Thousands of wooden boxes with mythical creatures and peculiar paperwork were found by chance in the basement of an abandoned mansion in the UK.
Dwarfs and fairies were considered but mere human fabrications before evidence of their existence started to emerge in recent years. Actually, proof of these fabled creatures existed long before, but there was no internet to spread the word about it.
In 2006, while leveling a site to make way for a new residential neighborhood, workers came across a worn-out mansion belonging to a man named Thomas Theodore Merrylin. Upon entering the basement of the building, they came across thousands of mysterious wooden crates sealed tightly.
Startled by this unusual discovery, the workers began opening up the boxes in search of some valuable yield. Instead of finding a pirate's treasure, the crates contained bodies of odd creatures, the sort heard of only in myths and folklore tales. It was dubbed the Merrylin Cryptid Collection.
Thomas Theodore Merrylin was the former owner of the mansion. He was a Crypto-naturalist, Zoologist and Xeno-Archaeologist born in 1782 in Hellingshire, North England. Other than his unusual hobby of collecting remains of uncatalogued species, he is also recalled for his tremendous lifespan (160 years). According to accounts, at 80 years of age he resembled a 40-year-old, aspect which probably drew more attention than his unusual collection of rare specimens.
During his lifetime, Theodore embarked on a journey to the US where he would make his unusual collection known to a wider audience. He received much attention at first, but since his cryptids were so puzzling and the world view so narrow, he was labeled as a fraud and was soon marginalized by other cryptozoologists and naturalists.
While on this endeavour, he befriended several prominent mathematicians and biologists who were intrigued by his work, and also approved some of his concepts in fringe physics and chemistry. Theodore's diaries found together with the specimens contained esoteric notions of quantum mechanics, a concept that was yet to be established at the point in time when the papers were written. Because of this, he was also strengthened by his friends to publish a study on the possibility of time travel.
As with most paradigm-threatening individuals, Theodore was soon to fall in dismay after he was accused of theft by another collector of rare specimens. His reputation was astray, so he returned back into vagueness. From this point on, nothing was heard of him anymore in the scientific community, that's until 1942 when a man pretending to be Marrylin had donated a construction to an orphanage in London., with the sole desire to never unseal the basement.
The man looked no older than 45, so he was presumed to be a relative of Theodore. This was the last time anyone heard anything of him. According to modern standards, the man couldn't have been the same person born in 1782, because that would make him 160 years of age, and while looking a quarter of that number.
However, his paperwork mention of an artifact dubbed 'Alabast,' which had unusual anti-aging properties. Since it hadn't been discovered along with his collection, we can presume that Theodore never let it out of his grasp. Is it possible that he discovered the elixir of youth? And what about his mysterious legacy?
While some specimens are clearly the product of human ingenuity, there are others that intrigue even the most skeptical of minds. Sketches and illustrations reveal that a thorough analysis had been performed on the alleged mythical creatures, but it also points out to a possible blueprint which served as the basis of creation.
Whatever the case, the peculiar collection is sure to raise numerous questions. It cannot be dismissed as a forgery, or pure artistic creation. So, if proven authentic, it will challenge numerous notions imposed by our modern culture.
Is it possible that such fabled creatures existed in a not-so-far-away past? If so, why would such an alternative reality be concealed from us?
Photo courtesy Alex CF / Merrylinmuseum.com
You can also check out my video for more pictures with cryptides