The Wonderful World of Wolpertingers

One mythical creature of which I just recently became aware is the wolpertinger, said to inhabit the forests of Bavaria. It doesn’t appear that anyone actually believes in the wolpertinger, but it’s spawned plenty of legends nonetheless. Basically, it’s a small mammal, usually a rabbit or a squirrel, with antlers, wings, and fangs. Parts of other animals can be added at the artist’s discretion.

Some think the wolpertinger was inspired by rabbits with the Shope papilloma virus, as it causes tumors that can resemble antlers. I would imagine these infected rabbits aren’t as cute as the wolpertinger, though. Regardless, it’s common for taxidermists to create wolpertingers to be displayed as trophies, and they’re apparently common as stuffed animals in Germany. If this is true, I wouldn’t mind having one.

The wolpertinger is very similar to the American jackalope, a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope that has inspired many rather ridiculous stories.

There are other creatures of the sort in different parts of the world, like the Elwedritsche of the German Palatinate and the Skvader of Sweden.

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