The History of Cryptids

Bigfoot. Aliens. Loch Ness Monster. All of these creatures, or ideas, are called by a different name, cryptids.

The history of cryptids, and cryptozoology, dates back to 15th century BC. As Egyptians during this time would go on different adventures, they would encounter various animals that we consider mundane, but the Egyptians were completely unfamiliar with their existence. Thus, the unfamiliarity with those animals led to the creation of the belief in cryptids.

Now we know a brief history of cryptids, but we haven’t addressed the elephant in the room. What is a cryptid? What can we consider a cryptid? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a cryptid is defined as “an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist.”

I personally have never encountered a cryptid. Granted, I’ve never gone hunting for Bigfoot or ran around Scotland searching for Nessie. But that does not mean I can’t believe in these creatures.

There are some things that, until proven, we cannot confirm or deny their existence. Cryptids are one of those things. While there have been plenty sightings of Bigfoot, there still has not been substantial evidence proving that Bigfoot is real. There have been plenty of UFO sightings, but the majority of those have been written off by the government.

In my opinion, the universe is too big for there not to be aliens. In thousands or millions of years, it’s possible that our descendants will consider aliens as a part of everyday life, similar to how we view everyday animals, or even other humans. Similar to how the Egyptians saw giraffes and called them “long-necked dragons,” what we consider cryptids now may become so normalized in the future that the notion of cryptids ceases to exist.

I want to hear from you. Whether or not you actively believe in the existence of aliens, Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster, I want to know your thoughts. Do you think it’s possible for these creatures to exist? Do you think that in the future what we consider cryptids will become a part of everyday life?