About 50 years ago, in London, they were clearing a place for the construction of a new quarter. Then several old mansions were demolished, including the house that once belonged to Thomas Theodore Merlin. Several thousand old sealed wooden boxes were found in the basement of this building...
Having opened these chests, the builders were horrified, because inside were the skeletons of various mythical creatures (fairies, vampires, lycanthropes, horned hares, werewolves, and so on). People heard about some of them from fairy tales, others seemed completely unfamiliar and strange to them. In this article, we will try to slightly reveal the secret of these creatures and tell you more about Thomas Theodore Merlin.
In general, the personality of this man is shrouded in various legends. It is known that he was born in the distant 1782. Merlin's mother died in childbirth. The boy was raised by his father, whose name was Edward. It was he who influenced the boy's worldview, since he himself was very fond of esotericism.
Edward and his son traveled the world a lot, collecting a variety of artifacts. Thomas experienced the death of his father very difficult, but nevertheless he found the strength to return to the scientific world. Thomas worked extensively on the collected artifacts and interacted regularly with representatives of the then scientific elite. 
Thomas Merlin even tried to show his collection in the US, but the local conservative public did not take this idea well, and the tour had to be interrupted.
Over time, Merlin's mansion was given to the Tunbridge Orphanage, ostensibly on the condition that the basement not be opened. But in the 1960s, it was still opened ... Now the Merlin Museum is located here. 
It is interesting that, apart from the link to the site of this museum, there are no other sources telling about this unique collection. From this we can conclude that the story of Merlin is just a beautiful joke or, perhaps, a good marketing ploy, because any exhibit of this museum can be purchased ... 
Thomas Merlin's collection of cryptoids was found in 1960 in London during the renovation of the orphanage building. Workers sorted out a pile of abandoned trash and found a walled-up basement, which contained filled wooden boxes with the remains of fantastic creatures.
It was immediately suggested in the British newspapers that this find belonged to Thomas Merlin, who throughout his life collected mysterious and mysterious animals, unconfirmed and unconfirmed by modern science.
Thomas Merlin was born in 1782 into a British aristocratic family. His mother died in childbirth and the upbringing of the child fell on the shoulders of Edward's father, who was a retired military man. Having sufficient financial resources, Edward decided to go on a journey with his son to collect a collection of rare plants and artifacts.
The death of his father greatly shocked Tamas and made him a hermit, whose main hobby was only the search for and collecting rare plants, animals, artifacts and old manuscripts. To replenish his collection, he traveled a lot, visited the most remote corners of the earth and met many interesting people.
In 1899, Thomas Merlin decided to organize an exhibition of his collection of cryptoids in several small towns in the United States. However, the townspeople were not interested in the mysterious animals and the tour was cancelled.
"Forest Child" from Thomas Merlin's Cryptid Collection
During this tour, contemporaries noticed an unusual fact: at 117 years old, Thomas Merlin looked 40 years old and did not age at all! In this regard, they began to consider him a sorcerer and stopped communicating. Shortly thereafter, Thomas Merlin's collection of cryptoids and the owner himself mysteriously disappeared.
However, in 1942, a man in his forties showed up in London, who presented documents in the name of Thomas Merlin and proved ownership of one of the houses in this city. After that, he gave the house to an orphanage on the condition that the building would never be sold. At the same time, according to the presented document, Merlin at that time was already 160 years old!
In 2005, a book was published in England, the authors of which claimed that Thomas Merlin's collection of cryptoids was just a fake. made by unknown artists and sculptors. However, there are no traces of processing on the bones of the mysterious exhibits, and their arrangement and connection with each other does not contradict physical laws in any way.
British builders in the 60s accidentally discovered a basement with boxes in which the remains of mysterious creatures were kept during the repair of an orphanage, and scientists immediately suggested that it was the collection of Thomas Merlin. Their colleague devoted his whole life to the search for cryptids, the existence of which he managed to prove.
For many centuries, experts have tried to prove the reality of the most famous monsters described in the stories of eyewitnesses of events. This concerned Bigfoot and a monster from Scotland, but then no one found weighty arguments confirming their presence in the world. It is worth adding right away that these animals are called cryptids, and the scientists involved in the search are sure that there are hundreds of unknown species on the planet, hiding in hard-to-reach corners and known only to local residents or described in their legends. Until the 19th century, the gorilla or giant panda was also referred to as these individuals, not found in nature. Lakes and seas are the most frequent havens for mysterious monsters, because they are only 3% explored and can bring sensational discoveries to the scientific world.
Ancient sailors often described encounters with creepy creatures that could drag ships to the bottom. Krakens really were in real life and are mentioned in the annals of the 12th century, where some people described them as octopuses or crabs. Such monsters can be found not only in the depths of the sea, since the Americans from Oklahoma also repeatedly noticed a giant monster with tentacles attacking people in the waters of the lakes. Therefore, there are much more deaths in this corner than in other water bodies of the country. Mysterious fish of incredible size have also been found. Many residents of the South African city of Marghita in the 20s witnessed an incredible fight between such an individual, covered with hair, and killer whales, but no one else saw her.
Also, scientists cannot classify the inhabitants of the underwater world living in such places, so Nessie is still considered a type of dinosaur or warm-blooded creature, but most experts find it difficult to answer this question. Skeptics used to say that they simply did not exist, but only after the 18th century was the sea cow recognized as a biological species, and until that moment it was only seen by sailors while sailing. This refers to flying monsters, striking in their resemblance to the ancient extinct pterodactyls. Pilots flying over Papua New Guinea saw a 10-meter-long ropen with a reptile-like beak and a crest on its head. The Indonesian jungle hides from people akhuls, which are giant bats that come out to hunt at night and have 3-meter wings. They were first discovered by the scientist Ernest Bartels, who explored these territories in the 20s, after which he described that these individuals are covered with thick hair and feed on caught fish. Latin American Indians even have legends about mice with a human head that drink the blood of people and still live in mountain caves.
Many cryptids resemble monkeys in appearance, so the Kenyans were absolutely right in talking about a monster that steals sheep from the villages for its dinner, but is afraid of the sound of drums. Bigfoods are also often mentioned by Americans who have seen their large footprints, and also describe these creatures as three-meter giants covered with wool, with a small forehead and weighing 200 kilograms. They are able not only to frighten a person, but also to hypnotize him with the help of superpowers, and also to suddenly disappear from view, passing through a temporary portal. Mapinguari also outwardly resembles a primate, only it moves on two legs and emits a strong stench after death, so the hunters were forced to immediately bury the corpses in the ground. This includes the yeti, which looks like a person and lives in the highlands of Pakistan and Nepal at high altitude.
The most famous species of cryptid was the tatzelwurm, which lives in the Alps. Scientists consider it a kind of reptilian, and the first mention of such an unusual dragon can be found in the annals of the 15th century. Then many people variously described a creature reaching 4 meters, and having a sharp ridge on its back, covered with scales or warts. Then it disappeared from sight until 1850, when the temple's parishioners for the first time could contemplate the remains of the slain monster, put on public display. Then they decided to destroy them, and already in 1914 in Slovenia, the military caught such a monster and made a stuffed animal out of it. Then came the turn of falsifications, when instead of a dragon they showed an American lizard and pictures of a figurine, and Europeans on the first day of April were already accustomed to taking every new sensation about finding a creature as a joke.
But what then did the legendary collector, who himself was also a mysterious person, collect? Thomas Merlin was born in 1782 and then wandered the world all his life in search of mysterious exhibits, and then decided to show the Americans his collected collection, only in 1899 no one appreciated such a great discovery. Then the scientist crossed the 117-year mark, but contemporaries described him as a 40-year-old man, after which the strange features of the body began to be considered witchcraft. No one wanted to communicate with the man who disappeared along with his rarities, but in 1942 he suddenly appeared in the British capital and showed the original documents for his house, transferring the building to the shelter on the condition that it would never be sold. Then his age was 160 years old, only the scientist again disappeared mysteriously. The collection of unique cryptids was partially mummified, and there were also old manuscripts proving the authenticity of the exhibits. Now 800 specialists from 20 countries have formed an alliance to find traces of mystical creatures and people are still waiting for new discoveries in the future that can turn current scientific theories upside down.
Reshetnikova Irina
Thomas Merrilin was born in 1782 into a wealthy aristocratic family. His mother died in childbirth and he was raised by his father Edward. His father was an army general, but in retirement he became interested in esoteric and natural history. He invested in profitable companies to finance his travels around the world in search of various artifacts and unknown species that lived on forgotten continents or lost places, far from prying human eyes.
They traveled together for many years until his father died of sudden death. This event turned Thomas into a recluse, and he sought solace in his work. He studied in the large library at his home and also studied at University College London, Gower Street. Even then, he isolated himself from the other students.
In subsequent years, Merrilin expanded the collection exponentially. He traveled all over the Earth, learned a lot, but he himself remained a mystery to everyone. He simply disappeared in 1942.
In the spring of that year, a man who identified himself as Thomas Theodore Merrylin donated the townhouse to an orphanage. His only condition was that the house would never be sold and the basement of the house would always be closed. Thomas Merrilin, pictured in the local newspaper handing over the deeds to the house to the new owner, looks to be in his 40s when he should be 160. It is said that he quickly disappeared, leaving no trace of his existence.
The promise was kept in the orphanage, but in the 1960s it was closed and the existence of the basement was forgotten. The door, sealed behind two brick walls, could only be discovered by chance, which happened before the demolition of the building.
Alex CF explains that all of these outlandish creatures and mysterious manuscripts are currently on display at the Merrylin Cryptid Museum and are real. Scientifically, their authenticity has never been proven.
It is believed that the Merrylin Cryptid Museum collection is actually a fictional invention of Alex CF, a London-based illustrator, writer and sculptor with a bizarrely twisted imagination and a flair for all things mysterious. And now you can add the skill of a marketing specialist to his merits, so he promotes his Merrylin Cryptid Museum so superbly.
Of course, such truth destroys the illusion, but this does not stop his creepy creations from being amazing.
