The Panther Petroglyph, also known as the Water-Panther Stone, is a boulder on which the stylized image of an animal has been carved. Discovered along Thirteenmile Creek near Leon, West Virginia, in Mason County, the stone has been moved to a sheltered location at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park at Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
Some archaeologists theorize that the prehistoric engraving represents a panther or, more specifically, an “Underwater Panther.”
According to archaeologist Karen Strom, the mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes hold that underwater panthers are water monsters that oppose Thunderbirds, masters of the powers of the air. The Underwater Panther is an opposing-yet-complementary force, with which the Thunderbird is engaged in eternal conflict.
Read more: Learn more about the Underwater Panther and its place in Indigenous rock-art traditions