Folklore on the Rocks

This week we go spelunking (figuratively, obvs) into the "Wondergat" or "Wonder Cave" that is home to the South African Cryptid, the Grootslang. Some sources say The Grootslang (or Grote Slang, Dutch / Afrikaans for "Big Snake") is a GIANT cobra (40 feet / 12 meters long), and some differ and say it has the head of an elephant and the body of a snake. Either way, it lives in the Richtersveld in South Africa and hoards gems (especially diamonds). We talk about the characteristics of the Grootslang, how it may have come to be (Dutch settlers or the indigenous Nama people, or a mishmash of both?), when the hell battery powered flashlights came about, why the Grootslang covets gems, and most importantly, what alignment it (and we are). We read a couple of excerpts from 'first-hand' accounts in the early-mid 1900s, and stress the importance of NOT BUYING blood diamonds, and don't recommend traveling with dynamite.