| Singing Spiders of Paris | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
| Background | |
| Type | Cryptid |
| Continent | Europe |
| Country | France |
| One-Time? | Yes |
| Theories | · Tall tale, hoax · Cryptid |
The Singing Spiders of Paris were giant arachnids blamed for mysterious disappearances around a tomb in Paris, said to draw out their prey with a siren song.[1]
Appearance[]
The creature was first described in the Ann Arbor Argus, of September 14, 1894. [2]
During late March (and invariably at night) each year for many years, men and women had inexplicably been disappearing in a region of Paris known as the Tomb of Issoire, now La Rue De La Tomb-Issoire, without any trace of them ever being discovered. One night, however, a policeman in this vicinity happened to hear a strange musical song issuing forth from a hole at the base of a huge rock there, dubbed the Giant's Cave due to the legend that a giant had been buried there long ago.[3][4]
As the policeman stood listening, he saw a young man approach the hole, seemingly hypnotized by the unearthly strains issuing forth from their hidden subterranean source, and then suddenly the man raced into the hole at full speed. The policeman chased after him, firing his revolver to alert some of his colleagues for back-up as he entered the hole. They soon arrived, by which time the strange music had ceased, its mysterious melody having been replaced by the sounds of a violent struggle. Arming themselves with ropes, ladders, and lamps, the policeman's colleagues swiftly penetrated the chasm into which the hole led, and beheld a terrifying sight.[5]
The young man, dead, was in the grip of a monstrous spider, which according to the newspaper report was:
"...as large as a full grown terrier, covered with wartlike protuberances and bristling with coarse brownish hair. Eight jointed legs, terminated by formidable claws, were buried in the body of the unfortunate victim. The face had already disappeared. Nothing could be seen but the top of the head, and the monster was now engaged in tearing and sucking the blood from his throat."[6][7]
Several blasts from the policemen's guns soon dispatched this horrific creature, after which they found their colleague lying in a corner, unconscious but unharmed. They then carried the two men and the carcass of the great spider back out through the hole into the Parisian street where this surreal incident had begun.[8]
Possible Explanations[]
There are several explanations as to what the creature could be. Theories include:
- An newspaper tall tale; a hoax. The story wraps up with a note on the disposal of the giant arachnid corpse with the Museum of Natural History and its identity as Arachne Gigans – a Giant Spider. No such item was ever received by the museum nor is that name given to any known spider, living or extinct.
- A real undiscovered cryptid spider (Highly unlikely).