Origins of the Yeti

Mythical human-like creatures exist in the apparent reality and folklore of cultures around the world. In the Himalayan communities of Tibet, Nepal, China, and Bhutan, the Yeti is this undisputed, mysterious, human-like beast. But just what is the Yeti? And where do stories and sightings of the creature arise?

In oral and written stories and in folklore and in “sightings” among Himalayan people, the Yeti is described physically as a large creature, foul-smelling, emitting high-pitch whistles, and being covered in reddish-brown hair; it has a hairless face, and it is a biped, walking on two legs, looking something like an ape, a man, or a bear—or perhaps exhibiting qualities of all three. Also, whether real or imagined, the Yeti is said to exhibit supernatural qualities such as invisibility and heightened senses that allow it to escape and avoid humans.

In many cultures, phenomenal creatures shape psychological realities: these are the ways in which people help make sense of the world and of themselves. For many people in the Himalaya, the Yeti is such a creature, deeply embedded in their understanding and day-to-day lives. In Bhutanese Tales of the Yeti Kunzang Choden writes:

“The yeti is an essential part of the backdrop of our existence in the Himalayas... The yeti exists for all time, whether we acknowledge it or not. Our first encounter cannot be dated for there is no first encounter, since the yeti has been around for as long as we have, and surely much, much longer.”

In much of Yeti folklore, the Yeti is representative of a dark spirit, and from encounters with the creature arise various moral teachings and spiritual tests, of overcoming fear and transcending the unknown. In many legends the Yeti appears as an apparition in the night, inciting fear in hunters and wanderers; in others, the Yeti is a calm and understanding beast. In one story, the Yeti tears a mountain villager limb from limb; in another, a young girl is cornered into the Yeti’s cave and escapes only by tricking the creature into setting himself aflame; still, in another a man sets the Yeti free from a wooden trap.

However, for many, such as the high-mountain dwelling Sherpa, the Yeti is far more than a folk character or a fictional apparition; they vow the creature to be a reality. And from new and growing interactions with Western climbers in the 20th century, these Sherpa stories would entice the curiosity of many:

“How often in the kitchen tents of the base camps had the Sherpas told me of the yeti—of the girls it had abducted, of the yaks it had killed in a single blow, or the enormous footprints it had left behind in the snow.”