J.K. Rowling names Hodag a ‘fantastic beast’
Creature added to author’s book
RHINELANDER - Those on the hunt for magic creatures in central Wisconsin won’t have to travel far to spot one.
The legendary Hodag officially has been deemed a “fantastic beast” by J.K. Rowling, the author of the “Harry Potter” series.
Rowling added the beast to her book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” on March 14. The book was first published in 2001, purportedly as one of Harry Potter’s textbooks, written by fictional author Newt Scamander, according to Rowling’s site, potter
more.com. The small book was also the basis for the movie of the same name, released last year and out on DVD this week.
In the book, Rowling describes the Hodag as “horned, with red, glowing eyes and long fangs, and the size of a large dog. The Hodag’s magic resides largely in its horns which, when powdered, make a man immune to the effects of alcohol and able to go without sleep for seven days and seven nights.”
The passage also notes the Hodag is found in a “protected area around Wisconsin.”
Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce Director Maggie Steffen said she was surprised to learn the Hodag had been added to the book.
“It’s a big deal and rightfully so,” Steffen said. “There’s only one Hodag in the world, and now people will know it’s Rhinelander, it’s the Northwoods.”
Long a part of lumberjack lore in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, the Hodag was thought to be a horned, fanged, nasty creature that rose up from the ashes of a cremated lumber ox.
The legend grew when Northwoods logger and prankster Eugene Shepard presented what he said was a Hodag at the Oneida County Fair in 1896. The “creature” was actually a carving of an approximation of the beast’s head from a tree stump, but it was kept in a dark cage and obscured enough from view that onlookers were convinced.
The Hodag eventually made the rounds of county fairs and the Wisconsin State Fair before the hoax was revealed.
But rather than souring people on the story, it just made the Hodag myth a bigger attraction in northern Wisconsin. The original Hodag sculpture was lost in a fire, according to news reports.
More than a century later, the Hodag is a permanent fixture in Rhinelander’s culture — up to and including being the high school’s mascot.
Steffen said she’s not sure where Rowling heard of the creature, but she has an idea of where the idea started.
‘Scooby-Doo’ connection?
“(Rowling) is connected with Warner Brothers, and the Hodag was featured in ‘Scooby-Doo’ about three or four years ago,” she said. “But I’m just speculating.”
A 2012 episode of “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” included Shepard and the story of the Hodag.
Steffen said the chamber has reached out to Rowling’s publisher in an attempt to find out how she found the Hodag. But in the meantime, Steffen is expecting a little bit of Potter tourism to start reaching the northern part of the state.
“I can envision that people will start going on a quest for all the beasts that have been listed,” Steffen said. “It’s helping get us on the map.”