The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is a cryptid, or mythical creature, described as an ape-like being taller than humans said to inhabit the Himalayan region. Stories of the Yeti first emerged in Western culture in the 19th century from reports by local guides in Nepal of a tall, bipedal, hairy creature, though early observers were skeptical. In the early 20th century, reported sightings of the creature and unusual footprints increased as explorers began extensively exploring and climbing mountains in the region. One famous set of prints was photographed by Eric Shipton in 1951 on Mount Everest, though their origin remains unclear.
1 of 18
Download to read offline
More Related Content
yet - the abominable snowman's story ,history...............
2. The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape like cryptid taller
than an average human that is said to inhabit
the Himalayan region of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.[4] The names
Yeti and Meh - Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous
to the region, and are part of their history and mythology. Stories
of the Yeti first emerged as a facet of Western popular culture in
the 19th century.
3. The use of "Abominable Snowman" began when Henry
Newman, a longtime contributor to The Statesman in Calcutta,
writing under the pen name "Kim",interviewed the porters of
the "Everest Reconnaissance expedition" on their return to
Darjeeling.Newman mistranslated the word "metoh" as "filthy",
substituting the term "abominable", perhaps out of artistic
license.As author Bill Tilman recounts, "[Newman] wrote long
after in a letter to The Times:
11. 19thcentury
In 1832, James Prinsep's Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal published trekker B.
H. Hodgson's account of his experiences in northern Nepal. His local guides spotted
a tall, bipedal creature covered with long dark hair, which seemed to flee in fear.
Hodgson concluded it was an orangutan.
An early record of reported footprints appeared in 1899 in Laurence Waddell's
Among the Himalayas. Waddell reported his guide's description of a large apelike
creature that left the prints, which Waddell thought were made by a bear. Waddell
heard stories of bipedal, apelike creatures but wrote that "none, however, of the
many Tibetans I have interrogated on this subject could ever give me an authentic
case. On the most superficial investigation it always resolved into something that
somebody heard tell of."
12. 20thcentury
The frequency of reports increased during the early 20th century, when Westerners began making determined
attempts to scale the many mountains in the area and occasionally reported seeing odd creatures or strange tracks.
In 1925, N. A. Tombazi, a photographer and member of the Royal Geographical Society, writes that he saw a
creature at about 15,000 ft (4,600 m) near Zemu Glacier. Tombazi later wrote that he observed the creature from
about 200 to 300 yd (180 to 270 m), for about a 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 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...[32] The prints were undoubtedly those of a biped."
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 m (20,000 ft) above sea level.
These photos have been subject to intense scrutiny and debate. Some argue they are the best evidence of Yeti's
existence, while others contend the prints are those of a mundane creature that have been distorted by the melting
snow.