Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Red Dwarf Of Detroit



Thursday thirteen - 23rd Edition

In honor of Halloween I thought I'd talk about some spooky Michigan folklore. This tale is about the Red Dwarf of Detroit. Hope you enjoy this scary yet interesting tale.


1. Among all the impish offspring of the Stone God, wizards and witches, that made Detroit feared by the early settlers, none were more dreaded than the Nain Rouge (Red Dwarf), or Demon of the Strait, for it appeared only when there was to be trouble

2. The infamous Red Dwarf (Nain Rouge) of Detroit was reputed to be the foul offspring of the Stone God.

3. It was a shambling, red-faced creature, with a cold, glittering eye and teeth protruding from a grinning mouth.

4. Cadillac, founder of Detroit, encountered the Nain Rouge while sitting on the bank of the Detroit River. The Red Dwarf had jumped down right in front of the French Colonial governor, startling him nearly out of his wits, and thrust a long stick at him as if it were a sword. Harried by the imp's whacks, Cadillac drew his own sword and parried, beating the creature back with the flat of his blade until it ran away, cackling madly. From that moment, Cadillac's fortunes took a down-turn, and he was eventually recalled to France, losing his trade monopoly and all his privileges.

5. The Red Dwarf was next seen during Pontiac's Rebellion, a period in which the Native American tribes had banded together against the British following the French and Indian War.

6. The united tribes had attacked a number of settlements, and laid siege to Fort Detroit. The British had attempted to end the siege with a sneak attack on Pontiac's encampment, but their plan was betrayed to the rebel leader.

7. Pontiac defeated the British in the Battle of Blood Run, which took place at a creek two miles north of the fort.

8. Several survivors of the battle claimed to have seen the Red Dwarf running along the shores of the lake shortly before the battle began.

9. The imp was spotted once again in 1805, racing through the streets of Detroit just before the city burned to the ground.

10. And during the War of 1812, when the forces of British General Brock began bombarding the American forces within Fort Detroit, General Hull acceded to a demand for unconditional surrender after he saw the Red Dwarf leering at him through the fog.

11. To this day, the creature continues to be the herald of misfortune for Detroit.

12. The Red Dwarf dashed down 12th street, doing back flips and cartwheels on the night of the police raid that sparked the race riots of 1967.

13. And it was observed by Detroit Edison linemen taking a lunch break in 1976. The Nain Rouge climbed up a utility pole right in front of their eyes. When they yelled at it, believing it was a child, the Red Dwarf dropped to the ground, leered rudely at them, and scampered away. The next day, an ice storm left 400,000 Detroit residents without electricity.

Do you have an interesting folklore about your state?

26 comments:

  1. Scary dwarf! And it wasn't even Gimli! or Loren or Thoren or even Sleepy, Dopey or Doc.

    Wow. Just wow.

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  2. Very interesting.
    Happy tt!

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  3. Okay, this explains a lot . . . I think (LOL).

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  4. Boy that Bijan looks like 'meh'. These are very fun and funny. we always dress up our Rose, which she tolerates - barely!

    happy halloween!

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  5. I've never heard of the Nain Rouge before. Thank you -- that was very interesting.

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  6. For some reason, Dr. Who kept popping into my head.

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  7. Wow...interesting and creative post...happy TT...here's mine:
    http://www.apooobooks.com/thursday-thirteen-favorite-halloween-costumes/

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  8. Fascnating! Thanks for the heads up. Happy Halloween!

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  9. Cool story. It's almost Irish in its bigness and humor.

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  10. Hummmm, that is an interesting tale. Nice to have something to blame all the bad stuff on. I'm not aware of Texas having such. Might be nice to though.

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  11. This was very interesting folklore, Michelle. I'm glad I stopped by. Happy Thursday!

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  12. We have the New Jersey Devil!

    GREAT list. I found it amazingly interesting.

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  13. I don't know any scary stories about where I live, but I'm glad I don't live in Detroit. I love folklore, though, so the story is very interesting. I wonder if I could put it in a book?

    Happy TT!

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  14. Frankly, I hope to never see him. Why take chances?

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  15. very interesting stories, attracted at #4.Happy TT! mine is up now.

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  16. Interesting. I've lived here a long time and have never heard of this. What a story. Happy TT

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  17. Interesting tale...I am glad he is not near me! Happy TT.

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  18. Haven't heard this one, but I love the "Legend of the Dogman" starting in Luther MI

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  19. I love stories like this! Here in Chicagoland we have Resurrection Mary. Every now and again, a driver will give a ride to an unusual hitch hiker, a girl in a prom dress. When he drops her off, she disappears into the night like vapor. It's Resurrection Mary, trying to get her prom. (Or was it her homecoming dance?)

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  20. Hah, I wouldn't want to see his shadow! what a timely TT. Thanks and happy Halloween! :)

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  21. Fun Thursday Thirteen! Mine's Halloween-themed, too: 13 Places with Halloween Names

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  22. What a clever idea for Halloween … I enjoyed your scary story. Thanks for sharing. I didn’t participate in T-13 today, but I dropped by to say … Consider yourself Boo-ed! Go check my Small Reflections blog for specifics unless you decide you've had enough Halloween already!
    Hugs and blessings,

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  23. That is an interesting one! Happy belated TT :) I did not play this week :(

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  24. That's a really great story! Thanks for sharing it. It's one I hadn't heard before. :)

    Thanks for visiting and for your comments. :)

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