The tale of Kap Dwa, which translates to “two-headed,” emerges from historical British records of the early 20th century, as well as various accounts from voyages spanning the 17th to the 19th centuries. According to legend, Kap Dwa was a Patagonian giant with two heads, towering at a height of 12 feet or 3.66 meters, who once inhabited the jungles of Argentina in South America.
The story begins in 1673 when Spanish sailors captured the colossal being, standing over 12 feet tall with two heads, and held him captive on their ship. Despite being bound to the mainmast by the Spaniards, he managed to break free due to his immense size. In the ensuing battle, he suffered a fatal injury. The sailors ultimately pierced his heart with a spear, ending his life. However, prior to his demise, the giant had already claimed the lives of four Spanish soldiers.
The subsequent events surrounding Kap Dwa remain unclear, but it is said that his naturally mummified body was exhibited in various locations and sideshows. In 1900, the mummy of Kap Dwa entered the Edwardian horror circuit and changed hands between showmen over the years until it eventually found its way to Weston’s Birnbeck Pier in 1914.
After spending the next 45 years on display in North Somerset, England, Kap Dwa was purchased in 1959 by a certain “Lord” Thomas Howard. Following a few more transfers, it ended up in Baltimore, MD, an unexpected location indeed.
Today, the mummified remains of Kap Dwa rest in the peculiar collection of oddities housed at Bob’s Side Show within The Antique Man Ltd in Baltimore, owned by Robert Gerber and his wife. While many believe the mummified remains of Kap Dwa to be a fabricated hoax, its true nature still remains a mystery.
The Patagones or Patagonian giants were a race of enormous humans rumored to have inhabited Patagonia, as described in early European accounts. According to these tales, they exceeded double the height of an average person, with some accounts attributing heights of 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) or even more. Stories of these giants captivated European imaginations regarding the region for about 250 years.
The first mention of these individuals emerged from the voyage of Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan and his crew, who claimed to have encountered them while exploring the South American coastline during their circumnavigation of the world in the 1520s.
Antonio Pigafetta, one of the expedition’s few survivors and chronicler of Magellan’s journey, recounted an encounter with natives who stood twice the height of an average person: “One day we suddenly saw a naked man of giant stature on the shore of the port, dancing, singing, and throwing dust on his head. The captain-general, Magellan, sent one of our men to the giant to perform similar actions as a gesture of peace. Afterward, the man led the giant to an islet where the captain-general awaited.
When the giant stood before the captain-general and us, he marveled greatly and gestured with a raised finger, believing that we came from the sky. He was so tall that we only reached his waist, and his proportions were well-balanced…”
Later, in 1600, Sebalt de Weert, a Dutch captain involved in exploring the coasts of South America and the Falkland Islands south of Argentina, claimed to have encountered members of a “race of giants” during his expedition. De Weert described an incident when he and his men were rowing to an island in the Magellan Strait and allegedly spotted seven peculiar-looking boats filled with naked.