The hidebehind is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

fearsome critter In North American folklore and American mythology, fearsome critters were tall tale animals jokingly said to inhabit the wilderness in or around logging camps,Dorson, Richard M. ''Man and Beast in American Comic Legend.'' (Bloomington, IN: Ind ...

from American folklore that preys upon humans that wander the woods,Botkin, B. A. (1977). ''The American People: Stories, Legends, Tales, Traditions and Songs''. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. and was blamed for the disappearances of early loggers when they failed to return to camp.Brown, C. E. (1935).
Paul Bunyan Natural History
'. Madison: self-published. As its name suggests, the hidebehind is said to be able to conceal itself. When an observer attempts to look directly at it, the creature quickly hides behind an object or behind the observer and therefore cannot be directly seen. The hidebehind supposedly uses this ability to stalk human prey without being observed and to attack them without warning. Said victims, including

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

s and others who frequent the forests, are then dragged back to the creature's lair to be devoured. The creature subsists chiefly upon the intestines of its victim and has a severe aversion to alcohol, which is therefore considered a sufficient repellent. Tales of the hidebehind may have been used as an explanation of strange noises in the forest at night. Early accounts describe hidebehinds as large, powerful animals, despite the fact that no one was able to see them. Other sources suggest that the hidebehind makes hissing noises, such as a viper would.

In popular culture

The hidebehind has been featured and referenced in popular culture including games, novels, stories, and television. * In ''

Pecos Bill Pecos Bill ( ) is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. These narratives were invented as short stories in a book by Tex O ...

Catches a Hidebehind'', a hidebehind's capture is attempted by the cowboy, who hopes to donate it to a zoo. * Hidebehinds are mentioned in Diane Duane's ''Young Wizards'' series. In the series, they are described as being mostly small creatures, with the fear they engender in those they stalk being a defense mechanism. * In 2016, the official ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' themed site

Pottermore Wizarding World Digital is a digital publishing, e-commerce, entertainment and news company. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J. K. Rowling regarding the Wizarding World. The site feat ...

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...

released a new story about the wizarding school Ilvermorny, which featured a hidebehind. This "nocturnal, forest-dwelling spectre" preys on

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of ...

creatures, but a witch and

Pukwudgie A Pukwudgie, also spelled Puk-Wudjie (another spelling, ''Puck-wudj-ininee'', translated by Henry Schoolcraft as "little wild man of the woods that vanishes"), is a human-like creature of Wampanoag folklore, found in Delaware, Prince Edward Island ...

working together were able to defeat the creature. It also features in the revised edition of '' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them''. * The hidebehind appeared in the ''

Gravity Falls ''Gravity Falls'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twi ...

'' short "Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained: The Hide Behind".

References

{{American tall tales Fearsome critters Monsters Supernatural legends

In popular culture

See also

References