A momentous discovery could be in the works over the existence of a mystical woodland elf, as no less than the President of Mexico himself thinks he has proof.
If you started talking to a friend about seeing elves they'd probably reckon you were attempting to start a conversation about either the Will Ferrell Christmas movie, the pointy ears and sparkle of Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings movies or the 'on a shelf' variety.
However, it might be time to start talking about a new type of elf after the President of Mexico said he was ready to offer up 'proof' that they existed and had been photographed.
Advert
Andrés Manuel López Obrador took to social media at the weekend and shared a pair of pictures in an attempt to prove the existence of elves, claiming the discovery was proof that 'everything is mystical'.
In one picture he shared - which he said had been taken by an engineer at the construction site of a new railway - a strange figure appeared to be up a tree and looking down at the photographer.
The President of Mexico compared that shot with an ancient stone carving of an Alux and was sure that they were depictions of the same thing.
Advert
These particular types of elves are known as 'Aluxes', which according to Mayan mythology is a knee-high sprite which are normally invisible.
They only appear to humans if they want to communicate with a person, or if they want to frighten them away, while they also apparently become visible if they want to meet up with another of their kind.
To put it crudely they're a bit like a Mexican Leprechaun, a small and fantastical creature playing tricks on people but largely staying hidden from humans unless it wants to mess with them.
Advert
If you're wondering what the social media reaction was, it was largely one of mockery from people who don't believe elves are real.
One person said the creature in the picture was 'a raccoon with a bag on its head' while another said the president was 'making a fool of himself every day'.
Someone else said the first picture had actually been taken back in 2021, calling the president 'stupid' for believing it.
Another wondered if it was supposed to be some attempt at a publicity stunt for the railway's construction.
Advert
Plenty more wondered why a world leader was posting 'facebook ass cryptid s**t' on their official account, as surely this was the sort of thing you're supposed to use your alt profile for.
Since originally being posted almost seven million people have seen the tweet, though how many of them came away convinced of the existence of elves is unclear.
Topics: World News, Twitter, Social Media