A scientific theory developed by my two housemates talking about me, who have never been in a cave:

H: "I think there is one, singular giant wyrm that lives underground. The wyrm burrows through the rocks creating new caves across the world so Anna will inevitably encounter this at somepoint and it will eat her."

O: "I highly doubt the wyrm would be able to find her, there are a lot caves in the world."

H: "No, the wyrm will be attracted to Anna because of her powerful energy. That's why she's so obsessed with caving. The wyrm obviously has psychic powers which hypnotise people that go in caves to lure them deeper and deeper underground. I swear it's going to eat her. I think we need to create a wyrm cult to worship it in order to protect these poor people that are being lured into darkness. That's the only reasonable explanation for why she keeps doing it."

O:"Yes I agree, we'll have to warn her in case she sees the giant wyrm in a cave."

Thus they barged into my nice peaceful room to explain this scientific theory.

Wondering what other people think of this? Is there a giant wyrm deep underground? If so, how do we protect ourselves from it? Should we be adding swords and shields to our caving attire?

I will have to go and add it to the Newcastle Uni Risk Assessment 

In HP Lovecraft Mythology there are the Chthonians.  Giant burrowing worm like creatures that are not the best news if you bump into one...  Looks like Anna has some powers.
https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Chthonian
Swords and shields are not that practical underground.  A flintlock with silver bullets, knowledge of the arcane arts, and the ability to run faster than the person next to you are better strategies.
Sleep well 

"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things...
Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day."

Gandalf in LoTR,  2004 edition p. 501.

So - should the Wormway passage in Ease Gill Caverns have it's spelling changed slightly, maybe?

If anyone remembers the delightfully barmy Lucinda Lambton, &/or Ken Russell's equally daft film "the Lair of the White Worm" - a worm can also mean a dragon:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambton_Worm

I imagine this wyrm was born in East Kingsdale and made the small tight caves there as a toddler, Growing up as a teenager it must have moved to the continent before emigrating to China as a fully grown adult.  It is possible that this theory is flawed and there was more than one wyrm, maybe many and of different sizes.

Badlad said:

I imagine this wyrm was born in East Kingsdale and made the small tight caves there as a toddler, Growing up as a teenager it must have moved to the continent before emigrating to China as a fully grown adult.  It is possible that this theory is flawed and there was more than one wyrm, maybe many and of different sizes.

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You ought to submit a spoof paper to BCRA's Cave & Karst Science journal, on 1st April. 

Interesting theory.  We have seen cockroach, snake and cattle erosion in action.  Do wyrms lay eggs?  If so I think pitlamp has found them on another thread.

Duck ditch said:

Interesting theory.  We have seen cockroach, snake and cattle erosion in action.  Do wyrms lay eggs?  If so I think pitlamp has found them on another thread.

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Keep 'em in a cool dark place and see if they hatch out!

& Elephants: https://vimeo.com/35525821

Of course, on Gower there is also Worms Head...

Roger W said:

Keep 'em in a cool dark place and see if they hatch out!

Click to expand...

https://forums.dragcave.net/topic/185338-rift-wyrm-breeding-plans/

Is there a giant wyrm deep underground?
Yes

If so, how do we protect ourselves from it?
Nothing you, or anyone can do.

Should we be adding swords and shields to our caving attire?
Swords just bounce off its scales. Shields are useless. Underground nuclear testing was an attempt to kill it, but failed. In the end it will devour the roots of Yggdrasil and doom us all.

Badlad said:

I imagine this wyrm was born in East Kingsdale and made the small tight caves there as a toddler, Growing up as a teenager it must have moved to the continent before emigrating to China as a fully grown adult.  It is possible that this theory is flawed and there was more than one wyrm, maybe many and of different sizes.

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Cutting its teeth in the Dales before growing old and retiring in China/East Asia for an easy life sounds like the Life Cycle of the average British Caver  . Perhaps this Wyrm is where we get our life lessons from?

We routinely convince freshers that the uniform cylindrical holes found in the rock of some caves, mines and quarries were caused by a shy species of "Welsh Slateworm" that eat through rock.

Some of them believe it long enough to pass it onto the other freshers, but some of them actually know how explosives are placed 

Maybe they have been watching too many old films...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lair_of_the_White_Worm_(film)

It is based on real people!

Badlad said:

I imagine this wyrm was born in East Kingsdale and made the small tight caves there as a toddler

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A 'toddler' Wyrm, now there's a thought. It baffle the imagination...

........so that's how boulder chokes are formed. What goes in must come out the other end.

aardgoose said:

Maybe they have been watching too many old films...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lair_of_the_White_Worm_(film)

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John Beck was in that film as a caving extra, who would've thought it, JB in a Ken Russell film