Here’s my summary of the On the Trail of the Golden Owl solution. You can find the full version, as described by Max Valentin, on the Chouette d’Or webpage.
THERE IS NONE MORE BLIND THAN THE ONE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO SEE
1 = 530
3 = 470
5 = 600
7 = 420
9 = 650
This clue gives the clue order. The method uses the colour wavelength numbers for each of the clues.
OPENING
My first, first half of the half of the first age,
Precedes my Second and Third, seeking their way.
My Fourth is inspired, my Fifth is in rage,
But, without protest, follows my Fourth and the roman alpha.
My Sixth is hidden at the limits of ETERNITY.
My Seventh, standing, spits his venom.
To find my all, just be wise,
Because the Truth, in truth, will not be an oracle’s affair.
This clue gives seven letters that spell out the name of the city Bourges.
We mark Bourges on the map.
FIRST STEP…
Where you want,
By the nag and the coachman.
But where you must,
By the compass and the foot.
This clue gives the game measure of 33cm.
IT’S THE RIGHT PATH ONLY WHEN THE ARROW AIMS AT THE HEART
My first by gaiety is multiplying.
My Second offers you space,
My Third is of the air, and my Fourth is of the water.
When he’s lying down, my Fifth snores.
My sixth is worth a hundred, and my seventh is a node.
My eighth has the taste of the laurel,
while my ninth, in astonishment, is dragging.
My tenth is still naked when he has an affair.
My eleventh, finally, is the unknown.
Find my All, and through the Opening you will see the light.
This clue gives the phrase ‘A RONCESVALLES’ and suggests looking to the ‘Opening’ which is Bourges.
We mark Roncesvalles on the map.
THE GOOD SENSE IS THE WAY OF THE OPPOSITE WAY, AND INVERSELY
19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19 will be worth 1
12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4 will be worth 2
9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18 will be worth 3
25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13 will be worth 4
8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6 will be worth 5
18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19 will be worth 6
20.18.21.15.15.4.9.18.9.13.8 will be worth 7
9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9 will be worth 8
15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10 will be worth 9
19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12 will be worth 0
This clue is ONLY used to decode the text of the next clue. It tripped up many Owlers who marked these towns on their maps and thought they were an important part of an overall solution.
WHEN AL-MAR ALLIES WITH PRENESTE’S FIBULA, DARKNESS SHINES
BDI, J. DF, F. CFD. BJ. HJ. EA, B. BC. E. DC, B.
CDI, B. BAB, H. BE.
CD. FB. BCG, J. BIG D. BE. BG. BJD, B. DB. BGH C.
BC. E.
This clue uses a code devised in the previous clue to decode a phrase. ‘THE KEY IS ON A BLACK PERCHED SHIP.’ This is later revealed to be the Saint Léon church in Dabo, which looks like a ‘perched ship.’ A key appears on the pediment of the church.
UT QUEANT LAXIS
At 2424-42-424-44-224-24-42-24, take the orthogonal.
To find the Spiral with four centers,
560,606 measures is far
But by the Mega it is a million times less.
This clue reveals the town of Carignan. The measure of 560,606 multiplied by 33cm is 185km. We can draw a line from Ronscevalles through Bourges to Carignan, and then taking a right angle from Carignan and measuring 185km we reach Dabo. The spiral is the winding path around the church.
FROM THE SKY COMES THE LIGHT
C’E-10752-365 LA Q-30667-E l’AIGLE
I-687-90677-RI-687-A
687-ARQ-30667-E DE 10752-E-10752 10752-ERRE-10752
DA-60140- 10752 LE 10752-ABLE,
CENT 4330-O-30667-R-10752 AVA-60140-365 DE 10752-E
CA-10752-10752-ER LE BEC
E-365 Y-CAP Y LAI-10752-10752-ER 10752-E-10752
90677-L-30667-687-E-10752
So lend a bow to Apollo :
from there, he will count 1969,697 measures towards the zenith.
In a 46,241,860th fraction of sidereal day ,
his line will fall.
Hurry to find the arrow.
This clue decodes to give the town of Golfe Juan, where Apollo fires an arrow 559km towards a 650m zenith.
Most people correctly deduced that the arrow lands at Dabo. This is 559km from Golfe Juan. The famous Rocher de Dabo is topped by the Chapelle Saint Léon whose forecourt is at an altitude of 650m.
AD AUGUSTA PER ANGUSTA
When, at Carusburc, you will have Albion in the back,
Look for the Opening that reveals the celestial light.
Do not wait, do not ask for your rest, But get ready to walk on the water.
Twice, Neptune will come to your rescue And lead you away from the icy Septentrion.
Pursue your way and do not interrupt your journey
Before seeing through the opening, the becalmed Nave.
Without deviating an inch, draw a line, and you will not regret what you did.
It seems that from Cherbourg (Carisburc) we draw lines that pass through the sea twice (Neptune helps twice). The method is not explained clearly in the solutions, but based on the line shown to us by Michel Becker, and Max Valentin’s mention of ‘triangulation’ it appears that this line is created by using Golfe Juan as an equilateral triangle. Another line can be drawn at a right angle from Ronsevalles to meet this first line.
This means that we’ve now devised a point in the sea. From this point a line can be drawn, through Bourges, that lands in Dabo. This is a final confirmation that Dabo is the only place we need to find in this game.
Max Valentin always said that that the ‘three clever meetings in the Cantabrian sea’ additional clue was the most important clue to solving the hunt. This method does create 3 lines ‘meeting’ in the sea. However, with so many mentions of Dabo, many people could bypass this clue entirely to reach the location! It’s also the case that this clue is best worked out by retro-fitting the lines, while knowing they must lead to Dabo.
I checked these lines with the famous Tour de France additional clues and they do seem to fit.
WHEN ALL IS REVEALED
Back to the Ponant, seek the Sentinels.
At 8000 measures from there, they are waiting for you.
Find them, you need to review them.
We should now have solved the previous 9 clues and reached Dabo and the Saint Léon church. The mysterious ‘Sentinels’ are 3 standing stones, the Borne Saint-Martin border markers, at 2.64km from the church. We now know that ‘you need to review them’ means comparing the dates on the stones to the number 71721075.
Many people thought the markers were the sentinels but didn’t have the correct method for decoding the numbers.
The idea is that you’re like a general reviewing troops, and walking on a line from the church the numbers that are revealed are:
1747 1750 1828
If we remove 71721075 we get the following numbers left:
4188
The correct methodology is to add the numbers together. 4+1+8+8=21.
21x33cm is 6.93m.
EARTH OPENS
Between them, there would be only two intervals if they were aligned.
But this would be too easy a game!
Now that you have undone all the yarns,
Doubt is the last torment that will be inflicted on you.
Because it is the rule of this cruel game:
Alone, you have to find where to land your shovel.
Show your respect for Mother Nature,
And before getting away, close the injury.
The 3 stone markers are in a triangular formation. Owlers often thought the line ‘between them there would be only two intervals if they were aligned’ suggested this triangle pattern. The correct solution involves finding the centre of the triangle and measuring 6.93m towards the Saint Léon church. This was where the owl was found.
According to reports from the ‘Discovery of the Golden Owl’ film the finders used a drone to work out the line towards the church. When the prize was buried it was apparently possible to see the church from the stones, but now trees obscure the view.
Max Valentin’s solution document says, ‘The owl is buried 6.93 metres from the centre of the triangle formed by the rocks of the Borne St Martin, along the same axis that runs through it and the Dabo rock (Moselle).’
I’ve explored some of the controversies around this ending and the ‘supersolution’ HERE.