Gef the Talking Mongoose
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Please note, that I may scatter my own personal commentary throughout the piece. These will be in italics.
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In the chronicles of the paranormal, few creatures are as intriguing as Gef, the Talking Mongoose. This entity, also known as the Dalby Spook, captivated the world in the early 20th century with its alleged ability to speak, its self-proclaimed supernatural origins, and its peculiar cohabitation with a family on the Isle of Man.
Gef was a creature, a creation, a being that defied the very laws of nature. Of course, mongooses can’t talk in reality but perhaps this “extra, extra special mongoose” did not originate from our reality. Perhaps he was willed into existence through the power of psychic energy (known as a tulpa. Concentrated thought energy that wills a creature into our physical plane of existence. Like a bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster). Was Gef conjured as a product of the Irving family’s loneliness as they found themselves, rather unexpectedly, thrust into farm life?
Gef is not the only one. From the ghostly menagerie of “Old Jefferey” that haunted a Quaker family in the 1800s, to the stone-throwing spook of Centrahoma in the 1990s who learned English by watching TV, these tales often emerge from relative isolation.
The quiet, unsuspecting corners of our world are where isolation breeds both boredom and imagination.
The Irving family were new arrivals to the Isle of Man in 1931—Jim and Margaret, the parents, and their youngest daughter Voirrey. The Irvings had resided in more urban settings until this move to the isolated farmhouse. Their new home was on the Isle of Man, situated off the northwest coast of England in the Irish Sea. Modern population estimates are around 84,000 but throughout the 1930s it hovered around 50,000.
Jim was, to put it nicely, not a naturally talented rancher. He was a city man. A man put out by the collapsed pipe organ industry. They had moved to the isolated farmhouse with hopes of farming chickens, sheep, goats, and geese. The crows are said to be so big on the island that they can carry off chickens and pester the sheep. With the farm limping along Jim was forced to supplement their income with side jobs from neighboring, more successful, ranchers. They would often trade labor for food like sacks of potatoes.
Jim’s wife, Margaret, on the other hand was built for farm life. She possessed a strong body and would often walk four miles both ways through rough terrain to visit her ailing mother. She was described as “hardy” and a few people in the community would later say she had a “witchy vibe”. Why witchy? I’m not sure. Maybe she was just one of those women who tend to feel more comfortable on the edges of society. I can relate Margo babe.
The Irvings had one daughter still living at home, 13-year-old Voirrey. Though born and raised in the city she adapted quickly to country life. Moving from the city to the country myself when I was 20, I can attest to the difficulty of the transition. I wish I could have adapted more easily. Voirrey learned to trap and kill rabbits to help feed her family. Some of the rabbits she killed would be sold to others in the community to help supplement the family income. She was not a squeamish girl, able to kill rabbits by beating them with sticks.
Margaret, Voirrey, and Jim Irving
The Irving family settled in a remote farmhouse with the name Doarlish Cashen. The area was dotted with prehistoric burial mounds and possible druid circles. There are many whispers that the fae are fond of the Isle of Man. The area has been known for its elementals, which are mischievous little entities that live in the spaces in between. In between our world and the next. In another dimension. On another plane of existence. They aren’t quite all the way in our world like you and I. Do I believe wholeheartedly in the fae? I don’t know but at the same time I’m weary of admitting I have doubts because I know the havoc they can supposedly wreck. It’s kind of like saying you don’t believe in witchcraft but then being freaked out by things like crystals and tarot cards. My beliefs are not set in stone.
Doarlish Cashen
Other odd goings-on around the Isle of Man include the time a random urn was found in a field. It was filled with “suspicious black ashes” and returned to the earth. Years later, a hunter was walking over the burial spot and felt an aggressive shove.
A man reported that he had been followed home by a ghost. He had walked for three miles with the ghost singing hymns and attempting to convince him to “live a better life.” Can I punch a ghost in the face? That sounds so tedious.
Some of the local Manx folklore (Manx being what the people call themselves) speaks of a very malicious ghost that would mess with people while they slept; pinch, poke, torment, and even nip at them.
It appears that the Isle of Man is a home to trickster spirits. Mischievous, temperamental, though sometimes helpful when treated with respect. These fae spirits seem to not overly care about the needs of man but they are curious. They definitely have their own agenda.
What began as a typical haunting with bumps in the night, very quickly evolved into high strangeness. The “ghost of a weasel” seemed to live in the farmhouse. At first, they addressed him as “Jack”. He only made small noises and would cause small disturbances. Much like the beginnings of a poltergeist haunting. It’s always innocent in the beginning.
Soon, Jim began to think that there was an actual “clever creature” living in the walls of the farmhouse. He tried to block all the entrances and exits but to no avail. The critter had taken up permanent residence with the Irvings. He became a sort of “pet” after they began leaving food out for him. His favorites were bacon without the fat, chocolate, and biscuits. Leaving a food offering to the fae is one way to appease them. Was he a fae after all?
The creature started to try and communicate with Jim through the walls. His speech was nothing more than garbles and nonsense at first. Like a baby learning to speak. This progressed to barks and other various animal noises. After a few weeks, he was fluent in English. Jim would later share that he thought Gef already knew English but was warming up to them to not frighten them. They could gradually become accustomed to the idea of a talking animal. Maybe he was aware that talking fluently in English would be too much from the get-go.
This is when he introduced himself to the family as Gef.
When he was learning how to speak they would have him repeat nursery rhymes. Not creepy at all. Just a high-pitched voice coming from the walls repeating “Mary had a little lamb” over and over again.
Jim and Voirrey could see him with their own eyes. They described him as having a small rat body with a long tail and yellowish fur. He was speckled with brown spots and had weird little doll-like arms with three-fingered human hands. It's not terrifying at all. Margaret was not allowed to look at him but she was able to reach up to the crossbeams and pet him. He even let her feel his teeth with her fingers. There is conflicting information about Gef sightings within the Irving family. Some sources say he was seen frequently while others say that only Voirrey and her mother were able to see Gef face to face while Jim only ever caught glimpses of him.
As Gef became more comfortable, he took up residence in a small spot in the corner of a room within the wall. The family called this “Gef’s inner sanctum”. When his presence became more of a nuisance than a pleasure, the family attempted to “get rid” of Gef. They left a small bit of poisoned bread in his sanctum but unfortunately, they found that he was not so easy to kill.
Jim pointing to Gef’s inner sanctum
This event only proved to make him more annoying. For 20 minutes he wailed and screamed like “a pig having a horseshoe nail shoved through its snout!” as Jim so affectionately described. Gef did finally calm down, like a toddler coming down from a tantrum, and spent the next 30 minutes moaning and sighing loudly. When Jim asked why he was screaming Gef simply responded,
“I did it for the devilment....”
The war between the Irvings and Gef was officially on.
Gef began to throw stones and yell at Voirrey while she attempted to sleep. In response, Jim and Margaret moved Voirrey’s bed into their room until Gef agreed to calm down. He yelled at them, “I’ll follow her wherever you move her! I’ll follow her!”. He aggressively thumped and banged on the walls while they moved her bed.
After he composed himself he promised never to hurt the family again. He did other things instead. Like pee in the house and occasionally spit at the family. When Margaret and Jim were about to be intimate he would yell and scream about the “acts that were about to happen” outside in front of the house. He sounds like the definition of a cock-block. Little fucker.
By December 1931 (yes, it has only been about 3 months now), Gef started to venture outside the home. He would bring gossip back for the Irvings. It was mostly talk about the various work crews on the island. One worker, while having his lunch break, dropped a piece of bread and watched as it was carried away into the bushes “as if an animal had snatched it” but there was nothing there.
Soon enough, the attention of the local media was on the farmhouse. They loved reporting on the standard paranormal events that occurred around the island. The press dubbed him “The Dalby Spook” and Doarlish Cashen became overrun with tourists wanting to catch a glimpse of Gef with their own eyes. The crowds ultimately caused quite a bit of property damage.
Initially the local newspaper, The Daily Dispatch, wrote an article about the strangeness, “Man Weasel Mystery Grips Island!”. Honestly, I love that title. It’s catchy. When the reporter went out to speak to the Irvings and hopefully talk to Gef himself, Gef refused to speak with him. The Irvings coaxed and asked nicely but Gef remained silent while the reporter was in the house. Once the reporter left the house, he could hear Margaret consoling Gef through the door, “The man is gone and everything is ok now.”
The article from the The Daily Dispatch
Gef responded,
“He has not. I can hear him whispering. I won’t talk for those people. They’re all liars!”
In a form of journalistic vengeance, the reporter accused the Irvings of being fakes. He speculated that Voirrey was a “naturally talented ventriloquist”. He even printed in the paper that she was a lonely girl with no friends. Ultimately, ruining any good reputation she had at school and in the community. The story of Gef decimated her teenage life.
Gef. Notice the weird little hands…
Why did they call Gef the “Man-Weasel”? Well, Jim thought Gef was a “manimal” or chamira of sorts. Part man, part animal. A hybrid creature with the body of an animal and the mind of a man. With some human physical characteristics tossed in the mix. Jim believed that Gef was an odd cross between a weasel and a ferret which resulted in a unique throat structure thus allowing him to talk. Along with heightened human-level intelligence.
But how did Gef talk? Jim asked him once and he replied, “A mongoose can speak if he is taught.” If it were just that easy Gef, wouldn’t most animals talk? I guess some birds can learn some basic vocabulary and tunes if they are taught, and huskys seem to speak a few rough words on occasion, but how many animals actually talk? And do it rather well?
Another newspaper, The Peel City Guardian, took a different approach. A more cryptid approach. They claimed he had the body of a weasel, the head of a pig, and great glowing eyes. A reader later wrote in to the newspaper and said the pig's face sounded more like that of a mongoose instead of a weasel. Gef himself even said he was a “marsh mongoose.”
A local woman, Florence Milbourn, wrote a letter to the “National Laboratory of Psychical Research” concerned about the paranormal events. Renowned parapsychologist Harry Price received the letter. He initially didn’t want to deal with the mongoose story and pawned off the investigation to Captain Harold Dennis. He was sent to get a reading on the whole situation and check the validity of the Irving’s claims.
Once Dennis arrived at Doarlish Cashen, he was told that Gef would not speak to him unless Voirrey was given a camera or a gramophone. This makes me think that Voirrey had a little more to do with the events if she was so willing to ask for a bribe. He was also told on behalf of Gef that he would not speak if the person asking didn’t truly believe in him. Gef had no time for “doubters.” Despite being legitimately open to the idea of a paranormal talking mongoose, Dennis never saw Gef.
“I believe in you!” Captain Dennis called out but Gef only responded with, “I don’t need you to stay as I don’t like you!”
Dennis attempted to sneak up the stairs to have a listen to a conversation between Gef and Jim but he slipped and tumbled down the stairs.
He left Doarlish Cashen partly convinced of Gef’s existence but still skeptical.
There were other visitors who had full-blown experiences with Gef. Such as Charles Morrison. He watched Jim give Gef a command like bark and Gef would bark. Jim asked him to sing a song and he sang his own rendition of a popular tune at the time. Charles even spent the night in the farmhouse and Gef told him that he would keep him awake all night because “Charlie is a doubter”. Gef spit and made various animal noises at him as well as growling sounds under Charles’ bed. When Charles chanced a glance under his bed he saw the glowing eyes of Gef staring back at him. Gef then said, “Do you believe now?”.
There were some guests treated to Gef’s “Penny Trick”. Guests would take a coin and Gef would guess “heads or legs” (as done on the Isle of Man because of their island’s crest). Gef would always guess correctly which way it would land.
As nice as Gef could be he could also be an annoying terror. Especially to his host family. Gef woke up Jim early one morning before dawn saying he was about to be sick. Then Jim heard sounds like a cat getting sick. A fresh pile of vomit lay waiting with some half-eaten carrots under his bed. Other times, Gef would bellow and moan,
“Jim, I have a god damn cough! I have a hell of a cold!”
Now that he was a more established member of the family, he was given a ball to play with. In return for the Irving’s niceties he would bring back food for them. He killed over 200 rabbits during his time with them. There was never a spot of blood on the little creatures however, their eyes would be bulging out of their skulls. He had most likely strangled them. Gef was very aware that the family depended on him and Voirrey to catch rabbits for food as well as supplemental income. He would go on strike when the Irvings didn’t do as he requested and threatened the family only once with violence, “You don’t know what damage or harm I might do if aroused. I could kill you all with my light. But I won’t, if you are kind to me I will give you luck. If you are not kind I will all your poultry. I can kill them wherever you put them.”
Gef had a difficult relationship with Margaret, they would spat often. Gef wanted to stay up late into the night and talk which got on Margaret’s nerves. She would tell him, on more than one occasion, that he was “nothing but a nuisance!”. He would respond by spitting at her and saying his favorite curse,
“Aww boiled eggs! Crack ‘em and then eat ‘em! Aww nuts!”
However, Gef and Margaret could be strangely intimate at times. Even described as “sexualized”. Gef liked to watch her undress. Naming each item of clothing as she took it off. He would attempt his best one-liners to hit on her, even when Jim lay in bed next to her. “I like you Maggie. I like you and I want you to like me. I’m thinking you like me. You know why? Because I’m Gef.” As far as we know though, the only intimate contact they ever had was once when Margaret put her fingers up on the crossbeam and Gef licked her fingers.
The relationship between Gef and Jim was an odd coupling as well. Jim treated Gef like the son he never had. Often referring to him as “my lad!”. He would report that he wasn’t as close to his daughter Voirrey as she was “not an affectionate child”. So you’re just going to cast your daughter to the side for a paranormal pseudo-son?
Voirrey’s relationship was playful for a while. They were the best of playmates around the farm. Hide and Seek was their favorite game. How do you play hide and seek with an entity that can supposedly go invisible?
After a few years, Harry Price and his associate Richard Lambert decided to pay a long overdue visit to Doarlish Cashen in July of 1935.
Voirrey, Jim, and Harry Price
Gef refused to speak to either man. They coaxed and gently pleaded with him to manifest, asking for something as little as a laugh, a scream, a squeak, or a simple scratch behind the paneling. Gef even declined the invitation to throw something at Price.
Because they were doubters and they had on their “doubter caps.”
The men had multiple questions they wanted answered during their stay, such as; “Was the whole affair a fraud from A to Z? Was it a plot (lasting four years) to fool the countryside? If so, what was the motive? Were the Irvings engaged in a clever and picturesque conspiracy? Was there any sort of animal at all? Was there any real evidence whatsoever that Gef had been heard?” these and many more plagued the pair.
Price and Lambert conducted a thorough examination of the farmstead. Exploring both the land and the farmhouse itself. Jim guided them on a tour of Gef’s hot spots. In the house those included various peep-holes, cracks through which Gef would throw things, watch the family, and sometimes “interrupt conversation with facetious and…rude remarks”, and runs behind the paneling which Gef was known to skip, unseen, from one room to another. They determined that Gef was able to spread his voice to any room in the house thanks in part to the open spaces in the paneled walls acting as sounding boards.
They took photographs, played with the family dog Mona, and walked in the fields. While out in the field, Jim showed them the spots where Gef would “deposit the rabbits which he killed for his hosts”.
He never honored his awaiting guests with his presence, though. After they left the island, Jim informed them that Gef had returned the very night of their departure! “Perhaps we passed him on our way down the mountain!”. Gef told Jim that he had taken a brief “holiday away” but had been present for the majority of the visit. He had listened to everything the party had said. He allowed Jim to take impressions of his paws, which were then sent off to Price. It’s very curious that he would only allow the impressions to be taken after Price and Lambert left. Along with some hair clippings, which turned out to be from a collie dog. Yes, their dog Mona was a collie.
Lambert and Price were able to write a book after staying with the Irvings and gathering all the outlandish information.
The book The Haunting at Cashen’s Gap: A Modern Miracle Investigated sold 350 copies.
All in all, Gef was but a blip in the news. Few photos were taken but they only revealed what could have been a furry hat on a fencepost. The images were blurry and out of focus - like most cryptid photographs. Harry Price and Richard Lambert concluded their book with this:
“As these confessions go to press, Gef is still exchanging wisecracks with [Jim]; still dancing to the gramophone on top of his “sanctum”; still screwing rabbits’ necks for the Irving table; and, I am afraid, still impressing a number of rather credulous people".”
In 1937, one final person came to Doarlish Cashen with an interest in Gef - Nandor Fodor. He was a research officer for the International Insitute for Psychical Research which merged with the British College of Psychic Science to become The International Institute for Psychic Investigation. Nandor was a student of Freud’s teachings and believed that “poltergeists are not disembodied spirits, but manifestations of conflicts within the subconscious mind.”
By this point, Gef’s appearances and communications had reduced dramatically. Was he perhaps merging off this coil? Out of this dimension and back into his own? Nandor never had the pleasure of seeing Gef, despite him not donning his “doubter’s cap”. Not even a whisker or a whip of a tail in the corner of his vision. Within the seven days that he stayed with the Irving family, he conducted various in-depth interviews with the family and some locals. He would leave the island with a pocketful of strange tales that the community believed to be true.
“Once we step into the marvelous, reason and logic give us no bearings.”
Nandor Fodor
Nandor came to three conclusions:
None of the family members were psychic.
Gef exhibited no truly supernatural powers or knowledge, despite occasionally giving the impression that he did.
Gef had been seen, photographed, and touched, and he consistently appeared in the guise of a small furry animal.
His final thoughts, which took years to gather cohesively, were that Gef was a flesh-and-blood creature that was “possessed by a split-off part of Jim’s personality.” He came to this conclusion based on his observations of Jim Irving. He noted that Jim was “a man who failed in life and whose life and whose many passions were too strong to bear this failure with resignation.” Jim was a very proud man. The loss of his career left him mentally starved so out of pure desperation for stimulation his unconscious mind created Gef. A creature with all the aspects of a human, an animal, and a ghost.
Gef was last physically seen at Doarlish Cashen in 1939. He was only heard occasionally and gradually faded out of the Irving’s lives.
In 1945, Jim fell fatally ill. His elder daughter came to tend to him and heard strange noises coming from the crossbeams while Jim lay on his deathbed. Had Gef come to say goodbye to his old pal? Perhaps he came to escort him to the next realm. Like two old friends coming together after a long separation.
After Jim’s death, Margaret sold the farm and moved to Liverpool. The farm was bought by a horrid man named Leslie Graham who shot an animal in 1947 and claimed that he had killed Gef the talking mongoose. He told people that it was a funny-looking little creature. He only lived in the house for a short time before selling it. The house has since been demolished.
When Voirrey left the Isle of Man she wanted to leave the story of Gef with it. She only gave one full interview in 1970. She was steadfast in her belief that Gef had been real and had it been up to her and her mother, the story never would have been shared. It would have remained a closely guarded family secret.
Voirrey also fully believed that she never found a husband because the story of Gef had tainted her life so.
In the end, whether Gef was a real talking mongoose, a tulpa, a fae, or an unconscious creation brought into this world by an understimulated man, his story remains fascinating. The truth of Gef may be out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, waiting to be discovered. Either way, in the realm of the unexplained, one thing is certain - there’s never a dull moment.
Now that you’ve read the bizarre story of Gef the Talking Mongoose - Here is the art he inspired.
You can read more in-depth information for this piece in my art shop where you can buy the original or a print. Check it out HERE.
Gef the Talking Mongoose
Keep questioning, keep wondering, and above all, keep embracing the weird.
SOURCES:
Gef - The Eighth Wonder of the World (archive.org)
The strange story of Gef, the Isle of Man’s talking mongoose (nationalgeographic.com)
Episode 409: "Gef the Talking Mongoose". Last Podcast on the Left.
www.harrypricewebsite.co.uk/Famous%20Cases/mongoosebyharryprice.htm
