Well, I Laughed
The Hills We Die On pt.1: Friends in Weird Placed
OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And a story as odd as any we've told. A potentially unsolved mystery. A podcast episode about a spooky (and at times hilarious) cryptid that takes us from the streets of London, to the Isle of Man, to the space between walls. You will not believe what the creature ends up being, or what is ends up saying. That is, if you believe the story at all. Depends on the hill you're willing to die on. Gef the Talking Mongoose AKA Jack the Talking Weasel AKA The Dalby Spook!
Photos Referenced:
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Doarlish Cashen - courtesy of Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library, thought to be taken by Nandor Fodor during a visit in Feb 1937 |
Doarlish Cashen - courtesy of Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library |
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| Margaret Irving (center), Voirrey Irving (right) - courtesy of Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London | Margaret Irving - courtesy of Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London |
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| Peep Hole Gef theoretically used to spy over the mantle of the fireplace - courtesy of Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library | Gef Hair Samples - courtesy of Dave Jackson / Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London |
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| Mona the Irving family dog - courtesy of Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library | Gef's paw and teeth imprints: A and B front paws, C back paw, D teeth - courtesy of Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London |
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| Photos of Gef (bottom is of Gef sitting along the fence, top is Gef facing the camera) - courtesy of Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library | Commissioned drawing of Gef per Irving's description - courtesy of Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London |
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| News Chronicle, November 1936 / Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library | [Left] Isle of Man Examiner, 23 November 1945; [Right] Isle of Man Examiner, 16 November 1945 |
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| Polecat - courtesy of Malene Thyssen Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 (Generic) via Britannica | Mongoose - courtesy of njsphotography/Fotolia via Britannica |
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| Announcement of killed Polecat on Doarlish Cashen - courtesy of Isle of Man Examiner, 21 February 1947 |
Sources:
Gef! The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose by Christopher Josiffe
Things Said About the Talking Mongoose of the Isle of Man - Weird History
Uncanny Images from an Investigation into Gef, a 1930s Talking Mongoose - Hyperallergic
The Bizarre, True Story of Gef the Talking Mongoose - Atlas Obscura
They believed a mongoose spoke to them. A media frenzy came next - National Geographic