Gef the talking mongoose
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| Gef the talking mongoose | |
|---|---|
| Creature | |
| Name: | Gef the talking mongoose |
| AKA: | The Dalby Spook |
| Classification | |
| Grouping: | Talking animal/Spirit |
| Sub Grouping: | Mongoose |
| Data | |
| First Reported: | 1931 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Region: | Isle of Man |
| Status: | Unconfirmed |
Gef the talking mongoose was an talking animal, that was reported to inhabited a small house on the Isle of Man, off the coast of mainland Great Britain. Opinion is divided on whether Gef was a poltergeist, a strange animal or cryptid, a hoax, or something else. Some doubt whether the case happened at all.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
In September 1931[1], the Irving family — James, Margaret, and daughter Voirrey, began to hear strange animal noises from the attic of their farm house. Within a few days of the first disturbances, the animal began, supposedly, to talk. At first, he simply repeated words said by the Irvings, but eventually he became (according to the stories) quite a fluent speaker[2]. He later revealed himself, and told the Irvings that his name was Gef, and that he had been born in New Delhi, India on June 7, 1852[3] (apparently not explaining how he came to the Island). Gef remained friendly towards the Irvings, and joked around with them, though he supposedly went too far one time when he pretended to be poisoned. Gef supposedly bothered the Irvings' neighbors, spying on them and reporting back to the Irvings. Gef was also known as 'The Dalby Spook.'
The story became popular in the tabloid press, and many journalists flocked to the Isle to catch a glimpse of the creature[4]. In 1935, paranormal investigator Harry Price arrived on the island to research Gef[5], but failed to find Gef. He apparently determined, however, that a collection of hairs from Gef had actually come from the Irvings' pet dog[6].
An article about the case in The Listener led to a succesful slander case by the editor Rex Lambert about whether he was fit to sit on the board of the British Film Institute. [7]
The Irvings left their home in 1937. Gef's fate after that isn't known, though it has been noted that ten years later, the farmer who had bought their land shot a mongoose, which is believed by some to have been Gef.
[edit] Theories and skepticism
The above story is popular with many paranormal researchers, but no one has been able to determine that it actually happened. The story was widespread throughout Britain in the early '30s due to extensive press coverage, but apparently no one other than the Irvings ever heard Gef speak, or even saw him (though some neighbors claimed to have heard "strange noises" outside their homes). The only evidence of Gef's existence would appear to be a strange series of footprints[8], some of which were identified as those of a dog or raccoon, the third set unknown. Some photographs reportedly exist of Gef[9], but they do not show anything that resembles a mongoose-like creature with any certainty.
Some paranormalists believe Gef to have been a poltergeist who had taken the form of a mongoose (with daughter Voirrey as the supposed "focus"). Though poltergeists generally do not speak, there are a few alleged cases on record (the so-called "Bell Witch"), and poltergeists are believed to be pathological liars, suggesting he may have really been a human's ghost.
Others believe that he was simply a unique cryptid, an unexplained, anomalous animal, or a freak (there are other, albeit rare, cases of animals such as dogs and cats allegedly having the ability to speak). Others have postulated that he may have been a demon or other spirit, though he appears to have acted benevolently towards the Irvings.
According to some accounts, a hunter who was attempting to curb Man's rabbit population had introduced a number of mongooses in 1912[10], and it has been suggested that Gef may have been either of these or one of their offspring.
There simply is not enough evidence either way to prove the existence of Gef, or even if the incident really happened. Harry Price co-authored a book about his experiences with R.L. Lambert, then editor of The Listener magazine called The Haunting of Cashen's Gap[11], though it has to be said much of the book is made up of James Irving's journals.
His daughter Voirrey, who took Gef under her wing, is at the time of writing (July 2006) still alive and living in the South West of England, though she refuses to be interviewed.
Richard Morris, Harry Price's third biographer, includes the story of Gef in his biography of Price (Harry Price: The Psychic Detective) which is due to be published on October 26 2006 by Sutton Publishing, and reveals facts hidden away in Price's archive at Senate House at the University of London.
[edit] References
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 419.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 421.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 422.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 419–420.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 424.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 427.
- ^ The BBC under pressure
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, pages 424-425.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, Gef photo on page 419.
- ^ Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, 1989, page 426.
- ^ The Haunting of Cashen's Gap: A Modern "Miracle" Investigated by Harry Price and R.S. Lambert, Methuen & Co. Ltd., hardback, 1936.
[edit] Further reading
- The Haunting of Cashen's Gap: A Modern "Miracle" Investigated by Harry Price and R.S. Lambert, Methuen & Co. Ltd., hardback, 1936.
- Out of this World, Mysteries of Mind, Space and Time, edited by Peter Brookesmith, 1989, pages 419-427. ISBN 0356179591
