View source for Hidebehind

{{Infobox mythical creature
|name = Hidebehind
|image         = Hidebehind.jpg
|image_size    = 250px
|caption       = The hidebehind from ''[[Fearsome Critters]]'' (1939)
|Grouping      = [[Legendary creature]]
|Sub_Grouping  = 
|Country       = [[United States]]
|Habitat       = Forests and Woodlands
}}
{{from wikipedia}}

The '''hidebehind''' is a [[nocturnal]]<ref>Wyman, Walker D. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada.(River Falls, WI: Univ of Wisconsin Riverfalls Press,1978.)</ref> [[fearsome critter]] from American folklore that preys upon humans that wander the woods,<ref name="borkin">Botkin, B.A. The American People: Stories, Legends, Tales, Traditions and Songs. (New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1977) {{ISBN|1-56000-984-5}}</ref> and was blamed for the disappearances of early loggers when they failed to return to camp.<ref name="Brown">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1126 Brown, C.E. ''Paul Bunyan Natural History.'' (Madison: self-published, 1935.)]</ref><ref>Cohen, Daniel. Monsters, Giants, and Little Men from Mars: An Unnatural History of the Americas. (New York: Doubleday, 1975)</ref> As its name suggests, the hidebehind is noted for its ability to conceal itself. When an observer attempts to look directly at it, the creature hides again behind an object or the observer and therefore can't be directly seen: a feat it accomplishes by sucking in its stomach to a point where it is so slender that it can easily cover itself behind the trunk of any tree.<ref>Randolph, Vance. We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1951.)</ref>  The hidebehind uses this ability to stalk human prey without being observed and to attack without warning. Their victims, including lumberjacks who frequent the forests, are dragged back to the creature's lair to be devoured.<ref name="borkin"/><ref name="Brown"/> The creature subsists chiefly upon the intestines of its victim, and has a severe aversion to alcohol, which is considered a sufficient repellent.<ref>[http://www.lumberwoods.com/p23.htm  Tryon, Henry Harrington. Fearsome Critters. (Cornwall, NY: Idlewild Press, 1939)]</ref> Tales of the hidebehind may have helped explain 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.<ref>{{cite book | last = Rose | first = Carol | title = Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Legend, Folklore, and Myth | publisher = W.W. Norton and Company | year = 2001 | pages = 172 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GKrACS_n86wC&dq=hidebehind+legend&source=gbs_navlinks_s | isbn = 0-393-32211-4}}</ref>

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

* The hidebehind is featured in the 2006  horror/suspense novel of the same name by Charles H. Snellings in which rafters on the [[Middle Fork of the Salmon River]] in [[Idaho]] are stalked by one of the creatures.<ref name="Snellings2006">{{cite book|author=Charles Snellings|title=The Hidebehind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Ba63FRDHR0C|date=August 2006|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-84728-782-3}}</ref> The creature appeared in ''Pecos Bill Catches a Hidebehind'', where it is captured and donated to a zoo by the cowboy [[Pecos Bill]].<ref>{{cite book | authors = Blassingame, Wyatt and Vestal, Herman | title = Pecos Bill Catches a Hidebehind | publisher = Gerard Publishing Company | year = 1977 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5uBiPQAACAAJ&dq=Hidebehind&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=0 | isbn = 0-8116-4045-0}}</ref>
* Hidebehinds are mentioned in [[Diane Duane|Diane Duane's]] ''Young Wizards'' series.<ref name="errantry"/> In the series, they are described as being mostly small creatures with the fear they engender in those they stalk being a defense mechanism.<ref name="errantry">{{cite web | last = Duane | first = Diane | title = The Errantry Concordance: The Online Encyclopedia of the Young Wizards Universe | url = http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Hidebehind | accessdate = 2009-10-08}}</ref>   
* In 2016, the official ''[[Harry Potter]]'' themed newsite [[Pottermore]] by [[J. K. Rowling]] released a new story about the wizarding school [[Ilvermorny]], which featured a hidebehind. This "nocturnal, forest-dwelling spectre" preys on [[humanoid]] creatures, but a witch and [[Pukwudgie]] working together were able to defeat the creature.<ref>[[Rowling, J.K.]] (June 28, 2016). [https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ilvermorny "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"]. [[Pottermore]].</ref>

* The hidebehind appeared in the ''[[Gravity Falls]]'' short "Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained: The Hide Behind".<ref>{{Citation|last=DisneyXDUK|title=Gravity Falls - Dipper's Guide To The Unexplained - The Hide Behind|date=2014-04-25|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJJgybKQyT8|accessdate=2017-04-01}}</ref>

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Cryptids]]