Orance – [Fearsome Critter]

Description

The Orance – [Fearsome Critter] – aka: ‘Golden-Wampus’

• About this critter: A Rare, usually nondescript creature from the Ozarks; sometimes described as a “Cat, Man or Monster” & usually used as a joke or a prank on Flatlanders. (Folks who live outside of the Ozarks mountain range, usually nosey half-wit tourists.) Variously described as ‘a variety of Wampus Cat.’ – Supposedly, it has Gold-Orange fur and ‘Two sets of legs”; Whenever it is hunted, it attempts to run, but It ends up going nowhere fast, as its legs move either which way, at once!

• History: Earliest described in Vance Randolph’s “We Always lie to strangers” [1951] where it is mentioned as something of an inside joke or a prank; mentioned to him by Robert L Kennedy, an old-time newspaperman of Springfield, Missouri, who claimed that the story was brought to prominence by two men named ‘Lee Holland’ and ‘John G Newbill’ half a century prior; The name of the creature would be mumbled to catch the attention of people who where listening (or eavesdropping on their conversation.) when they got their attention they’d move away and mumble something loudly like “They moved the Orance to Joplin“, sometimes someone would catch the word ‘Orance’ clearly and would want to know the details, but after leading them on for a while. The two would deny the pursuer more information, they would get mad and storm off mumbling things that did not sound like “Orance” at all. – Vance goes onto say that the whole thing was ‘a rib‘ and probably not widely circulated outside of springfield. However, Oddly; when he told others about it, the name “Orance” was known by settlers in southwest Missouri! However, to them, the Orance was another name for a Legendary wildcat called the ‘wampus cat.’ – Vance then goes on to talk about ‘painters’ and ‘panters’ & other big cats and legendary varmints. (i wont recount his entire article. Vance’s entire write-up of the creatures where also recounted later in Robert B Downs: “The Bear went over the mountain: tall tales of American Animals” [1964]) –

Much later, “Ozark ghost stories” [Richard & Judy Dockery Young, 1995] also claimed that the ‘Orance’ was often seen around Reeds Spring, Missouri in the Abesville area. – They also said it was often’explained away as a lost collie (in the 1940s) a lost pet lioness (in the 1980s) or as ‘a tramp looking for a handout on a stormy night.’ – Although I have yet been able to find any reference to those stories, like most of the tales described in their books, their research & stories seem to mostly have been told orally, So there might not be much of a paper-trail to follow in the first place!! (Note to self; have another look through newspapers & other archives when possible…)

…Anyway, I drew mine based on the fun description/poem by Ennis Rees in ‘Gilly Galoos and Gollywhoppers.’ [1969]:

* The rare Orance has two sets of legs, But is captured without a chase, For it tries to run both ways at once, And stays in the very same place!

Of all the wampus cats described, the description there most resembles the multi-legged Central American Whintosser [Cox, 1910] who is defeated by making its legs move in every direction at once! – however unlike the Whintosser: The Orance does not seem to tear itself in half when it tries to walk in different directions! – Though, the ‘incompetence factor’ of its legs reminds me of the family of sidehill gougers. Though, Given that it has ‘golden-fur’ and is supposedly being pursued, perhaps it’s a snipe-like critter?) I’d assume that older descriptions of the Orance where far more fearsome than mine! – [Note to self: I should really get around to drawing the ding-dang most basic of WampusCats already!!]

I like to imagine theres a constant Hannah Barbera sound effect as this thing tries to run in both directions.

[Art sticker by @samkalensky (yo! that’s me!) part of my fearsome critters collection of stickers follow and support for many more!]