Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to a new saga on Pilgrim Paranormality. In this collective, which is only two episodes instead of the usual four, we're gonna cover some crazy cryptos and conspiracies that plagued the dudes and dudettes who brought us the first Thanksgiving. In today's episode of Strange Tides, we venture into the rugged world of the Stone Giants—towering, rock-armored beings from Iroquois legend who once stalked the dense forests, mountain ridges, and misty riverbanks of the Northeast. Rooted in Haudenosaunee tradition, these giants weren’t just monsters in the dark—they were powerful symbols of chaos, survival, and the raw force of nature itself.
We’ll break down their mythic origins, explore variations of the legend across different Nations, and dig into the stories of how hero figures outsmarted or defeated them. But we don’t stop at the old tales—because the legend didn’t. From strange footprints along the Hudson to whispered sightings in the Adirondacks, we’ll look at modern encounters that keep the Stone Giants alive in regional folklore.
Along the way, we’ll connect the myth to geology, environmental changes, and a few more far-out fringe theories when we enter the Tinfoil Teepee. So get ready for a trip through time that might be as old as the rocks themselves.
Sources and Links:
Brébeuf, Jean de. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. 1636–1637.
Le Jeune, Paul. The Jesuit Relations. 1637.
Hunter, Andrew. Hurons: Their Ancient Culture and Stone Implements. Ontario Archaeological Report, 1902.
Barbeau, Marius. Huron and Wyandot Mythology. National Museum of Canada, 1915.
Trigger, Bruce. The Children of Aataentsic. 1976.
Steckley, John. Huron Mythology. 2007.
Parker, Arthur C. Iroquois Uses of Maize and Other Food Plants. 1910.
Mayor, Adrienne. Fossil Legends of the First Americans. 2005.
Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. 1900.
Parker, Arthur C. Seneca Myths and Folk Tales. University of Buffalo Studies, 1923.
Johnson, Elias. Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois or Six Nations. 1881.
Cusick, David. Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations. 1828.
Curtin, Jeremiah. Seneca Fiction, Legends, and Myths. Smithsonian Institution, 1922.
Bierhorst, John. The Mythology of North America. Oxford University Press, 1985.
Mann, Barbara Alice. Native Americans, Archaeologists, and the Mounds. Routledge, 2003.
Mayor, Adrienne. Fossil Legends of the First Americans. Princeton University Press, 2005.
Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Heselton, Philip. Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner. Thoth Publications, 2010.
Times Herald-Record (local newspaper); BFRO Report #26500; *Mountain Monsters* S4E1 (reenactment/interview).
BFRO Report #15678; New York Folklore Society archives; Linda Zimmermann's *Mysterious Stone Sites in the Hudson Valley* (2017)
Kreisberg's *Spirits in Stone* (2018); BFRO Report #38745; Hudson Valley One article (2016)
Local hunter interview in *Mountain Monsters* S5E3; Reddit r/Cryptozoology thread (2019); BFRO unclassified report
*Ancient Origins* article (2016); BFRO Report #51234; YouTube video analysis (2017)
BFRO Report #62389; New Jersey Folklore Society; *Connect Paranormal Blog* (2025)
Onondaga Nation oral archive (2024); BFRO Report #71234; *Hangar1publishing* blog (2024