The elusive worm of the Mongolian desert: reality or fiction. Olgoy-Khorkhoi remains an unsolved mystery

In the desert regions of the Gobi lives the “hero” of Mongolian folk tales - a giant worm that resembles the insides of an animal. It is impossible to distinguish either eyes or even a head on his ugly body. The Mongols call this creature “olga-khorkha” and are most afraid of meeting it. Since none of the scientists had a chance to see (let alone film) the Olgoy-Khorkhoy, this mysterious inhabitant of the Mongolian deserts was considered for many years a fictitious monster, a purely folklore character...

At the beginning of the last century, researchers became interested in the fact that legends about the Olgoy-Khorkhoy in Mongolia can be heard everywhere. At the same time, in the most different parts of the country they sound almost the same and are decorated with the same details. Scientists have concluded that the ancient legends are true and that a strange creature unknown to science lives in the sands of the Gobi. Perhaps this is a surviving representative of a long-extinct earthly “population”...

The Mongolian word “olgoy” means “large intestine” in Russian, and “khorkhoi” means a worm. Legends say that these half-meter worms live in waterless and inaccessible areas of the desert and spend most of their time hibernating - in burrows that they make in the sand. These creatures come to the surface only in the hottest summer months - and then woe to the people who meet them on the way. The olga-horkhoi easily kills its victim from a considerable distance, shooting it with deadly poison, or striking it with an electric discharge upon contact. In a word, it is impossible to leave him alive...

The policies of the Mongolian authorities, as well as the isolated position of this country, made its fauna inaccessible to all foreign zoologists. For this simple reason, the scientific community knows practically nothing about the terrible Olgoy-Khorkhoy. However, the book by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews “In the Footsteps of the Earliest Man” (1926) tells about the author’s conversation with the Mongolian prime minister. He asked Andrews to catch the Olgoy-Khorkhoy. The minister pursued personal goals: one of his family members was once killed by desert worms. However, the American researcher was unable to even just see the mysterious worm...

Science fiction writer and scientist Ivan Efremov and Olgoi-Khorkhoi

In 1958 Soviet geologist, famous paleontologist and even more famous writer in the USSR Ivan Efremov, in a book called “The Road of the Winds,” published information regarding Olgoy-Khorkhoy, which he collected during expeditions to the Gobi Desert (1946-1949).

Among other evidence, the author cites the story of the Mongolian old man Tseven, a resident of the village of Dalanzadgad, who claimed that the Olgoi-Khorkhoi live 130 km southeast of the Aimak region. Tseven spoke with horror about these disgusting and terrible creatures. Efremov used these stories when writing a fantastic story, which was originally called “Olgoi-Khorkhoi.” The story told how two Russian researchers died from the poison of giant worms. Although the work was entirely fictional, it was based solely on Mongolian folklore.

Not a single researcher was lucky enough to see the creepy Olgoy-Khorkhoy

The next person to “track down” the desert monster was the Czech journalist and writer, author of a number of works about the intriguing mysteries of the Earth, Ivan Makarle. In the 90s of the last century, he, accompanied by Dr. Jaroslav Prokopets, a specialist in tropical medicine, and cameraman Jiri Skupen, conducted two research expeditions to the most remote corners of the Gobi. It was also not possible to catch a living worm, but evidence of its real existence was obtained. There was so much evidence that Czech researchers made and launched a television program about the “Mysterious Monster of the Mongolian Sands.”

The next attempt to unravel the mystery of Olgoy-Khorkhoy in 1996. was undertaken by another group of Czech researchers led by Petr Gorky and Mirek Naplava. Scientists followed in the footsteps of the sand monster a significant part of the desert, but, alas, also to no avail.

Olgoy-Khorkhoi remains an unsolved mystery

Today you rarely hear about the Mongolian giant worm; Only local researchers are involved in solving this cryptozoological puzzle. One of them, Dondogizhin Tsevegmid, suggests that there are two varieties of the worm. He was again prompted to such a conclusion by folk legends, which also speak of the so-called shar-khorkhoi - already a yellow worm.

In his book, the scientist gives a story about a camel driver who met such Shar-Khorkhoi in the mountains. The driver saw many yellow worms crawling out of the ground and crawling towards him. The unfortunate man rushed away in horror and managed to escape...

So, today researchers of this phenomenon are of the opinion that the legendary Olgoi-Khorkhoi is a real living creature, completely unknown to science. The version that we are talking about an annelid, which has adapted well to the harsh conditions of the Mongolian desert, has acquired a special, simply unique protective skin, seems quite convincing. By the way, some of these worms can spray poison for self-defense...

However, Olgoi-Khorkhoi is an absolute zoological mystery that has not yet received a single acceptable explanation. Although there is something fantastic in all this...

Appearance

Why was the worm given such an unusual name - Olgoi-Khorkhoi?

If you translate these words from Mongolian, then everything becomes extremely clear: “olgoy” means large intestine, “khorkhoy” means a worm. This name is consistent with the appearance of the monster.

A few eyewitness accounts say that it looks like the insides of an animal, a stump of intestine or sausage.

The body of the worm is dark red in color and its length ranges from 50 cm to 1.5 meters. There is no visible difference between the ends of the body: the head and tail parts look approximately the same, and have small processes or spines.

The worm has no eyes or teeth. However, he is considered extremely dangerous even without these organs. Residents of Mongolia are confident that the Olgoi-Khorkhoi is capable of killing from a distance. But how does he do this? There are 2 versions:

I. The monster releases a stream of a potent substance, striking its victims.
Electric discharge current.

It is possible that the killer worm is capable of using both options, alternating them or using them simultaneously, enhancing the effect.

A mysterious creature lives in sand dunes, appearing on the surface only in the hottest months after rain, when the ground becomes wet. Apparently he spends the rest of his time hibernating.

The olga-horkhoi easily kills its victim from a considerable distance, shooting it with deadly poison, or striking it with an electric discharge upon contact. In a word, it is impossible to leave him alive...

The broad masses were able to learn about Olgoy-Khorkhoy only in the second half of the 19th century after the famous traveler and scientist mentioned the worm in his works N. M. Przhevalsky. Curious scientists and researchers from different countries could not ignore the unusual creature. Therefore, several expeditions were undertaken, not all of which ended successfully.

Roy Andrews

In 1922, Andrews led a superbly equipped, numerous expedition that worked in Mongolia for 3 years, devoting much time to exploring the Gobi Desert.

Roy's memoirs tell how the prime minister of Mongolia once approached him with an unusual request. He wanted Andrews to catch the killer worm, leaving it to the national government. It later turned out that the prime minister had his own motives: a monster from the desert once killed one of his family members. And, despite the fact that it is not possible to prove the reality of this underground inhabitant, almost the entire country unquestioningly believes in its existence. Unfortunately, the expedition was not successful: Andrews was unable to catch or see the worm.

Ivan Efremov and Tseven's story

The Soviet geologist and writer, I. Efremov, also published some information about the Olgoi-Khorkhoi in the book “The Road of the Winds,” collected during expeditions to the Gobi Desert in 1946-1949.

In addition to standard descriptions and attempts to prove the existence of an underground monster, Efremov cites the story of the Mongolian old man Tseven, who lived in the village of Dalandzadgad.

Tseven argued that such creatures are a reality, and they can be found. Talking about the Horkhoi, the old man described them as the most disgusting and terrible creatures. It was these stories that formed the basis of the fantastic story, originally called “Olgoy-Khorkhoi,” about Russian explorers who died from the poison of giant worms. The work is a work of fiction from beginning to end, and is based only on Mongolian folklore.

Ivan Makarle

The next researcher who wanted to find the monster of the Gobi Desert was Ivan Makarle, a Czech journalist, writer, and author of works about the mysteries of the Earth.

In the early 90s of the 20th century, he, together with Dr. J. Prokopec, a specialist in tropical medicine, and operator I. Skupen, made 2 research expeditions to remote corners of the desert.

Oddly enough, they failed to catch the worm, like previous scientists, but Makarla was lucky enough to obtain strong evidence of the existence of the monster. There was so much data that Czech scientists launched a television program, calling it “The Mysterious Monster of the Mongolian Sands.”

Describing the appearance of the olgoi-khorkhoi, I. Makarle said that the worm looks like sausage or intestine. The body length is 0.5 m, and the thickness is approximately the size of a human hand. It is difficult to determine where the head is and where the tail is due to the lack of eyes and mouth. The monster moved in an unusual way: it rolled around its axis or wriggled from side to side, while moving forward.

It’s amazing how the legends and myths of the peoples of Mongolia coincided with the descriptions of Czech researchers!

Disappearance of American Research Team

A. Nisbet, an American scientist, like his colleague R. Andrews, set himself a goal: to find the killer worm at all costs. In 1954, he finally received permission from the Mongolian government to conduct an expedition. Two jeeps carrying team members who went into the desert disappeared.

Illustration for Ivan Efremov’s story “Olgoy-Khorkhoi”

They were later discovered in one of the remote and little-explored areas of the country. All employees, including Nisbet, were dead. But the mystery of their death still worries the team’s compatriots. The fact is that 6 people were lying next to the cars. And no, the cars were not broken, they were absolutely in good condition. All the belongings of the group members were safe, there were no wounds or any damage to the body. But due to the fact that the bodies were exposed to the sun for a long time, unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the true cause of death.

So what happened to the scientists? Versions with poisoning, illness or lack of water were excluded, and no notes were found. Some experts believe that the entire team died almost instantly. Was Nisbet's expedition able to find the Olgoi-Khorkhoy who killed them? This question will remain unanswered.

Versions of scientists

Of course, the scientific community around the world has been studying this phenomenon. But scientists have not been able to come to a consensus on what kind of creature this is.

There are several versions of who Olgoy-Khorkhoy is.

Mythical animal
John L. Cloudsey-Thompson, a zoologist, believes that the killer worm is a type of snake that is capable of infecting its victims with venom.
Michel Raynal, a French cryptozoologist, and Jaroslav Mares, a Czech scientist, believe that a surviving two-walker reptile, which during evolution has lost its legs, is hiding in the desert.

Olgoy-Khorkhoi remains an unsolved mystery

Today you rarely hear about the Mongolian giant worm; Only local researchers are involved in solving this cryptozoological puzzle. One of them - Dondogizhin Tsevegmid- suggests that there are two varieties of the worm. He was again prompted to such a conclusion by folk legends, which also speak of the so-called shar-khorkhoi - already a yellow worm.

However, Olgoi-Khorkhoi is an absolute zoological mystery that has not yet received a single acceptable explanation. Therefore, all these theories will remain theories until researchers manage to get a photo or the sandworm itself from the Gobi Desert.

DEATH WORM

Metamorphoses of Olgoy-Khorkhoy

2nd edition, corrected and expanded

From the compilers

It is with great pleasure that we present to the reader the second edition of the collection “The Worm of Death,” dedicated to the mysterious creature of the Gobi Desert - the deadly worm Olgoy-Khorkhoi.

The book opens with two messages from Roy Chapman Andrews, a traveler, explorer, paleontologist, adventurer, director of the American Museum of Natural History and leader of the famous Mongolian expeditions of the twenties. It was Andrews who, in 1926, was the first Western scientist to inform the world about the mysterious worm.

They are followed by the textbook science fiction story by I. Efremov “Olgoy-Khorkhoi”. Not everyone knows that the most prominent Soviet paleontologist and science fiction writer wrote this story before he had even visited Mongolia, and borrowed information about Olgoi-Khorkhoi from Andrews. Later, Efremov spoke about Olgoy-Khorkhoy in the documentary story “The Road of the Winds.”

The novella by A. and B. Strugatsky and the story of science fiction writers S. Akhmetov and A. Yanter “Blue Death” are most correctly called homages. Homage is a creative tribute to the artist and the world he created, in this case to the “Efremov” Olgoy-Khorkhoy.

In 1956, Olgoy-Khorkhoi became the hero of a witty scientific hoax by famous herpetologists Charles Bogert and Rafael del Campo. Until now, the reader could get acquainted with it only in the free and somewhat chaotic presentation of the biologist and popularizer I. Akimushkin, which this author included in the book “Traces of Unseen Animals” (1961).

Olgoi-Khorkhoi owes his “second coming” to the Czech “mystery seeker” I. Matskerle. The collection includes articles by Matzkerle and the British traveler A. Davis about the search for Olgoy-Khorkhoy in the Gobi.

Two small materials included in the collection are devoted to the Gobi expeditions of the Center for Fortean Zoology (2005) led by R. Freeman and two New Zealand journalists in 2009. Participants in these expeditions brought new eyewitness accounts of meetings with Olga-Khorkhoi, but did not find any traces of a mysterious creature.

The collection concludes with articles by George M. Eberhart, the famous author of cryptozoological books, and the prominent British cryptozoologist Carl Shucker. Thanks to Shuker’s publications, Olgoi-Khorkhoi, called the “Mongolian death worm,” was already discovered at the beginning of the 21st century. became widely known in Fortean and cryptozoological circles.

The article by the compilers of “Olgoy-Khorkhoi: the reality of fiction,” included in the collection “instead of an afterword,” reveals the role of I. Efremov’s story “Olgoy-Khorkhoi” in the formation of modern ideas about the “death worm.”

V. Barsukov, M. Fomenko

Roy Chapman Andrews. From the book “In the Footsteps of Primitive Man”

A few days later we were finally invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the final details of the expedition's passes were to be discussed. The Prime Minister and other officials sat at a large table. I was offered an agreement that imposed certain prohibitions and obligations on the expedition. After some amendments were made, the agreement was finally signed. The Prime Minister then asked me to do my best to catch a copy of Alegorkhai-Khorkhai for the Mongolian government. I doubt that any of my readers are familiar with this animal. It was familiar to me because I had often heard about it. None of those present saw this animal, but, nevertheless, everyone firmly believed in its existence and even described its appearance to me in detail: it has the shape of a sausage, is about two feet long, has no head and legs and is so poisonous that one touch enough for him to die. This animal is supposedly found in the most remote parts of the Gobi Desert. The Prime Minister told me that although he had not personally seen him, he knew someone who had seen him and told his story. One of the cabinet ministers immediately added that the cousin of his last wife also saw this mysterious creature. I, of course, promised to get Alegorhai-Khorhai, if only we could get on his trail. (I explained that it could be grabbed with long steel collection tongs; furthermore, I could wear dark glasses to avoid the dire consequences of looking at this poisonous creature). Thus, the meeting ended in the most friendly way: we had a common interest - the capture of Alegorhai-Khorhai. From now on, travel through inner Mongolia became completely free for us.

Roy Chapman Andrews. Allergorhai-horhai

(From the book “The New Conquest of Central Asia”, 1932)

At a meeting with members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Prime Minister asked me to catch a copy of Allergorkhai Khorkhai for the Mongolian government. This is probably a completely mythical animal, but it may also have some real basis, for every Mongol from the north firmly believes in its existence and they all give, in general, the same description. It is said to be about two feet long, with a sausage-shaped body and no head or legs; the creature is so poisonous that just touching it causes death. It is reported to live in the driest, sandiest areas of the western Gobi. It remains a mystery which reptile could serve as the basis for this description!

I have yet to meet a Mongolian who would admit to having seen the animal himself, although dozens of people claim to know those who have seen it. Moreover, as soon as we were in an area described as the favorite habitat of the beast, the Mongols in this place told us that it was found in abundance several miles away. If the belief in his existence were not so firm and widespread, I would dismiss the whole thing as an empty legend. I report these facts here in the hope that future Gobi explorers will have better luck than we did in capturing Allergorkhai horkhai.

Ivan Efremov. Olgoy-khorkhoi

At the invitation of the government of the Mongolian People's Republic, I worked for two summers doing geodetic work on the southern border of Mongolia. Finally, all I had to do was set and calculate two or three astronomical points in the southwestern corner of the border of the Mongolian Republic with China. Carrying out this task in the difficult, waterless sands presented a serious challenge. Equipping a large camel caravan required a lot of time. In addition, moving in this archaic way seemed unbearably slow to me, especially after I was used to being transported from one place to another by car. My faithful “Gazovka” one and a half tonne truck has faithfully served me until now, but, of course, it was simply impossible to drive it into such terrible sands. There was no other suitable vehicle at hand. While the representative of the Mongolian Scientific Committee and I were racking our brains about how to get out of the situation, a large scientific Soviet expedition arrived in Ulaanbaatar. Its brand new, superbly equipped trucks, shod with some special super-cylinders specifically for moving on the sand, captivated the entire population of Ulaanbaatar. My driver Grisha, a very young, enthusiastic but capable mechanic, a lover of long trips, has more than once run to the expedition garage, where he enviously examined the unprecedented innovation. It was he who gave me the idea, after which, with the help of the Scientific Committee, our machine received new “legs,” as Grisha put it. These “legs” were very small wheels, perhaps smaller than brake drums, on which cylinders of exorbitant thickness with very protruding protrusions were placed. Testing our vehicle on super-cylinders in the sand showed its truly excellent maneuverability. For me, a person with extensive experience in driving a car in various off-road places, the ease with which the car walked through the loosest and deepest sand seemed simply incredible. As for Grisha, he vowed to travel on super-cylinders without stopping the entire Black Gobi from east to west.

The car experts from the expedition provided us, in addition to super-cylinders, with various instructions, advice, and also many good wishes. Soon our mobile home, having said goodbye to Ulaanbaatar, disappeared in a cloud of dust and rushed towards Tsetserleg. In the back, covered with a tarpaulin, like a van, lay precious super-cylinders, rumbling water tanks and a spare barrel for gasoline. Repeated trips developed a precise schedule for the placement of people and things. In the cab with the driver, I sat at a specially built folding table for the picket book. There was also a small marine compass, with which I recorded the course, and with the speedometer, the distances traveled by the car. In the back, in the front corners, there were two large boxes with spare parts and rubber. On them were seated: my assistant, the radio operator and computer operator, and the conductor Darkhin, who also served as a translator, a smart old Mongol who had seen a lot in his life. He sat on the box to the left so that, leaning towards the cabin window, he could show Grisha the direction. The radio operator, my namesake, a passionate hunter, sat on the right box with binoculars and a rifle, while at the same time guarding the theodolite and Hildebrant's station wagon... Behind them, the body was neatly filled with rolled up bedding, a tent, dishes, food and other things needed on the road.