The word "snallygaster" caught my eye as I flipped through the SOED the other day. It looked like a fun word to say, but the definition really got my attention: "a mythical monster supposedly found in Maryland."
Maryland? I had to learn more. Wikipedia reports that the snallygaster was reputed to be a dragon-like blood-sucking monster, terrorizing Catoctin Mountain.
I was born and raised in Maryland, and went camping on Catoctin Mountain. When we got lost on a hike there, my friends and I focussed our giggling concern on running afoul of security at Camp David. No one ever warned us about the local dragon. No, years later and a continent away, I learn about it from a foreign dictionary. I feel safe, but cheated. Clearly, I'm going to have to do some more research on the snallygaster.
Do you know your local monster?
New Christmas Cards
5 years ago
the Bugaboo;)z
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