The mythical snow monster that roams the mountains: The yeti

In Asia, a huge, hairy ape-man stomps through the snowy Himalayan mountain range, hunting for prey and terrorizing local people.

Or so the legend goes.

For generations, stories of the yeti, aka the abominable snowman, have been told. Does he live in an icy cave? Is he related to Bigfoot, the ape-man said to roam the forests of the northwestern United States? Is the monster real?

According to the BBC, the mythical monster is rooted in the folklore of the Sherpa, the communities that live in the mountains of eastern Nepal.

The yeti or a group of yetis always are a symbol of danger in Sherpa folklore. In some stories, the yeti sets his sights on and attacks a group of hunters or kidnaps a child from town. Nearly all of the yeti legends are a warning to stay home or to avoid dangerous wild animals.

But is the yeti real? Some people believe so, though there's little hard evidence yet. Giant footprints, seemingly too big to be from a bear or a man, have been found in the snow, and many explorers have reported seeing eight-foot tall creatures walking the mountain ranges, according to Live Science.

What do you think?

Comments: molly.duffy@thegazette.com