In American folklore, the axehandle hound (axhandle hound, ax-handle hound, or similar) is a fearsome critter of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Description The animal is dog-like with a body which resembles an axe. Its head is shaped like an axe blade, complemented by a handle-shaped body, atop short stubby legs. It subsists on a diet consisting entirely of the handles of axes which have been left unattended. A nocturnal creature, the axehandle hound travels from camp to camp searching for its next meal. According to folklore, the axehandle hound strongly dislikes axe handles made from red oak.
See also Fearsome critters Folklore of the United States
References
Baughman, Ernest Warren - Type and Motif-index of the Folktales of England and North America, Mouton 1966, page 533. Botkin, B. A. - The American People: Stories, Legends, Tales, Traditions and Songs, Transaction Publishers, , page 250. Botkin, B. A. - The Pocket Treasury of American Folklore, Pocket Books 1950 Rose, Carol - Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth, W. W. Norton & Company, , page 32, 119.
External links Description (in Italian)