Folklore from around the Globe

White Thing

White Things, White Devils or Devil Dogs, most notably the Sheepsquatch, which appears on the show Mountain Monsters, are amongst the most historically infamous cryptids in West Virginia. Almost all White Things are described to have dog like features, but in different accounts, some are humanoid creatures like Bigfoot, demons or even prehistoric cats. White creatures are well known to the mountain folk of West Virginia. Like black mystery dogs, they roam isolated inwooded areas. They appear in various shapes... impossibly large dog and a lion, and it was stark white with long shaggy hair. White Things are described also as resembling wolves, bears, cows, and even huge badgers. They are covered with long, shaggy,show-white or dirty white hair, and they often have immense jaws and fangs. They move at lightning speed, sometimes on two legs rather than four. Sometimes they seem to have 'too many legs.' Their chilling screams sound like a woman being raped or murdered. Whatever they are, they are bloodthirsty and attack without provocation. The attacks are so real that people actually 'feel' the beast's fangs tearing into their flesh. But when the attack is over they are shocked to find not a mark on their body. However the beasts rip up animals in the fashion of a werewolf, tearing out their throats and mutilating their bodies-and leave the corpses bloodless and without a trace of blood around...Like all mysterious creatures, there are variations in descriptions of White Things and even labels. Some of the white mystery beings are called 'White Devils,' for they have red eyes and long, sharp claws, and are able to walk and run upright. Some of these beasts have a connection to cemeteries, not an adversion, and thus are death-omen creatures." A mysterious white creature was seen in July 1973 in the TNT area of Point Pleasant, the epicenter of the Mothman sightings during the 1966-67 wave. This creature, however, looked nothing like the original Mothman. In 1994, a twenty-eight-year-old man said that he was seven years old at the time. He was riding in a car with members of his family...The witness described the thing as 'mostly white, no wings, with real thick, shaggy hair.' No face was seen, but the head was about three feet wide. The creature appeared suddenly alongside the car and floated through the air, following them for a few moments at about sixty-five miles an hour."

Cherokee Mythology

"In Cherokee lore, the sudden appearance of a white wolf heralds a magic, premature death. Over time, the white wolf became a white dog in Appalachian lore. The dog is large and powerful in build, a handsome creature despite hair that is somewhat matted and unkempt. The dog shows up in roads, follows people home, and sits at a distance from dwellings as though waiting for someone...The white dog does indeed wait-not for a friend or a lost owner, but for a death. It is always seen by the person who is about to die, and sometimes by others who are close to the person. The dog is invisible to others. Once the white dog appears, the person is marked for death and dies tragically within a few days or two weeks."

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/White_Things_(Devil_Dogs)