Snallygaster

The Account

German-Pennsylvanian settlers named it schnell geist — quick spirit. It swooped on livestock and lone travellers in the Blue Ridge foothills. Horseshoes with seven-pointed stars warded it off.

From the Public Record

The snallygaster is a bird-reptile chimera originating in the folklore of early German immigrants who settled in the region of what is now Frederick County, Maryland. In the early 20th century, legends of the Snallygaster were revived through sensationalistic newspaper reports that alleged the existence of a creature which was said to bear its general likeness. Early sightings led to a particular association with the Frederick County areas of South Mountain, Braddock Heights, and the Middletown Valley. Later reports would expand to encompass an area that included Central Maryland, Berkeley County in West Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., metro area.

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