Encounter Atlas
The grootslang (Afrikaans for 'big snake') is a huge serpent said to live in a deep cave in the Richtersveld near the Orange River, known as the Wonder Hole or Bottomless Pit. In the stories the cave is filled with diamonds and the snake guards them. Some versions add that the cave connects to the sea or to the river.
Gold prospector F. C. Cornell wrote of a 'groot slang' that local Khoekhoe people and some settlers feared, said to live in a rock in the Orange River and take cattle from the banks. Journalist Lawrence Green later wrote about the Wonder Hole, but explorers who went in reported only bats and bat droppings.
In 1917 English businessman Peter Grayson disappeared while searching for treasure in the Richtersveld after his party was attacked by lions, and rumour blamed the grootslang. Modern online versions give it an elephant's head and tusks, which appears to be a recent invention.
What witnesses report
- A gigantic snake near a deep cave
- Diamonds or treasure nearby
- Cattle taken from riverbanks
- A strong sense of evil at the cave
Famous cases
- 1917Treasure hunter Peter Grayson disappears
Richtersveld, South Africa
Seen the Grootslang?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
