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The Mystery of Thane DarkWood
In February of 1884, it is rumored that Raven Darkwood gave birth to a son, Thane Darkwood. For over a century, almost nothing was known about Thane. Recently however, inheritors of the estate of Calvin Tybek, a 19th century spiritualist uncovered several letters written to him by Raven Darkwood. The letters all appear to concern Thane. In March, 1884, Raven Darkwood wrote, in part: Mr. Tybek, I am writing to you as one of the few individuals who will understand the seriousness of my situation. It has been several weeks since the birth of my son, Thane, and though I feel I have recovered physically, my mind is ill at ease. I do not want to put down my concerns in writing, for fear certain information could become known, but I implore you to visit with us as soon as you are able. Your insight and advice would be most welcome, given your most recent research. . . By 1884 Calvin Tybek had written two books on spiritualism and the occult, the most recent being Spiritualism and the Physical Realm (1882). In that book, Mr. Tybek devoted an entire chapter to what he referred to as “spiritual blight”. He described individuals born without the ability to connect with and develop their spiritual self. According to Tybek, the spirit “withers and dies inside the body, leading to madness, murder, or suicide”(p.133). He notes that there are specific signs, evident from birth, that an individual may be cursed with spiritual blight. These signs, according to Tybek, are the inability to cry, aversion to being touched, aversion to light, and what he described as a “palpable sense of dread which seems to affect any who are in the child's presence. I myself have been witness to this and was forced to leave the room after only ten minutes”(p142). It is possible that Raven Darkwood was seeking advice on this very topic. In another letter, written by Raven Darkwood three months later, in June 1884 she wrote: I find that I am unable to take the drastic action you have recommended. We are taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety of everyone involved, and we will, if you are willing to assist, work to find a way to correct the situation. It is not known if Calvin Tybek continued to assist Raven Darkwood over the next several years, as there is no correspondence until a final letter dated May 13th, 1888. The letter appears to be a response from an inquiry by Tybek. Mr. Tybek, I fear that there is no other conclusion to come to other than that you were correct in your original recommendation. Every day that passes I find regret that I allowed this to continue. Additionally, I feel that the interventions we attempted served only to worsen the situation. I await the end, whatever that may be. I still welcome your visit, but can not guarantee your safety. Raven Darkwood. According to documents found in the Tybek estate Calvin Tybek did make the trip to DarkWood Manor in the fall of 1888. However, he did not write anything about the trip or discuss it with anyone. In fact after returning from his trip, Mr Tybek went into seclusion for the remaining years of his life. He didn’t publish anything else, nor did he appear in public. There are absolutely no records of the DarkWood Family ever having a son. The only known child of Leroy and Raven DarkWood is their daughter, Abigail. The existence of Thane DarkWood remains a mystery to this day. |