End of an Era: The Golden Owl Treasure Hunt Concludes After 31 Years
On Thursday, a treasure hunt in France, which began 31 years ago from an illustrated book, reached its long-awaited conclusion. Thousands of enthusiasts have spent years attempting to unravel the intricate puzzles embedded in 'Sur la trace de la chouette dor' (On the Trail of the Golden Owl), a book published in 1993. The treasure hunters finally arrived at the solution to the long-standing mystery.
Around 6 AM, Michel Becker, the treasure hunt organizer and illustrator of the book, posted on the dedicated Discord server for the game that he was evaluating a proposed solution that had arrived overnight. Just two hours later, Becker confirmed the solution was correct, instructing the hunters to cease their searches.
The book contains a series of 11 puzzles that, when solved, direct participants to the location in France where, over 30 years ago, a bronze statuette of an owl had been buried. The ultimate goal was to send Becker the solution to the puzzles, along with proof of finding the statuette, which could then be exchanged for the original version made of gold and silver, designed by Becker himself. The current estimated value of the statuette is around 150,000 euros, reflecting its worth in 1991.
The challenges encompassed a mixture of word games, encrypted riddles, historical curiosity, and various mathematical and cartographic brain teasers. For instance, the first puzzle is based on the wavelength of different colors, guiding participants on the order to approach the remaining puzzles, while the second puzzle involves a series of puns that hint at beginning the search in the town of Bourges, located in central France.
Over the years, the game cultivated a vibrant community of enthusiasts, proudly referring to themselves as 'chouetteurs' or 'owlists.' Various online forums and platforms were established to discuss clues and theories about potential solutions. As the years progressed, the community migrated from the primitive forums of the 1990s to a more modern Discord server, set up by Becker in 2021.
Despite the camaraderie, the hunt was not without its controversies. A hidden riddle, much more challenging than the twelve revealed puzzles, remained unsolved for years. Frustration grew within the community due to the overwhelming amount of information circulating online. At one point, the community split into factions: the 'daboists,' who believed the statue was hidden in Dabo, eastern France, and the 'antidaboists,' who rejected that notion.
Complications arose in 2004 when the golden statuette was seized during the liquidation of the publishing company. After a drawn-out legal battle, it was retrieved by the organizers. Initially, Becker owned the statuette but needed the solutions to the puzzles, prompting him to sue the descendants of the book's author, Régis Hauser, who wrote under the pseudonym Max Valentin. Becker's role was primarily as the illustrator.
In a surprising turn of events in 2014, Becker attempted to sell the original statuette after declaring the game over following Hauser's death. This sparked outrage among seekers, who contended that the statuette belonged to the eventual winner of the hunt, leading to a legal dispute that ended with a ruling in favor of the players in 2017, preventing the statuette's sale.
Hauser had envisioned the treasure hunt as a year-long endeavor; however, he did not anticipate that decades later, questions would still linger regarding the actual location of the prize. He even revealed in August 1995 that he had checked the burial site and found holes just meters away.
Remarkably, another treasure hunt, rooted in a 1982 book titled 'The Secret' by American author Byron Preiss, remains open to this day. Publicly regarded as the longest ongoing treasure hunt, it involves the discovery of 12 boxes, each containing a precious gem, spread across several locations in Canada and the United States. To date, only three of the boxes have been unearthed.
The conclusion of the golden owl treasure hunt not only marks the end of a remarkable journey but also highlights the dedication of a community bound by the thrill of the chase and the joy of problem-solving.
Related Sources: