A 31-year-long treasure hunt that attracted thousands of enthusiasts across France has come to an end. The hunt, called “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, along with a 12th hidden puzzle, to discover the exact location of the replica of the golden owl. The official website of the search announced on Thursday that the token needed to claim the grand prize had been found.
The hunt's official chat line announced, "We confirm that the replica of the golden owl was dug up last night and that simultaneously a solution has been sent on the online verification system."
The book, published in 1993 by author Regis Hauser and artist Michel Becker, gained a cult-like following with over 2 lakh players, known as ‘owlers,' from France and beyond, according to the hunt's official website. In a documentary posted on YouTube, Mr Becker mentioned that he oversaw and financed the creation of the prize, which is an owl made of 3 kg of gold and 7 kg of silver with diamond chips on its face.
Regis Hauser, the riddle maker, initially used the pen name Max Valentin to prevent the most determined treasure hunters from seeking him out. He died in 2009, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
According to a 2021 documentary, the concept was inspired by The Masquerade, a 1979 book of riddles by Kit Williams, where hunters also had to solve several puzzles to find a golden rabbit.
The writer of the treasure search was Michel Becker, a French artist who illustrated "Sur la Trace de la Chouette d'Or" ("On the Trail of the Golden Owl"), a picture book published in 1993, and sculpted the gold-and-silver owl promised to whoever could first solve the clues hidden in its pages. He and Hauser decided to bury a replica of the owl while keeping the valuable original in a safe place. Its value is estimated at £126,000 (Rs 1.39 crore), fans of the treasure hunt have said online.
Meanwhile, the world's longest-running treasure hunt is believed to be The Secret, by Byron Preiss, published in 1982. It involves a search for 12 boxes of treasure buried at secret locations in the US and Canada, of which only three have been found.
