A Pukwudgie is a 2-or-3-foot-tall (0.61 or 0.91 m) troll-like being from the Wampanoag folklore. Pukwudgies’ features resemble those of a human, but with enlarged noses, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being a smooth grey, and at times has been known to glow.
In Native American lore, Pukwudgies have the following traits and abilities;
they can appear and disappear at will
they can transform into a walking porcupine (it looks like a porcupine from the back, and the front is half-troll, half-human and walks upright)
they can attack people and lure them to their deaths
they are able to use magic
they have poison arrows
they can create fire at will
Pukwudgies control Tei-Pai-Wankas which are believed to be the souls of Native Americans they have killed.
Native Americans believed that Puckwudgies were best left alone. When you see a Puckwudgie you are not supposed to mess with them, or they will repay you by playing nasty tricks on you, or by following you and causing trouble. They were once friendly to humans, but then turned against them. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to blind their victims.
Origin in legend:
Legends of the Pukwudgie began in connection to ‘Maushop’, a creation giant believed by the Wampanoag to have created most of Cape Cod. He was beloved by the people, and the Pukwudgies were jealous of the affection the Natives had for him. They tried to help the Wampanoag, but their efforts always backfired, until they eventually decided to torment them instead. They became mischievous and aggravated the Natives until they asked ‘Granny Squanit’, Maushop’s wife, for help. Maushop collected as many as he could. He shook them until they were confused and tossed them around New England. Some died, but others landed, regained their minds and made their way back to Massachusetts.
Satisfied he had done his job and pleased his wife, Maushop went away for a while. In his absence, the Pukwudgies had returned. They again changed their relationship with the Wampanoags. They were no longer just a nuisance, but began kidnapping children, burning villages and forcing the Wampanoag deep into the woods and killing them. Squanit again stepped in, but Maushop, being very lazy, sent his five sons to fix the problem. The Pukwudgies lured them into deep grass and shot them dead with magic arrows. Enraged, Squanit and Maushop attacked as many as they could find and crushed them, but many escaped and scattered throughout New England again. The Pukwudgies regrouped and tricked Maushop into the water and shot him with their arrows. Some legends say they killed him, while others claim he became discouraged and depressed about the death of his sons, but after these events Maushop disappears from the Wampanoags’ mythology.”
Recent history:
Pukwudgie encounters have been reported in the Freetown-Fall River State Forest in Massachusetts, which includes the 227-acre (0.92 km2) Watuppa Reservation, which belongs to the Wampanoag Nation. Several unexplained suicides at a ledge in the state forest have been linked by some to the Pukwudgie lore of pushing people off cliffs.
Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana is a hotspot for Pukwudgie activity.
Round Rock’s Hairy Man Festival is based on a human boy who grew into a wild hermit. After his death, he vengefully haunted Hairy Man Road. Some locals claim that he summoned a troll, using old Nordic Runes to help him; it is that troll who resides on Hairy Man Road, still there after the hermit’s death. He causes accidents and misfortune to those who dare travel Hairy Man Road by bicycle at night.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukwudgie
In Search Of Puckwudgies:
Recently, we journeyed to Freetown, Massachusetts, a small community located in a portion of the state known as The Bridgewater Triangle. The triangle has gained notoriety as a hot spot to paranormal investigators, UFO hunters and crypto-zoologists across the country. And apparently this area has been a locale for strange phenomena before the first European settlers arrived.
The Wampanoag tribe has a long oral history of this area going back some ten thousand years. Among the lore is an interesting tale of a creative giant named Maushop, who, according to legend, was responsible for creating Cape Cod and performing other great deeds for the Native Americans of Massachusetts. But in all of this joy and happiness lies a hidden malevolence: a pint-sized model of rottenness driven by jealousy and revenge known as the Puckwudgie.
Puckwudgies are described as two to three feet tall and resemble a troll in appearance. One interesting plot twist to the lore is that Puckwudgies did not start out as malevolent beings. At first, their role was beneficial and helpful to the Indians. But at some point the Puckwudgies became jealous of Maushop, his wife Quant and the favor the Wampanoag showed them. Soon the little helpers became a dangerous nuisance, burning homes, kidnapping and killing Native Americans. The legend goes on to reveal that Native Americans asked Quant for assistance with the Puckwudgies. She then told Maushop of the troubles, and he helped by shaking and scattering the little meanies all over New England. Some perished as a result, but the ones that survived returned to seek revenge. With a escalated voracity, the Puckwudgies attacked Native American villages.
Once again natives went to Quant for help, and again she spoke to her husband. This time Mashaup, being lazy, sent his three sons to deal with the situation. But the Puckwudgies were ready; they lured the three wariors into a tall grass and shot them dead with poisoned arrows. Maushop and his wife Quant, in a rage, went about destroying every Puckwudgie they could find. Unfortunately for us, the legend states that some escaped and they are rumored to inhabit the woods of New England.
In the last twenty years alone, there have been numerous claimed sightings of Puckwudgies. The physical descriptions from each witness bear striking similarities. Three of theses sightings were reported to happen in the Bridgewater State Forest. And the last, and most recent was in a cemetery in New Hampshire.
Unfortunately, during our visit to the Bridgewater Triangle, we were unable to establish whether or not Puckwudgies are mean, misunderstood or even exist. Our visit to the state park lasted for several hours in one of the areas where a Puckwudgie was reportedly sighted. We even wandered around the woods along many of the marked trails. However nothing out of the ordinary ever materialized.
Have individuals witnessed these small but dangerous characters from North America’s past? And if by some chance, they misidentified another living thing for a Puckwudgie, what was it? These questions still remain.
Source: http://newenglandoddities.com/2009/05/20/in-search-of-puckwudgies/
Some of the info here is correct however most is not the case for the creatures.
The creatures range in size from very young small ones to large males up to six feet tall.
They are very intelligent and do throw dirt in the eyes of people who encounter them.
They are able to do amazing feats and observing them undetected is near imposable. They can change appearance running like wolves then standing bipedal and running. They are masters at remaining undetected in the forests. They are an apex predator only second to the North American tiger which is also considered not to exist. The pucks hate cats intensively as a result. They range in fur color from black to browns to reds, old ones fur actually turns gray. The creatures imitate all that they kill including humans. The young pucks depending on their color variation imitate game birds, groundhogs, beavers, raccoons, fox, coy-dogs and young deer. Older sizable males will imitate large deer, black bears and humans. Large females imitate deer and humans. The creatures when mad and agitated clearly are the trolls of myth, however they account for most other myths very well. The modern names for the creature are aka “Three Fingered Willie” and “Stick-man”. They do blow darts and can make weapons, as for …’ fire at will…” well that one is up for debate. They have demonstrated abilities just as unbelievable, a set of knees that bend both directions, a distended lower jaw, exhibits many long and sharp fang teeth along with a rather long forked tongue which can be twisted to form a straw for drinking or a tube to blow darts. The creature can climb trees and exhibit them selves upside down from tree limbs and known to jump amazing distances from the tree tops.
I have examined a distressed reddish brown female as best I could when I was a young person it was a harrowing experience to say the least. Having many encounters with the creatures over the course of my life I have become an expert in the creatures habits, I have been the victim of rock throwing by younger pucks and have had encounters with large males. I have seen adolescent pucks in beaver ponds. I have interviewed witness’s to the creatures and assured them that they had not lost their minds. I have conducted numerous tracking expeditions of the creatures yielding foot print evidence routinely. I have been met with great skeptical judgements but have made enough observations to confidently say they exist and can be found in a large number of locations. The same holds true for other rarely seen creatures of the forests many of which I have been lucky enough to observe.
I know the tricks the pucks perform by their nature and have observed them at close range physically touching two of the creatures in my life time a rare feat in and of it self. Any person who refuses to accept the creatures true existence is simply a retard when held to the modern standards of science. Which in the case of pucks has been easily met. More study is certainly warranted and indeed required to fully understand these amazing creatures. As a boy the old men would tell us kids about them and say to us ” … Be careful in the woods Three Fingered Willie is real, and he can eat you!”
By Ralph Hutchinson
Ralph –
I am currently doing research for a show and looking to speak with eyewitnesses who have had encounters with the puckwudgies.
You seem to be extremely knowledgeable about the legend. Would you be open to talking about your experience?
I am open to any information you are willing to share.
Please contact me at pshulman@m2-pictures.com.
Thanks!!
Recently I began the process of publishing a book dealing namely with my observations and close study of Puckwudgie creatures in New Hampshire. These creatures are living breathing animals and not ghostly spirits. I have been lucky to have had numerous encounters with Puckwudgie having made detailed observations. I was raised in New Hampshire where I still reside. Hopefully by early next year spring of 2014 my book will be available for interested readers titled “Puckwudgie (Legend of Sunset Hill)” By Ralph S Hutchinson
This story I have imparted is a true review of facts about my personal encounters with the creatures. I perhaps may be the only person in the world to have physically examined a living Puckwudgie, the details shall be contained in my book. They are the most fascinating creatures on the planet, nothing compares to the Puckwudgie due to very unusual anatomy, high intelligence and danger to humans.
If anyone is looking for a great story and willing to feature a new author please contact Dorrance Publishing Company Inc.
Ralph S Hutchinson
Field Research Scientist, Author
I’d love to learn more.I live in Connecticut . Wide luv to tlk w u!
I dont live anywhere near the area you have talked about. I live in kentucky and from what i know about the area we live in it was once occupied by the indians and an indian burial ground was discovered when a farmer went to prepare and disc this field located on a cliff next to the river. My 11 year old son for the past month has been to scared to sleep and he wouldnt tell me at first cause he didnt think i would believe him. He described this pukwudgie to the tee. from the long nose to the glowing eyes and the smell. Scary movies are not allowed to be watched until he is older so I know he has not seen it on tv. but im concerned because he is really terrified and he sees it in his room. He is not dreaming he said most times it wakes him up and when he sits up to look around it always appears at the end of the bed by his feet. I am confused on what to do and would like to speak or talk to someone that can actually show proof and what it is that this thing wants. any suggestions. I believe in the paranormal, ghosts, ect ect ect
The one that bothered me at night when I was young in the place my parents rented wanted sweet treats left out for it. Also heavy dairy products. So a couple of crackers with vanilla frosting or cupcake, pound cake piece drizzled with honey. The serving does not need to be large, like I said. a couple frosted saltines. Dairy, maybe whole milk, cream, whip topping, eggnog. Put in a coffee cup, glass or what not. Their tongues curl up into a straw to drink from them. Though the being may not take the offering set out for it but it will leave your child alone for the night. They will leave you alone as long as the sweet treats were offered each night. I left mine on my dresser as I asked if that was a good place for it. The best way to settle this is for the child to talk to the being instead of fearing it.. Ask where you can leave a sweety treat offering.
Is your book out yet? I believe I saw one. Me and my boyfriend both saw it. It happened late night in ashburnham Massachusetts right near a lake in the middle of nowhere. I could never really explain it, I would say it looked like a troll. Until recently I found that it was one of these creatures is what fits the bill of what it looked like. It was walking on two feet coming after my car.
i suggest moving
Hi Lindsay I’m working on my 3rd installment about Little people and would love to hear more about your encounter,
Robyn@Strangerealms.net
I have seen one in my house many times in Dayton ohio. I even have two pictures. I talked with a paranormal investigator and he said this was probably what it was and to read up on it. Sure does sound like what I have. How do I get rid of it?
I grew up in Duxbury in a historical house and when I was about 12 years old I saw one of them I believe I have been telling the story since I was a kid and notb knowing what they where I thought I nwas crazy funny thing is I am a tiny bit native American. when I saw it it had long pointed ears, sharp teeth, and ran hunched over with log legs and bent skinny arms but didn’t have hair it was about 5 feet tall and ran super fast! itb scared me my whole lifebhappy to know im not crazy!
hello how are you,my name is manny famolare and my friends and i have a question about the illustration on your site of the pukwudgie. did you draw it ? if you did would you be interested in illustrating some more creatures or legends or allowing us to use that image. email us if you would like to chat..thank you,..,manny famolare
Manny, the image was located at Google images. I did not do the illustration myself.
I am a researcer for M2 :Pictures working on the second season of a series for Destination America::” Monsters and Mysteries in America”. We are interested in speaking with people who have had encounters with creatures in the Bridgewater Triangle. You can contact me at jtaylor@m2-pictures.com.
Thanks,
Joanne Taylor
My name is Jonathan Fox. I live in Bridgewater right near the epicenter of the Bridgewater triangle, the Hockomock Swamp.I recently have taking a photo of a footprint I believe to be of a sasquatch.I have it on my phone and I don’t know where to show it. Maybe you could help me out? This picture was taken on a trail next to a River in back of my complex.I know there have been Pickford sightings on the past around here especially. Please email me jdfox508@gmail8
Im from Massachusetts and fully believe in pukwudgie and Bigfoot. Im looking for a geoup of people or anyone that wants to do an expedition into the hockamock swamp this coming summer. Email me at mikeamanda0518@gmail.com
Not a big foot believer but definitely PUKWUDGIE are REAL Cowboy you can take that to the Booky???? And WIN cuzoe.
When we lived in East Bridgewater, MA, for two years, my youngest daughter had many, many experiences with a Pukwudgie who would come to her from behind her bed at night. The name she had/has for him is ‘Shaparonie’… She first started telling us when she was 2 1/2 years old, in great length and detail. She has kept her story the very same for 2+ Years now, and it is amazing the detail in which she describes her encounters, and the way that she describes the creature. Does anyone else have kids who have had experiences in their home? I’m very curious about this all, and we all do believe that she had these encounters. It’s just crazy, and I’m curious, because my daughter is a crystal child, and is very psychically attuned as well. She is telepathic, to what degree I am not sure… If your children have had some experiences, I’d like to chat and compare “notes”…
Not my kids but myself!! Did it ever try to harm her? BC the one I encountered was just scary looking but he never hurt me, he just moved my things, sometimes I’ll lose something for weeks or months, and ittl turn up in my China cabinet that I haven’t opened for years… I always hear of misfortune when it comes toltol these guys, but they never seemed to have a desire to harm me, just pranksters…
Ah, this is the first mention I have seen of losing things and then having them turn up.
My French-Canadian mother-in-law lived all her life in Fall River. Whenever she lost something, she would blame it on “wudgies,” who would delight in hiding things until you bought replacements, then would ensure that the “lost” items would almost immediately turn up. Her “wudgies” were mischievous tricksters, not malignant trolls. I always thought it was some sort of French-Canadian legend.
Only this year (40+ years after her passing) did I first hear of pukwudgies, and given the Wampanoag connection, wondered if there was any relationship between these and my mother-in-law’s creature. But most of the legends about pukwudgies don’t mention hiding property, and they all describe a much more malicious being.
I’ve explored mounds state park here In Anderson Indiana. I’m almost completely positive that they are there. Interesting things happened to both my buddy and I throughout the night we were there. I later found out that those interesting things were all signs of a pukwudgies presence.
When I was 4 we moved to a new home on Long Island. Standing outside with my mother and neighbor I saw a small creature. Grayish in color with long fingers pointy ears about 1ft tall. She came from begind the tree and walked up to where we were all standing and climbed up in this brick wall we had around the garden. I pointed and screamed and screamed. He just stood 2 feet from me at eye level and just stared at me. My mother and neighbor could not understand what I was screaming at. I was hysterical and they could not see it!! For the next 10 years living in that house when I would wake up I would find tiny 3 toed footprints in the carpet like someone just walked in the carpet. toys would constantly go off on their own (even without batteries), items would go missing or be moved around. I have never ever told anyone about my encounter with fear I’m crazy . I know what I saw and it was a pukwudgie!
I had a experience one night that fits the description of a pukwudgie. I was sound asleep in my bed with my dog at my feet, when I was awoken by the need to use the restroom. As I sat upright in my bed I noticed that the moon was lighting up the room pretty good (it was a full moon)and my curtains were not drawn. So looked out the window and was completely mind blow. Standing on my porch roof (which is parallel to my window) were two 2-3 foot tall troll looking things. They both were glowing or had some kind of glowing aura, one was a dull fluorescent green and the other a dull fluorescent orange. I didn’t notice clothing as my eyes were drawn to their drooling mouths(yeah freaky). I thought I was hallucinating so I rubbed my eyes looked down at my dog sound asleep at the foot of my bed then looked back out the window and they were still there staring at me. So I rubbed my eyes again and said to myself I’m going to use the bathroom and if these things are still here I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs and wake the whole household. Thankfully when I went back they were gone. This occurred in October year 2000 in upstate New York in a small town on the conn. and mass. border. I have never had any paranormal experiences other than this. I had come to the conclusion at the time that they were aliens, as I thought the glowing aura was some sort of protective spacesuit. A decade later I decided to search on the internet for what I had seen and came across the wiki pukwudgie link. The description is very similar to what I saw and is somewhat in the area I live so I think these were pukwudgies. All in all I tell myself either these things are real or I had the most incredible(and only) hallucination in my life.
You got that shit right Brother!!!. But i know i Wazzzz NOT ASLEEP. i didn’t see mine but id see a orange dot flatter in black fucking woods 3:45 Am
It waz about April of 2015 dont remember the day but never forgotten that night at 3:45 am i was and steal im in Gray Court South Carolina and i can steal hear words in the pichblack woods!!!…. Wisper hay you come here? Over here come here for second!!!!!! My eyes opened while i turned around got goosebomps i see a tiny orange dot waving arond in midair the soft voice wisperd yeah you this way i froze my hear could stand-up something told Don’t go too it i didn’t know it was but i’v herd my old-grandpa tell me stores about a monster that lives in the woods that speek’s to you and if you go to it you well never be seen again i tough it was a story to make me go bed early just like this but NO!!!! I’m 27 years old again will not go out in the woods by my self use too all the time but no more i was to look up about this bedtime story and geese what i found???. I found out that bedtime story is called a PUKWUDGIE.!!!!! I’t lives behind a trailer park on Farview Rd south side of Gray Court as for me i moved to 3495 Neely Firry Rd 7miles from my last siteing and i’t well!!! be my lsat you mite say owl-shit this fucker is full of it but you did not see what seen in the woods.The caught on Fire and i told every 1 i did cuzz who? Would believed me if i told a fact that i once thout to be a lie. If anyone can help me (864) 376-0780
I’m from KY, and I seem to have read that sometimes they are not mean, that they will play tricks like taking your things… I had one that I used to see frequently in my home, seen him out of the corner of my eye, and then one day he noticed that I seen him, and he made eye contact with me, and like nodded, disappeared and I haven’t seen him again, but I will find misplaced objects, I mean in places I couldn’t have put them, weird things frequently.. It was like he accepted me… Anyone ever heard of this?
Next time you got out in the woods for whatever reason, Please have a compass, Drinking water, a whistle and reflective material. Fashionable clothing will do you very little good unless you’re trying to make a statement on a video. You had something to start a fire, so that’s good.
Getting lost in the woods is no laughing matter. Neither one had adequate clothing to be out in the woods unless that was a community park trail.
As crazy as it sounds you’d be surprised how many people get lost just wondering 10′ off the beaten trail. In many cases, People who start out like this do die. The good people in search rescue, who put their lives on the line to save these individuals have the grim task of reporting the tragedy to families.
It’s no joke. I’d be more worried about your ignorance than bigfoot.
Hello! I’ve been doing a lot of research on the little folk and the puckwudgie managed to catch my eye, as its one of the few little folk that dwell in america. I would love to have any eyewitnesses email me and or describe their encounter. Thank you!
You can email me at
hithertitherfox@gmail.com
Does anyone know if this creature can be manifested into a human and allowed into your house? I live on the border of MA/NH and the possibility has been mentioned. Any ideas??
You don’t have to believe my post, but I’m telling you that I am being 100% truthful. Pukwudgie are real beings. I live in Phippsburg ME, in a very large parcel of woods, with a small pond. Before I built my house years ago, I was living in an RV on my property. One evening, in the Fall (a pretty chilly night, around 7 pm), I was kicking back, eating a snack, and happened to look up at the window, diagonally across from me, and couldn’t believe my eyes. I first thought it might be a reflection, but it moved and I knew it wasn’t. I could barely believe what was happening – was like WTF??? I blinked hard (multiple times) and sat up straight, so I could get a better look. Looking right in at me, lit by my inside lights, was a troll man, that I learned later was called a pukwudgie. We stared at eachother for about 10 minutes, so i got a very good look at him (based on what i could see via the inside lights shining on him outside, through the glass). Based on the fact that he’d pushed one of my plastic chairs up against the RV to look in, I estimated that he was about 4 feet tall. I could only see his head and the top of his shoulders, but I could tell that he was stalky (looked a like some of the modern day “little people” (no direspect) that you see on TV, with the disproportioned bodies (ie: head and torso are large compared to rest of body). He was wearing what looked like a dark colored, knit, fisherman’s hat. He had a dark, wool coat and scarf that looked baggy and home made. (I could actually see the hand stiching at the coat colar and buttons). His face is permanently imprinted on my mind. At first, he was completely expressionless, and I’d wondered for a minute that maybe it was a mask (until I saw him blink). He had very blue, deep set eyes (dark circles with wrinkles). His nose was big, long, and pointy. His skin was pale (caucasion) and he had a scruffy (unshaped) gray/white beard-mustache, and hair sticking out from under his hat. I could tell that he was old in age. He had high cheekbones and I could see that his cheeks were hollow (even with the beard). His hat didn’t cover his ears, and when he turned his head (was looking around like he wanted to be sure no one else was around) I could see the ear closest to me pretty good, and it was definitely larger than normal and pointy at the top. I actually remember thinking “Holy S!#%, he looks like a freakin’ garden gnome! I have got to be hallucinating!” (FYI: No. I have not/do not have any drug or psychological problems. I don’t drink or smoke.). After some time, I nodded at him, in a neighborly way (wasn’t sure what to do, but wanted him to know I being polite and respectful). It was then that I saw his teeth and I’ll never forget what I saw! His mouth had been closed up until now. It looked like he had thin, pink lips and his mouth was oversized for the size of his face. I realized afterward that he was smiling at me in response to my nod, but it was a very scary sight at the time. His teeth were big, yellow, and pointed. I kid you not, they reminded me of sharks teeth. And his mouth was even larger than I’d thought. Honestly, it looked like a nightmare scene, and totally freaked me out. I was trying not to, but I definitely winced and jumped a little. I was already shaking, but was able to compose myself up until then. I looked away, and when I looked back he was gone. I was too scared to go outside, but did the next morning, and that’s when I found that the plastic chair had been pushed up against the RV, and it was cracked too. There were scuff marks on the seat. But no footprints. I could tell that his feet were small though, by the size of them. I’ve never seen him again, but actually hope to now (in a way – as long as it’s not a negative being or means to harm). Somehow i dont think I ever will though. The experience completely turned my thinking/beliefs around, and I’m no longer the skeptic that I once was. Maybe what we see (and were taught to believe) isn’t really all there really is. Maybe some day we’ll understand the truth behind the physical and spiritual worlds, or maybe we’re simply not meant to know (?). It certainly makes you wonder!