Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Whinttosser
Category: Forest Dweller
The Myth
The Central American Whinttosser is an unusual creature reported in the Coast Ranges of California, said to have originated from the region of the Isthmus. It is not particularly large, but its peculiar body is perfectly suited to moving through unstable terrain. Its body is long and triangular, with three complete sets of legs, allowing it to remain steady even when the ground shakes during an earthquake. Its head is fastened to its body by a swivel-like neck, while its short, tapering tail can be spun around at astonishing speed. The creature’s hair is bristly, and all its strands point forward toward its head.
The Whinttosser is a restless and troublesome beast, seemingly constructed for passing through unusual terrain and making mischief. Its tail can spin so rapidly that it resembles a revolving mechanism, and the creature can move in a variety of directions without losing its balance. It is said that a cat’s nine lives are nothing compared with the Whinttosser’s ability to survive. The creature may be shot, clubbed, or even impaled on a pike without stopping its wriggling, whirling movements or its screams of rage. The only reliable way to kill it is to force all its feet onto the surface of a flume pipe, causing them to strike in three different directions at once until the creature tears itself apart.
Sources
Cox, William T. Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, with a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts. St. Paul, MN: Press of Judd & Detweiler, Inc., 1910. https://archive.org/details/fearsomecreature00coxw