In the wide spectrum of captivating stories that have transcended to become authentic legends, the fascinating story of the Yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, stands out. This name emerged from a historic British expedition to Mount Everest in 1921. Upon descending from the summit, the members of the expedition shared their experiences with the journalist Henry Newman. During the interview, they revealed the discovery of mysterious footprints that clearly did not correspond to human beings. This intriguing encounter forged the enigmatic legend of the Yeti, adding a layer of mystery to the vast snows of Everest.
Does the legend of the Yeti refer to a man or an animal?
Local guides claimed that the footprints were from a legendary ape, the “metoh-kangmi,” which translated into Spanish means “man-bear snowman.” When Newman consulted with the Tibetans about the footprints, they told him stories about a wild creature that roamed the Himalayas. Because he needed a sensational title for the newspapers, he called him “the abominable snowman.” This is how the legend arose, with the addition of Yeti, which is the Tibetan name for him.
Although, the only proof of its existence are footprints, no one saw it personally. However, the footprints discovered by the 1921 expedition are not the only ones that inspired the legend.
In 1951, another team of climbers on Everest also found footprints that ran 1.6 kilometers at an altitude of 4,500 meters. They had marks of claws and were twice as wide as those of a human foot. They photographed those footprints, and the images became a sensation and were iconic to the “existence” of the Yeti.
History of how the legend originated
However, the legend of the yeti has much older roots. The narrative says that during his journey through India, Alexander the Great expressed his desire to see one. The locals responded that they could not display it, since yetis do not survive in such low-lying regions. This ancient tale adds depth to the fascinating story of the mythical being.
The history of the existence of the yeti continued throughout the centuries. They even devised different types and morphologies, from small but strong, to the largest and most abominable.
Thus, the legend of the yeti reached the 20th century, where it found fertile ground for imagination and cryptozoology. To which they added information from the 1921 expedition, photographs from 1951 and the story of two hikers who in the 1940s claimed that they had seen two enormous shadows moving through the snow.
In the late 1950s, an American expedition discovered a mummified hand in a Buddhist monastery, which they claimed belonged to a yeti. Peter Byrne, one of the members of the expedition, managed to acquire one of the fingers and smuggle it to the United States.
However, a DNA analysis conducted in 2011 revealed that the finger actually belonged to a human. Although the story initially suggested the possibility of having found evidence of the existence of the yeti, the reality was different according to scientific evidence.
In turn, on another expedition in 1960, they returned with the supposed scalp of a yeti. However, it turned out to be from a goat-like animal that is abundant in the Himalayas.
That being the case, is the abominable snowman legend, myth or reality?