Giant desert worm. Giant worm horhoy. Fantast and scientist Ivan Efremov and Olgoy-Khorkhoy

First references in literature

Original text (English)

It is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor leg and it is so poisonous that merely to touch it means instant death. It lives in the most desolate parts of the Gobi Desert…

Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tserendorj joined the conversation, noting that a relative of his wife's sister had also seen the creature. The professor assured the Mongolian state leaders that only if he gets in his way allergorhai-horhai, it will be extracted with the help of special long steel tongs, and the professor will protect his eyes with black glasses, thus neutralizing the destructive effect of just looking at such a poisonous creature.

In subsequent years, several more expeditions to Mongolia took place, in 1932 a generalizing work “ The New Conquest of Central Asia" in the first volume of which the same author repeats the description of the animal and the circumstances of the conversation with the then leaders of Mongolia (by 1932, the monarchy in Mongolia was replaced by the Mongolian People's Republic, the prime minister, Andrews' interlocutor, had already died, and his place at the head of the already republican Council The people's commissars were occupied by another interlocutor of Professor Tserendorzh, who had also died by the time this book was published). However, this work contains some additional details regarding the habitat of this creature:

It is said to live in the driest sandy parts of the Western Gobi.

Original text (English)

It is reported to live in the most arid, sandy regions of the western Gobi.

Professor Andrews himself was more than skeptical about the reality of the existence of this creature, since the professor was unable to meet any real witnesses to its existence.

Efremov's story

In the period 1946-1949, the USSR Academy of Sciences conducted a series of expeditions to the Gobi Desert, led by Ivan Efremov. He described this journey in the book "Road of the winds". In the book, the author directly points to the main goal of the expedition - to discover the excavation site of the American professor Andrews, made by him in the 1920s, where numerous dinosaur remains were found. I. Efremov carefully studied the books of the American professor, but he deliberately did not give information in his publications that would allow him to determine even the approximate location of his so-called. " Flaming  rocks" (as in his books Andrews called the deposit of fossil remains of dinosaurs he discovered). As a result of unsuccessful searches for this place, Efremov and his expedition comrades themselves managed to discover another bone deposit in a completely different place - as is now known, about 300 km west of Bayanzag (or Andrews' "Flaming Rocks", the real Mongolian name of the place means "rich in saxaul" ).

Even during the Great Patriotic War, when I. Efremov was just hatching plans to visit Mongolia, he, under the impression of Andrews' books, wrote a story called "Allergoy-Khorkhoy", as he followed the inaccurate transcription of an American paleontologist. Subsequently, having already visited Mongolia, Ivan Efremov became convinced of the inaccuracy of the name and corrected it in accordance with the correct Mongolian pronunciation and spelling. Now the Russian and Mongolian records of the name of the animal coincide literally.

In the story, Olgoi-Khorkhoi kills at a distance with something like an electric discharge. In the afterword to the story, Efremov notes:

During his travels in Mongolian desert Gobi, I met many people who told me about a terrible worm that lives in the most inaccessible, waterless and sandy corners of the Gobi desert. This is a legend, but it is so widespread among the Gobis that in various regions mysterious worm described everywhere in the same way and with great detail; one should think that there is truth in the basis of the legend. Apparently, in fact, in the Gobi Desert lives still unknown to science strange creature, perhaps - a relic of an ancient, extinct population of the Earth.

Other references

In the works of A. and B. Strugatsky

Olgoy-Khorkhoy is also mentioned in the stories of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky “The Country of Crimson Clouds”, “The Tale of the Troika” and Boris Strugatsky’s novel “The Powerless of the World of this”. The sandy Martian leech “sora-tobu hiru” (空飛蛭 - a sky-flying leech (translated from Japanese)), also mentioned in several works of the Strugatsky brothers (for the first time in “Noon, XXII century. Return ").

S. Akhmetov and A. Yanter. "Blue Death"

Olgoi-Khorkhoy is also described in the work of Spartak Akhmetov and Alexander Yanter "Blue Death"

Desert Gobi. Scorching heat, waterless sands. Czech explorer Ivan Matskerle, before taking the next step, carefully looks at his feet. He is looking for signs that under the monotonous surface of dunes and hollows that barely noticeably change their shape, a hostile creature is lurking, ready at any moment to deliver a mortal blow, spewing a stream of poisonous acid. This creature is so secretive that there is not a single reliable photograph, not a single material evidence of its vital activity. But the locals are firmly convinced: "Olgoi-Khorkhoi", Mongolian killer worm exists, he hides in these sands, waiting for the next victim

The general public first became aware of the deadly worm from the 1926 book “In the Footsteps of ancient man". It was written by American paleontologist Professor Roy Chapman Andrews, who apparently served as the prototype for the popular movie character Indiana Jones. However, Andrews himself was not convinced of the reality of the Olgoi-Khorkhoi. According to him, "none of the local storytellers saw the worm with their own eyes, although they were all firmly convinced of its existence and described it in great detail."

In 2005, a group of British cryptozoologists set off in search of a deadly creature in the Gobi Desert. During the whole month of their stay there, they heard a lot of terrifying stories about this monster, but no one was able to prove that he had encountered him himself. Nevertheless, the researchers came to the conclusion that the "Olgoi-Khorkhoy" is still not an invention, but real being. Team leader Richard Freeman stated that all the narrators described him in the same way: a red-brown snake-like worm about 60 long and 5 centimeters thick, and it was impossible to determine where his head was and where his tail was.

Now Ivan Matskerle, an amateur cryptozoologist, is looking for the Mongolian worm, who travels around the world, trying to find scientific evidence the existence of mysterious inhabitants of our planet like the Loch Ness monster and other similar curiosities.

According to Matskerle in an interview with Czech radio, as a child, he read a story by Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov about a worm almost as long as a man living in Mongolia, who kills his victims at a distance using either poison or an electric discharge. "I thought it was just science fiction, says Mackerle. - But a student from Mongolia studied in the same group with me at the university. I asked him: “Have you heard anything about “Olgoi-Khorkhoy”?” I assumed that he would laugh back and say that it was all nonsense. However, he moved closer to me, as if sharing big secret, and in an undertone said: “Of course, I heard. It's an amazing creation."

Here is what else Ivan Matskerle said in his interview: “There, in Mongolia, a strange thing happened to me. We thought about how to lure the worm out of the sand and record it on camera. The idea was born to scare him with an explosion. I remember how we illegally smuggled explosives through Russia, hoping that ground vibrations would make him show, but nothing came of it. Then I had a dream that I see "Olgoy-Khorkhoy", that he crawled out of the sand. I understand that I am in danger, I try to run away, but I run very slowly, you know how it happens in a dream. And the worm suddenly jumps up and jumps on my back. I felt a terrible pain in my back, screamed and woke up from it. I realized that I was in a tent. But the pain didn't go away. A friend pulled up my T-shirt and shone a flashlight on my back. You have something similar to “Olgoi-Khorkhoy” there, he says. On my back, along the spine, I had a bruise, there was subcutaneous bleeding, as I was told. The next day I had bruises all over my body, heart problems started. I had to leave quickly. Since then, my friends have scolded me for not carrying any talisman with me, protection from evil forces.

So does the Mongolian killer worm exist or not? The belief of local residents in its reality makes more and more new explorers and adventurers go in search of it. Maybe you will join them too? Then you should remember: when wandering through the Gobi Desert, in no case do not wear clothes yellow color. It is believed that this color excites the "olgoy-khorkhoy" and makes him send his deadly charge to an unsuspecting victim. So now you are forewarned, which means you are armed. Happy hunting!

If you happened to read fantasy novel"Dune" by F. Herbert, then you know such a character as Shai-Hulud. It is a giant sandworm capable of absorbing not only people, but also vehicles. Who would have thought that an analogue of such a creature is found on our planet?

Any Mongol will tell you that the dangerous worm Olgoi-Khorkhoi exists, but so far no one has managed to catch it. The search for this "sausage stump" in the Gobi desert has been going on for several decades, but the result is still zero. What kind of creature is this, which, according to rumors, kills its victim with an electric discharge or a poisonous jet?

Kills from afar

The story of the writer and scientist I. Efremov "Olgoi-Khorkhoy" tells about a strange and mysterious animal, whose homeland was the Gobi desert. His appearance this work of nature resembles a piece of thick sausage, one meter long. Both of its ends are equally blunt, it is impossible to see the eye or mouth, as well as determine where the head is and where the tail is. This fat, writhing worm only causes disgust.

In the 70s, the story of I. Efremov was perceived by most readers as fantastic. But after some time, many residents of Mongolia started talking about the existence of Olgoi-Khorkhoi. There were rumors that this creature is capable of killing its prey from a distance. Olgoi-Khorkhoy is translated into Russian as "intestinal worm", and it must be said that the mysterious animal really resembles a fragment of the large intestine.

According to some eyewitnesses, the worm produces, others claim that it strikes its opponent with a high-power electric discharge. Even a hardy camel cannot withstand such an attack, and dies on the spot.

There is another type of worm, which is distinguished by a yellow color. The Mongols call her Shar-Khorkhoy. According to eyewitnesses, these creatures become especially active in the summer heat, they spend the rest of their lives in holes.

First evidence of a killer worm

History of this unusual creature has its roots in the distant past. One could read about it in the stories of our compatriot N. Przhevalsky, and N. Roerich did not leave the worm without attention. Traveling in Tibet, the latter made acquaintance with a lama (this title is given to local religious figures). Lama told Roerich that in his youth he was a member of a caravan sent to study at a local university.

Some of the young people traveled on short Mongolian horses, the rest on camels. Once, after stopping for the night, an incomprehensible chirp was heard, followed by human screams. The Lama looked around and noticed that the camp was surrounded by incomprehensible blue lights. An exclamation was heard: “Olgoi-Khorkhoi!”. People rushed in all directions, some fell dead for no reason.

In 1926, the American writer and scientist R. C. Andrews published a book entitled "In the Footsteps of Ancient Man." And that's when the killer worm became widely known. The American paleontologist heard about the existence of this mystery of nature even before the start of the trip from the Mongolian leaders who issued him permission to travel. He was warned of the danger and asked, if the opportunity presented itself, to catch and bring back a specimen of this animal.

The American promised to comply with the request, while observing all necessary measures precautions. However, he did not believe in the veracity of the story he heard. Unfortunately, the scientist failed to find the worm, but he described it in his work. After that, the worm Olgoy Khorkhoy gained worldwide fame.

How does a worm kill

So how does this fiend kill its victim? Usually we are talking about poison, but the possibility of the worm generating electrical discharges of high power should not be ruled out. locals can tell an interesting story...

At the end of the last century, Western geologists carried out work in Mongolia. One of the researchers stuck a metal rod into the sand, then his body convulsed, and at the same moment. A moment later, an eerie worm emerged from the sand. There is no doubt that the death of the geologist came from an electrical discharge that passed through the metal.

Apparently, the desert-dwelling Olgoi-Khorkhoi is capable of killing with both poison and electric shock. Such deadly activity is not hunting or sustenance for him. This is just a way of protection, carried out without warning.

Olgoi-Khorkhoi was never caught

Attempts to catch the intestinal worm have been made many times. In the middle of the last century, the scientist American descent A. Nisbet decided to find the creeping villain by all means. It took several years to obtain permission for the expedition from the Mongolian authorities. In two jeeps, American explorers rushed into the desert and quickly disappeared.

At the request of the American government, the search for an unsuccessful expedition began. dead scientists were found in a remote area, their bodies were located near cars that were in good condition. The cause of death of the researchers has not been established.

There is an assumption that scientists stumbled upon a cluster of worms, and they went on the attack. Recall that the cars are in excellent condition, the property remained in place, there were no notes with complaints of illness or lack of water. Most likely, death came instantly - it is with such a speed that the intestinal worm kills.

In the 90s of the last century, the search mysterious creature were carried out by Czech experts. The object of research itself was not found, but it was possible to collect necessary material, proving the reality of the existence of Olgoi-Khorhoi.

Members of the Russian expedition caught a small yellow worm, presumably a calf. Around the mouth opening, he had several paws, with the help of which Olgoy Khorkhoy instantly buried himself in the sand.

And no matter how many expeditions to the desert have been undertaken, not one of the scientists has ever seen a giant worm. Long years horhoy was considered a fictional character of ancient Mongolian legends.

However, the attention of researchers was attracted by the fact that all the legends about the giant worm are replete with the same details and facts. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the legends are based on quite probable events. It is possible that in the desert sands Gobi lives an ancient animal that miraculously did not die out.

Word " long" in translation from Mongolian means "large intestine", and " horhoy” translates as “worm”. According to the legends of the Mongols, a half-meter worm lives in the waterless sandy areas of the Gobi Desert. Most for a year the worm sleeps in a hole he made in the sandy soil. The animal crawls to the surface only in summer months when the sun bakes furiously, heating the earth. The Mongols, on pain of death, will not go to the desert in summer: it is believed that olgoy-khorkhoy capable of killing prey from a distance. Throwing out a deadly poison, the monster paralyzes a person or animal.

Today, the giant worm is not heard of. There is an opinion that in the desert Gobi There are several varieties of worms. At least Mongolian legends tell about one more specimen - a yellow worm.
One of the legends of the Mongolian people tells of a poor camel driver who happened to meet with horhoy in a desert Gobi. "He was surrounded by fifty yellow worms, but the driver managed to avoid death, he spurred the animal and rode away."

Some scientists believe that the giant worm is nothing but a snake - ocean viper. It is also huge and unattractive. In addition, the viper can kill its prey from a distance, using poison, the vapors of which are deadly poisonous.

According to another version olgoy-khorkhoy- This is an ancient reptile-two-walker, devoid of legs in the course of evolution. The color of this reptile, like the color of the giant worm, is red-brown. They also have a hard time distinguishing their heads. However, these animals cannot kill prey from a distance.


There is another version. according to her, giant monster the Gobi Desert is ringed worm. In the harsh conditions of the desert, he acquired a strong shell and mutated to enormous sizes. Notable cases when desert worm species squirted venom, killing the prey.

No matter how many versions there are, the Olgoi-Khorkhoi is still a mystery to zoologists and terrible monster for the Mongols.