Bigfoot, Culture, and the Fear of the Unknown.
Humans have all heard of Bigfoot—the man, the myth, the legend. Many believe it represents humanity’s fear of the unknown. Despite years of speculation, Bigfoot remains a mystery and is deeply embedded in our perception of nature. It has persisted across various cultures. For some background, Bigfoot is an urban legend about a large, ape-like creature said to roam remote forests. Cultures worldwide have their versions of this creature: Russia has the Yeti, Canada the Sasquatch, China the Yeren, Japan the Hibagon, India the Mande Barung, Pakistan and Afghanistan share the Baramanou, Australia has the Yowie, Malaysia the Minyak, and South America has the Mapinguari (Radford).
Bigfoot-like creatures in such diverse cultures highlight humanity’s underlying fear. This leads to the key point: the various depictions of North America’s Bigfoot across different eras and cultures provide an outlet for humanity’s most fundamental fear—the fear of the unknown.
The fear of the unknown, also known as intolerance of uncertainty, revolves around human nature’s anxiety over events that are unpredictable, unfamiliar, or hard to comprehend (Safai). People experience this feeling when there is little to no prior knowledge about a situation.
Ema Tanovic, a researcher, explains that “Uncertainty can intensify how threatening a situation feels.” Many scientists, like Tanovic, are connecting the dots to explain why being unsure of one’s surroundings can trigger such anxiety. Tanovic further noted that these reactions can manifest even in everyday life.
Nicholas Carleton, a psychology professor at the University of Regina, defines the brain’s fear of the unknown as something treated like a threat. If this fear—and the accompanying anxiety—begins to interfere with daily life, it becomes maladaptive, and starts coming in between important tasks. “People can try very hard to reduce uncertainty and the anxiety that comes with it,” Carleton also says, “like repeatedly calling a loved one to make sure they are OK, texting a crush incessantly when they haven’t texted back, or compulsively refreshing one’s inbox while waiting for an interview response.”
In Carleton’s humble opinion, unknowns are one of humanity’s fundamental consternations that are extremely crucial to essential human nature, maybe even more than feelings toward death and the fear associated with the afterlife’s conundrum (Robson).
So, what exactly is Bigfoot? This question is central to the various urban legends. Bigfoot is often described as a large, bipedal, hairy, ape-like creature roaming the most remote parts of North America. It is classified as a cryptid—a creature whose existence has not been proven—and little scientific evidence supports its existence. However, numerous people have reported sightings while camping or hiking, and their descriptions all share common physical traits, painting Bigfoot as an ape-like man. The earliest documented mention of a Bigfoot-like creature dates back to the late 1800s in Canadian newspapers.
The modern Bigfoot we know today gained popularity in the late 1900s and early 2000s. With over 10,000 sightings reported and even some alleged photos, many skeptics argue that the evidence has been doctored. Brian Regal, an associate professor at Kean University and author of “Searching for Sasquatch: Crackpots, Eggheads, and Cryptozoology,” explains that the human brain tends to project its beliefs onto the world. “You look at it and you see what you want to believe,” he says.
Some have even reported hearing Bigfoot’s sounds, especially in the Appalachian Mountains. The late Grover Krantz, an anthropologist, analyzed over ten tapes of these sounds but concluded, “There is no compelling reason to believe that any of them are what the recorders claimed them to be.” Whether or not Bigfoot is a hoax, there is a similarly described creature known as Gigantopithecus blacki, a bipedal ape that lived in Southeast Asia and stood about 10 feet tall. Though extinct for thousands of years, the resemblance between Gigantopithecus and Bigfoot has intrigued some (Pester and Bradford).
The connection between Bigfoot and humanity’s fear of the unknown explains the ongoing fascination with this mysterious creature. Urban legends like Bigfoot capitalize on people’s deepest fears, creating stories that resonate because they play on anxieties about the unknown. Many urban legends serve as cautionary tales, warning people against risky behavior, while others simply exist for entertainment.
Michael Pinney, a professor of psychology at North Harris College, created and altered 15 urban legends to study how they spread. Pinney suggests that urban legends share traits that allow them to persist, such as playing on real-life fears and anxieties. The rise of industrialization coincided with the growth of urban legends, many of which focus on modern-day worries, similar to Bigfoot.
According to Pinney, urban legends succeed by balancing mystery with relatability, relying on plausible yet undefined scenarios. This, in turn, taps into humanity’s need to find answers to unsettling mysteries (Kooris). To be a lasting urban legend, a story must check certain boxes: plausibility, variability, anonymity, supernatural elements, spread, and modern evolution (A Literary Exploration of Urban Legends). Bigfoot meets all these criteria. Its existence is plausible, given its setting in remote, uncharted areas; it has variability, with different versions worldwide; it includes supernatural elements, such as eerie sounds; it spread quickly and has evolved alongside modern society.
Bigfoot-like myths are found in cultures worldwide. Bryan Skyes, a professor of human genetics at Oxford University, launched a project to investigate the DNA and other evidence associated with Bigfoot. He observed that belief in Bigfoot-like creatures is a common feature across cultures. “So much so that indigenous people don’t even question their existence; they’re simply a part of everyday life,” he remarked. Skyes also explored why the myth is so widespread, asking, “Why do so many cultures have stories about a man-like creature just beyond human understanding?” Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, noted that these legends exist independently within cultures, often without cross-cultural exchange (Wolchver).
Some argue that Bigfoot is just another urban legend. But, in reality, the ongoing searches and investigations suggest otherwise. People are still actively seeking the truth; even governments have dispatched search parties for Bigfoot. David Rains, a naturalist, notes that “It’s comforting to believe another hominid evolved without ‘the cruelty, greed, vanity, and other childishness’ of Homo sapiens.” According to Rains, humans want Bigfoot to be real because they long to believe in a species free from societal constraints, a creature living without the flaws of humanity.
This belief ties back to our fear of the unknown. What if there really is a species that escapes human discovery? Folklore expert Lynne McNeill suggests that Bigfoot fulfills a deep-seated human desire for mystery and the mystical, offering hope that humans haven’t completely conquered nature. “It’s a better world if Bigfoot can be real,” McNeill says. “It suggests that maybe we aren’t utterly destroying the planet if a species can remain hidden and undiscovered” (The Enduring Legend of Bigfoot).
In conclusion, the lasting fascination with Bigfoot stems from a combination of human psychology and cultural significance. Bigfoot embodies humanity’s enduring fear of the unknown. Whether viewed through psychological studies or folklore, Bigfoot has remained relevant from the past to the present, symbolizing the human need to explore mysteries beyond what we can comprehend.
Whether Bigfoot is a real creature or simply a figment of human imagination, it highlights our complex relationship with nature and our ongoing quest to uncover the unknown. Ultimately, the legend of Bigfoot captivates and intrigues people across cultures and continues to inspire curiosity about the mysteries that still exist in the world.
Works Cited
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Elements that make up a great and lasting urban legend.
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How urban legends become so popular and their part in human fears.
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Bigfoot’s cousins across the world, versions of Bigfoot in other countries.
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What is Bigfoot? Evidence, traits, characteristics, and research involved in Bigfoot lore.
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Why are humans afraid of the unknown?
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What is the fear of the unknown, causes and treatments?
“The Enduring Legend of Bigfoot.” Theweek.com, 6 Apr. 2019, theweek.com/articles/833273/enduring-legend-bigfoot.
How Bigfoot has been such a normalized and why humans want to believe in Bigfoot?
Wolchover, Natalie. “Why Do so Many Cultures Have a Version of Bigfoot?” Livescience.com, Live Science, 21 June 2012, www.livescience.com/34021-bigfoot-yeti-myth.html.
Bigfoot across diverse cultures.
