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| The '''yeti''', also known as the '''Abominable Snowman''', is a supposed large ]-like ] reported to live in the ]s. The ] name is derived from the ] ''yeh-teh'' (transliterated: gYa' dred), "little man-like animal"; it is a ] with Old English ''geottan'' (or ''yettin'' in Modern English), an antiquated word for an ] or ] (see also ]). | The '''yeti''', also known as the '''Abominable Snowman''', is a supposed large ]-like ] reported to live in the ]s. The ] name is derived from the ] ''yeh-teh'' (transliterated: gYa' dred), "little man-like animal"; it is a ] with Old English ''geottan'' (or ''yettin'' in Modern English), an antiquated word for an ] or ] (see also ]). | ||
| Most mainstream ]s and experts consider current evidence of the yeti's existence to be unpersuasive, and the result of ]es, ], or misidentification of mundane creatures. Still, the yeti remains one of the most famous creatures in ]. | Most mainstream ]s and experts consider current evidence of the yeti's existence to be unpersuasive, and the result of ]es, ], or misidentification of mundane creatures. Still, the yeti remains one of the most famous creatures in ].The Yeti is basically the same as a Bigfoot, except it is in Nepal. | ||
| Certain physical evidence, however, such as tracks and nests have suggested to some that yeti is an unknown ], a remnant ], or a type of ]. | Certain physical evidence, however, such as tracks and nests have suggested to some that yeti is an unknown ], a remnant ], or a type of ].The bear explanation has never born out.Yetis are alleged to be bipedal, and bears walk on four legs. More recent research suggests that in the view of some, the Yeti may be a space-time being, since | ||
| tracks from the American version have been found to disappear in snow with no good reason | |||
| for doing so. | |||
| The term ''yeti'' is often used to describe a number of very different reported creatures: | The term ''yeti'' is often used to describe a number of very different reported creatures: | ||
| * A large ape-like biped (that some suggest could be '']'') |
* A large ape-like biped (that some suggest could be '']'') | ||
| However, analysis of the Patterson-Gimlin film shows the creature has a thin jaw, unlike the massive jaw of Giganto. | |||
| * Human-sized ] apes (the ] and the ]) | * Human-sized ] apes (the ] and the ]) | ||
| * Dwarf-like creatures (such as the ]). | * Dwarf-like creatures (such as the ]). | ||
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| For hundreds of years, natives in the Himalays have been telling stories about a humanoid monster that wanders around the mountain range. However, occasional reports of an ape-like creature in the Himalayas only began filtering to the west in the ], mainly by ] explorers . | For hundreds of years, natives in the Himalays have been telling stories about a humanoid monster that wanders around the mountain range. However, occasional reports of an ape-like creature in the Himalayas only began filtering to the west in the ], mainly by ] explorers . | ||
| In ], '']'' published the account of ], who wrote that while trekking in northern ], his native guides spotted a tall, bipedal creature covered with long dark hair, then fled in fear. Hodgson did not see the creature, but concluded it was an ] |
In ], '']'' published the account of ], who wrote that while trekking in northern ], his native guides spotted a tall, bipedal creature covered with long dark hair, then fled in fear. Hodgson did not see the creature, but concluded it was an ], forgetting that orangs are not bipedal, and | ||
| usually live 600 miles futher south, in Borneo,etc. | |||
| Perhaps the first formal record of reported yeti ]s was in ]'s '']'', by ]. Waddell reports his native guides described the large apelike creature that left the prints; he concluded the prints were a ]'s. Waddel heard stories of bipedal, apelike creatures, but wrote that of the many witnesses he questioned, none "could ever give me an authentic case. On the most superficial investigation it always resolved into something that somebody had heard of." | Perhaps the first formal record of reported yeti ]s was in ]'s '']'', by ]. Waddell reports his native guides described the large apelike creature that left the prints; he concluded the prints were a ]'s. Waddel heard stories of bipedal, apelike creatures, but wrote that of the many witnesses he questioned, none "could ever give me an authentic case. On the most superficial investigation it always resolved into something that somebody had heard of." | ||
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| In ], Sir ] mounted an expedition to collect and evaluate evidence for the Yeti and sent a Yeti ] from the ] ] to the West for testing. The results indicated that the ] had been manufactured from the skin of the serow, a goat-like Himalayan antelope. But some disagreed with this analysis. Shackley said they "pointed out that hairs from the scalp look distinctly monkey-like, and that it contains parasitic mites of a species different from that recovered from the serow." | In ], Sir ] mounted an expedition to collect and evaluate evidence for the Yeti and sent a Yeti ] from the ] ] to the West for testing. The results indicated that the ] had been manufactured from the skin of the serow, a goat-like Himalayan antelope. But some disagreed with this analysis. Shackley said they "pointed out that hairs from the scalp look distinctly monkey-like, and that it contains parasitic mites of a species different from that recovered from the serow." | ||
| ] at ] ]]] | ] at ] ]which was later proven to be of a goat.]] | ||
| In ], British mountaineer ] says he saw a creature while scaling ]. While scouting for a campsite, Whillans heard some odd cries. His sherpa guide told him the sound was a yeti's call. That night, reported Whillans, he saw a dark shape moving near his camp. The next day, Whillans observed a few human like footprints in the snow, and that evening, he asserted that with ], he watched a bipedal, ape-like creature for about 20 minutes as it apparently searched for food not far from his camp. | In ], British mountaineer ] says he saw a creature while scaling ]. While scouting for a campsite, Whillans heard some odd cries. His sherpa guide told him the sound was a yeti's call. That night, reported Whillans, he saw a dark shape moving near his camp. The next day, Whillans observed a few human like footprints in the snow, and that evening, he asserted that with ], he watched a bipedal, ape-like creature for about 20 minutes as it apparently searched for food not far from his camp. | ||
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| ==Analyses== | ==Analyses== | ||
| Many ], after careful examinations of eye-witness reports and statistical evidence, have concluded that yeti reports are misidentification of mundane creatures. Well-financed expeditions have failed to turn up any positive evidence of its existence, although a sample of hair retrieved from one expedition was reportedly confirmed as belonging to an unknown ape. | Many ], after careful examinations of eye-witness reports and statistical evidence, have concluded that yeti reports are misidentification of mundane creatures. Well-financed expeditions have failed to turn up any positive evidence of its existence, although a sample of hair retrieved from one expedition was reportedly confirmed as belonging to an unknown ape. A hair found in Bhutan was tesed for dna and found to be stange and unsequenceable.(Dec.2000, Smithsonian) | ||
| Enthusiasts speculate that these reported creatures could be present-day specimens of the ] giant ] '']'', as the only evidence (other than teeth) recovered from ''Gigantopithecus'' (its jawbone) indicates a skull rested upon a vertical spinal column (as in ]s and other bipedal apes such as '']''). However, while the yeti is usually described as a ], most scientists feel that ''Gigantopithicus'' was probably ]al, and so massive that unless it evolved specifically as a bipedal ape (like ''Oreopithecus'' and the hominids) upright walking would have been even more difficult for the now extinct primate than it is for its extant quadrupedal relative, the ]. Without evidence to support it, this suggestion must be regarded as highly speculative. | Enthusiasts speculate that these reported creatures could be present-day specimens of the ] giant ] '']'', as the only evidence (other than teeth) recovered from ''Gigantopithecus'' (its jawbone) indicates a skull rested upon a vertical spinal column (as in ]s and other bipedal apes such as '']''). However, while the yeti is usually described as a ], most scientists feel that ''Gigantopithicus'' was probably ]al, and so massive that unless it evolved specifically as a bipedal ape (like ''Oreopithecus'' and the hominids) upright walking would have been even more difficult for the now extinct primate than it is for its extant quadrupedal relative, the ]. Without evidence to support it, this suggestion must be regarded as highly speculative. Furthermore, analysis of the famed Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film shows that | ||
| in frames 368-374 the jaw is slender and not massive, thus eliminating Gigantopithecus. The Yeti | |||
| has all the characteristics of Bigfoot in China, Alaska and the USA, is is widely thought to be the same thing. | |||
| Although there is no firm evidence to support yeti reports, some have noted the Himalayas are remote and sparsely populated, and that there is perhaps more room for the yeti's actuality than with ] in ]. | Although there is no firm evidence to support yeti reports, some have noted the Himalayas are remote and sparsely populated, and that there is perhaps more room for the yeti's actuality than with ] in ]. | ||
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| ==The yeti in popular culture== | ==The yeti in popular culture== | ||
| With the many yeti reports in the ], the creature crossed over into popular culture. ] lent his talent to voicing a bumbling, lovelorn Abominable Snowman on a few ] cartoons from the era. | With the many yeti reports in the ], the creature crossed over into popular culture. ] lent his talent to voicing a bumbling, lovelorn Abominable Snowman on a few ] cartoons from the era. | ||
| Two early films include ''The Snow Creature'' (1954) and ''Jû jin yuki otoko / Beast Man Snow Man'' (1955) . | |||
| The British film '']'' appeared in 1957, starring ] and ]; Fred Johnson played the yeti. | The British film '']'' appeared in 1957, starring ] and ]; Fred Johnson played the yeti. | ||
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| * - from ] | * - from ] | ||
| * (This site is in French) | * (This site is in French) | ||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 07:29, 19 February 2006
- For the British indie rock band see Yeti (band).
The yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman, is a supposed large primate-like creature reported to live in the Himalayas. The Western name is derived from the Tibetan yeh-teh (transliterated: gYa' dred), "little man-like animal"; it is a false cognate with Old English geottan (or yettin in Modern English), an antiquated word for an orc or troll (see also jotun).
Most mainstream scientists and experts consider current evidence of the yeti's existence to be unpersuasive, and the result of hoaxes, legend, or misidentification of mundane creatures. Still, the yeti remains one of the most famous creatures in cryptozoology.The Yeti is basically the same as a Bigfoot, except it is in Nepal.
Certain physical evidence, however, such as tracks and nests have suggested to some that yeti is an unknown primate, a remnant hominid, or a type of bear.The bear explanation has never born out.Yetis are alleged to be bipedal, and bears walk on four legs. More recent research suggests that in the view of some, the Yeti may be a space-time being, since tracks from the American version have been found to disappear in snow with no good reason for doing so.
The term yeti is often used to describe a number of very different reported creatures:
- A large ape-like biped (that some suggest could be Gigantopithecus blacki)
However, analysis of the Patterson-Gimlin film shows the creature has a thin jaw, unlike the massive jaw of Giganto.
- Human-sized bipedal apes (the Alma and the Chinese wildman)
- Dwarf-like creatures (such as the Orang Pendek).
The term is also often used to refer to reported ape-like creatures that fit any of these descriptions: for example, the fear liath may be referred to as the "Scottish yeti". The yeti is sometimes referred to as the "Abominable Snowman". This name was popularized by the press after a reporter related a mistranslation of a Nepali name for the yeti. Migoi is another name for such a creature.
History
For hundreds of years, natives in the Himalays have been telling stories about a humanoid monster that wanders around the mountain range. However, occasional reports of an ape-like creature in the Himalayas only began filtering to the west in the 1800s, mainly by British explorers .
In 1832, Journal of the Asiatic society of Bengal published the account of B. H. Hodgson, who wrote that while trekking in northern Nepal, his native guides spotted a tall, bipedal creature covered with long dark hair, then fled in fear. Hodgson did not see the creature, but concluded it was an orangutan, forgetting that orangs are not bipedal, and usually live 600 miles futher south, in Borneo,etc.
Perhaps the first formal record of reported yeti footprints was in 1889's Among the Himalayas, by L.A. Wadell. Waddell reports his native guides described the large apelike creature that left the prints; he concluded the prints were a bear's. Waddel heard stories of bipedal, apelike creatures, but wrote that of the many witnesses he questioned, none "could ever give me an authentic case. On the most superficial investigation it always resolved into something that somebody had heard of."
The frequency of reports increased in the early 20th century, when Westerners began making determined attempts to climb the many mountains in the area and sometimes reported seeing odd creatures or strange tracks .
Also notable was Lieutenant Colonel C.K. Howard-Bury, inadvertently responsible for coining the term "Abominable Snowman." While leading a group on Mount Everest in 1921, Howard-Bury's expedition discovered many footprints at about 20,000 feet in altitude. Howard-Bury related his account to a reporter for the Calcutta Statesman, however, the reporter made an error: the sherpas had said "meh-teh" (roughly, "manlike thing that is not a man"), but the reporter wrote "metoh-kagmi", which translates, roughly, to "abominable snowman".
In 1925, N.A. Tombazi, a photographer (and, incidentally, a member of the Royal Geographical Society) saw a creature at about 15,000 feet in altitude, near Zemu Glacier. Tombazi later wrote that he observed the creature from about 200 or 300 yards' distance, for about one minute. "Unquestionably, the figure in outline was exactly like a human being, walking upright and stopping occasionally to pull at some dwarf rhododendron bushes. It showed up dark against the snow, and as far as I could make out, wore no clothes." About two hours later, Tombazi and his companions descended the mountain, and saw what they took to be the creature's prints, described as "similar in shape to those of a man, but only six to seven inches long by four inches wide.... The prints were undoubtedly those of a biped."
In 1942, after escaping from a Siberian prison, Sławomir Rawicz and his companions reported seeing two large, apelike creatures while crossing the Himalayas. They claim to have observed the creatures for several hours from a distance of about 100 m (300 feet). However, critics have questioned the accuracy (and even the reality) of Rawicz's escape narrative.
Western interest in the yeti peaked dramatically in the 1950s. While attempting to scale Mount Everest in 1951, Eric Shipton took photographs of a number of large prints in the snow, at about 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) above sea level. These photos have been subject to intense study and debate: Some argue they are the best evidence of Yeti's reality; others disagree, and think the prints are a mundane creature's, distorted and enlarged by the melting snow.
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reported seeing large footprints while scaling Mount Everest. Hillary would later discount Yeti reports as unreliable.
Beginning in 1957, Tom Slick, an American who had made a fortune in oil, funded a few missions to investigate yeti reports. In 1959, feces reportedly from a yeti were collected by Slick's expedition. Analysis found a parasite but could not classify it. Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that "Since each animal has its own parasites, this indicated that the host animal is equally an unknown animal."
In 1959, actor Jimmy Stewart, while visiting India, reportedly smuggled the remains of a supposed yeti, the so-called Pangboche Hand, by hiding them in his luggage when he flew from India to London.
In 1960, Sir Edmund Hillary mounted an expedition to collect and evaluate evidence for the Yeti and sent a Yeti scalp from the Khumjung monastery to the West for testing. The results indicated that the scalp had been manufactured from the skin of the serow, a goat-like Himalayan antelope. But some disagreed with this analysis. Shackley said they "pointed out that hairs from the scalp look distinctly monkey-like, and that it contains parasitic mites of a species different from that recovered from the serow."
In 1970, British mountaineer Don Whillans says he saw a creature while scaling Annapurna. While scouting for a campsite, Whillans heard some odd cries. His sherpa guide told him the sound was a yeti's call. That night, reported Whillans, he saw a dark shape moving near his camp. The next day, Whillans observed a few human like footprints in the snow, and that evening, he asserted that with binoculars, he watched a bipedal, ape-like creature for about 20 minutes as it apparently searched for food not far from his camp.
Yeti accounts have perhaps received less attention in recent decades, but as recently as 1998, Craig Calonica reported seeing two apelike, bipedal creatures on Mount Everest.
Analyses
Many cryptozoologists, after careful examinations of eye-witness reports and statistical evidence, have concluded that yeti reports are misidentification of mundane creatures. Well-financed expeditions have failed to turn up any positive evidence of its existence, although a sample of hair retrieved from one expedition was reportedly confirmed as belonging to an unknown ape. A hair found in Bhutan was tesed for dna and found to be stange and unsequenceable.(Dec.2000, Smithsonian)
Enthusiasts speculate that these reported creatures could be present-day specimens of the extinct giant ape Gigantopithecus, as the only evidence (other than teeth) recovered from Gigantopithecus (its jawbone) indicates a skull rested upon a vertical spinal column (as in hominines and other bipedal apes such as Oreopithecus). However, while the yeti is usually described as a bipedal, most scientists feel that Gigantopithicus was probably quadrupedal, and so massive that unless it evolved specifically as a bipedal ape (like Oreopithecus and the hominids) upright walking would have been even more difficult for the now extinct primate than it is for its extant quadrupedal relative, the Orangutan. Without evidence to support it, this suggestion must be regarded as highly speculative. Furthermore, analysis of the famed Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film shows that in frames 368-374 the jaw is slender and not massive, thus eliminating Gigantopithecus. The Yeti has all the characteristics of Bigfoot in China, Alaska and the USA, is is widely thought to be the same thing.
Although there is no firm evidence to support yeti reports, some have noted the Himalayas are remote and sparsely populated, and that there is perhaps more room for the yeti's actuality than with Bigfoot in North America.
In 1997, Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner claimed to have come face to face with a Yeti. He has since written a book, My Quest for the Yeti, and eventually killed one. According to him, the Yeti is actually the endangered Himalayan Brown Bear, Ursus arctos, that can walk upright or on all fours.
In 2003, Japanese mountaineer, Makoto Nebuka, published the results of his 12-year linguistic study and postulated that the word "yeti" is actually a regional dialect term for "bear". The ethnic Tibetans fear and worship the bear (as do many primitive peoples) as a supernatural being.
Recently, Henry Gee, editor of the journal Nature, wrote that "The discovery that Homo floresiensis survived until so very recently, in geological terms, makes it more likely that stories of other mythical, human-like creatures such as yetis are founded on grains of truth.... Now, cryptozoology, the study of such fabulous creatures, can come in from the cold" .
The yeti in popular culture
With the many yeti reports in the 1950s, the creature crossed over into popular culture. Mel Blanc lent his talent to voicing a bumbling, lovelorn Abominable Snowman on a few Warner Bros. cartoons from the era.
The British film The Abominable Snowman appeared in 1957, starring Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing; Fred Johnson played the yeti.
The long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who featured a robotic Yeti in the serials The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear and its 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors.
In 1960, the Tintin comic book Tintin in Tibet was published, featuring a story about a yeti. This has been claimed to be the author Herge's own favorite in the series.
An abominable snowman called Bumbles was the villain in the perennial 1964 Rankin-Bass Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He became friendly over the course of the story.
In 1978, Disneyland added Audio-Animatronic yetis to its Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction during an extensive refurbishment of the 1959 roller coaster.
Polish artist Stanisław Szukalski's idea that many people are actually subhuman descendents of Yetis ("Yetinsyny") was adopted by the Church of the SubGenius, with the twist that SubGenii are supposed to be superior mutants descended from godlike Yetinsyn ancestors.
Philip Kerr's adventure novel Esau (1996) tells of an expedition which encounters yeti in the Himalayas.
The 2001 Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc. featured an abominable snowman voiced by John Ratzenberger.
The 2001 movie Monkeybone had a yeti that worked at the Morpheum Theatre in Downtown.
In 2002, the Gameboy Advance game "Urban Yeti" was made. This game was used for many jokes and puns within the now defunct video game magazine "GameNOW" . (Jokes mainly revolving around the term "Ready to YETI!!!" ) The Backyardigans have an episode about the Yeti in which Pablo the penguin sings "The Yeti Stomp".
The 2005 remake of King Kong contains a reference to the yeti, where Lumpy the Cook mistakes one of Kong's footprints for that of the Abominable Snowman.
In 2006, Walt Disney World Resort will open Expedition Everest in its Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, a roller coaster featuring an animatronic yeti; Disney will promote the attraction in February 2006 with a publicity stunt set to feature an enormous yeti image decorating a Times Square skyscraper
Gregg Yeti (of The Flashing Astonishers) is a modern indie rock musician who took on the abominable one for a last name.
The role-playing game Final Fantasy VI contains an unlockable character named Umaro who is based on the yeti.
The sub-Canadian Yetti, or, "Yettius Subcanadius" have been known to inhabit the lands around Whippoorwill Mountain.
See also
External links
- Religious site that claims that belief in Yeti springs from the theory of evolution and the media
- The Unmuseum's Yeti page
- Yeti, The Abominable Snowman - from Occultopedia
- A theory of Yeti (This site is in French)
- Most photos of American Yeti
- Possible explanation for Yeti
References
- Jerome Clark, "Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena", Visible Ink Press, 1993.
- Bernard Heuvelmans, "On the Track of Unknown Animals", Hill and Wang, 1958
- Reinhold Messner, "My Quest for the Yeti : Confronting the Himalayas' Deepest Mystery", New York : St. Martin's Press, 2000, ISBN 0312203942
- Gardner Soule, "Trail of the Abominable Snowman", New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1966