The Mongolian death worm, also known as the Olgoi-Khorkhoi or the “large intestine worm”, is prevalent in Mongolian folklore. Hiding mostly in the desert, the creature is said to surreptitiously navigate the land beneath the sand dunes. It releases a lethal poison that instantly kills anyone who dares to touch it. Even now, many people believe it dwells in the Gobi Desert.
The cryptid recurs in Mongolian artist Jantsankhorol Erdenebayar’s sculptures, its elusive nature serving as a metaphor for ideas that are abstract and intangible but are given form through belief. The artist draws from local folktales and mythology, his interest stemming from the fact “that even if people know [myths and legends] aren’t true, they choose to believe and follow the narratives of these scenarios. I’m interested in how stories survive.”
