Yowie
The Yowie (also Yahoo ) is an allegedly existing being ( cryptid ) from eastern Australia . It is around a large, bipedal apes , therefore an ape-man act. The yowie has been part of Aboriginal folklore for centuries . Since the colonization of Australiareports of sightings of the creature by Europeans were repeatedly proclaimed. There are currently reports of alleged sightings of the Yowie. The actual existence of the being is extremely dubious. Unlike other ape-men, there are no obvious explanations for the origin of the Yowie myth. Occasionally the yowie is equated with the bunyip or the New Zealand moehau .
Appearance and behavior
The Yowie is mostly described as a very large, bipedal ape-man, seldom he should move on all fours. His body is said to have thick, brown or black fur, and his feet are of considerable size. Standing upright, a Yowie should be about 2 m tall. A few reports even indicate a size of 3 m or more. He is also said to give off a particularly foul smelling stench. Reports on the appearance of the Yowie reveal similarities to those of other legendary ape-men such as the Bigfoot , the Yeti or the Yeren .
Various reports describe the Yowie's behavior as being aggressive towards humans. Some alleged Yowie watchers also said they were attacked by the creature. Others, however, portray the Yowie as peaceful or even shy. While other ape-men have a reputation for avoiding human civilization , the Yowie is said to also seek out settlement areas . According to a corresponding report, a Yowie is said to have even broken into a butcher's shop , from which he is said to have stolen a 500 kg heavy beef that had not been cut.
Legend and sightings
The Yowie appears as a fabulous, malicious figure in the folk legends of the Aborigines. It is often associated with the bunyip , another Aboriginal mythical being , or equated with it as a local variation. After the colonization of Australia by Europeans, both beings were the subject of several proclaimed sightings, through which they found their way into cryptozoology .
The first Yowie sighting confirmed as such was in 1881. Even before that, at the end of the 18th century, there should have been reports of large ape-like creatures in Australia. Until the present day, the number of Yowie sightings has increased steadily. Over 3,200 alleged sightings have now been documented in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales . However, none of the reports of the Yowie's existence have been scientifically confirmed.
Attempts to explain
Evidence of wild primates (with the exception of modern humans ) is neither present nor fossil on the Australian continent. This fact makes it extremely difficult to prove or deduce the existence of the Yowie. In addition, there are no large animals in the current fauna of Australia that could be ascribed characteristics of the Yowie in certain situations.
A much-quoted Aboriginal legend associated with the Yowie reports that the Australian aborigines, when they first reached the continent, encountered groups of aggressive ape-men there, which were ultimately defeated by the Aborigines. According to some cryptozoologists, small groups of these alleged great apes survived and are now sporadically seen as yowies. However, this assumption relates solely to an unconfirmed legend and has no scientific basis. There are no actual references to the assumed great apes.
Another explanation is that Yowies are surviving specimens of the Gigantopithecus to the present day . This genus has been found fossil on the Asian continent and includes the largest known great apes. Gigantopithecus is also often used as the cause of the myth about the Yeti or to explain the sightings of other ape-men. Aside from the fact that Gigantopithecus probably became extinct about 100,000 years ago, it is unlikely that it ever reached the Australian continent (see: Wallace Line ). Corresponding fossil finds in Australia or Southeast Asia are also missing. Due to a lack of convincing scientific evidence, the existence of the Yowie is generally classified as extremely unlikely.
etymology
Until the 1970s, "Yahoo" was the common name for the Australian ape-man. It was then replaced by the term "Yowie". The name Yahoo was probably borrowed from Jonathan Swift's novel " Gulliver's Travels ". There it is used to describe ape-like creatures that the protagonist encounters on his travels. The name Yowie is probably derived from a term from the Aboriginal language, "Yowrie" , which means something like hairy devil man .
Trivia
The ghillie suit is referred to in the Australian Army as the yowie suit because of the animal's fur .
The TV series Cleverman makes reference to Yowies, who are referred to there as Hairypeople .
Yowie is eponymous for the experimental math rock band Yowie from Chicago.
literature
- Harald Gebhardt, Mario Ludwig: Of dragons, yetis and vampires - on the trail of mythical animals . BLV, Munich 2005. ISBN 3-405-16679-9
Web links
- The Yowie on Monstrous.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ editorial ONE: Cleverman | One. December 31, 2012, accessed September 6, 2017 .