In September of 1931, the Irving family, James, Margaret and their 13-year-old daughter Voirrey, began hearing a persistent scratching, rustling, and animal-like noises behind the walls of their farmhouse located on the Isle of Man. It didn’t take long for a creature to introduce himself as Gef, and inform them that he was an “extra extra clever” mongoose from India that was born in 1852. He soon became part of the family and would tell them if they had a guest arriving soon, would turn the fire out in the stove at night if they forgot, or even wake those that had overslept in the morning. The Irvings would put bananas, chocolates and biscuits in a saucer that was suspended from the ceiling that Gef would take when no one was looking.
The story of Gef became very popular in the press, where many journalists tried to catch a glimpse of him, and in 1935, several psychic investigators and paranormal researchers investigated the case of Gef. In the end, not a single one saw or even heard Gef, which led them to believe that he was the result of a hoax perpetuated by the daughter, with the family assisting in it. There were also some who believed that Gef might be a ghost or poltergeist that was haunting the family.
Join us on episode 109 to hear more about the peculiar case of Gef, the talking mongoose!
Sources: The Mental Floss, wikipedia, fandom.com, gefmongoose.blogspot.com, burialsandbeyond.com