Gef the talking mongoose

Abstract

The strange saga of ‘Gef the Talking Mongoose’ began in Autumn 1931 in an isolated farmstead on the Isle of Man; a local farmer and his family claimed that a small animal had appeared to them, having the ability to talk, sing, and perform other feats. This soon became a media sensation, with worldwide news coverage. Psychic investigators such as Harry Price and Nandor Fodor attempted to discover the truth behind the seemingly fantastic events, but were unable to ascertain whether it was a hoax, a poltergeist outbreak, a collective delusion, or a combination of all three. This article draws on contemporary news reports and archival material from the personal papers of Price and Fodor to re-examine the episode