12 replies to this topic

[Night Walker]

SUPERSTITIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES: THE YAHOO.

Australia and New Zealand Monthly Magazine
Date: February, 1842

This being they describe as resembling a man, of nearly the same height, but more slender, with long white straight hair hanging down from the head over the features, so as almost entirely to conceal them ; the arms as extraordinarily long, furnished at the extremities with great talons, and the feet turned backwards, so that, on flying from man, the imprint of the foot appears as if the being had travelled in the opposite direction. Altogether, they describe it as a hideous monster, of unearthly character and ape-like appearance...

http://home.yowieoca.../Superstitions/

[Ninhursag]

Are There Any Pics Of The Yahoos?

[Junior Chubb]

Yahoo was top dog... until Google came to the party.

Thanks for the links Night Walker, an interesting read.

Edited by Junior Chubb, 26 September 2012 - 10:50 AM.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

yeap, tonnes of photos of yahoos, usually pissed and speeding through red lights.

[Night Walker]

Ninhursag, on 26 September 2012 - 10:26 AM, said:

Are There Any Pics Of The Yahoos?

Wearer of Hats, on 26 September 2012 - 10:57 AM, said:

yeap, tonnes of photos of yahoos, usually pissed and speeding through red lights.

19th Century Yahoo:


21st Century Yahoos:

source

[Rafterman]

Seems like a backwards foot would be an evolutionary problem.

[Junior Chubb]

Rafterman, on 27 September 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Seems like a backwards foot would be an evolutionary problem.

Not for Creationists

[Stardrive]

Backward feet, that sounds familiar, researching.......

According to native folklore the creature has a series of unnatural characteristics related to other fantastic beings of Brazilian mythology. These include the creature only having one eye, long claws, caiman skin, backward feet and a second mouth on its belly. In more recent eyewitness accounts it has consistently been described as resembling either an ape or giant ground-dwelling sloth and having long arms, powerful claws that could tear apart palm trees, a sloping back, reaching heights of 7 feet when standing on its hind legs and is covered in thick, matted fur.

link

[Night Walker]

Stardrive, on 28 September 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

Backward feet, that sounds familiar, researching.......

According to native folklore the creature has a series of unnatural characteristics related to other fantastic beings of Brazilian mythology. These include the creature only having one eye, long claws, caiman skin, backward feet and a second mouth on its belly. In more recent eyewitness accounts it has consistently been described as resembling either an ape or giant ground-dwelling sloth and having long arms, powerful claws that could tear apart palm trees, a sloping back, reaching heights of 7 feet when standing on its hind legs and is covered in thick, matted fur.

link

More on backwards feet:

Perhaps the trait most widely ascribed to unknown hominids is that of having reversed feet, that is, theri feet are said to point to the rear when the creatures walk forward. In addition to the New World examples from Guatemala and Brazil already cited, the Arawaks of South America attach this feature to their legendary men-beasts. In the Old World the notion that various species of wild men and supernatural creatures have reversed feet is probably ancient and widespread. Megasthenes, writing of the wonders of India in the fourth centry B.C., mentions wild men with backward-pointing feet. In modern times Indian superstition represents ghosts as having their feet to the rear. The Sherpas of Nepal claim tht the Yeti's, or Abominable Snowman's, feet are backwards, and this peculiarity is emphasized in beastman legends throughout the Himalaya area, as in the Pamir region. In Sumatran folklore both the si bigau, a type of gnome, and the orang pendek, a hairy dwarf hominid, are said to have feet pointing to the rear. In Africa, Ivory Coast dwellers speak of dwarfs with backward feet, and similar legends seem to exist elsewhere on that continent.

Stith Thompson's Motif-Index further documents the motif's ubiquity and shows how the multiplicity of contexs into which it has been absorbed: a culture hero in Irish mythology can turn his knees and feet backwards; a giant in Irish mythology has his heels twisted to the rear ; winged forest-spirits are said by the Tinguian of the Phillipines to possess backward-pointing fingers and toes ; and the Devil's knees are backwards , according to a well-known European folk tale.

Unknown Hominids and New World Legends
Author(s): Bacil F. Kirtley
Source: Western Folklore,
Vol. 23, No. 2 (Apr., 1964), pp. 77-90

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Rafterman, on 27 September 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Seems like a backwards foot would be an evolutionary problem.

Not really, you and I can walk backwards quite easily, the biggest problem we have is not being able to see where we're going.

[david_36]

never heard of the yahoo

[NickKilcoyne]

This is new to me too and very interesting. Maybe the backwards feet is a defense mechanism in that if you were to try and track the creature, you may get easily confused and track it in the wrong direction.

[Nathan DiYorio]

NickKilcoyne, on 14 October 2012 - 10:53 AM, said:

This is new to me too and very interesting. Maybe the backwards feet is a defense mechanism in that if you were to try and track the creature, you may get easily confused and track it in the wrong direction.

That's exactly what was said in the OP.