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Grampus
Grampus
An artist's depiction
Background
Type Cryptid
Continent Europe
Country Great Britain
One-Time? Yes
Theories  · Cryptid
 · Hoax

The Grampus was a bizarre tree dwelling, porpoise-like creature was said to have terrified villagers who got too close to the rural English churchyard where it made its home.

While there’s not much of a written record concerning this unique beast, what has been passed down through the centuries are eyewitness accounts of a strange, wheezing animal that was said to resemble — at least on the surface — a dolphin or porpoise. What’s even more odd is that, unlike its ostensibly marine mammalian kin, the Grampus was said to dwell in the branches of an ancient yew tree located in the Highclere Churchyard.

While the Grampus was not considered to be a particularly dangerous vermin, it did manage to terrify locals by emitting a disturbing cacophony of guttural noises and, even more alarmingly, chasing anyone foolish enough to wander too close to its domicile. What method of locomotion it used to propel itself in these pursuits remains a mystery.

Appearance[]

The Grampus was basically described as a tree-dwelling dolphin or porpoise.

Possible Explanations[]

There are several explanations as to what the creature could be. Theories include:

  • An undiscovered species (a Cryptid)
  • A hoax

Trivia[]

  • Needless to say the Highclere natives believes this bizarre beast to be a denizen of the hell, and they promptly enjoined a local clergyman to help rid them of what they perceived to be a demonic entity. The anonymous clergyman agreed and through the rite of exorcism, by means of bell book and candle, managed to banish the beast into the Red Sea for a period of no less than 1,000 years.
  • The Grampus was also said to have a tendency toward heavy breathing or “blowing like a whale.” This may account for the creature’s name. In the 1893 opus; “A Journal of natural philosophy, chemistry and the arts, Volume 21,” author William Nicholson refers to the predatory orca or killer whales as “grampus.” Others have even suggested that the old expression “puffing like a Grampus,” was inspired by the beast.
  • In Japan, "grampus" is a common alternative way of describing a killer whale. The kanji character for "grampus" can be interpreted in two ways. One reading is “shachi,” which is the Japanese for "grampus". The other interpretation is “Shachiko,” which represents a monster with the head of a tiger and the tail of a carp. A gold-plated pair of these beasts adorns the top of Nagoya Castle in Japan.
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Cryptids
North American Cryptids
Airborne Frogman · Batsquatch · Beast of Bray Road · Belled Buzzards · Bigfoot · Black Demon · Black Star Penguins · Blue Birdman · Boston Lemur · Buena Vista Giant Spider · Campfire Creature · Carmel Creature · Champ · Charles Mill Lake Monster · Chupacabra · Coonigator · Copenhagen Devil · Crawfordsville Monster · Crocodingo · Deer Man · Demon Leaper · Deridder Roadkill · Dos Palmas Winged Snake · Dublin Lake Monsters · East River Monster · El Verde Creature · Enfield Horror · Flannel Shirt Sasquatch · Flying Horse of Mexico · Flying Horse of Virginia · Flying Rays · Giant Penguin · Giant Shrimp in the Laundry Room · Gow-Row · Green Clawed Beast · Green Eyes · Grunch Road Monster · Herring Cove Sea Serpent · Highway Beast · Jackson Dragon · Killer Cactus · Kinderhook Blob · Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp · Lusca · Manor Road Pig-Dog · Mantis Man · Melrose Creep · Metepec Creature · Michigan Dogman · Montauk Monster · Moss Man · Mothman · Mountain Boomers · Mud Mermaids · Mutant Canine · Nightcrawler · Octoman · Oil Pit Squid · Oklahoma Octopus · Panama Creature · Pennsylvanian Albino Bigfoot · Red Devil-Bat of Chester · Ripley Ostrich-Horse · River Lizards · Riverside Monster · Rochester Rat-Dog · Sewer Blob · Sheepsquatch · Skunk Ape · Snallygaster · Sugar Bundle · Sun Birds · Swift Peter · Texas Big Bird · Texas Stiltwalkers · The Awful · Tick Canyon Giant Rabbit · Tumor Seal · Whatzit · Wood Devils
South American Cryptids
Arica Monster · Atlantic Ocean Winged Abomination · Beast of Macachín Airport · Brazilian Werewolf · Calama Creature · El Cuero · Gargantuan Globulous · Huallepen · Kap-Dwa · Manta Man · Mapinguari · Minhocão · Parana Creature · Sawtooth Dolphin · Telepathic Football
Asian Cryptids
Ahool · Buru · Con Rit · Ebu Gogo · Gilled Antelope · Inflatable Hedgehog · Iranian Toothed Bird · Jodhpur Baby · Kting Voar · Maltese Tiger · Man Dragon · Masbate Monster · Rock Apes · Sakhalin Island Sea Wolf · Sukotyro · Wuhnan Toads
European Cryptids
Awd Goggie · Beast of Bosnia · Beast of Bodmin Moor · Beast Of Tenby · Black Bird of Chernobyl · Boneless · Canvey Island Monster · Catalonia Fallen Angel · Chudinov Organisms · Crimean War Monstrosities · Flying Worm of Prague · Freiburg Shrieker · Gnome of Girona · Grampus · Grass Monster · Grecian Dolphin · Highway Humanoid · Hollingworth Lake Monster · Kovahsi Creature · Loch Ness Monster · Octosquatch · Owlman · Pennine Pterodactyl · River Thames Monster · Sea Monk · Sewer Humanoid · Shug Monkey · Singing Spiders of Paris · Sussex Serpent · Vampire Caterpillar · Wolfie · 1856 French Pterodactyl
African Cryptids
Ambize · Dingonek · Emela-ntouka · Ennedi Tiger · J'ba Fofi · Kongamato · Manatee of Helena · Mbielu-mbielu-mbielu · Mokele-Mbembe · Mutant Muppet · Ngoubou · Spiny-backed Chimpanzee · Trunko
Australian Cryptids
Burrunjor · Elephantman · Hairy Lizard · Hook Island Sea Monster · Kabagon · Landsborough Gangle · Moha Moha · Pukehina Predator · Queensland Tiger · Tusked Yowie
Miscellaneous Cryptids
Antarctic Godzilla · Bermuda Beast · Ningen · Qupqugiaq · Rhinoceros Dolphin · Sky Jellyfish · Sky Serpents
v · e · d
Europe
European Cryptids
Awd Goggie · Beast of Bosnia · Beast of Gévaudan · Beast Of Tenby · Black Bird of Chernobyl · Boneless · Canvey Island Monster · Catalonia Fallen Angel · Chudinov Organisms · Crimean War Monstrosities · Flying Worm of Prague · Gnome of Girona · Grampus · Grass Monster · Grecian Dolphin · Highway Humanoid · Hollingworth Lake Monster · Kovahsi Creature · Loch Ness Monster · Octosquatch · Owlman · Pennine Pterodactyl · River Thames Monster · Sea Monk · Sewer Humanoid · Shug Monkey · Singing Spiders of Paris · Sussex Serpent · Vampire Caterpillar · Werewolf of Camberwell · Wolfie · 1856 French Pterodactyl
European Alien Sightings
Alien Octopoids · Badajoz UFO Creature · Bat Beast of Kent · Bird Beasts of Var · Conil Aliens · Crimean Slug · Cumberland Spaceman · Cussac Aliens · Domsten Blobs · Felixstowe Fire Demon · Ilkley Moor Alien · Kinnula Humanoid · Pendeli Egg · The Sandown Clown · Scottish Mines · The Silver Man · Villa Santina Aliens · Voronezh Aliens · Zanfretta's Aliens
European UFO Sightings
Crucifix UFO · Plague-Bearing UFO · Rendlesham Forest Incident
European Hauntings
Berkeley Square Horror · Black Shuck · Borley Rectory · Deogen · Derbyshire Ghost Plane · Elemental of Leap Castle · Gef the Talking Mongoose · Glamis Castle · Hairy Hands · Houska Castle · Pupa the Doll · Rosslynlee Hospital · Specter of Newby Church
European Phenomena
Bélmez Faces · Black Volga · Devil's Footprints · Eyes in the Wall · Hessdalen Lights · Hungry Grass · Invisible Crowd · Rosenheim Poltergeist · The Green Hand · Trevor Silverwood Postcards · Wall-Jumping Dog · Zanetti Ghost Train
European Beings
Cloud Giant · Green Children of Woolpit · Headless Angel of Portugal · Highgate Vampire · Invisible Smoker · Jophar Vorin · London Trolls · Le Loyon · The Manchester Pusher · Pérák · Ratman · Whipping Tom
European Events
Dancing Plague of 1518 · Disappearance of James Worson · Hollinwell Incident
European Locations
Flannan Isles Lighthouse

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