A Treasure Hunt for an Ornate Golden Owl Buried in France Has Ended After 31 Years
The quest drew thousands of curious participants hoping to solve a series of elaborate riddles—and win a bejeweled statue worth an estimated $165,000
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/headshot/Julia_Binswanger.png)
:focal(2332x1554:2333x1555)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/ce/6f/ce6fcf78-4c47-4131-88e1-347448010abe/gettyimages-590931533.jpg)
An infamous French treasure hunt that lasted for more than 30 years has finally come to a close.
The search began with a picture book—On the Trail of the Golden Owl—by author Régis Hauser and artist Michel Becker. Since its publication in 1993, treasure hunters have been trying to solve its 11 clues, which would lead to a golden owl buried somewhere in France.
The riddles were “a combination of fiendish linguistic games, cartographical ciphers, historical allusions and mathematical brainteasers,” as the Guardian’s Phil Hoad wrote in 2022. Thousands of players, known as “owlers,” have spent years trying to crack them.
When the adventure began, Hauser used a pen name—Max Valentin—so participants wouldn’t try to contact him. Treasure hunters were also advised to never dig on public or private property without permission.
The ornate owl sculpture is made from more than 6 pounds of gold and more than 15 pounds of silver, with diamond chips adorning its face, according to the Associated Press’ Diane Jeantet. Fans have estimated that it has a value of €150,000 (about $165,000).
The end of a long search: the golden owl finally found https://t.co/lN4bJc5tbq pic.twitter.com/tZVPqc3PGS
— All World News (@awn_site) October 4, 2024
Hauser buried a replica of the owl underground. The first person to solve all of the clues and dig up the copy would win the real deal.
On October 3, a post on the hunt’s official Discord forum suggested that someone may have solved the puzzle. “A potentially winning solution is being verified,” read the post, per the Guardian’s Jon Henley. “No more solutions may be submitted. Further information will be communicated as soon as possible.”
A second post came a few hours later: “Do not keep digging! We confirm that the replica of the golden owl was unearthed during the course of last night, and a solution simultaneously submitted.”
The hunt’s rules stipulate that the finder must correctly solve all of the quest’s riddles. As such, there was a chance that someone with a metal detector could have stumbled upon the prize without deciphering the last clue.
A few days later, Becker confirmed that the hunt had ended. Those in the owler community have reacted with mixed emotions.
“I didn’t think I’d live to see the day,” reads a Discord post, as reported by BBC News’ Hugh Schofield. “It’s like Covid. So good when it’s over.”
A treasure hunter named Jean claims to have spent all his weekends for the past two years searching for the prize, sometimes in the middle of the night. “I’m disappointed because I thought I was close but at the same time relieved that it’s stopping,” he tells France Inter radio, according to a translation by the AP.
Hauser did not live to see someone solve his puzzle. He died in 2009, and Becker has since taken over as the hunt’s overseer. Participants are hoping that organizers will release all answers to the clues—especially the mystery location of the owl replica.
“Curiously, I’m relieved,” says one Discord commenter, per BBC News. “I’m desperate to know the solutions now to see if I was on the right path.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/headshot/Julia_Binswanger.png)