55: The Hills We Die On pt.1: Friends in Weird Places

May 29, 20242 min read

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!

00:21:25 Story starts

Photos Referenced:

*Commissioned drawing of Gef per Irving's description - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London*

Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of Physical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library, thought to be taken by Nandor Fodor during a visit in Feb 1937	Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library
Margaret Irving (center), Voirrey Irving (right), - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London	Margaret Irving - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
The Peep Hold Gef theoretically used to spy over the mantle of the fireplace - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	Gef Hair Samples - courtesy of Dave Jackson / the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
Mona, the Irving family dog - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	Gef's paw and teeth imprints: A and B are front paws, C is a back paw, D is the teeth - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
Photos of Gef (bottom is of Gef sitting along the fence, top is Gef facing the camera) - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	News Chronicle, November 1936 - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library
(Left) Isle of Man Examiner, 23 November 1945; (Right) Isle of Man Examiner, 16 November 1945	Announcement of killed polecat on Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of Isle of Man Examiner, 21 February 1947
Polecat - courtesy of Malene Thyssen Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 (Generic) via Britannica	Mongoose - courtesy of njsphotography/Fotolia via Britannica