-Creepypasta Research-

⊗ 6

[I found this quite interesting when I read it so I decided to include it.]

[Theory]

The first thing I must do to fight against his evil is prove his existence through time... many people believe the so called “Slenderman” was invented on the something awful forums, however looking back in history we can see various examples of folklore and mythical beings bearing resemblance to slenderman. Wether these were there before or if the Tulpa manifested through space time to create such things it is clear slenderman like figures have existed. What if the existence was mixed up? For example we could attribute the name to slenderman to another being altogether through sheer and utter coincidence... it’s a possibility. For example where did “victor surge” his online name get the idea from? Was it just good design? Or was he influenced by a unknown force? The first mythical being we will look at that bears a resemblance to Slenderman is the Clutch Bone: It is described as this: The most lyrically named cryptid” is the Clutchbone, a seven-foot leathery monster that roamed Europe in the 1800s, burning and dismembering its victims. It had a lit torch in place of a head. Interestingly I found a picture that had a very canny resemblance to slenderman with long bony arms and no face. If slenderman can resemble a suit today? Why not clothing from that era? He is described as a shapeshifter when it comes to basic appearance so of course he changes his clothes. It is notable he can blend in too, becoming more like a tree or more like a shadow. So there you have it! The second cryptid is “Fear Dubh” it literally translates to “Black Man” It is described as follows: In Scotland there is the legend of the Fear Dubh (The Black Man). This creature is said to haunt solitary footpaths at night, generally those that pass through woodland. It is reputed to be entirely malevolent. I can remember my granny telling me stories about a lot of Scottish folk tales; she only ever mentioned the Fear Dubh once, and that was in church. I was about eight, and was spending the summer holidays with her. Here we have clear resemblance to slenderman. This figure is unknown to many but can be traced back if researched. Another one is Der Ritter, German for “The Knight” although the photos were modified to fit the slenderman mythos the original artwork still shows a tall monster taking away children as well as a bony figure with a disfigured face. Die Geschichte des Ritters or The Tale of the Great and Noble Knight, is a German folktale from around the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg in South-West Germany. It tells of a brave knight appointed by the church to slay a great evil who had been stealing children from a local village. It is thought to be one of the earliest examples of The Slenderman or Der Großmann as he would later be known as in Germany. Little is known of this artwork; however it is said to be a wood carving. A place where wood carvings come from in Germany is the Black Forest, has a forest. As we all know slenderman is usuallly known for his presence in forests. Coincidence? The other figure mentioned Der Großmann could be used as an example however I couldn’t find much about it in actual mythology other than references from slenderman fandom itself suggesting to be that perhaps Der Großmann was a creation for the Mythos rather than an actual myth. Der Großmann (der Grossman), or “The Tall Man”/ "The Great Man", is a supposed mythical creature associated with woodcuts carved by an unknown artist in 16th century Germany. Said woodcuts portrayed it as a tall, disfigured man with white spheres where his eyes should be, similar in appearance to the Slenderman Der Großmann was commonly described as a fairy of the Black Forest who abducted bad children that entered the forest at night, and would stalk them until they confessed their wrongdoings to a parent. There are personal encounters suggesting to me that it was written along with the creepypasta rather than being an actual myth, however I shall document this encounter if it did happen. My child, my Lars… he is gone. Taken, from his bed. The only thing that we found was a scrap of black clothing. It feels like cotton, but it is softer… thicker. Lars came into my bedroom yesterday, screaming at the top of his lungs that "The angel is outside!" I asked him what he was talking about, and he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann. He said he went into the groves by our village and found one of my cows dead, hanging from a tree. I thought nothing of it at first…But now, he is gone. We must find Lars, and my family must leave before we are killed. I am sorry, my son… I should have listened. May God forgive me. As I said it was created alongside slenderman on the something awful forums so chances are it’s just an add on. There are other figures in Germany that behave similar to slenderman however there are no real proven links when it comes to appearance: the one I know is the Erlking: The Erlkönig (Erlking) is depicted in a number of German poems and ballads as a malevolent creature who haunts forests and carries off travellers to their deaths. The name may be an 18th-century mistranslation of the original Danish word elverkonge, "elf-king". The character is most famous as the antagonist in Goethe's poem Der Erlkönig and Schubert's musical adaptation of the same name. Despite this depictions of the erlking don’t exactly match slenderman. As well as that I found a picture of cave paintings online that bare resemblance to slenderman, as well as hieroglyphics Most slenderman reportings, historical artwork and tales are in the Western Hemisphere which why it makes sense that today it is more of an American thing. Why the reason is it’s the west I do not yet know. Seems to of flourished due to western media, so maybe he’s just as much of a presence in developing countries just there is no modern media to report it. Another thing I found is this which centrals around the Far East: In japan there is a legend of a creature called noppera-bō. The description is as follows: The Noppera-bō, or faceless ghost, is a legendary creature of Japanese folklore, a kind of hobgoblin known primarily for frightening humans. The Noppera-bō appears at first as an ordinary human being, sometimes impersonating someone familiar to the victim of the scare, before causing his features to disappear, leaving a blank, smooth sheet of skin where the face ought to be. The archetype of the faceless man relates at once to hope and terror Interestingly the Wikipedia article shows a strange image. Are the things around the figure tentacles?

Despite a very clear link I have also read these things are harmless. However could it be the victims aren’t with us anymore to tell us their wrath. If this thing is slenderman maybe this “harmlessness” is actually a reference to his need for proxies There is also another Japanese legend that tells of a creature called the ashinaga-tenaga. The description is as follows: Ashinaga-tenaga are a pair of yōkai in Japanese folklore. One, Ashinaga-jin, has extremely long legs, while the other, Tenaga-jin, has extremely long arms. They were first described in the Japanese encyclopedia Wakan Sansai Zue. They are said to be found in Kyūshū

As we can see they may not have much resemblance to slenderman however upon looking for depictions I found multiple ones where the two are fused together

To me this might suggest perhaps from a distance slenderman may appear like this, perhaps the other limbs spare from both fused together are the extra limbs or trendils slenderman has. Could be a possibility. Kyūshū, the place it is supposed to live in is also heavily wooded In China, the Neighbour of Japan there is also a creature called hundun which is described as a legendary faceless being. Despite this every depiction seems to be different some suggesting it actually has a face, some saying it has wings and some saying it’s much like a four legged animal rather than a person I also found a Babylonian demon known as al’u. The description is as follows: In Akkadian and Sumerian mythology, Alû is a vengeful spirit of the Utukku that goes down to the underworld Kur. The demon has no mouth, lips or ears. It roams at night and terrifies people while they sleep. It is also usually said to induce sleep paralysis. Pretty creepy hey? Especially if it’s classed as a demon. Demons can take different forms so perhaps that’s the answer. Of course I don’t know just yet so I will continue my research before making any upfront decisions.

Posted on reddit by u/NightKnightofGod