There are also rumors that the legend of this creature was resurrected in the early 1700s in order to frighten freed slaves. Seven-pointed stars, which can still be seen painted on local barns today were said to keep the evil Snallygaster away. This creature was rumored to swoop silently from the sky to pick up and carry off its victims and early tales claimed the monster also sucked the blood of its victims. The Snallygaster was described as half-reptile, half-bird with a metallic beak lined with razor-sharp teeth, occasionally alongside octopus-like tentacles. German immigrants brought the tale to Americaįredericktown, MD was settled in the 1730s by German immigrants who said their community was being terrorized by a monster called a Schneller Geist, German for "quick ghost." The creature was said to have the half-bird features of a siren with the nightmarish features of demons and ghouls. Later reports included sightings encompassing an area to include Central Maryland, Washington DC, and the tales carried over to portions of Virginia. This fiend was later combined with sensationalistic newspaper reporting in Maryland in order to increase circulation and the legend of the monster grew.Įarly Snallygaster in sightings were reported Frederick County, Maryland, specifically in the area of South Mountain and the Middleton Valley.
If you live in the Virginia area near Maryland you may have heard a bit of American folklore, about the S nallygaster a bird-reptile chimera originating in the superstitions of early German immigrants. The legend of the Snallygaster Photo by Youtube screenshot The Snallygaster legend grows
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