Mysterious Piasa Bird – Native American Dragon That Existed Thousands Of Moons Before The Pale Face Came
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Depictions of the mysterious giant Piasa bird can be found on a limestone bluff overlooking the Mississippi.
Native American legends tell this creature existed long before the pale faces arrived on their lands. It was a bird described as one 'that devours men' in the Illini tongue.
An interesting theory suggests the Piasa Bird may be related to ancient Japanese dragons.
The first discovery of the Piasa Bird was reported in 1673, when French Canadian explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet sighted a painting of the creature as they navigated the river near present-day Alton, Illinois.
A representation of the legendary creature. The original cliff drawing of the bird was destroyed during the 19th century. Credit: Illinois Dept. Of Natural Resources
"As we were descending the river," Marquette recorded later in his diary: "we saw high rocks with hideous monsters painted on them and upon which the bravest Indian dare not look. They are as large as a calf, with head and horns like a goat, their eyes are red, beard like a tiger's, and face like a man's. Their tails are so long that they pass over their bodies, ending like a fish's tail.
They are painted red, green, and black and so well drawn that I could not believe they were drawn by the Indians and for what purpose they were drawn seems to me a mystery."
Who Made The Paintings Of The Piasa Bird?
Measuring some 30 feet long to 12 feet high, the depictions of the Piasa Bird are the largest petroglyphs ever documented in aboriginal America. The carvings were made on the sheer face of the cliff. Native Americans said the cliff was so steep that no man could climb up to it.
If Native Americans did not make the carving of the Piasa Bird, then who did?
The Illini Indians near what is now Alton were terrified of the bird and fired arrows and bullets whenever they passed the painting.
Researchers who spoke to Illini Indians learned that the Piasa Bird existed in this country many thousands of moons before the arrival of the pale faces. Indians from Miami said something similar. According to them, the Piasa Bird was present in America several thousand winters before the pale faces came.
The Native American dragon came to the country a very long time ago. The Illini Indians say the giant bird killed not only their animals but also people. Finally, they managed to drive the creature away in prehistoric times.
In the 19th century, explorers reportedly found a nearby cave filled with human bones, and sightings persist in the area of a giant bird.
Was The Piasa Bird Related To Ancient Japanese Dragons?
Nobuhiro Yoshida, Professor of languages and president of the Japan Petrograph Society, compared the Piasa Bird's paintings with depictions of ancient Japanese dragons and found some striking similarities.
Top image: Piasa Bird of Alton, Illinois. Bottom image: The Japanese dragon. Credit: Professor Nobuhiro Yoshida and Frank Joseph
According to Professor Yoshida, the Piasa Bird resembles the dragon depicted by Seikoh Kano in his painting for the ceiling of the Hachi-Rai shrine at Yukuhashi, Fukuoka PrefeTheoth the American Piasu and the Japanese dragon have talons, are winged, bearded, horned are multi-colored.
This may naturally be a coincidence, but it's an interesting observation. However, unlike the murderous Piasa Bird, dragons were the objects of Japanese prayers and rituals because the creatures were personifications of drought-ending thunderstorms.
As Ancient Pages wrote earlier, we encounter dragons and dragon kings in almost every world culture. Dragons play an essential role in the beliefs of our ancestors, and these creatures were depicted in various ways.
Dragons can be placed in two groups- East and West dry were regarded as either good or very fearsome and evil creatures.
Updated on June 29, 2022
Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesMore From Ancient Pages
-
2,000-Years-Old Warrior Graves With Iron Swords, Mysterious Square Structures, Unearthed In Bejsce, Poland
Archaeology | Nov 21, 2019
-
On This Day In History: He Wanted The Bible To Be Available To All – Burned At The Stake On Oct 6, 1536
News | Oct 6, 2016
-
Mysterious Underground City In Brazil Could Re-Write Ancient History – Unexplained Artifacts And Skeletons – Part 1
Featured Stories | Jan 23, 2022
-
Modern Humans Inherited DNA From A Mysterious And Unidentified Ancestor
DNA | Aug 7, 2020
-
Mystery Of The Amazing 2,500-Year-Old Underwater Rochelongue Treasure
Featured Stories | Jul 7, 2023
-
207-Year-Old Whaling Shipwreck Discovered In Gulf Of Mexico
Archaeology | Mar 23, 2022
-
Rock-Cut Chambers In “House of Muses” Of Zeugma, Home To Numerous Mosaics
Archaeology | Jul 27, 2021
-
Oldest Canoe Ever Discovered In Maine – It Dates To 1280-1380 A.D
Archaeology | Jun 13, 2019
-
Unique Life-Sized Camel Carvings In Northern Arabia Are Much Older Than Previously Thought
Archaeology | Sep 15, 2021
-
Dorset Culture: Mysterious Rock Carvings Of Qajartalik – Faces Of Unknown Beings
Civilizations | Sep 3, 2018
-
Ancient Mesopotamian City Lagash Reveals More Archaeological Secrets
Archaeology | Jan 25, 2023
-
Mysterious Sumerian Star Tablet And Strange Divine Omens – Communication With The Gods – Part 2
Featured Stories | Feb 18, 2021
-
407-Million-Year-Old Plant Fossil Challenges Long-Held Theory On Fibonacci Spirals Found In Nature
Evolution | Jun 22, 2023
-
Why Is A Biscuit Named After Giuseppe Garibaldi – Italy’s Military Leader And Hero?
Ancient History Facts | Feb 19, 2017
-
Yuki-Onna ‘Lady Of The Snow’: A Female Demon And Symbol Of Death In Japanese Mythology
Featured Stories | Mar 7, 2019
-
Curious Golden Figurine Of Female Dwarf Is A Puzzle
Archaeology | Feb 16, 2014
-
Giant Balor Of The Evil Eye – Terrifying Fomorian King And Grandfather Of Celtic God Lugh
Celtic Mythology | Apr 30, 2018
-
Prince Wenceslaus Of Bohemia Murdered On Order Of His Own Brother
Featured Stories | Nov 19, 2019
-
1,000-Year-Old Church Walls Unearthed In Ethiopia By Polish Archaeologists
Archaeology | Apr 26, 2020
-
On This Day In History: National Hero Paul Revere Warns Of The British Coming – On Apr 18, 1775
News | Apr 18, 2016