Gef the Talking Mongoose — Isle of Man Family Tormented and Entertained by Vocal Invisible Creature

Beginning in September 1931, the Irving family of Cashen's Gap Farm on the Isle of Man reported increasingly bizarre phenomena involving a creature they eventually dubbed Gef. What began as mysterious scratching and rustling sounds in the walls of their farmhouse escalated into an entity that could speak — in multiple languages, quoting songs and nursery rhymes, commenting on events happening miles away, and engaging in extended conversation with the family over a period of years. Gef claimed to be a mongoose of Indian origin born in 1852. He spoke English, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic at various times, sang hymns, and carried news from neighboring farms — news later verified to be accurate. He reportedly climbed into bed with family members, was seen occasionally as a small yellow animal, and left small footprints in clay. He appeared intensely attached to the family's daughter Voirrey. Journalists and investigators including Harry Price visited Cashen's Gap. Price received samples of hair and paw prints attributed to Gef, which animal experts could not definitively identify as any known species. The mongoose, they said, was not a match. Price found the family credible but could not confirm the phenomena directly. The case attracted enormous press attention. Gef apparently resented unwanted visitors and avoided being photographed. After the Irving family moved, reports ceased. A later occupant claimed to have shot a small animal on the property which he believed was Gef. The case remains one of the strangest and most entertaining alleged poltergeist cases in the literature.