THE HUNT FOR THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN
BBC History Revealed|August 2023
From Alexander the Great to Sir Edmund Hillary, the Yeti has fascinated visitors to the Himalayas for millennia. Jonny Wilkes follows in the footsteps of the cryptid and the explorers who have spent their lives trying to find it
THE HUNT FOR THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN

The 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition set out from India to find a route to, and hopefully up, the world's highest mountain, but on their return the team had more to report than the successes of their recce. Interviewed by journalist Henry Newman, they spoke of coming across large footprints in the snow. Expedition leader Charles Howard-Bury concluded that they had been made by the loping of a wolf; local guides and porters, however, said they belonged to the legendary metoh-kangmi, roughly translating as 'man-bear snowman'.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW

An intrigued Newman spoke to some of the Tibetans who saw the humanesque footprints, and stories emerged of a mysterious, wild creature stomping across the Himalayas. Now fascinated, he needed an eye-catching name for the newspapers, since his mistranslation of metoh meant he thought it was called 'filthy snowman'. He came up with something far more evocative: the abominable snowman.

And so the legend of the Yeti - its Tibetan name - went global, capturing imaginations and inspiring a century, and counting, of cryptozoological studies, searches and sightings. The hairy, apelike biped has come in all different shapes and sizes, sometimes said to be much taller than a human and sometimes small yet frightfully strong, and while most famously depicted with white hair to blend into the snow-covered landscape it can also be reddish-brown and live in the Himalayan forests around the mountains.

In movies, meanwhile, the Yeti has been both the killer monster of the 1957 Hammer horror The Abominable Snowman and the cuddly cave-dweller of Monsters, Inc. (2001).

この記事は BBC History Revealed の August 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は BBC History Revealed の August 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

BBC HISTORY REVEALEDのその他の記事すべて表示
'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'
BBC History Revealed

'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'

DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY

time-read
2 分  |
Christmas 2023
THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD
BBC History Revealed

THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD

Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost

time-read
4 分  |
Christmas 2023
REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
BBC History Revealed

REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season

time-read
3 分  |
Christmas 2023
GIVING THE POOR A VOICE
BBC History Revealed

GIVING THE POOR A VOICE

From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate

time-read
3 分  |
Christmas 2023
A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON
BBC History Revealed

A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON

The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him

time-read
10+ 分  |
Christmas 2023
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
BBC History Revealed

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature

time-read
6 分  |
Christmas 2023
GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING
BBC History Revealed

GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING

We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world

time-read
3 分  |
Christmas 2023
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
BBC History Revealed

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war

time-read
3 分  |
Christmas 2023
HELLISH NELL
BBC History Revealed

HELLISH NELL

Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law

time-read
6 分  |
Christmas 2023
7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE
BBC History Revealed

7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence

time-read
5 分  |
Christmas 2023