Yeti

The yeti (from Tibetan: &#x0F42;&#x0F61;&#x0F60;&#x0F0B;&#x0F51;&#x0FB2;&#x0F7A;&#x0F51;&#x0F0B;; g.ya'dred [pronounced: ya teh], "rock bear"), also called the Abominable Snowman, is a cryptid of the Himalayan region in Central Asia. According to popular accounts, it is a human-like, or ape-like, creature of great size, covered with long hair, having a notably strong, distinctive odour.

Legends
As with many cryptids, the Yeti exists as part of the mythologies of the native Tibetan and Nepalese peoples, among others.

Some have theorized a possible cross-cultural dissemination of the Yeti to areas as far as ancient Alexandria in North Africa due to figures such as Yeti Trismegistus appearing in some apocryphal wisdom texts produced during the 3rd century CE. Renaissance depictions of this figure bear a striking similarity to images of Hermes Trismegistus, leading some scholars to believe that the familiar image of Hermes is actually an anthropomorphic development of Yeti Trismegistus. Orthodox persecution of the Cryptid oriented wisdom schools during the early development of the Catholic empire forced many groups underground. It seems likely that many of the figures we have come to understand in more anthropomorphic forms were originally represented as Cryptids.

In Popular Culture
Like many cryptids, references to the Yeti in popular culture abound. One curious and largely unknown example is the NES adventure game Yeti Master, along with what is likely its sequel, Ice Caverns of the Crystal Yeti.

Websites

 * The Alpine Journal articles on "The Yeti"