Who Am I Part II (Solved)

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

I received a second correct answer overnight, so congratulations to the winner of the 2nd prize!

There is still one more prize to be awarded, so here is the next clue. Hopefully it will send you in the right direction!

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

I just received the third correct answer, so all prizes have been claimed.

Congratulations to the winners: firefly, susb8383, and digduffer!

I know this was a hard one. I was just trying to get you ready for the Masquerade Tribute Hunts, LOL!

The correct answer to this hunt was Indrid Cold, known as The Grinning Man or The Smiling Man.

I will post the complete solution and prizes as well as explanations of the clues a little later this morning.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you had fun and discovered some interesting and fascinating things during your research!

-FHH

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Who Am I? Part II Solution:

Name: Indrid Cold,  Known as: The Grinning Man (or The Smiling Man).

The clue: Jerry 137 refers to episode 137 of Seinfield, titled "Bizarro Jerry", where Elaine gets three new friends who are all "opposites" of Jerry, George and Kramer. In my poem, every statement means the opposite of what it says. Bizarro is a reference to Superman's nemesis who is the "opposite" of Superman.

I realize the "opposite" of the following words and phrases is open to interpretation, but I hoped enough would fall into place to identify Indrid Cold, The Grinning Man:

On a warm day in May = On a cold night in November
He was allowed = He was halted/ stopped
Through a city gate = On a country road
Pale and scowling = Tanned and grinning
And shrouded = And illuminated
In darkness = By a bright light
I fled him = I approached him

Sitting to his left = Standing to his right
I told him = I asked him
To be brave = Why he was frightened
A secret to keep = A message to deliver
I hid from him = I revealed to him
Tidings of ruin = I meant no harm
And curses of gloom = And wished him happiness

As a woman myself = I am a man
Yelling = Silently/ telepathically
I made myself clear = My message was cryptic

Although I'm very warm = I am (Indrid) Cold
I wear a frown = I am smiling
A thick line, miserable = Point, Pleasant
Hidden in the East = Seen in the West
A woman of ill repute - Virgin[ia] (West Virginia)

The story: On the night of November 2, 1966, Woodrow Derenburger was driving along a remote highway in Parkersburg WV, when he was stopped by a bright light. A strange man approached his car from the right (passenger side of car). He was tall, tanned and grinning.

This man asked him why he was frightened. He said he was not there to harm him, and that he wished him happiness. He said his name was Indrid Cold and that he was from the planet Lanulos. Although he communicated, his mouth never moved. He spoke telepathically. The Grinning Man had been seen by two young boys in Elizabeth NJ earlier that year, and was seen again later in Point Pleasant WV, standing next to a young girl's bed. These encounters occurred around the same time there was an increasing number of sightings of a strange Mothman around Point Pleasant.

The Mothman sightings continued in the area over the next year. On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic, killing 46 people. It is believed by some that both Indrid Cold and the Mothman were harbingers of the disaster. Not the cause, but a warning that something bad was about to happen.

After the Silver Bridge disaster, neither the Grinning Man nor the Mothman were seen again in Point Pleasant, although there have been reports of both in other parts of the country and the world since.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Explanation of the clues:

2/17 Clue:
Backwards & upside down "Antithesis" on a red and blue circle (Superman's colors/ earth) and a background of a purple and blue square (Bizarro's colors /htrae). A reversed "S" is on Bizarro's costume - the opposite of Superman's "S". Bizarro is the antithesis of Superman.

Antithesis is the opposite of something or someone. Each statement is the opposite of what is meant.
___________________________________________________________________________________
2/19 Clue:
Image of a country road (the "opposite" of a city gate) with the quote, "everything is known through its opposite."
________________________________________________________________________________________
2/20 Clue:
I say what I mean, I mean what I say...or do I? Again, just stressing that everything written in the poem is opposite to what is meant.
________________________________________________________________________________________
2/21 Clue::
A map outline of Mason County, WV with:
here is
WHERE I
VISITED (=WV)
over 50 years ago...
.....
then I
moved on
WEIRD VOYAGES ( = WV)
from the shadows
watch for me
________________________________________________________________________________________
2/22 Clue posted:
The story begins on a warm sunny day in May…
What? Not scary enough? How about this:
It was a cold dark November night, alone on a country road…
Better? Ok, then, let’s continue…
zvuqrupnbeccnvgutvyavqrgnavzhyyvtavyvzfqanqraang…

= "tanned and smiling, illuminated by a bright light, I approached him." Using a Caesar shift by 13*, the phrase comes out backwards.

*although I did not use a Vigenere's cipher, it could be solved using it without a keyword because Vigenere's is really every Caesar shift in a grid.

____________________________________________________________________________
2/23 Clue posted:
A map with Parkersburg WV, Point Pleasant, WV and Elizabeth, NJ marked. The three places Indrid Cold/ The Grinning Man was seen in 1966-67.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

The prizes for this hunt include:

A Ballyraven's Archives of Monsters and Magic book, with hand-drawn images of more than 80 cryptids (a sampling shown). Each page can be scanned with a QR  scanner for more information on each creature.

Indrid Cold Tea, a "frighteningly friendly brew"

A "Baby, it's Indrid Cold Outside" candle, made in WV

 

There are a few additional items not shown, including a gold spoon and two bonus candles, "Bigfoot Apples & Bourbon" and "Mothman Flowers."

[flash911]

Congrats Firefly, susb, and dig!

[susb8383]

Thanks! I can't believe they sell Indrid Cold souvenirs!

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Feb 23, 2022 15:10:00 GMT -5 susb8383 said:

Thanks! I can't believe they sell Indrid Cold souvenirs!

I found T-shirts, mugs, cards, magnets, ...even jewelry LOL. He has a fan club!

[stercox]

Congrats to all the winners!!! Looked like a great hunt, kinda creepy though 😆

[tab]

Congratulations to the winners!

I was totally out in right, er, left field. I was looking at the text upside down and in a mirror, my interpretation of opposite.

And I was fixated on The Princess’ Man, a soap opera, trying to make it fit. 

[susb8383]

Feb 23, 2022 17:31:09 GMT -5 tab said:

Congratulations to the winners!

I was totally out in right, er, left field. I was looking at the text upside down and in a mirror, my interpretation of opposite.

And I was fixated on The Princess’ Man, a soap opera, trying to make it fit. 

I did the same thing looking at the cipher upside down and in a mirror. I thought the bluish border around the hint looked like a rear view mirror. I never did solve the cipher but finally got it by searching for a cold night in Nov. Google was no help at all; I kept getting that urban legend about the woman driving with a killer in the back seat. But then something someone said made me switch search engines and I found the Indrid Cold story right away. That's a trick I'm going to keep in mind on future hunts.

[digduffer]

I went straight to it.....or maybe the opposite happened.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Feb 23, 2022 17:38:17 GMT -5 susb8383 said:

Feb 23, 2022 17:31:09 GMT -5 tab said:

Congratulations to the winners!

I was totally out in right, er, left field. I was looking at the text upside down and in a mirror, my interpretation of opposite.

And I was fixated on The Princess’ Man, a soap opera, trying to make it fit. 

I did the same thing looking at the cipher upside down and in a mirror. I thought the bluish border around the hint looked like a rear view mirror. I never did solve the cipher but finally got it by searching for a cold night in Nov. Google was no help at all; I kept getting that urban legend about the woman driving with a killer in the back seat. But then something someone said made me switch search engines and I found the Indrid Cold story right away. That's a trick I'm going to keep in mind on future hunts.

I like the "in the mirror and upside down" idea. I'll have to use that for a future hunt! I have also found that using different search engines, or even different devices, gives you a different selection to choose from, or what you are looking for might be buried deeper using one search engine vs another.

[Firefly]

Honestly, this was the most exciting hunt to win because I adore creepy/bizarre things!!!!

Thank you, FHH for sharing your brilliance and generosity.

[OutkastSearcher]

Once again, well done hunt FHH!