It was a British reconnaissance expedition to Mount Everest in 1921. Upon their return, they told journalist Henry Newman that they saw large footprints in the snow. They thought it was a wolf. But the locals said that they were from the legendary metoh-kangmi. It translates something like “man-bear snowman.” This was the origin of the legend of the Yeti.
Newman came up with a good name for the news. He called him the abominable snowman. Soon the legend went global. It is said to be a hairy, ape-like biped, very tall and strong. He is depicted with white hair to blend in with the snow-covered landscape.
Official US interest
In 1951, some climbers saw strange footprints in the same area. They traveled 1.6 kilometers at an altitude of more than 4,500 meters. They took photos; The footprints were almost twice as wide as a human's. They became icons of the 20th century fascination with the Yeti. Traditional tales from the Himalayan region refer to the Yeti as a glacier spirit who brought fortune to hunters. Also as a creature that scared people from venturing too far into the mountains.
But the legend is older. They say that when Alexander the Great stormed the Indian subcontinent in 326 BC he demanded to see one. But the locals refused to show him, claiming that he would not survive at low altitudes. The legend became part of Buddhist mythology as the religion spread through the region.
In 1959, the United States embassy in Kathmandu joined the fever. He officially communicated the following: «If the 'Yeti' is located, it may be photographed or captured alive. He should not be killed or shot. Except in an emergency arising from self-defense.
bear hybrid
In 1986, English physicist Anthony Wooldridge claimed to have seen a Yeti just 150 meters away from him and managed to take photographs. Equally questionable secondhand accounts of Yeti sightings have been common. All the scientific analysis and debunking of claims does not extinguish the fascination with the Yeti.
In 2013, Oxford University geneticist Bryan Sykes did an exhaustive analysis and came to a conclusion. He says it was a bear hybrid. Maybe the Tibetan blue bear or the Himalayan brown bear.
These findings are unlikely to convince everyone. The origin of the legend of the Yeti is explained by the fascination we have for mythical animals. The Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot are examples.
The Yeti represents the wonderful unknowns of the Earth. And that won't be broken simply by a lack of definitive evidence.
