Snow snake (folklore)

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Snow snake (folklore) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In American folklore, the snow snake is a fearsome critter that, unlike other reptiles, can live in cold temperatures and is only active during winter months.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Standard depiction

As with any subject of folklore, details about the snow snake vary depending on the storyteller. However, most accounts purport that the snow snake is a highly venomous, white-colored serpent that lives in the snow.^[1]^[2]^[3] Occasional details have been offered regarding the eyes of a snow snake such as them being blue or pink^[2] in color. The snow snake's white coloration is said to make the animal nearly indiscernible to any observer against freshly laid snow. Hence, snow snakes held a prominent place in regional practical jokes played on those unfamiliar with the outdoors. Habitually, unexplained markings in the snow were attributed to snow snakes as part of the joke. The name snow snake may have been derived from a Native American winter sport of the same name.

Variations

Author J. E. Rockwell in a 1910 article entitled, "Some Lumberjack Myths," published in The Outer's Book, a nature journal, makes express mention of snow snakes but describes them as freezing in the winter time rather than thriving in it. Rockwell adds that lumberjacks after felling timber would place the logs onto the backs of frozen snow snakes. Subsequently, when the snakes would thaw out, in the spring, they moved to river for a drink inadvertently carrying the logs where they might be driven down river to the saw mills.^[4] Rockwell's account is unique, as no other known source deviates from the snow snake's proneness to cold. Another deviation comes in the form of the "shovel-tailed snow snake." This iteration is featured on a postcard advertising the "Friendly" Buckhorn Tavern in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. This establishment was known for showcasing fearsome critters often created through taxidermy. The pictured image displays a snake-like effigy, looking as if carved from a tree branch, with speckled patches: the body terminating in a spade-shaped growth. ^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b Brown, Charles (1935). Paul Bunyan Natural History. C.E. Brown. p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Tryon, Henry (1939). Fearsome Critters. Idlewild Press. p. 45.
^ ^a ^b Art Childs (w, a). Yarns of the Big Woods. Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). 1925, Associated Editors, p. 7.
^ Rockwell, J. E. (February 1910). "Some Lumberjack Myths". The Outer's Book. pp. 157–160. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
^ Buckhorn Tavern (1950), SHOVEL-TAILED SNOW-SNAKE Largest one ever seen in Rice Lake, Wisc., Cincinnati, OH: Picto Cards Kaeser & Blair

v t e American folklore
Native	Alaska California Salishan
Folk heroes	Johnny Appleseed Elfego Baca Daniel Boone Br'er Rabbit Jim Bridger Paul Bunyan Davy Crockett Mike Fink Geronimo John Henry Calamity Jane Casey Jones Molly Pitcher Theodore Roosevelt Ola Värmlänning
Idiomatic figures	Average Joe Cooter Brown Jack Robinson Sam Hide Uncle Sam
Fearsome critters	Agropelter Axehandle hound Ball-tailed cat Belled buzzard Cactus cat Champ Dungavenhooter Fur-bearing trout Gillygaloo Glawackus Goofus bird Gumberoo Hidebehind Hodag Hoop snake Hugag Jackalope Jersey Devil Joint snake Sidehill gouger Snallygaster Snipe Snow snake Splintercat Squonk Teakettler Wampus cat
Ghosts	Bell Witch Ghosts of the American Civil War Lincoln's ghost La Llorona Red Ghost White Lady
Legends	Bear Lake Monster Bloodstopping Campfire story Confederate gold Fountain of Youth Goatman (urban legend) Great Salt Lake whale Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine Lost Ship of the Desert Madstone Mercy Brown vampire incident Mothman North Shore Monster Seven Cities of Gold Tailypo Westerns Cowboys/Vaqueros
African	Flying Africans Uncle Remus
Literary folk heroes	Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Annie Christmas Brother Jonathan Casey at the Bat Cordwood Pete Evangeline Febold Feboldson Ichabod Crane Joe Magarac Johnny Kaw Kemp Morgan Mose Humphrey Ole Pete Pecos Bill Rip Van Winkle Tony Beaver Windwagon Smith

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Standard depiction

Variations

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References