A Whole Nest Of Hermits...!

Usually when you think of hermits, you think of a single individual, right? What about a family of 6?

While I can understand wanting to break away from society, I think I would prefer to do it alone. Well, maybe with a dog or cat for companionship, ya know? This next story takes the whole living apart thing to a new and disturbing level!

With No Contact

In 1978, a team of geologists in Siberia were stunned to discover a family of six living on a mountainside, miles from the nearest civilization. The Lykov family fled religious persecution in 1936 and lived in the wild for the next 40 years. The two youngest children had never seen a human being that wasn’t a member of their own family, but they were aware of their existence. Their language was distorted due to the isolation, and they had never seen bread.

In a single room, the family survived on a diet of potatoes, ground rye, and hemp seeds and hadn’t eaten meat until the late ’50s when the younger boy taught himself to trap. Their shoes were made of bark, and their only reading materials were prayer books and a family Bible. In 1961, cold weather destroyed the family’s crops, reducing them to eating bark and shoe leather. Their mother died of starvation during this time, making sure her children had enough to eat. After their discovery, the Lykovs remained in their remote home, accepting only a few useful items.

Three years later, three of the Lykov children died within days of each other. Their father died in 1988, leaving Agafia (the only remaining child) alone on the mountain, where she has chosen to stay for another 25 years.

While the original plan is understandable, the end result feels a little sad to me. Still, these folks stood by their vision. That says a lot about their character, I think.

Coffee out on the patio this morning, OK?