  
Wodewose
Location of Sightings:
England
Earliest - Latest Reported Sighting:
14th - 16th century
Description:
The wodewose is described as a large bearded man whose entire body was covered in curly hair. He wore no articles of clothing, and carries with him a large wooden
club.
Odors described during or right after
encounters with this creature:
None reported
Sounds - Speech:
None reported
Interesting Sighting Details:
Along with
beliefs and theories on the existence of wild men in Asia and North
America, comes the tales of a wild being or savage man that lived in early
periods in England. These wild folk have been the heart of many English
legends and stories, and were called the wodewose, from the
Anglo-Saxon term wudawusa, which meant wood-dweller.
Though the wodewose was said to have existed in the region before the
15th century, tales about the wodewose flourished during the Elizabethan
Era in the 16th century. The wodewose is described as a large bearded
man whose entire body was covered in curly hair. He wore no articles of
clothing, and carries with him a large wooden club. Late-medieval
church art in the areas of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia have
thousands of depictions of the wodewose on their structures.
Images of the wodewose can be seen carved in stone and wood decorations
on Anglican churches. There were even pictures and books printed
during the 15th century which told of stories of appearances made by the
wodewose. Some historians of the church believe that the wodewose was used
to symbolized paganism, to further stress the contrast between
opposing religions at that time. Many stone statues depicting the wodewose
show the hairy man defeating a beast such as a lion or a dragon-like
creature.
Variations of the name can be written or spoken as wudewasa, wudu, or
wood houses. There have been explanations as to the significance of the
wooden club carried by the wodewose. Historians theorize that the
wodewose may have been some ancestor of ancient man, and during the periods
of its existence, the wood-dweller has learned to fashion and used
tools from wood.
It is also believed that the wodewose may have sprung from
interpretations of the Greek myth, the satyr, or a creature that is half-man and
half-beast. Some additional descriptions of the wodewose say that only
the feet were not covered with thick hair. Like the Neanderthals, their
brow ridges protruded, and they had deep-set eyes. Their arms were
abnormally long, while their legs were shorter. Known to be shy creatures,
the wodewose have been told be numerous accounts to appear to humans
during the winter.
Many attempts to link the stories of the wodewose with that of the
North American Bigfoot were made. Some accounts even claim that in many
parts of the world, hominids exist up to the present day. Hominids are a
species in which humans and primates originated. Various versions of the
wodewose can be read about in Italian, Spanish, German, Norwegian,
Chinese, Indonesian, Mongolian, and other cultural accounts.
Here are some names associated with creatures that bore similarities to
the wodewose: vedi of Croatia, basajaun in Spain, sasquatch in Canada,
yeren of China, and almas of Mongolia, yowie of Australia, yeti of
Tibet and Nepal, and many others.
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