Long Black Being: The Mysterious Forest Dweller
chris-rice/FlickrThe Long Black Being allegedly lurks in woods like these.
To a hunter alone in the woods at twilight, the Long Black Being might seem like another person from afar. But by the time they realize their mistake, it’s much too late.
Choctaw legend describes this creature — also called na losa falaya — as having a humanoid body, a shriveled face, small eyes, and long pointed ears.
It allegedly lives in the depths of the woods, usually near a swamp, where it waits for unsuspecting hunters to cross its path. Once someone wanders by, it patiently stalks them, hovering along the trail.
Sometimes the Long Black Being is said to call out, mimicking human voices. Other times, they’re described as springing across the hunters’ path. On either occasion, the hunter is faced with a sight so frightening that they will likely lose consciousness.
And that’s when the Long Black Being strikes.
As the hunter lies unconscious on the ground, the Long Black Being swoops down and pricks the victim with a thorn or a quill. When the hunter awakes, it’s probably with a degree of relief. They have no idea that the Long Black being has bewitched them.
At first, the hunter will seem only unusually grumpy. But their bad mood will intensify and become violent. As the Long Black Being’s spell takes over, they’ll feel compelled to kill everyone close to them.
The Long Black Being is also described as bringing death to the Choctaw tribe. In one account, a Choctaw doctor described seeing a Long Black Being walk down a hill through a churchyard. Soon afterward, a terrible flu struck the Choctaw people, killing many.
Though nefarious, the Long Black Being is said to have a family of its own. Legend states that the children of the Long Black Being can remove their internal organs and drift through the air. They’re allegedly found along the edges of marshes.
