In Cornish folklore, the Owlman (Cornish: Cowanden), sometimes referred to as the Cornish Owlman, or the Owlman of Mawnan, is an owl-like humanoid creature said to have been seen in 1976 in the village of Mawnan, Cornwall, UK.[1][2] Reported sightings of it flying above the church tower have led some to believe the creature may have been a barn owl, a species that commonly nests in such places.[3]
The story originated when Tony "Doc" Shiels, who had been involved in a series of 'monster-raising' exploits in 1976, claimed to have investigated a report of two young girls on holiday in Mawnan who saw a large winged creature hovering above the tower of St Mawnan and St Stephen's Church, Mawnan on 17 April 1976.[4] According to most versions of the story, the girls, identified as June and Vicky Melling, were so frightened by the sight of a large "feathered bird-man" that their father Don immediately cut short their family holiday after hearing their tale. According to Shiels, one of the girls provided him with a drawing of the creature, which he dubbed "Owlman".[1][5]
The story was subsequently related in a pamphlet entitled Morgawr: The Monster of Falmouth Bay by Anthony Mawnan-Peller, which circulated throughout Cornwall in 1976. According to Shiels, "Owlman" was reported again on 3 July by two 14-year-old girls identified as Sally Chapman and Barbara Perry, who were aware of the "Owlman" tale. According to the story, the two girls were camping when they were confronted by "a big owl with pointed ears, as big as a man" with glowing eyes and black, pincer-like claws.[5][1][6]
Sporadic claims of "Owlman" sightings in the vicinity of the church circulated in 1978, 1979, 1989, and 1995, and according to legend, a "loud, owl-like sound" could be heard at night in the Mullion church yard during the year 2000.[5][1][7]
According to author Joe Nickell, church towers are common nesting places for barn owls, which were likely the source of the sightings.[3][2] Author and Fortean TV presenter Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe identifies the sighting of a Eurasian eagle-owl as a likely source of the legend.[citation needed]
Occult historian Gareth Medway suggested that the whole thing may have been a hoax by Shiels, who had a reputation for hoaxing. Medway noted that witnesses claiming encounters with a similar legendary monster promoted by Shiels "were either Doc Shiels, or friends of Doc Shiels, or relatives of Doc Shiels, or reported their sightings to Doc Shiels (and to no one else), or else wrote letters describing what they had seen to newspapers and were never interviewed by anyone."[8]
