Hidden Man

The Hidden Man (also known as the Hidden One, G̟̊͢h̷̛̐o̸̫̗ṷ̟́, or Y̺̟̽o̫̫͠w̰͗̾į̮ͧe̢̹͘) is an entity reported to be consistently sighted in the greater area of Hidden Lakes County, Illinois. Most often reported in country-designated forest preserves in the town of Hidden Lakes, witnesses will occasionally report Hidden Man activity in more populated areas, most often at night.

The Hidden Man is the subject of He Who Lives In Hidden Lakes. The myth's lore is the basis for the HIDDEN ONES Cryptids collection, which is integral to the Hidden Lakes Cinematic Universe & its fandom.

Description
Widely regarded as a hoax, the Hidden Man has been described as a wild man archetype who dresses in idiosyncratic secondhand clothing and urban detritus. Some incidents claim that the entity possesses some level psychic powers or extrasensory perception (ESP), citing altered mental and physical states on contract or proximity. The Hidden Man has also been reported as being able to levitate and communicate via telepathy in some encounters.

Despite these claims, paranormal investigators and the local municipality alike have debunked the majority of Hidden Man cases as vandals, pranksters, and squatting vagrants.

History
The first reported sighting of the Hidden Man occurred on June 8th, 2002 in Hidden Lakes.

Structures & vandalism
An emergent phenomenon around the Hidden Man myth is that the entity builds structures made from trash and urban detritus, much like its wardrobe.

Deranged Hobo
The most common explanation for the entity is that its just a crazy guy living in the woods.

Paranormal Entity
An alien or demonic entity. If not physically outright, then perhaps taking a living person and using them as a host.

Oracle Joe
Oracle Joe (real name unknown) is the administrator of whoisthehiddenman.com, where he has been documenting the Hidden Man phenomenon since at least 2008. He purports to maintain a "psychic" connection with the Hidden Man entity, and seems to hold that the Hidden Man is a supernatural force with very clear, however unknowable goals. Joe is widely regarded to be the central authority on the entity, however detractors have cited his "stubborn" vagueness as to the Hidden Man's goals and lack of concrete evidence for his claims as reasons to be skeptical of Joe's position.

Son of Gaia
The Disciples of Gaia hold the Hidden Man as a messianic figure in their faith. Grandmaster Margaret (full name unknown) claims to have had an encounter with the Hidden Man that imparted her with knowledge of its true nature, alongside images of ecological collapse and a "rebirth" of humanity facilitated by the cryptid.

Mimetic contagion
The Hidden Man may be nothing more than a meme.

Cult or organization
Some sociologists have posited that the Hidden Man may actually be multiple people acting in coordination. This is supported by through-line evidence shared in some sightings, as well as a "shadowy, cloaked figure" sometimes reported to appear at or near some Hidden Man sightings.