Since first explored in the 1600’s the Great Lakes have earned a reputation as being a treacherous and unforgiving waterway. Extremely violent storms seem to appear out of nowhere taking both vessel and crew to a watery grave.In 1977 author Jay Gourley’s “The Great Lakes Triangle” proposed there were some sinister forces behind all of these mysterious disappearances. But many sailors on Lake Erie at least, have had a theory for centuries on the unexplainable storms and the shipwrecks that plague the fresh water lake.
The Storm Hag.
According to legend the Storm Hag lives at the bottom of the lake, close to Presque Isle Peninsula . She is a hideous she demon, her yellow eyes shine in the dark like those of a cat, her skin is a pale shade green. Her teeth are sharp and pointed as a shark, able to tear the skin off of her victims. They are also green, which gives her another less common name, Jenny Greenteeth. Her hands have long pointed nails like talons that have a poison with which she can paralyze a poor soul with just one small prick. Her arms are long and strong, and they wrap around her victims making it impossible for them to escape her flesh hungry attack.
The old legend tells that like a siren before she attacks she sings a quiet song over the waves that few have survived to retell. Traditionally the song she sings is:
“Come into the water, love,
Dance beneath the waves,
Where dwell the bones of sailor lads
Inside my saffron caves.”
And as soon as the seafarer hears this song the Storm Hag attacks. She calls up a violent storm that tosses the crew of the vessel around so she can lurch up from the water and grab them with her long arms. Others tell that she waits the storm out and when the sailors believe all is calm she rises from the waves, spitting lightning and winds with such force the entire vessel sinks in a few seconds.
Local history has it that on a fall evening in 1782 an owler ship was caught in a bad storm on the lake and desperately tried to make it back to port at Presque Isle. It was tossed to and fro violently for more than an hour and when it was in site of land the storm abruptly stopped.
The clouds dissipated and the moonlight from the full moon illuminated the water, and the sailors could see they were less than a mile from the northern edge of the Peninsula and home.
Without warning the water next to the boat foamed and the Storm Hag burst forth from the surface. She spewed venom and attacked the crew unleashing her fury upon them.
Within seconds the ship and its crew were taken beneath the waves to their doom.
Witnesses on shore apparently heard the screams of the sailors echoing across the lake just before the vessel disappeared.
To this day some of those who sail the lake near Presque Isle claim to hear phantom screams of the victims who were taken long ago.
Now these legends seem the work of over imaginative sailors until one looks at some very disturbing incidents documented within the last century...
Read the whole article on the Examiner here:
It was funny you mentioned "Jenny Greenteeth," Swope. I thought that was the nema of some English fairy from local folklore. I never knew the name also traveled across the ocean to America. If you Google the name, you'll see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't surpise me ultimately.
Leprecahuns and other Faerie folk also "immigrated" over long ago. Plus the native faeries already here. :)
"unleashing her furry upon them"
ReplyDeleteShe unleashed what upon them? Her "furry" or her fury? LOL
Thanks Cryptid Hunter,
ReplyDeleteDang MSWord!
It was suppose to be 'Furby'.
She has a small creepy electronic minion who does her bidding....
LOL, you're welcome Pastor Swope.
ReplyDeleteI usually try not to correct folk's spelling and grammer too much, typos happen, but that one was just too funny to let slide.
I own a boat and live right off Lake Erie (the Ohio side). You should organize a "hag hunt"- I'll lend my boat and sailing expertise. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say Pastor Swope, i'm disappointed in you... Previously I have been reading your site for some time now, and sincerely believed that you were at least making your best effort to present the stories as reported to you. Now I doubt that. The story of the Clevco is a lot more mundane then what you portrayed above. For example, the "out of nowhere snow phenomenon" was hardly something so odd! The ship was travelling in the middle of winter and during a very heavy snow storm! Not much wondering necessary to divine where the snow could be coming from! In his last radio message the Clveco's captain even radioed that they were slowly taking on water due to the heavy seas. Secondly, your mention of only two crewmen being found is also off the mark as several of the crew members bodies were found, from both ships.
ReplyDeleteThe degree to which you have twisted the facts of a tragic, but otherwise standard marine disaster story in order to make the whole thing seem paranrimal really makes me doubt your honesty. Here is more historical version of the cleveco and Admiral story: http://www.ohioshipwrecks.org/ShipwreckDetail.php?AR=3&Wreck=28
Thanks for the comments Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteIt was never my intent to imbelish or fabricate anything.
I researched this article on a dozen sites and with Jay Gourley’s “The Great Lakes Triangle”. After reading the link I found it quite informative and I wish I would have found it before I wrote the article and included more details, however the basic facts of the story are NOT false. Some details are missing in many reports such as the continuation of a storm, but the point is that Lake Erie has a unique history of Severe Storms appearing out of nowhere. That is the topic of the post for goodness sake!
I find it interesting that those who give disparaging remarks or accusation never find the courage to give their name and use anonymous as a means to slander, ridicule or berate when they fail to understand simple connections or facts.
For all the stories out of that part of Pennsylvania,I can't help but think Erie is missing that third "e".
ReplyDelete:)
I am the anonymous poster from a little while back who criticised your portrayal of the story. My name is Stephan Sawyer, from Vancouver, Canada. Now, I was indeed berating a bit, but I certainly wasnt insulting your story. Merely pointing out what I thought was a slightly irresponsible lack of solid research. You claim the point of the post anyways was about severe storms in the region, but I don't see how this could be so; you clearly talked about a very particular supposedly paranormal event on a paranormal themed blog. Why then suddenly claim that the point was otherwise?
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note, Thank you for days worth of thoroughly entertaining reading.
Anonymous (Stephan) again. I would hardly say that I failed to understand connections or facts in my criticism. If anything, a lack of this is exactly what I was criticising about your post.
ReplyDeleteDEAR PASTOR SWOPE
ReplyDeletePASTORr i have been having really stange dreams. How the dreams start they show me at a house as i walk into a house i see sometimes either a man or woman in the middle what looks like a big circle with the star of david within the circl and then a scorpion and some arabic or hebrew writing.She/he seems to be in a chair in the big cicle and bound to it. Sometimes the he/she screams in english or different languages.I then did some research through old books and found out the strange symbols were "seals of solomon" these dreams keep occuring.What do i do to stop these semi disturbing dreams.And what are the seals of solomon? because i can never get a clear definition on what the are.