Cryptids on Campus: Greeno Stalks WWC
Jasper Everingham | April 18, 2024
Students at Warren Wilson College (WWC) this semester may have encountered rumors or flyers pertaining to a mythical green monster lurking around campus. Dubbed “Greeno,” this monster is the brainchild of Noah Hoyle, a WWC Creative Writing senior.
Although Hoyle began working on Greeno for a class, it quickly became a passion project, taking on a life of its own. Hoyle said he has been interested in cryptids — creatures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the Jersey Devil — for some time and wants WWC to have something similar.
“I'm a big fan of folklore and mythology and lore in general,” Hoyle said. “I think Wilson as a community deserves to have that as well: its own homegrown stuff.”
Greeno began as a project for a creative nonfiction class, in which Hoyle tasked himself with "going out and finding” some creature around WWC. Although he notably denies any involvement in Greeno’s creation, one cannot help but notice that the creature bears a striking resemblance to Hoyle himself, wearing a hood and costume.
“For my purposes, Greeno must be real. But I'm willing to accept that there may be another reality out there: a simultaneous shared reality where it's a guy in a suit,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle also acknowledged the prevalence of Milkrat on campus and said that he hopes that Greeno and Milkrat can coexist.
“We have milk rat who serves as kind of a religious figure, which is not quite in the same vein as the modern American cryptid,” Hoyle said. “Obviously, I want Milkrat and Greeno to be friends. I don't want to encourage any sort of rivalry between them— I think that would go very poorly for Greeno— but it is interesting to think about the differences between those two spiritual entities on campus.”
Hoyle also expressed an interest in the history of cryptid mythology, noting the role of cryptids in the split between mythology and religion.
“Back in the day, [early cryptids were] a very religious idea,” Hoyle said. “Mythology is associated with Gods and divine beings, but as the role of religion in our society has changed to become less fantastical, a lot of the time, there are less beasts associated with it. The role of mythology has changed to create these smaller creatures that are roaming the woods.”
Ultimately, Hoyle hopes Greeno could evolve into a part of the WWC collective consciousness and last for many years. He encouraged people to share their stories of Greeno encounters and posted flyers with a survey allowing participants to do just that.
“If you see something, say something,” Hoyle said. “And if you don't see something, you can say something anyway.”