Thread by @gwenckatz

Gather round, friends, and let me tell you a tale of artists, occult rituals, and sexy bird-men. (Image: Grandmother Moorhead's Aromatic Kitchen by Leonora Carrington) #FolkloreThursday

In summer 1937, a group of surrealists including Max Ernst (bottom left) and Leonora Carrington (bottom center) went into the woods of Cornwall to perform occult rituals. (If it isn't obvious from the photo, they were also hooking up in every combination.) #FolkloreThursday

Surrealists loved occultism. Here they are holding a seance in 1926. #FolkloreThursday

Max Ernst had a lifelong fascination with birds. When he was young, his pet bird died the same day his baby sister was born. Ever since, he equated birds with people. #FolkloreThursday

Ernst's alter ego was Loplop the Bird Superior, who served as a sort of metaphysical guide. #FolkloreThursday

Skip ahead 40 years. Max Ernst died on April 1, 1976, having lived a long, storied, and sexually adventurous life. #FolkloreThursday

Mere weeks later, on April 17, 1976, two girls were walking through the woods of Cornwall when they spotted a winged creature that looked like a cross between a bird and a human. #FolkloreThursday

Several other people also reported seeing a mysterious birdlike creature in the woods that summer: The Cornish Owlman. #FolkloreThursday

Was it a few kids with overactive imaginations? Or did Max Ernst return in the form of his bird avatar to the woods where he had performed those rituals all those years ago? #FolkloreThursday

I guess we'll never know. (Image: Dark Forest and Bird by Max Ernst) #FolkloreThursday