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
-
Immortal God Anubis: Lord Of The Sacred Land, Jackal God Of Mummification
Egyptian Mythology | Sep 19, 2016
-
Rhetorica ad Herennium: Ancient Book That Improves Your Memory Using Method Of Loci – You Can Test It Easily
Featured Stories | Nov 13, 2023
-
Ingvar Vittfarne: Viking Chieftain And His Tragic Expedition To The East
Featured Stories | Jul 21, 2022
-
Ancient City Of Adab That Flourished In North Sumer
Civilizations | Jul 19, 2017
-
Hagar Qim: “Standing/Worshipping Stones” – Megalithic Complex In Malta Dated To 3600 – 3200 BC
Featured Stories | Feb 19, 2023
-
Intriguing Phenomenon Sheds New Light On The Etruscans
Archaeology | Sep 25, 2021
-
On This Day In History: Great English Dramatist And Poet William Shakespeare, Was Probably Born – On Apr 23, 1564
News | Apr 23, 2016
-
Fra Mauro Medieval Map: Accurate And Detailed Work Attesting To Advanced Geographic Knowledge Of Contemporary Cartographers
Artifacts | Feb 8, 2019
-
New Study Shows How The Ancient World Adapted To Climate Change
Archaeology | Jun 28, 2022
-
Catherine Of Valois – Scandalous Queen Who Caused Drama Even After Her Death
Featured Stories | Feb 4, 2019
-
Mystery Of The Ancient Double-Headed Eagle Symbol
Ancient Symbols | Oct 11, 2017
-
‘Giant’ Ant Fossil Raises Questions About Ancient Arctic Migrations
Fossils | Mar 8, 2023
-
Legendary Erlang Shen And His Third Seeing Eye That Could Distinguish Between Truth And Lie
Chinese Mythology | Aug 14, 2018
-
On This Day In History: Battle Of Durnstein Was Fought On The River Danube – On Nov 11, 1805
History | Nov 11, 2016
-
Hunter-Gatherers Used Open Habitats Millennia Before Stonehenge Monuments Were Built
Archaeology | Apr 27, 2022
-
Is This The World’s Oldest Joke?
Featured Stories | Feb 21, 2014
-
Curious Pre-Columbian Clay Figurines With Smiling Faces From Veracruz
Artifacts | Jan 29, 2018
-
Surprising Time Capsule In Antarctica – Evidence Of Toxic Heavy Metal Pollution 800 Years Ago
Earth Changes | Jan 18, 2024
-
Ancient Dacian Gold Helmet With Piercing Evil Eyes
Artifacts | Jan 4, 2019
-
Ancient Burial Of Woman Equipped With A Unique Gold Pectoral Ornament Discovered In Siberian ‘Valley Of The Kings’
Archaeology | Feb 15, 2022