Matching 50 mythical creatures with each of the 50 states

Montana: Camazotz

When it comes to finding the perfect monster or creature to represent a state, it often helps to see what folk tales, urban legends, and stories are already part of the state’s history. And while in some cases, we don’t mind kicking a monster out in order to find the right rep for the state, in others, the current legends are creepy/scary/fascinating enough.

In Montana, there are at least 18 legends, all courtesy of the Native Americans, that are spooky enough to keep us up at night. And that is where the Camazotz comes in.

The Camazotz is a Death Bat or in some cases a Bat God. (Sounds cute…maybe.) For this particular creature, it seems that pregnant women worshipped the Camazotz, but everyone else lived in fear.

In Native American culture, bats are already associated with death, darkness, and the night. So it makes sense that when you take that bat and make it a death god, it makes sense they might be terrifying. With a human body and bat head and wings, this creature is not something you want to come across unless you have something to offer them.

There are some legends that are scarier than others, but the Camazotz sounds like one that would give many of us nightmares.