Taboo and the supernatural: werewolves, secret Instagram accounts, and all the crazy theories so far

Secret werewolf? Tom Hardy in this week's episode of Taboo  CREDIT: ROBERT VIGLASKY/BBC

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•  Adam White 

20 JANUARY 2017 • 5:00PM

Just as it did with Lost, and last year with Westworld, internet sleuths have taken their fervent magnifying glasses to the Tom Hardy smash Taboo, furiously attempting to decipher the show's strange ambiguities, its unanswered questions, and seemingly unending mystery. Subsequently they've come up with some wild theories - that actually end up sounding quite believable once you think about it.

While the following isn't exactly spoiler-heavy, some of the rampant speculation might just turn out to be entirely true. So don't say we didn't warn you...

What on earth is this secret Taboo Instagram account?

A small faction of Taboo fans have stumbled upon what may be the key to the show's secrets - a hidden Instagram account under the name sonofhorace1814. While there's no indication as to where the account comes from, and it's not been verified by Instagram either, it's posted a vast array of seemingly official photography from the show, including images that might hint at future plot twists.

Even weirder, the Instagram began posting photographs in May 2016, long before Taboo promotion officially kicked in. Some of the creepy imagery includes a weeping baby, a screaming woman and tribal masks.

The girl with the dragon Taboo? Instagram pictures appear to show Noomi Rapace

Several pictures are particularly striking, and appear to show the actress Noomi Rapace, who previously worked with Tom Hardy in Child 44. Rapace hasn't been announced as being amongst the Taboo cast, but it sure does look like her. Looking slightly grisly and with tribal marks decorating her face, could she be a significant key to Delaney's past?

Is Delaney a werewolf?

Werewolf teeth? A brief shot from the US trailer for the series CREDIT: FX

This might sound slightly outlandish, but there are two significant bits of evidence for the theory: the last shot of the US Taboo trailer appears to show a man mid-transformation, with jagged teeth appearing in his gums. It's an extremely brief moment, but looks lifted straight from An American Werewolf in Paris.

Then there is a photograph from the sonofhorace Instagram, which was deleted soon after it was posted. Thankfully saved by an intrepid Reddit conspiracy junkie, it appears to show Tom Hardy with particularly grisly fangs. While it might be one of Delaney's many scary visions, could it also indicate that Taboo will turn into a monster story as it goes on?

A quickly removed snapshot of Tom Hardy with fangs

Fans have also noticed the similarities between some of the show's themes and the legend of the Wendigo, a werewolf-like creature stemming from Algonquian folklore. According to the stories, humans are possessed by the Wendigo after being forced by necessity into acts of cannibalism. In a funny coincidence, Wikipedia describes the legend as being "historically associated with cannibalism, murder, insatiable greed, and the cultural taboos against such behaviours." Hmm...

Is Delaney experiencing cannibalism-induced madness?

The cannibalism thread is important, as it appears some of the major rumours whirling around London about Delaney's exodus to Africa involve him eating people. Zilpha couldn't help but ask her brother at the very end of episode two whether it is true that he ate flesh. While Delaney only seemed willing to reveal the truth if Zilpha came away with him, we may have had it confirmed one scene later.

A sinister image from the sonofhorace Instagram

Attacked in an alley by a would-be assassin, Delaney fights him off... and then tears out the man's neck with his teeth. It's lead some to speculate whether Delaney is indeed a cannibal, particularly as Tom Hardy has described his character as "Sherlock Holmes meets Hannibal Lecter".

There's also speculation that, even if Delaney isn't a practising cannibal (what a marvellous description), he may be plagued with Kuru as a result of cannibalism in Africa. Kuru is a neurodegenerative disease most notably found in Papa New Guinea's Fore tribe. The tribe indulged in cannibalism as a funereal rite, believing that the spirit of the dead will not be freed unless their bodies are consumed, particularly by women and children.

Looks intense: another snapshot from Taboo's secret Instagram

But this lead to a wave of neurological problems, including emotional instability, twitching and tremors, and difficulty in basic bodily functions. Effectively, Kuru eats away at your brain. Could Delaney have been struck down by the disease while in Africa?

To further support this theory, Kuru sufferers are also said to struggle to pronounce words, and Tom Hardy is awfully mumbly on the show...

Can we talk about all the ghosts popping up in the background?

We know that Delaney is being haunted by strange visions, but he's also being pestered by far more subtle visitors. At the very end of episode one, Delaney rejects the East India Company's offer to purchase Nootka Sound, revealing he knows everything about their plans for it and the political value of the land itself. But the scene then ends somewhat strangely.

Watch it back and you'll notice Delaney briefly being distracted by something to his left, before becoming slightly monosylabic, confusing the gathered East India associates, and leaving the room. What happened there then? It turns out he might have glimpsed a strange apparition. Don't believe us? Take a look for yourself...

Behind you! Can you spot the ghostly apparition at the top left? CREDIT: BBC

With a bit of brightening, a ghostly woman appears behind the sofa. One who looks just a tad like Noomi Rapace...

Noomi, is that you? CREDIT: BBC

You may also have noticed a similar apparition in episode two, right after Delaney stripped naked on his new boat and had a nightmarish flashback to a slave ship. As the vision ends, Delaney rests, watched over by another ghostly presence. Could this be Horace Delaney haunting his son?

At the right-centre of the screen, a ghostly figure watches Delaney CREDIT: BBC

Clearer now? CREDIT: BBC

What do Delaney's scribbles mean?

In the same scene, Delaney is revealed to have scratched a strange symbol on the floor of the ship. Internet detectives have determined that it is inspired by an African Sankofa symbol, which is a word originating from Ghana's Akan tribe. Translated, the symbol expresses that "It is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind."

The Sankofa symbol: "It is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind"CREDIT: BBC

According to Minnesota's Sankofa Counseling and Consultation Services (!), it means "One's past is an important aspect of one's future," and stresses "the importance of knowledge based on critical examination, and intelligent and patient investigation." So essentially Delaney's very own bat signal, perhaps?

Whatever the likelihood of all this speculation, Taboo sure is fun to ponder. And we're only two episodes in.