Creatures, Cryptids, and Legends of the States (Pt. 6)

Two states in one! Connecticut and Delaware don't have a lot of exciting tales, not nearly as many as other states, but their tales spread across cities. These tales are well-known all over the states, so who needs a pile of scary creatures when you have one that haunts everyone?

Connecticut: Melon Heads

These are beings said to be spotted all over the state of Connecticut; they are small humanoids with bulbous heads who emerge from the woods and attack people. They are rumored to be mutant inbreds who had lived on the outskirts of Milford, but have spread throughout the state, remaining in more woodsy areas. In 1960, there was an asylum for the criminally insane that burned down in Fairfield County where 10 to 20 inmates were unaccounted for. Rumor has it they survived the fire and escaped into the woods. Instead of returning to civilization to be apprehended once more, they remained in the woods where they resorted to cannibalism to survive, and eventual inbreeding.

They are said to have hydrocephalus—a condition in which there is an accumulation of fluid in the brain. The state increases the pressure in the skull and increases the head size in babies.

Another rumor of these creatures says they are descendants of a colonial-era family who were banished from the village for witchcraft. They preyed upon any human who wandered into their territory. The deformed children were cause for the diet of human flesh.

In 2001, a man was driving down a dark, abandoned road in the middle of the night when he saw a glimpse of some dwarf-like creatures in the woods. As he watched, he noticed creatures with expanded heads running alongside his car at 45 to 50 miles per hour.

Delaware: Mhuwe

This Native American lore from the Lenape and Munsee tribes is a creature parallel to the well-known Windigo. It is a man-eating ice giant—a large hairy beast often associated with starvation, cannibalism, and sin. Legend says a person who tasted human flesh and grew an appetite for it, or went mad from the cold, turned into the Mhuwe monster. If the creature were treated kindly and fed cooked, delicious foods, it would become a human once more.

Delaware: Mr. Chews

Mr. Justice Ghost is a strange urban legend from the city of Dover, but an interesting one no doubt. Samuel Chew was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court until his death in 1744. His last name was often mocked by people, making excessive chewing noises or exaggerated sneezes. His name was even mocked after his death, making for a poor taste in specific for mocking a dead man. The jokes became more zealous and then the spirit of Mr. Chew grew restless.

The first sighting of his ghost was by farmer David Hendricks who spotted him on his way to the tavern. He often mocked Chew, and when faced with the apparition, he let out a sneeze. Thinking he was being mocked once more, he chased him back home.

Again, the town miller, Peter Droongoggle, was on his way home during a wind storm. He dropped his lantern and when he reached down to grab it and he raised it up to see the ghost of Mr. Chew in front of him. He had mocked the judge to his face many times, and after hearing Hendrick's tale of his ghost encounter, he ran without another word or a glance backwards. He haunted the town for years and people were afraid to go out at night, even if they never had anything bad to say about the previous Judge. Mistress Van Loon convinced the town people to give his spirit a proper funeral in hopes of ending the haunting. While no new hauntings have been recorded, the people of Dover have it in good faith that his spirit is still around.