The Legend of the Gatekeepers

Unsolved urban myth

The Gatekeepers are part of an obscure urban legend only found in Oregon, USA, and it originated in a coastal town known as Netarts Valley.

Summary

Netarts Valley was founded shortly after the initial exploration of the U.S.'s western side, and it provided a rather popular place for sightseeing. After a town government and buildings were first established, various industries began to develop in the town, one of the most popular of which was fishing. As the town began to take shape, three fishermen by the names Burton Tow, Davis Saxon, and Edmond Scott, set off on a mission to gather an extra load of fish for their own. The three men recently caught wind of a rumor that the fish were disappearing from the coast, and that there would be a great storm coming, to which they thought it best to spend some extra time reeling in catches just to be safe.

One day, a thick fog enveloped the newly formed Netarts Valley, but that didn't deter the three fishermen in their pursuit. As they went out into the open ocean on their boat, they began hearing a faint howling from the distance, yet they didn't think much of it, and merely stayed put. Until, they saw the Gatekeepers for the first time. Scott then caught sight of an enormous leg sinking into the ocean several feet away from their boat, creating massive waves that nearly tipped the boat over on its head. In a blind panic, the three aimed their boat back and made a beeline for the shore, thinking the Gatekeepers were some kind of "water demons" sent to wreak havoc on their home.

When the men eventually reached land, they were in a fit of confusion, replaying the events in their heads trying to figure out if that incident actually happened. After they told everyone why they suddenly raced back to shore, a new rumor began spreading, catching the attention of nearly everyone. Soon, researchers accompanied the men back to where they first saw them, though the three were said to have become extremely paranoid once back in the water. They waited out in their fishing boat for hours, but could not find the mysterious creatures again. Although the initial excitement of the "water demons" eventually died down afterwards, some people were still bent on seeing them for themselves.

Decades later, in the late 1890's, a new sighting occurred. A man named Dean McMillan was teaching his son, Julian, to use a rifle, and went to a secluded beach in the town in order to not disturb anyone else. They simply put up a few cans on a nearby rock and practiced for as long as they could. It was foggy that day, and it wasn't long until the McMillans saw a water spout out near the horizon, then a second soon after. They marveled at the sight for a little while, then went back to practice. When they heard the Gatekeeper's howling, the two suddenly became fearful and almost packed their things to leave, yet they continued for just a little longer. As Dean was cleaning the rifle off, Julian suddenly pointed out a group of strange creatures across the horizon.

Dean remembered sitting there in silence, unable to move for several seconds. They had an urge to run away, but Dean stayed there once realizing the Gatekeepers had no interest in attacking them. After the beings left, the two reported their sighting, which briefly reignited the rumor of the water demons in town. Researchers followed them to where the sighting took place, but could not find them this time either. Dean would go on to tell his family about the encounter, as well as attempting to draw them, which gave a vague idea on how they would be depicted.

After the encounter, Dean described the beings as "mystical." He had previously heard the rumors about the water demons attacking fishing boats, but he said he had trouble figuring out what made them demons in the first place, as they seemed to have no interest in attacking him and his son. He had the strange feeling that the beings were hiding a secret, almost like they "held the key to an otherworldly place." This is ultimately where they derived their name. Most people seemed to laugh off the idea of them hiding something, and there was reportedly some divide on whether or not they were demons. However, the McMillans' sighting sparked a new interest in them, which would lead to more residents aiming to catch them in the act.

Over the next century, several more sightings took place in Oregon, though after the previous two, mainstream researchers gave up on the Gatekeepers. It is also unknown if all of them were true sightings, or simple cases of confirmation bias. Either way, it wasn't until the modern day that any sort of advancement on these beings was made, although the story is not known to the public. A marine biologist by the name of Victor Tenorio had his own encounter with the Gatekeepers recently, which he says changed his life forever. As he was engulfed by work in his study one day, he suddenly became distracted by a faint howling from outside, and briefly looked out of a nearby window. The Gatekeepers were walking over the distant horizon, and Tenorio rushed outside, overtaken by immense curiosity. He immediately had the idea of swimming out there himself, and ran down to a shed where he kept his submarines.

While Tenorio managed to get inside his submarine, he could not catch up to the beings in time, and they disappeared out of his sight and without a trace. They have since been on his mind for nearly a month, until he saw them again in the exact same spot. His daughter, Edith, also happened to be visiting that day, and she was able to see the Gatekeepers as well. Although mostly skeptical about the entire thing, Edith went along with her father to go take a closer look at them in his submarine, admittedly a bit curious herself. Victor was able to catch up to them this time, only getting closer to study their behavior, and attempt to figure out how they walked upright when miles of ocean were beneath them. However, when the two got close enough to the beings' legs, a whirlpool formed out of nowhere, and transported them down into a strange underwater realm.

Historical Basis

Although the majority of the population will never know, this legend has every bit of truth to it. The Gatekeepers are real, as well as the so called "otherworldly place" which they feed.

Attempted Explanations

The Gatekeepers were commonly described as having whale-like features. Some have proposed that the three fisherman in the 1860's did not see a crowd of demons, but a large whale breaching right next to their boat. The whale could've caused a large wave to come after them, and only when it was too late did they realize that the whale was right next to them. Because they had no idea what seemed to attack the boat, they turned away out of fear, and their fear distorted what was actually there, making them think there was a giant monster hiding in the fog.

None have been able to tell what the McMillans might've seen, but their depiction of the beings could've led to later sightings being cases of pareidolia, where patterns in the clouds could've made people think they saw the Gatekeepers, when it was simply a coincidence. In various sightings that took place out in open water, the wind could've been confused as supernatural howling, only because the people sighting the beings knew that they would've howled. These latter sightings were dubbed as cases of confirmation bias.

Spread

The legend has only spread as far as Oregon, and knowledge of the beings in other areas of the US is rare, let alone the rest of the world. The low spread is thought to be due to the rather scant sightings reported, as well as the fact that few people found the legend genuinely interesting, being that the Gatekeepers were just simple giants walking over the horizon and not doing much.

Reported sightings in other countries are few, and normally consist of one sighting per area. If a sighting is reported elsewhere, there is usually no one else to speak up and speculate on what it could mean, and thus turn it into a rumor among their community like with other sightings.

Variations & Mutation

The legend stayed mostly the same in Netarts Valley, as well as the rest of Oregon. The only major changes being what people initially thought of the Gatekeepers, ranging from water demons, to leviathan spawns, ghosts, or aliens. From what few reported sightings that survived elsewhere in the world, there seems to be some major differences in the Gatekeepers' appearances. Some records describe them covered in spikes, or with longer tails, or with much skinnier figures. Other differences are more extreme, such as them having dorsal fins resembling sharks', or with differently shaped heads.

Cultural Reception

The Gatekeepers remain the most popular folklore tale of Netarts Valley, and a majority of the town's residents know the legend by heart. Some people have even went as far as to form their own secluded communities dedicated to these beings, which act as what some people call "fan clubs." Though, it should be noted that not everyone takes them equally seriously. The people in these communities are secretive, and claim to hear voices in their head during recreational activities, telling them about a world like no other. They don't ever elaborate further than that, and most have passed them off as "crazy."

In Art

There is a small, isolated monument dedicated to the Gatekeepers, built at the edge of a boardwalk near the ocean. It is made solely of wood, resting atop a cobblestone base with a small plaque telling a brief summary of their legend. While some people have criticized the use of materials and the monument's placement, saying the water could easily wear it down, it still remains in the same spot to the present day. Various gift shops in Netarts Valley also sell some decorative items that depict the beings.

Date of First Recording

1891

Date of Setting

1890

Related Species

• The Gatekeepers

Related Locations

• Netarts Valley, OR