A 31-year-long treasure hunt that drew in thousands of enthusiasts across France appeared to have come to an end Thursday, after official social media accounts linked to the search said the token needed to claim the grand prize had been found.The hunt, "On the Trail of the Golden Owl," was based on a book of riddles published in 1993.
Participants had to solve 11 puzzles in the book — and a 12th one that was hidden — to decipher the exact location of the token."Don't go digging!" warned a message on a channel on the chat app Discord with tens of thousands of followers.
"We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night," the message read, unleashing a wave of sad and crying emojis."It is therefore useless to go digging." The solutions provided by those who claimed to have unearthed the token were currently being vetted, the message said.The book, published in 1993 by author Régis Hauser and artist Michel Becker, built a cult-like following with a community of more than 200,000 players, known as "owlers," from France and abroad, according to the hunt's official website.
The search spawned a collection of other books, pamphlets and internet sites, the BBC reported.In a documentary posted on YouTube, Becker said he oversaw and financed the creation of the prize, an owl made of more than 6.5 pounds of gold and nearly 16 pounds of silver, with diamond chips on its face.A documentary on the treasure hunt by French broadcaster Canal+ said earlier this year that the value of the owl is estimated to be $165,000, the BBC reported.Events where "owlers" could meet and share tips were organized across France.Hauser, the intellectual architect of the riddles, had initially used the pen name Max Valentin to prevent the most assiduous treasure hunters from seeking him out.
He died in 2009, French newspaper Le Monde reported.He and Becker decided to bury a replica of the owl, keeping the precious original in a safe place. ...