Revenant inspires reverence

Hugh Glass     (Public Domain)

If you haven’t yet heard of Hugh Glass, you soon will.  That’s because Glass is the folk hero of a soon-to-be-released motion picture starring Leonardo di Caprio.

The actual Hugh Glass lived from 1780 to 1833.  Within those 53 years, Glass experienced lifetimes of adventure in

the American West.

Although few verifiable accounts of his early life exist, Glass is rumored to have been captured by pirate Jean Lafitte’s men.  After allegedly escaping, Glass is said to have then lived with a Pawnee tribe.

In 1822, Glass became part of “Ashley’s Hundred,” a group of Missouri River fur traders.  During this venture, Glass was badly mauled by a grizzly bear.  He was left for dead by his two partners, who took Glass’ equipment with them.

Through sheer will and skill, Glass not only survived, but also crawled more than 200 miles through dense wilderness to safety.  He accomplished all this despite “festering wounds, a broken leg, and cuts on his back that exposed bare ribs.”

Wikipedia explains that Glass had “laid his wounded back on a rotting log and let the maggots eat the dead flesh.”  He had also “set his own leg.”  Perhaps even more miraculously, Glass also managed to somewhat forgive the partners that had abandoned him.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Glass 

Copyright October 25, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved