The Not-Deer has been frightening people for centuries. I recently began listening to a podcast about the Appalachian region that I recommend, it’s called “The Old Gods of Appalachia,” and it talks about legends from around the area in a story format starting with the Anglo-Saxon colonization of the Appalachias and the Scotts-Irish and indigenous tribes that were here before them.
While it hasn’t mentioned them yet, it reminded me of the Not-Deer, so I thought I would write an article on them.
While it stems from mutiple sources with multiple variations, according to The Skeptical Enquirer (a web page dedicated to approaching Cryptids and the Supernatural in a scientific manner) a Tumblr user by the url of Will-o-the-Witch coined the name which has been used in regular spaces including 4Chan, Reddit, TikTok and Tumblr. (JD Sword, Sept 10, 2021)
The Not-Deer have been sighted throughout the centuries all over the world, but with a seeming focus on the Appalachian mountains. Each sighting has small differences, but with some things in common. Most people who have seen them say that there is an uncanny intelligence behind their eyes (which are often forward-facing the way a predators seem to be), and they have joints that bend in weird ways. In many ways, it seems similar to a Native American monster, though without the implications of where it comes from and the taboo around saying the name of it.
There are multiple pictures and videos of these creatures, and though many argue they are fake, that remains to be seen. What most pictures show, however, is these Not-Deer eating meat, something which most deer don’t do.
While many claim that evidence of these creatures has been edited, the truth is that sometimes reality is stranger than fiction, and with so many sightings throughout the history of the U.S., and more into today, maybe it isn’t so hard to believe. After all, narwhals exists and what are they if not “not-dolphins”?
Maybe that’s the truth of Cryptids.
