Who is Yeti? Know Myths and Legends About The Abominable Snowman and Does it Really Exist?

The Indian Army has released a set of pictures of spotting mysterious footprints close to Nepal's Makalu Base Camp. The Mountaineering Expedition team came across the large footprints which measure 32x15 inches and are speculating the presence of mythical creature Yeti. The two-legged, massive ape-like animal exists more in the myths and legends than any real evidence of it. But these set of pictures have raised the curiosity of people all over the globe, about the abominable snowman from the Himalayas. The mythical character that exists in many folktales and pop cultural adaptations, seems to be taking a real form? Let us know all about Yeti and the folklore behind this snowman. Is Yeti Real? Indian Army Shares Pictures of Yeti's Footprints Found in Himalayas; Know About the Folklore Beasts.

What and Who is Yeti?

Yeti has its origin in the Nepali folklore. Also known as the Abominable Snowman, it is an ape-like creature taller than an average human. Yeti is said to inhabit in the Himalayas and the snowcapped regions of Siberia, Central and East Asia. Yeti is also referred to as Meh-Teh by the locals, which mean man-bear.

The term 'Abominable Snowman' was coined by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury who led the  1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition. In his chronicles about the same, he mentioned of large footprints that they saw at Lhakpa La.

Legends About Yeti

Yeti is a part of the history and mythology of the region of Nepal. The first legends about this huge beast emerged in the 19th century as a facet into the pop culture. Yeti has also been a part of the pre-Buddhist beliefs followed by several Himalayan people. The Lepcha people worshipped the 'Glacier Being' as the God of the Hunt. This creature is depicted with apelike appearance. Loch Ness, Bunyip, Yeti and Some Folklore Beasts That 'Apparently' Exist and Where You Can Find Them!

The Sherpas who stay in the higher mountainous regions believed in the existence of Yeti. Yeti means a 'wild man,' and in their folktales, they use it to warn children from wandering away from the community. The stories of Yeti have been passed on from one generation to another. Yeti is attributed to a figure of danger.

One of the folklore also mentions that the Yeti grows taller as the sun rises. While others mention that Yeti was a fictional character created to develop strength among the Sherpa community. To make them more fearless in the harsh weathers, the legend of Yeti was widely told.

There are many other stories about Yeti, which call it a hairy ghost having some supernatural powers. There are stories which document Yeti has killing goats and other livestock animals, kidnapping young women and also causing trouble to the humans.

What Science Says About Yeti

All the initial myths about Yeti started taking a definite shape when mountaineers started to explore in the Himalayas to search for this huge snowman. Since the 1920s several trained mountaineers headed to find out more about this creature and stories of sightings of the Yeti came up.

Yeti has been depicted only in folklore and tales of mythology. The giant white beast has never been spotted so there is no scientific evidence of its existence. But some people claim that they have seen a giant ape-like man walking through the high mountains but there is no such documented proof. The scientists would thus believe it to be a legend more than a real beast creature. They have debunked the myths around this creature to a misidentified a wild animal, probably some indigenous bear species. So it is not clear if these sightings were real, hoaxes or misidentifications.

The newest set of footprints pictures released by the Army once again fuels into the mystery about the existence of Yeti. The latest piece of "evidence" about the Abominable Snowman has been sent to the experts for scientific evaluation about the Yeti. So looks like we still have to wait for a final answer to 'Does Yeti Really Exist?'

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2019 01:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).