Noted

Please note that hereafter references to “the” Slender Man can be taken as a reference to what I believe is a species, rather than an individual.

In the Beginning…

After the wall of text of the Marble Hornets analysis, which hopefully will be the longest, considering it is perhaps the most informative that I have currently come across, with a few possible exceptions, I will now regress to and interpret the “origins” of Slender Man.

It seems to have first appeared, according to some, in Germany, at the earliest in feudal times, in a woodcut circa 1540 entitled “Der Ritter” (“The Knight”). In it, a skeletal knight in (apparent) chain mail with what seems to be a spear or lance of bone attached to itself killing a knight in plate armor (I haven’t done in depth research, but the plate armor seems to be possible for the period). This creature also has multiple legs and is roughly faceless. I say roughly as it still has some outlines/cavities of typical features (eyes, mouth, etc.) but does not have the features themselves. This may have simply been an artistic choice, or how it actually appeared.

If this thing is indeed a Slender Man, as so many have suggested, why is it so different? The multiple limbs add up to the tentacled depictions of the modern version match, but why the stark differences?

Simply put, for infiltration. Even assuming it can hide in plain sight, when it is seen, outside of a Renaissance Faire, the armor would immediately appear out of place. Perhaps more ghastly, but panic does not seem to be the prime objective of the creature. It could clearly accomplish that as it is, anyways. But if it wanted to blend in, it must adapt, or evolve as a species, or shape shift. At some point (probably the 20^th century by the style), Slender Man became a suited man and has remained so to this day.

What is interesting are the forms it has taken: the knight and the business man. They both have two significant but contrasting characteristics. They are successful, powerful, a higher class, at least in theory. They are something to be looked up to, not feared, unless you cross them. But they are feared nonetheless. Business men are sometimes thought of as crooks in suits, and the suit itself can conjure up the image of the corrupt official or attorney. In a similar fashion, knights were not always noble. They committed atrocities themselves in their day. Of course as with any time and profession, it was a mixed bag. But people seem to favor the negative view in their hearts.

However, this is not the only connection to Germany. There is a tale regarding a creature similar to Slender Man known as Der Großmann, or the “Tall Man” living in the Black Forest. He was thought to be, obviously, a tall man in form, a fairy of the forest, and took children, something common to the Slender Man stories. The tree association is also usually shared by Slender Man. However, further information is scarce and this post is long enough as it is, so I’ll wrap up quickly.

Conclusion

Slender Man may have originated in Germany, or at least was best recorded there. This may be the species’ homeland, so to speak, but it is impossible to know for certain. It has apparently spread and changed, now residing (apparently, by reports) primarily in the United States and most likely remains in Europe in some form. It has the ability, either in the individual or species, to adapt to better infiltrate human society in such a way that seems targeted to generating conflicting emotions or unease. To what exact end, I do not know.

That’s all for today. This is still too long, so I’ll continue to try to cut down on the length. Next time, I’ll be focusing on the Tribe Twelve video log.