The Piasa - The Monster Above the Waters - Sea Serpents and Lake Monsters

The Piasa - The Monster Above the Waters
by Robert Benjamin
Ezine Articles

While exploring the waters of the Mississippi River in 1673, Father Jacques Marquette saw a painting that brought about a mixed feeling of fear and amazement. He described the painting as that which showed two monsters. The monster that was presented in the mural was as large as a calf, with a scale covered body. The monster had the face of a man but it was tarnished with a lion's beard, a deer's horns and red eyes that reminded him of death. The monster also had very long tail which winded around the body and ended with a tail akin to that of a fish. The colors green, red, and black were used to depict the monster.

In the article "The Bird that Devours Men" written by Illinois' John Russel in 1836, he provided an explanation for the mysterious mural. He stated that according to the stories of the natives that live in the Mississippi river there was once a huge flying monster that took the form of a bird. People from the rivers called it "Piasa".

According to the story, the bird beast lurked the skies of the Mississippi and the land around it. It feeds on flesh, but not just any animal's flesh. Instead, tribes feared the monster for it preferred eating human flesh.

For years, the natives tried to kill the savage beast as it constantly feeds on their tribesmen. However, their attempts led to failures and the death of their famed warriors. This continued until one of the tribe chieftain, Ouataga, was blessed with a dream from the Great Spirits. According to the dream, the only way to kill the Piasa was through a sudden attack while it attempts to feast on bait.

Ouataga followed his dream and assembled the best of his warriors. He then made himself as the bait while his warriors were hiding near him so as to attack the monster once it attempts to devour him. When the bird beast flew towards Outaga, the warriors released their poisoned arrows, successfully putting an end to the dangers and threats of the monster.

To remind them of their success and the heroic act of Chief Ouataga, the tribesmen engraved the image of the Piasa on a cliff above the Mississippi River. From then on, it became a tradition of the warriors of the tribes to release an arrow at the mural of the Piasa every time they pass by the waters.