce.