During Bethesda’s E3 presentation, director Todd Howard gave fans a few glimpses of the new enemies they could expect to face in Fallout 76. Chief among those were a number of new foes; Howard explained that the developers had gone to West Virginian folklore for inspiration. Thus, enemies like the Snallygaster, Mothman, Grafton Monster, and Mega Sloth will be making an appearance, along with the possible inclusion of the Flatwoods Monster. While its inclusion is presently unknown, it’s possible that there will also be a Fallout 76 Snarly Yow, another beast from local legend.
The Snarly Yow in West Virginian Folklore
While monsters like the Mothman and Flatwoods Monster can be traced back to specific events during the mid-1900s, the Snarly Yow is harder to pin down. Like the Snallygaster, the Snarly Yow traces back all the way to tales told by German settlers during the 1700s. The present-day name is derived from words that, in German, describe a howl or wail, such as from a fanged beast. Like most monsters in West Virginian folklore, the Snarly Yow can be roughly traced to a single geographic area; the Grafton Monster in Grafton, Mothman in Point Pleasant, the Flatwoods Monster in Flatwoods, etc. The earliest tales of the Snarly Yow were told by settlers in the Potomac Valley, but they have traditionally centered on the mountains located around the town of Harpers Ferry.
Specific tales and encounters of the Snarly Yow are hard to come by; mostly because the stories are much older than those of the Mothman and other creatures. Several purported eyewitnesses claim to have hit the beast with their cars. Others claimed to have seen it standing upon its hind legs. According to the older, German legends; the Snarly Yow was capable of vanishing and appearing from thin air, and to change its size. Its roots could well lie with other European legends of beasts such as the Barghest or Black Dog. These shape-shifting apparitions resemble vicious hounds and have a great deal of overlap with the Snarly Yow.
The Snarly Yow in Fallout 76?
Thus far, there have been no sign of monsters in the game’s trailers which could be a Fallout 76 Snarly Yow. However, fans have thus far only seen a small part of the total game; Fallout 76’s map is supposedly four times the size of that of Fallout 4. Given that other iconic West Virginian monsters are set to feature, the Snarly Yow could well also make an appearance.
The monsters that have been revealed thus far have all appeared to be mutants which resemble the creatures from folklore. In that case, the Snarly Yow is likely to be a dangerous and aggressive mutated dog or wolf; some form of vicious canine, most likely with black fur. The appearance of Dogmeat in Fallout 4 clearly shows that some canines have survived the nuclear devastation relatively unscathed. However, emaciated mongrels are a staple enemy of the series, as are Mutant Hounds. It’s easy to imagine a larger, more dangerous version of these beasts being modeled after the Snarly Yow.