You’re probably well aware of the stories regarding Bigfoot throughout the west, but there are stories of similar creatures spread throughout the folklore of other continents and countries. One such story, is of Mongolia’s wild men.
Stories have been told about the so called ape men throughout the centuries in Mongolia, but it is believed by some, that these stories are not completely fictitious. These Mongolian creatures are known as Almas (Wild Men), and are said to be very real, secretive beings.
Despite the hundreds of years in which they have inhabited the Mountainous regions of Mongolia, Tibet and China, sightings of the Almas are said to be rare.
What Does An Almas Look Like?
The Almas are of a primitive nature, said to be around 5 feet, to 6 feet 6 inches tall, covered in 6 inch long curly reddish brown hair, except for their hands and face. They are dark skinned, with small flat noses and prominent jaw bones and brow-ridges, with no chin, no neck, supported by short legs and big feet. Given their short legs however, legend has it that they can still outrun a Camel.
Although sightings are rare, some knowledge has become common place in Mongolia as to their existence. They have been seen to eat grass, wild plants and sometimes even small mammals. They reside in caves in the mountains, way out of human sight, much like Bigfoot in the west.
The Almas are not considered smart, with no knowledge or fire, and are said to only be able to use the simplest of tools.
One story exists of the Almas interbreeding, as a Lama at a monastery in Mongolia was said to be half Almas.
Sightings of The Almas
Johannes Schiltberger was a Bavarian soldier captured by the Turks, and traded to the mongols to work as a slave for various mongol warlords. He is said to have witnessed 2 Almas in the Tian Shan mountains, after they had been captured by the mongols.
One story also tells of a Mongol caravan which had stopped for rest, when one of the men traveling with them was sent off to round up the camels which had been let loose to graze. After a period of time though, the man did not return, and a group of travelers went off to look for him. At the entrance of a cave, the search party found evidence of a struggle, but decided to leave the man, and collect him when they were traveling back.
True to their word, as they were on their travels back past the cave, the group entered to try and rescue their friend, and having found the Almas that had taken him, they shot and killed it. Legend has it however, despite the rescue attempt, the man went insane 2 months after he’d been taken captive, and died shortly after.
A monk by the name of Damboyarin in 1930 was traveling, when he thought he saw a child alone in the distance. He went to the child to offer help, but upon closer inspection, it was no child, but an Almas, covered in reddish brown hair, and he fled in terror.
Russian paediatrician Ivan Ivlov claimed that he had witnessed a family of Almas on a ridge in the Altai mountains in 1963. He used a pair of binoculars to observe a male, female and young Almas from about a mile away, until they disappeared. Having gained an interest in what he saw, he quizzed his patients as to what he had seen, and heard many more stories about the creatures from the natives.
One of the more recent sightings was reported by a Mongolian hunter in the Bayansair mountains in 1988.
The Mongolian Almas is just one of numerous tales of wild men from around the world. Bigfoot is by far the most commonly known creature of this nature, but it seems to be a world wide phenomena, not unique to the west.
