“Mountain Monsters” Season Four: Why Do All Legends Lead to Spearfinger?

When I received the press release about “Mountain Monsters” moving to Travel Channel, I didn’t post it all. There was more to it, including something that really intrigued me.

The two-hour season premiere will pick up where Season Three left off –with AIMS (Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings) team members Trapper, Buck, Huckleberry, Jeff, Willy and Wild Bill entangled in the backwoods of the Dark Forest.

Which is pretty intriguing too. Apparently there was quite a cliffhanger finale in Season Three, which is the reason Mountain Monsters is moving from Destination America to Travel Channel.

“After leaving Season Three with such an intense cliffhanger, we knew we had to broadcast this season on a larger platform, bringing this incredibly popular show from Destination America to a new home at Travel Channel for our AIMS-obsessed fans…” ~Matthew Butler, general manager of Travel Channel and Destination America.

But there was something else that intrigued me even more, which has to do with one of the legendary creatures they’re tracking this season.

The Final Goal

The AIMS team will chase seven monsters this season, including these six:

1. The Waya Woman
2. The Cherokee Devil
3. The Raven Mocker
4. The Silver Giant
5. The Cherokee Death Cat
6. The Coyote King

Besides being deeply rooted in folklore and trying to trap them all, the creatures share something else in common: Spearfinger.

It’s the team’s final goal to trap her.

Well, really their ultimate goal is to solve the mysteries of the mountain. But in order to do that, they must first look into the other legends, which all seem to lead to Spearfinger.

The Legend of Spearfinger

I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with Spearfinger, which derives from a Cherokee legend.

Apparently she is made of stone (or at least has skin as hard as stone) and a “sharp” finger on her right hand. It resembles either a spear or an obsidian knife.

She uses her sharp finger to cut the livers from her victims (who are largely children), which she eats. (With fava beans and a nice glass of chianti?)

She often appears as an old woman, but she has the power to shapeshift into the form of a family member, like a child’s favorite aunt or grandparent.

However, legend has it it’s not just children she has a taste for. Unwary adults can just as easily become her victims.

Did Spearfinger Die?

Even though Spearfinger had many supernatural talents, she also had a weakness –one that proved fatal when discovered. Curiously, it was on the same hand as her deadly finger.

It was said she clutched her right hand tightly, not only to mask her weapon and conceal her true identity, but also to protect her weak spot: the hidden heart in her palm. Pierce that, kill her.

According to legend (as relayed by Wikipedia) the Cherokee called a great council of all the villages that were haunted by Spearfinger’s liver-eating forays. Together they figured out a way to trap her –and kill her, once they discerned her weakness.

Still, the legend –as they’re prone to do– persisted and became a way for parents to caution their children about stranger danger.

What If Spearfinger Lives?

Will the AIMS team find Spearfinger? (If she isn’t dead or has somehow been resurrected, that is.)

What will they do with her if they find her? Will they be able to trap her –or any of the other legendary creatures ? If so, what will they do with her then?

That’s to be determined. The only thing we know for sure is that the team will face grueling work, terrifying encounters and daunting setbacks.

Tune in to Travel Channel on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT starting August 21 to find out what happens.