GEUUhttp-v3.quark 4/4/03 5:18 PM Page 1 GEUUhttp-v3.quark 4/4/03 5:18 PM Page 3

Brad Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger

3 Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Brad E. Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger

Project Editor Permissions Product Design Jolen Marya Gedridge Lori Hines Tracey Rowens

Editorial Imaging and Multimedia Manufacturing Andrew Claps, Lynn U. Koch, Reade Dean Dauphinais, Lezlie Light Rhonda A. Williams

© 2003 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale age retrieval systems—without the written per- Since this page cannot legibly accommodate all Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. mission of the publisher. copyright notices, the acknowledgements con- stitute an extension of the copyright notice. Gale and Design™ and Thomson Learning™ For permission to use material from this prod- are trademarks used herein under license. uct, submit your request via Web at While every effort has been made to ensure http://www.gale-edit.com/permissions, or you the reliability of the information presented in For more information, contact may download our Permissions Request form this publication, The Gale Group, Inc. does not The Gale Group, Inc. and submit your request by fax or mail to: guarantee the accuracy of the data contained 27500 Drake Road herein. The Gale Group, Inc. accepts no pay- Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 Permissions Department ment for listing; and inclusion in the publica- Or you can visit our Internet site at The Gale Group, Inc. tion of any organization, agency, institution, http://www.gale.com 27500 Drake Rd. publication, service, or individual does not Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 imply endorsement of the editors or publisher. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Permissions Hotline: No part of this work covered by the copyright Errors brought to the attention of the publish- 248-699-8006 or 800-877-4253; ext. 8006 er and verified to the satisfaction of the pub- hereon may be reproduced or used in any form Fax: 248-699-8074 or 800-762-4058 or by any means—graphic, electronic, or lisher will be corrected in future editions. mechanical, including photocopying, recording, Cover images are reproduced by permission of taping, Web distribution, or information stor- Anna J. Sheets (Stonehenge) and the Library of Congress ().

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Steiger, Brad. Gale encyclopedia of the unusual and unexplained / Brad E. Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7876-5382-9 (set : hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5383-7 (v. 1 : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5384-5 (v. 2 : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5385-3 (v. 3 : alk. paper) 1. —Encyclopedias. 2. Occultism—Encyclopedias. 3. —Encyclopedias. I. Title: Encyclopedia of the unusual and unexplained. II. Steiger, Sherry Hansen. III. Title. BF1025.S79 2003 130’.3—dc21

2003003995

This title is also available as an e-book ISBN 0-7876-7764-7 Contact your Gale representative for ordering information

Printed in the of America 10 987654321 Volume 1

preface ...... xi introduction ...... xiii

Chapter 1 How the Major Religions View the Afterlife ...... 4 Buddhism...... 5 Christianity ...... 8 ...... 10 Islam ...... 12 Judaism ...... 14 Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife ...... 15 Egyptian Book of the Dead ...... 16 Table of Contents Osiris: Death and Resurrection ...... 18 Pyramid Texts ...... 20 Individual Human Experience with Death and the Afterlife ...22 Deathbed Visions...... 23 Near-Death Experiences ...... 26

The Mystery Schools ...... 31 Dionysian Mysteries ...... 33 Eleusinian Mysteries...... 33 Hermetic Mysteries ...... 34 Orphic Mysteries ...... 34 Pythagorus ...... 35

Tribal Religions ...... 36 Burial Mounds...... 38 Land of the Grandparents ...... 40 How the Major Religions View ...... 41 Buddhism ...... 43 Christianity ...... 43 Hinduism ...... 46 Islam ...... 47 Judaism ...... 48 Contemporary Mystery Schools and Reincarnation ...... 49 Akashic Records ...... 51 Anthroposophy ...... 51 Association for Research and Enlightenment ...... 53 ...... 55 Experiential Quests into Sir ...... 167 Past Lives ...... 57 Fredric W. H. Myers ...... 169 Hypnotic Regression into Past Lives ...... 59 Society for Psychical Research (SPR).....172 Bridey Murphy ...... 62 Past-Life Therapy...... 67 ...... 69 Chapter 3 Antichrist ...... 180 Apocalypse ...... 182 Chapter 2 Apparitions of Holy Figures ...186 ...... 76 Armaggedon ...... 192 Cosmic Consciousness Guide ...... 79 ...... 193 Totem Animal...... 80 ...... 196 Devil’s Mark Quest ...... 81 ...... 199 Ecstasy ...... 200 Spirit ...... 82 ...... 204 ...... 209 Board ...... 85 Guardian Angels ...... 211 Seance...... 86 Illumination ...... 214 Spirit Control ...... 90 Inquisition...... 217 Trance ...... 92 ...... 220 Possession ...... 223 Mediums and Channelers ...... 93 Power of Prayer ...... 225 ...... 97 The Rapture ...... 231 ...... 98 Shroud of Turin ...... 232 Mina “Margery” Crandon ...... 101 666 ...... 238 ...... 104 Snake Handling ...... 239 Arthur Augustus Ford ...... 105 ...... 241 Eileen Garrett ...... 108 Virgin of Guadalupe ...... 244 ...... 110 Visions ...... 246 J. Z. Knight ...... 115 Weeping Statues and Icons ....249 Carlos Mirabelli ...... 117 ...... 120 Leonora E. Piper ...... 122 Chapter 4 Egyptian Mystery Schools ...... 124 .....257 Jach Pursel ...... 125 Akhenaten ...... 259 ...... 126 Isis ...... 260 ...... 129 Osiris ...... 262 Witch of Endor ...... 131 Greek Mystery Schools ...... 264 ...... 133 Delphi ...... 265 Davis ...... 135 Dionysus...... 266 Sir ...... 137 Eleusis ...... 268 The ...... 139 Allen Kardec...... 143 Christian Mystery Schools, Cults, Heresies ...... 269 Mystics ...... 144 Black Madonna ...... 272 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky ...... 147 Cathars ...... 274 Rudolf Steiner ...... 149 Gnosticism ...... 277 ...... 152 Manichaeism...... 280

Researchers into the Mystery Tribal Mysteries ...... 282 of Spirit Contact ...... 154 Dance ...... 283 ...... 158 Macumba ...... 285 Sir ...... 161 Santeria ...... 286 Harry Houdini ...... 163 William James ...... 166 Satanic Cults ...... 288

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained The Rise of Satanism in the Albertus Magnus ...... 47 Middle Ages ...... 291 Paracelsus...... 47 Black Mass ...... 293 Catherine Montvoisin...... 296 Magick ...... 48 Gilles de Rais ...... 298 Abremelin Magick ...... 49 Anton LaVey’s First Church Black Magick ...... 51 Enochian Magick...... 52 of Satan ...... 299 Vodun/Vodoun/Voodoo...... 52 Temple of Set...... 303 White Magick ...... 56 UFO Cults ...... 304 Magi ...... 57 Aetherius Society...... 307 Heaven’s Gate ...... 309 Agrippa ...... 59 The Raelians ...... 311 Count Allesandro Cagliostro ...... 61 ...... 62 Twentieth-Century John Dee ...... 64 Spiritual Expression ...... 313 Dr. Faust...... 65 Branch Davidians...... 315 Marie Laveau ...... 67 Eckankar ...... 316 Eliphas Levi ...... 68 Falun Gong...... 317 Simon Magus ...... 69 Order of the Solar Temple ...... 318 Pico della Mirandola ...... 70 The People’s Temple ...... 319 ...... 70 Scientology...... 320 Count -Germain...... 71

Wicca ...... 72 Glossary ...... 323 People of Wicca...... 75 Cumulative Index...... 335 Margot Adler ...... 77 Philip Emmons (Isaac) Bonewits...... 78 Raymond Buckland ...... 79 Volume 2 Gavin Frost and Yvonne Frost ...... 82 Gerald Brosseau Gardner...... 85 Sybil Leek ...... 86 Preface...... xi Margaret Alice Murray ...... 87 Introduction...... xiii M. Macha NightMare...... 88 Starhawk ...... 89 Chapter 5 Doreen Valiente ...... 90 The Assassins ...... 4 Witchcraft ...... 91 The Decided Ones of Jupiter.....5 The Freemasons ...... 9 Familiars ...... 95 The Garduna ...... 12 The Inquisition—The Time of The Holy Vehm ...... 15 the Burning ...... 95 The Illuminati...... 16 Sabbats ...... 97 The Knights Templar ...... 19 The Leopard Men...... 24 Witchcraft Trials ...... 99 The Mau-Mau...... 27 The Rosicrucians ...... 30 England ...... 100 The Thuggee ...... 32 France ...... 101 The Tongs ...... 34 Germany ...... 102 Salem, Massachusetts ...... 103 Scotland...... 106 Chapter 6 Spain ...... 106 Alchemy ...... 42 Witchhunters Valentine Andreae...... 43 ...... 109 Roger Bacon ...... 44 Jean Bodin ...... 110 Helvetius ...... 45 Henri Boguet...... 110 Hermes Trismegistus...... 46 Matthew Hopkins ...... 111

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Pope Innocent III...... 113 Rings ...... 184 Pierre de Lancre...... 113 Salt ...... 184 Silver...... 185 Stones for Healing and ...... 185 Chapter 7 Trees ...... 187 ...... 119 Voodoo Dolls...... 188 ...... 127 Tribal Empowerment Cartomancy/Tarot ...... 128 ...... 190 Telling Fortunes with Modern Crystal Skulls ...... 191 Playing Cards ...... 134 Fetishes ...... 193 Megaliths ...... 195 ...... 136 Runes...... 197 Talismans ...... 197 Graphology...... 137 Totems ...... 198 I Ching ...... 140 Kabbalah ...... 141 Things of Sacred Power ...... 199 Necromancy ...... 144 The Ark of the Covenant ...... 201 Numerology ...... 145 Crosses...... 203 The Holy Grail ...... 204 Palmistry...... 147 Philosopher’s Stone ...... 206 and Diviners ...... 150 The Spear of Destiny ...... 209 ...... 152 Swastikas ...... 210 Delphic Oracles ...... 154 ...... 155 Irene Hughes...... 157 Chapter 9 Angkor Wat Olof Jonsson ...... 158 ...... 216 Mt. Ararat...... 216 ...... 158 Atlantis ...... 219 Mother Shipton ...... 161 Avalon ...... 225 /Crystal The ...... 226 Chartres Gazing/Crystalomancy ...... 162 ...... 230 Cursuses and Leys ...... 232 Tea Leaf Reading El Dorado ...... 234 (Tasseography) ...... 164 Easter Island ...... 235 Glastonbury...... 238 ...... 239 Chapter 8 Jerusalem ...... 242 Amulets ...... 169 Karnak ...... 245 Lemuria and Mu Bells ...... 170 ...... 247 Lourdes Bloodstone ...... 171 ...... 248 Machu Picchu Candles ...... 171 ...... 251 Mayan Temples ...... 253 Cauldron ...... 172 Mecca ...... 256 Crystals ...... 173 The Nazca Lines...... 260 Fairy Circles ...... 176 The Great Pyramid Garlic ...... 177 (of Kfhufu), at Giza ...... 264 Hand of Glory ...... 178 The Sphinx ...... 268 Horseshoes ...... 178 Stonehenge ...... 272 Knife ...... 179 Taos Pueblo ...... 275 Love Knots ...... 180 Tiahuanaco ...... 277 Mandrake Root ...... 181 Maypole ...... 181 Mirror ...... 182 Glossary ...... 281 Mistletoe ...... 183 Cumulative Index...... 293

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Volume 3 Monsters of Land, , and Air...... 85 Dragons ...... 87 Preface...... xi Loch Ness and Other Lake Monsters ...... 89 Introduction...... xiii Sea Serpents ...... 93 Thunderbirds ...... 97

Chapter 10 Wee Folk and Their Friends .....99 Ghostly Beings ...... 3 ...... 100 Animal Spirits ...... 5 Fairies ...... 101 Apparitions ...... 8 Gnomes ...... 103 Autoscopy ...... 11 Goblins ...... 104 of the Living ...... 12 Gremlins ...... 104 Phantoms ...... 14 Leprechauns ...... 105 ...... 18 Menehune ...... 106 Spirits of the Dead ...... 20 ...... 107 Spooklights...... 22 ...... 107 ...... 109 Famous Haunted Houses ...... 109 and Places ...... 24 Actors Who Faced ’s Cave ...... 26 (or Became) Monsters ...... 109 Borley Rectory ...... 29 Calvados Castle...... 33 Epworth Rectory ...... 36 General Wayne Inn ...... 38 Chapter 12 The Gray Man of Hinton Ampner ...... 40 Dreams...... 117 Myrtles Plantation ...... 42 Creative and Lucid Dreaming...... 122 The Tedworth Drummer ...... 44 Nightmares ...... 125 The Whaley House ...... 47 Sleep Paralysis ...... 127 Symbology of Dreams ...... 128 Ghosts in the Movies ...... 49 The Mechanics of Memory Spontaneous Human ...... 130 Combustion (SHC)...... 52 False Memories ...... 134

Phobias ...... 135 Chapter 11 Altered States of Consciousness Apelike Monsters ...... 59 ...... 140 ...... 60 Hallucinations...... 143 Orang Pendek ...... 63 Hypnosis ...... 144 ...... 65 ...... 149 ...... 66 Psychedelics— The Mind-Expanding Drugs ...... 151 Relaxation ...... 156 Creatures of the Night ...... 68 ...... 70 : Ghoul ...... 72 The “Sixth Sense”...... 157 Golem ...... 72 ESP Researchers Imp ...... 76 ...... 161 Incubus ...... 76 ...... 166 ...... 78 Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) ...... 170 Succubus ...... 79 ...... 174 ...... 80 ...... 178 ...... 83 ...... 179

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Chapter 13 Chapter 14 UFOs in Ancient Times ...... 246 ...... 189 Space Visitors in the Bible and Cats...... 189 Other Holy Books ...... 249 Days of the Week ...... 191 Dogs ...... 191 The Modern UFO Era Begins ...251 The ...... 193 The Air Force and Project Blue Book.....255 Four-Leaf Clover ...... 195 The Condon/University of Gems ...... 195 Colorado Report ...... 258 Horseshoes ...... 195 Hangar 18...... 259 Knocking on Wood ...... 196 Roswell, New Mexico ...... 260 Ladders ...... 197 Socorro, New Mexico ...... 265 Numbers...... 197 Rabbit’s Foot ...... 198 UFO Sneezing...... 199 and Abductees ...... 266 Spitting ...... 199 George Adamski ...... 271 Daniel W. Fry ...... 273 Strange Customs Betty and Barney Hill ...... 274 and Taboos ...... 200 The Men in Black (MIB)...... 276 Courtship and Marriage...... 203 Whitley Strieber ...... 279 Hospitality and Etiquette...... 215 George Van Tassel ...... 280 Burials and Funerals ...... 221 The Influence of the Media ....281 Close Encounters of the Third Kind ...... 282 Urban Legends and Beliefs ....228 The Day the Earth Stood Still ...... 284 Deadly Reptiles in the Imported Carpets...229 War of the Worlds ...... 285 The Fabulous Cookie Recipe ...... 230 The X-Files ...... 287 Green M&Ms ...... 231 The Hook on the Car Door ...... 231 The UFO Mystery Grows ...... 290 If Your College Roommate Area 51 and Reverse Engineering ...... 293 Commits Suicide...... 232 Cattle Mutilations ...... 293 Jesus on the Freeway ...... 233 Crop Circles ...... 295 The Phantom Hitchhiker ...... 234 Majestic-12...... 297 Proctor & Gamble Is a The ...... 298 Satanist Company ...... 235 The Scuba Diver in the Tree ...... 236 Snakes in the Toilet ...... 236 Glossary ...... 303 Spiders in the Hairdo ...... 237 Cumulative Index...... 315

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained xi

he Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained (GEUU) presents com- T prehensive and objective information on unexplained mysteries, abili- ties, supernatural events, religious phenome- na, , UFOs, and myths that have evolved into cultural realities. This extensive three-volume work is a valuable tool provid- ing users the opportunity to evaluate the many claims and counterclaims regarding the mysterious and unknown. Many of these claims have been brought to the forefront from television, motion pictures, radio talk shows, best-selling books, and the Internet. There has been a conscious effort to pro- vide reliable and authoritative information in the most objective and factual way possible, to Preface present multiple viewpoints for controversial subject topics, and to avoid sensationalism that taints the credibility of the subject mat- ter. The manner of presentation enables read- ers to utilize their critical thinking skills to separate fact from fiction, opinion from dogma, and truth from legend regarding enig- mas that have intrigued, baffled, and inspired humankind over the centuries.

About the Authors and Advisors

Brad E. Steiger has written over 150 books with over 17 million copies in print. His vast writing experience includes biographies, books of inspiration, phenomenon and the paranormal, spirituality, UFO research, and crimes. His first articles on the paranormal appeared in 1954 and, today, he has produced over 2,000 articles on such themes. Steiger has appeared on such television programs as Nightline with Ted Koppel, ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings, NBC Evening News with Tom Brokaw, This Week (with David Brinkley, Sam Donaldson, and Cokie Roberts), The Mike Douglas Show, The David Susskind Show, The Show, Entertainment Tonight, Haunted Hollywood, Inside Edition, The Unex- plained, and Giants: The Myth and the Mystery. Sherry Hansen Steiger is a co-author of 24 books on a variety of topics on the unusual xii Preface

and unexplained with her husband Brad. Her explored, along with each subtopic, develop- continual studies in alternative medicine and ing relevant concepts, geographic places, per- therapies led to the 1992 official creation of sons, practices, etc. After each topic, a Delv- The Office of Alternative Medicine under the ing Deeper section provides complete biblio- Institutes of Health, Education and Welfare in graphical citations of books, periodicals, tele- Bethesda, Maryland. Both Steigers have vision programs, Internet sites, movies, and served as consultants for such television shows theses used, and provides users with further as Sightings and Unsolved Mysteries. research opportunities. Boldfaced cross-refer- The advisors for GEUU are Judy T. Nel- ences are used to guide users from the text to son, the Youth Services Coordinator for the related entries found elsewhere in the three Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, volumes. Sidebars supplement the text with Washington; Lee Sprince, former Head of unusual facts, features, and biographies, as Youth Services for the Broward County Main well as descriptions of web sites, etc. Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Brad Each chapter contains photographs, line E. Steiger, author of Gale’s former Visible Ink drawings, and original graphics that were cho- Press title The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia sen to complement the text; in all three vol- of Shape-Shifting Things. For GEUU, both Nel- umes, over 250 images enliven the text. Many son and Sprince were consulted on GEUU’s of these images are provided by Fortean Pic- subject content, its appropriateness, and for- ture Library—“a pictorial archive of mysteries mat; Steiger advised on the content’s organiza- and strange phenomena”—and from the per- tion before he became the author of GEUU. sonal archives of the author, Brad Steiger. At the end of each chapter, a glossary, called Making the Connection, lists significant terms, theories, and practices mentioned Format within the text. A comprehensive glossary of the terms used throughout all three volumes The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and can be found at the end of each volume. Unexplained consists of fourteen broad-subject Each volume has a cumulative Table of chapters covering a wide range of high-inter- Contents allowing users to see the organiza- est topics: Afterlife Mysteries; Mediums and tion of each chapter at a glance. The Cumula- Mystics; Religious Phenomena; Mystery Reli- tive Index, found in each volume, is an alpha- gions and Cults; Secret Societies; Magic and betic arrangement of all people, places, Sorcery; and ; Objects of images, and concepts found in the text. The Mystery and Power; Places of Mystery and page references to the terms include the vol- Power; Ghosts and Phantoms; Mysterious ume number as well as the page number; Creatures; Mysteries of the Mind; Supersti- images are denoted by italicized page numbers. tions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends; and Invaders from Outer Space. Each chapter begins with an Overview that summarizes the chapter’s concept in a few User Comments brief sentences. Then the Chapter Explo- Are Welcome ration provides a complete outline of the chapter, listing all topics and subtopics there- Users having comments, corrections, or in, so that the user can understand the interre- suggestions can contact the editor at the fol- lationships between the chapter’s topics and lowing address: Gale Encyclopedia of the its subtopics. An Introduction consisting of 6 Unusual and Unexplained, The Gale Group, to 12 paragraphs follows; it broadly describes Inc., 27500 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, MI the chapter’s theme. Then each topic is 48331-3535.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained xiii

Understanding the Unknown

The belief in a reality that transcends our everyday existence is as old as humanity itself and it continues to the present day. In fact, in recent years there has been a tremendous surge of interest in the paranormal and the supernat- ural. People speak freely of guardian angels, a belief in life after death, an acceptance of extrasensory perception (ESP), and the exis- tence of ghosts. In a Gallup Poll released on June 10, 2001, the survey administrators found that 54 percent of Americans believe in spiri- tual or faith healing; 41 percent acknowledge that people can be possessed by the devil; 50 percent accept the reality of ESP; 32 percent Introduction believe in the power of prophecy; and 38 per- cent agree that ghosts and spirits exist.

What are the origins of these age-old beliefs? Are they natural phenomenon that can be understood by the physical sciences? Some scientists are suggesting that such mysti- cal experiences can be explained in terms of neural transmitters, neural networks, and brain chemistry. Perhaps the feeling of tran- scendence that mystics describe could be the result of decreased activity in the brain’s pari- etal lobe, which helps regulate the sense of self and physical orientation. Perhaps the human brain is wired for mystical experiences and the flash of wisdom that illuminated the Buddha, the voices that Mohammed and Moses heard in the wilderness, and the dialogues that Jesus had with the Father were the result of brain chemistry and may someday be completely explained in scientific terms.

Perhaps the origin of these beliefs is to be found in psychology? Humankind’s fascination with the unknown quite likely began with the most basic of human emotions—fear. Early humans faced the constant danger of being attacked by predators, of being killed by people from other tribes, or of falling victim to the sudden fury of a natural disaster, such as flood, fire, or avalanche. Nearly all of these violent encounters brought about the death of a friend or family member, so one may surmise that chief among the mysteries that troubled early xiv Introduction

humans was the same one that haunts man helped ease their fear and the feeling of help- today: What happens when someone dies? lessness that arose from the precariousness of But belief in the unknown may be more their existence. Others in the community who than brain chemistry or a figment of our fears. took careful note of their behavior ritualized Perhaps there is some spiritual reality that is the stories of those who had faced great dan- outside of us, but with which one can some- gers and survived. In such rituals lies the ori- how communicate? Perhaps the physical activ- gin of “,” a belief that certain ity of the brain or psychological state (the two repeated actions or words will bring the prac- are of course related) may be only a precondi- titioner luck or ward off evil. Ancient super- tion or a conduit to a transcendent world? The stitions survive today in such common prac- central mystery may always remain. tices as tossing a pinch of salt over the shoul- der or whispering a blessing after a sneeze to assure good fortune. The earliest traces of magical practices are Ghostly Entities and found in the European caves of the Paleolithic Urban Legends Age, c. 50,000 B.C.E. in which it seems clear that early humans sought supernatural means There is not a single known culture on plan- to placate the spirits of the animals they killed et Earth that does not have its ghost stories, and for food, to dispel the restless spirits of the one can determine from Paleolithic cave paint- humans they had slain, or to bring peace to ings that the belief that there is something with- the spirits of their deceased tribal kin. It was at in the human body that survives physical death this time that early humans began to believe is at least 50,000 years old. If there is a single that there could be supernatural powers in a unifying factor in the arena of the unknown and charm, a spell, or a ritual to work good or evil the unexplained it is the universality of on their enemies. Practices, such as imitating accounts of ghostly entities. Of course, not the animal of the hunt through preparatory everyone agrees on the exact nature of ghosts. dance, cutting off a bit of an enemy’s hair or Some insist that the appearance of ghosts prove clothing to be used in a charm against him, or survival after death. Others state that such phe- invoking evil spirits to cause harm to others, nomena represent other dimensions of reality. eventually gained a higher level of sophistica- And then there are the skeptics who group tion and evolved into more formal religious most ghost stories in the category of “Urban practices. Legends,” those unverifiable stories about out- As such beliefs developed, certain tribal landish, humorous, frightening, or supernatur- members were elevated in status to shaman al events. In some instances, the stories are and magician because of their ability to based on actual occurrences that have in their communicate with the spirit worlds, to telling and retelling been exaggerated or dis- influence the weather, to heal the sick, and torted. Other urban legends have their origins to interpret dreams. Shamans entered a in people misinterpreting or misunderstanding trance-like condition separating them from stories that they have heard or read in the life’s mundane existence and allowing them media or from actual witnesses of an event. to enter a state of heightened spiritual There is usually some distance between the awareness. According to anthropologists, narrator and his tale; all urban legends claim shamanic methods are remarkably similar that the story always happened to someone throughout the world. In our own time, else, most often “a friend of a friend.” Spiritualist mediums who claim to be able to communicate with the dead remain pop- ular as guides for contemporary men and The Roots of Superstition women, and such individuals as John Edward, James Van Praagh, and Sylvia Whatever their basis in reality, certain Browne issue advice from the Other Side on beliefs and practices of primitive people syndicated television programs.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Introduction xv

Monsters and Indian Ocean, were dated at 77,000 years old, Night Terrors thereby indicating that ancient humans were capable of complex behavior and abstract Stone Age humans had good reason to fear thought thousands of years earlier than previ- the monsters that emerged from the darkness. ously believed. In Europe, numerous sites have Saber-tooth tigers stalked man, cave bears been excavated and artifacts unearthed that mauled them, and rival hominid species— prove that structured behavior with customs many appearing more animal-like than and taboos existed about 40,000 years ago. human—struggled against them for domi- Customs are those activities that have nance. The memories of the ancient night ter- been approved by a social group and have rors surface in dreams and imagination, a kind been handed down from generation to gener- of residue of primitive fears. Anthro- ation until they have become habitual. When pologists have observed that such half-human, an action or activity violates behavior consid- half-animal monsters as the werewolf and ered appropriate by a social group, it is other werecreatures were painted by Stone labeled a “taboo,” a word borrowed from the Age artists more than 10,000 years ago. Some Polynesians of the South Pacific. An act that of the world’s oldest art found on ancient sites is taboo is forbidden, and those who trans- in Europe, Africa, and Australia depict ani- gress may be ostracized by others or, in mal-human hybrids. Such “therianthropes,” or extreme instances, killed. hybrid beings, appear to be the only common denominator in primitive art around the plan- However, customs vary from culture to et. These , were-lions, and were- culture, and customary actions in one society bats belonged to an imagined world which may be considered improper in another. early humans saw as powerful, dangerous, and While the marriage of near-blood relations is frightening. prohibited in contemporary civilization, in earlier societies it was quite common. The Images of these creatures persisted into the ancient brother and sister gods of Egypt, Osiris historical period. The ancient Egyptians often and Isis, provided an example for pharaohs, depicted their gods as human-animal hybrids. who at times married their sisters. Polygamy, Pharaoh identified himself with the god Horus, the marriage of one man and several women who could be represented as a falcon or a fal- or one woman and several men, is prohibited con-headed human. Anubis, the god of the in modern civilization, but there are still reli- necropolis, can be shown as a jackal-headed gious groups in nearly every nation who justify man, probably because such carrion-eating plural marriages as being ordained by the deity jackals prowled Egyptian cemeteries. Many they worship. Adultery, an act of infidelity on other civilizations felt the power of these kinds the part of a married individual, is one of the of images. For example, the ancient Greeks most universal taboos. The code of Moses fashioned the minotaur (half-human, half- condemned both parties involved in the act to bull), the satyr (half-human, half-goat), the be stoned to death. Hindu religious doctrines harpy (half-woman, half-bird) and a host of demand the death, mutilation, or humiliation other hybrid entities—the vast majority unfa- of both men and women, depending upon the vorably disposed toward humankind. Examples caste of the guilty parties. could be found in other cultures as well. Taboos can change within a society over time. Many acts that were once considered forbidden have developed into an acceptable Customs and Taboos social activity. While some of the old customs and taboos surrounding courtship and mar- In 2001, scientists were surprised when riage, hospitality and etiquette, and burials bits of stone etched with intricate patterns and funerals may seem amusing or quaint, found in the Blombos Cave, east of Cape primitive or savage, certain elements of such Town on the southern African shores of the acts as capturing one’s bride have been pre-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained xvi Introduction

served in many traditions that are still prac- another existence. The physical body is a tem- ticed in the modern marriage ceremony. porary possession that a human has, not what a person is. The mystery of what happens when the soul leaves the body remains an enigma in the teach- Belief in an Afterlife ings of the major religions; however, as more and more individuals are retrieved from clinical Belief in the survival of some part of us death by the miracles of modern medicine, liter- after death may also be as old as the human ature describing near-death-experiences has race. Although one cannot be certain the ear- arisen which depicts a transition into another liest members of man’s species (Homo sapiens world or dimension of consciousness wherein c. 30,000 B.C.E.) conducted burial rituals that the deceased are met by beings of light. Many of would qualify them as believers in an afterlife, those who have returned to life after such an one does know they buried their dead with experience also speak of a life-review of their care and consideration and included food, deeds and misdeeds from childhood to the weapons, and various personal belongings moment of the near-death encounter. with the body. Anthropologists have also dis- covered the Neanderthal species (c. 100,000 B.C.E.) placed food, stone implements, and Prophecy and Divination decorative shells and bones with the deceased. Because of the placement of such funerary The desire to foresee the future quite likely objects in the graves, one may safely conjec- began when early humans began to perceive ture that these prehistoric people believed that they were a part of nature, subject to its death was not the end. There was some part of limitations and laws, and that they were seem- the deceased requiring nourishment, clothing, ingly powerless to alter those laws. Mysterious and protection in order to journey safely in supernatural forces—sometimes benign, often another kind of existence beyond the grave. hostile—appeared to be in control of human This belief persisted into more recent histori- existence. cal times. The ancient Egyptians had a highly Divination, the method of obtaining developed concept of life after death, devoting knowledge of the future by means of omens or much thought and effort to their eternal well- sacred objects, has been practiced in all soci- being, and they were not the only early civi- eties, whether primitive or civilized. The lization to be concerned about an afterlife. ancient Chaldeans read the will of the gods in With all their diversity of beliefs, the the star-jeweled heavens. The children of major religions of today are in accord in one Israel sought the word of the Lord in the jewels essential teaching: Human beings are immor- of the Ephod. Pharaoh elevated Joseph from tal and their spirit comes from a divine world his prison cell to the office of chief minister of and may eventually return there. The part of Egypt and staked the survival of his kingdom the human being that survives death is known on Joseph’s interpretation of his dreams. In the in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as the same land of Egypt, priests of Isis and Ra lis- soul—the very essence of the individual per- tened as those deities spoke through the son that must answer for its earthly deeds, unmoving lips of the stone Sphinx. good or bad. Hinduism perceives this spiritual Throughout the centuries, soothsayers and essence as the divine Self, the Atman, and seers have sought to predict the destiny of Buddhism believes it to be the summation of their clients by interpreting signs in the conditions and causes. Of the major world entrails of animals, the movements of the stars religions, only Buddhism does not perceive an in the heavens, the reflections in a crystal eternal metaphysical aspect of the human per- ball, the spread of a deck of cards, and even sonality in the same way that the others do. messages from the dead. All of these ancient However, all the major faiths believe that practices are still being utilized today by those after the spirit has left the body, it moves on to who wish to know the future.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Introduction xvii

Objects and Places of Egypt. Like many such ancient places, those Mystery and Power sites have been examined and speculated upon for centuries, yet they still continue to Objects of mystery and power that become conceal secrets and occasionally yield surpris- influential in a person’s life can be an every- ing information that forces new historical day item that an individual has come to interpretations of past societies. believe will bring good fortune, such as an There are other places that have become article of clothing that was worn when some mysterious sites because of unusual occur- great personal success was achieved or an rences. The claimed miraculous healing at amulet that has been passed on from genera- Lourdes, France, the accounts of spiritual illu- tion to generation. In addition to such items mination at Jerusalem and Mecca, and the of personal significance, some individuals sacred visions at Taos, New Mexico, provide have prized objects that reportedly brought testimonies of faith and wonder that must be victory or good fortune to heroes of long ago. assessed by each individual. Still others have searched for mysterious relics There are also the “lost” civilizations and filled with supernatural attributes that were mysterious places that may never have existed credited with accomplishing miracles in the beyond the human imagination. More than past. No physical evidence is available to 2,500 years ago, legends first began about determine that such an object as the Ark of Atlantis, an ideal society that enjoyed an the Covenant ever existed, but its present abundance of natural resources, great military location continues to be sought. The Holy power, splendid building and engineering Grail, the cup from which Jesus drank at the feats, and intellectual achievements far Last Supper, is never mentioned in the Bible, advanced over those of other lands. This but by medieval times it had been popularized ancient society was described as existing on a as the holiest relic in Christendom. continent-sized area with rich soil, plentiful In addition to bestowing mystery and pure water, abundant vegetation, and such power upon certain objects, humans have mineral wealth that gold was inlaid in build- always found or created places that are sacred ings. In the ensuing centuries, no conclusive to them—sites where they might gather to evidence of Atlantis has been found, but its participate in religious rituals or where they attributes have expanded to include engineer- might retreat for solitude and reflection. In ing and technological feats that enhance its such places, many people claim to experience legendary status. a sense of the sublime. Others, while in a Sometimes legends come to life. The Lost solemn place of worship or in a natural set- City of Willkapanpa the Old, a city rumored ting, attest to feeling a special energy that rais- to consist primarily of Incan rulers and sol- es their consciousness and perhaps even heals diers, was not discovered until 1912 when a their physical body. historian from Yale University found the site Mysterious megaliths (large stones) were now known as Machu Picchu hidden at 8,000 those placed at a special location by ancient feet in altitude between two mountains, people. Such sites include the standing stones Huayana Picchu (“young mountain”) and of Brittany, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Machu Picchu (“ancient mountain”) in Peru. Wyoming, and the monuments of Easter Island. All of these places were ostensibly sig- nificant to an ancient society or religion, but Mystery Schools many were long abandoned by the time they became known to today’s world and their sig- and Cults nificance remains unexplained. Once a religion has become firmly estab- The most well-known megalithic struc- lished in a society, dissatisfied members often tures are Stonehenge in Great Britain and the will break away from the larger group to create complex of pyramids and the Great Sphinx in what they believe to be a more valid form of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained xviii Introduction

religious expression. Sometimes such splinter any seemingly unorthodox religion as a cult, groups are organized around the for what is regarded as anti-social or blasphe- and visions of a single individual, who is rec- mous expression by some may be hailed as sin- ognized as a by his or her followers. cere spiritual witness by others. Because the new teachings may be judged as heretical to the original body of worshippers, those who follow the new revelations are branded as cultists or heretics. Secret Societies and Conspiracies Even in ancient times, the dissenters were forced to meet in secret because of oppression There will always be envious individuals by the established group or because of their who believe that wealthy and powerful mem- desire to hide their practices. Since only - bers of society have been able to acquire their tees could know the truths of their faith, position only because of secret formulas, magi- adherents were required to maintain the cal words, and supernatural rituals. Rumors strictest silence regarding their rites and ritu- and legends of secret societies have fueled the als. The term “mysteries” or “mystery religion” imaginations, fears, and envy of those on the is applied to these beliefs. The word “mystery” outside for thousands of years. Many secret comes from the Greek word myein, “to close,” societies, such as the Assassins, the Garduna, referring to the need of the mystes, the initi- the Thuggee, and the Tongs, were made up of ate, to close his or her eyes and the lips and to highly trained criminals who were extremely keep secret the rites of the cult. dangerous to all outsiders. Others, such as the In ancient Greece, postulants of the mys- Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Rosi- tery religions had to undergo a rigorous initia- crucians, were said to possess enough ancient tion that disciplined both their mind and secrets of power and wealth to control the body. In order to attain the self-mastery entire world. demanded by the priests of the mysteries, the Conspiracy enthusiasts allege that there neophytes understood that they must restruc- are clandestine organizations which for cen- ture their physical, moral, and spiritual being turies have remained a threat to individual to gain access to the hidden forces in the uni- freedoms, quietly operating in the shadows, verse. Only through complete mastery of one- silently infiltrating political organizations, and self could one see beyond death and perceive secretly manipulating every level of govern- the pathways of the after-life. Many times ment and every facet of society. One of the these mysteries were taught in the form of a favorites of conspiracy theorists, the Freema- play and were celebrated in sacred groves or in sons, while once a powerful and influential secret temples away from the cities. group throughout the world, is today regarded by many as simply a philanthropic In contemporary usage, the word “cult” and fraternal organization. Another secret generally carries with it negative connotations society, the Illuminati, deemed by many con- and associations. In modern times, a number spiracy buffs to be the most insidious of all, of apocalyptic cults, such as the Branch faded into obscurity in the late eighteenth Davidians and the People’s Temple, have century. However, there is always a new secret alarmed the general population by isolating society that seeks to divine arcane and forbid- themselves and preparing for Armageddon, den avenues to wealth and power. the last great battle between good and evil. The mass suicides carried out by members of Heaven’s Gate, People’s Temple, and Order of the Solar Temple have also presented alarm- Sorcery, Alchemy ing images of what many believe to be typical and Witchcraft cultist practice. Recent statistics indicate that there are 2,680 religions in the United States. Although Christianity affirms the exis- Therefore, one must be cautious in labeling tence of a transcendent reality, it has always

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Introduction xix distinguished between religio (reverence for In spite of persecution, the concept of God) and superstitio, which in Latin means witchcraft persisted and even flourished in “unreasonable religious belief.” Christianity early modern times. At least the fear of it did, became the state religion of the Roman as the Salem witch trials richly illustrate. In Empire in 395 C.E., and in 525 the Council of the early decades of the twentieth century, Oxia prohibited Christians from consulting schools of pagan and magical teachings were sorcerers, diviners, or any kind of seer. A reborn as Wicca. Wiccans, calling themselves canon passed by the Council of Constantino- “practitioners of the craft of the wise,” would ple in 625 prescribed excommunication for a resurrect many of the old ways and infuse them period of six years for anyone found practicing with modern thoughts and practices. Whatev- divination or who consulted with a diviner. er its origin, the seems to be an object of Although the Church had issued many permanent fascination to the human race. canons warning against the practice of witch- craft or magic, little action was taken against those learned men who experimented with Are We Alone? alchemy or those common folk who practiced the old ways of witchcraft. In 906 C.E., Abbot Is the earth the only inhabited planet? Regino of Prum recognized that earlier canon Imagine the excitement if contact is made laws had done little to eradicate the practices with intelligent extraterrestrial life forms and of magic and witchcraft, so he issued his De humankind discovers that it is part of a larger ecclesiaticis disciplinis to condemn as heretical cosmic community. It would change the way any belief in witchcraft or the power of sorcer- we think of ourselves and of our place in the ers. In 1,000 C.E., Deacon Burchard, who universe. Or is the belief in extraterrestrials a would later become archbishop of Worms, creation of our minds? The universe is so vast published Corrrector which updated Regino’s we may never know, but the mysteries of outer work and stressed that only God had the space have a grip on the modern psyche, since power to transform matter. Alchemists could it seems to offer the possibility of a world that not change base metals into gold, and witches may be more open to scientific verification could not shapeshift into animals. than witchcraft. In spite of such decrees, a lively belief in a world of witches and ghosts persisted throughout the Middle Ages and co-existed Purpose of Book in the minds of many of the faithful with the stories of the . To the native Whatever the origin and veracity of the beliefs were added those of non-Christian unusual, these beliefs and experiences have peoples who either lived in Europe or whom played a significant role in human experiences Europeans met when they journeyed far from and deserve to be studied dispassionately. These home, as when they went on the Crusades. By volumes explore and describe the research of the twelfth century, magical practices based those who take such phenomena seriously; upon the arcane systems of the Spanish extraterrestrials, ghosts, spirits, and haunted Moors and Jewish Kabbalah were established places are explored from many perspectives. in Europe. The Church created the Inquisi- They are part of the adventure of humanity. tion in the High Middle Ages in response to unorthodox religious beliefs that it called heresies. Since some of these involved magi- Acknowledgements cal practices and witchcraft, the occult also became an object of persecution. The harsh Compiling such an extensive work as a treatment of the Manichaean Cathars in three-volume encyclopedia of the unusual and southern France is an example of society’s unexplained proved many times to be a most reaction to those who mixed arcane practice formidable task. During those moments when with heterodox theology. I felt the labor pains of giving birth to such a

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained xx Introduction

large and exhausting enterprise might be Julia Furtaw, Rita Runchock, Lynn Koch, and beyond me, I was able to rely upon a number Nancy Matuszak—stood by to offer assistance; of wonderful midwives. My agent Agnes Birn- and most of all, I am forever indebted to my baum never failed to offer encouragement and wife Sherry Hansen Steiger for her tireless support; my remarkably resourceful and compiling of the glossaries, her efforts in writ- accomplished editor Jolen Marya Gedridge ing sidebars, her invaluable talents as a continued to assure me that there truly was researcher, her patience and love, and her light at the end of the tunnel and that the always providing a shoulder to cry on during great enterprise would one day be completed; the all-night writing sessions. the always pleasant and helpful staff at Gale— —Brad E. Steiger

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 1

Chapter Exploration

Ghostly Beings Animal Spirits Apparitions Autoscopy Ghosts of the Living Phantoms Poltergeists Spirits of the Dead Spooklights Famous Haunted Houses and Places Bell Witch’s Cave Borley Rectory Calvados Castle Epworth Rectory General Wayne Inn Chapter 10 The Gray Man of Hinton Ampner Myrtles Plantation Ghosts and Phantoms The Tedworth Drummer The Whaley House Ghosts in the Movies There is not a single culture on planet Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) Earth that does not have its ghost stories. Paleolithic cave paintings depicting the human body surviving physical death indicate that this belief is many thousands of years old. In this chapter the universality of accounts of the manifestation of ghostly entities is explored. 2 Ghosts and Phantoms

the Whaley House, and the Myrtle Plantation will be examined. A Gallup Poll conducted in May 2001 revealed that 38 percent of Americans surveyed believed in the existence of ghosts. Responding to another question in the same survey, 42 per- cent of the respondents admitted that they believed in the reality of haunted houses, a 13 percent increase since a poll conducted in 1990. In the largest survey of paranormal beliefs ever conducted in the United Kingdom, the Consumer Analysis Group found that 57 percent of the British public believe in ghosts. Television documentaries, such as the “Haunted History” series on The History Channel and the remaking of “In Search Of” “” movie. (THE Introduction KOBAL COLLECTION) on the Sci Fi Channel, present evidence of ghosts and hauntings that the viewing public ghost is believed to be a physical mani- is eager to accept as proof of spirits existing in festation of the surviving spirit of a per- castles, cottages, and taverns around the Ason who is known to be deceased. The world. Motion picture producers have found spirit form of the ghost may appear as a mistlike, vast audiences eager for such stylish ghost sto- amorphous mass; a lifelike, but transparent, ries as The Sixth Sense (1999), Sleepy Hollow image of a person; or an exact physical replica of (1999), and The Others (2001). an individual known to be dead. Even if the person represented by the manifestation is well Books about ghosts—both fiction and non- known or loved by those who encounter its fiction—remain high on readers’ lists of popu- presence, the appearance of a ghost most often lar titles. Barnes & Noble.com carries 8,102 provokes feelings of fear or awe. books with the key words “ghost stories.” Although the terms “ghosts” and “phan- And then there is the Internet. There are toms” are generally interchangeable in popular more than 650,000 websites devoted to the usage, many psychical researchers who special- topics of ghosts and hauntings. ize in such areas of the unknown draw the dis- In spite of such remarkable interest in ghosts tinction that phantoms are most often associat- by a large segment of the general public, one of ed with locales that over the years have built up the main reasons why neither science nor soci- unique atmospheres, such as places of battle, ety at large has seriously considered the question tragedy, or great suffering. In such hauntings, of ghosts and phantoms is the lack of what sci- certain ethereal figures may be reported so entists consider to be tangible physical evidence often over so many years that they seem almost that proves that there is anything other than a to have assumed an independent life force that void waiting for humans upon death. Skeptics has enabled them to continue to exist within remain untouched by the most moving, fright- the context of a specific battlefield, the ruins of ening, or inspirational anecdotes of personal a burned building, or the shadowed places in a encounters with spirits, and even the most hospital corridor. In this chapter the many cat- open-minded of contemporary scientists are egories of ghosts and phantoms will be reluctant to get involved in “” for explored, such as apparitions of the dead, the fear of tarnishing their shields of objectivity. possibility of animal spirits, the phenomenon of And since ghosts are allegedly spirits of the “spooklights,” and the disrupting energy of the once-living who have survived physical death, poltergeist, a noisy, rambunctious ghost. In many scientists wish to avoid what they believe addition, the details of such classic hauntings as to be areas that transgress into abstract and eso- the Bell Witch’s Cave, the Borley Rectory, teric elements of faith and religion.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 3

But however relentlessly science strives to And not everyone in contemporary cultures ignore the evidence for ghosts or to deny the believes in ghosts, but polls and surveys con- existence of a life after death, the more popular tinue to indicate that a good many do. ghost stories seem to become among the gener- A Gallup Poll done in May 2001 found al public. The more that science seeks to that 38 percent of Americans surveyed were demystify the world, the more that average convinced that ghosts exist, a 13 percent people wish to retain a sense of mystery and increase from a survey conducted in 1990. wonder through belief in ghosts and the super- While the current era is considered the age of natural. In such works as Leaps of Faith: Science, science, the image of the traditional ghost Miracles, and the Search for Supernatural Conso- appears to be as compelling and awesome as lation (1999), psychologist Nicholas Humphrey ever. Perhaps this is because science can never insists that science will never be able to explain explain the Big Questions or reassure the the world and reassure men and women that human psyche as completely as can belief in there is meaning to life as completely as can the supernatural. belief in the supernatural or the divine. The famous psychoanalyst Dr. Carl Jung M Delving Deeper (1875–1961) described a personal encounter Associated Press. “Haunted Experiences Draw Skepti- with a ghost in Fanny Moser’s book Spuk cal Society Together.” Globe, July 22, 2001. (1950). In 1920, Jung was spending a weekend [Online] http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/203/ at an English country house a friend had rent- metro/Haunted_experiences_draw_skeptical_ socie. ed. The nights afforded no rest, however, for Denning, Hazel M. True Hauntings. St. Paul, Minn.: the house was subject to the complete reper- Llewellyn Publications, 1996. toire of a full-scale haunting. There were raps Murphy, Gardner. The Challenge of Psychical Research. on the walls, noxious odors, and the mysteri- New York: Harper & Row, 1970. ous dripping of liquid. Jung always experi- “Spooky! We’re Still Haunted by Ghosts.” Sydney enced a sensation of incapacity whenever the Morning Herald, July 23, 2001. [Online] http:// phenomena would begin, and cold perspira- www.smh.com.au/news/0107/23entertainment/ tion would bead his forehead. entertain2.html Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World. New York: Citadel Press, 1959. Sullivan, Lawrence E., ed. Death, Afterlife, and the PSYCHOANALYST Dr. Carl Jung Soul. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1989. Tyrrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier claimed to have a personal encounter with a ghost. Books, 1963.

The climax of the haunting occurred when Ghostly Beings the head of a woman materialized on the pillow of Jung’s bed about 16 inches from his own. The here is not a single culture on planet ghostly head had one eye open, and it stared at Earth that does not have its ghost sto- the astonished psychoanalyst. Jung managed to T ries. While individuals around the light a candle, and the frightening specter disap- world may argue politics, religion, and philos- peared. He later learned from the villagers that ophy from the perspective of their own cultur- all previous tenants of the country house had al biases, if there is a single unifying factor in terminated their occupancy in short order after the arena of the unknown and the unex- a night or two in the . plained, it is the manifestation of ghostly enti- ties. Of course not everyone who believes in In the jargon of parapsychology—the ghosts agrees on what exactly a ghost is. Some branch of behavioral science that undertakes to insist that the appearance of ghosts proves sur- examine such phenomena—a ghost is usually a vival after death. Others state that such phe- stranger to the one who perceives it while an nomena represent other dimensions of reality. apparition is well known by the one who sees it

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 4 Ghosts and Phantoms

Ghost with hand on light and is instantly recognizable as the image of a cises of tossing furniture, objects, and people bulb. (ARCHIVES OF parent, sibling, or friend. An apparition usually about the room. BRAD STEIGER) appears at some time of crisis—most often that Accounts of people reporting having seen of physical death—and usually appears only spirits of the dead are among the most com- once. In the records of parapsychology and psy- monly described ghosts in all the cultures of chical research there are also accounts of exper- the world. These post-mortem appearances of imental cases in which individuals have delib- the dead, in which a recognized ghostly image erately attempted to make their apparition, is seen or heard long after the actual person their ghostly image, appear to a particular wit- represented by the apparition has died, are felt ness, as in efforts to project one’s spiritual by many observers and researchers to prove essence during an out-of-body experience. survival of the human spirit beyond the grave. A poltergeist is a projection of psychic Ghosts or apparitions that habitually appear energy that finds its energy center in the in a room, house, or locale are known as phan- unconscious mind, most commonly in adoles- toms, eerie phenomena that often appear over cents, and emanates, therefore, from the liv- the years to attain a life force of their own, as if ing rather than from the dead. A poltergeist is they were some kind of psychic marionettes. a ghost only in common parlance, which links the two because of the “spook-like” nature of Although people have been reporting see- the poltergeist that causes the invisible pseu- ing ghosts and the spirits of the dead since the doentity to prefer darkness for its violent exer- earliest historical records of human activity, the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 5 first organized effort to study such phenomena evant details have been read back into the occurred in 1882, as the first major undertaking narrative after the event? of the newly formed Society for Psychical Today, over 120 years after the British Research (SPR) in London. By means of a cir- Society for Psychical Research began its culated questionnaire, the SPR asked whether earnest efforts to chart and categorize ghosts, its recipients had ever, when they believed 42 percent of the residents of that metropoli- themselves to be completely awake, experi- tan area believe in ghosts and almost half of enced some kind of visual or auditory phenom- this number said that they had seen or felt the ena. Of the 17,000 people who responded, presence of a ghost, according to a survey 1,684 answered “yes.” From this, the committee released on March 20, 2000, by television sta- members who were conducting the survey esti- tion GMTV in London. mated that nearly 10 percent of the population of London had experienced some kind of para- normal manifestation, and they sent forms requesting additional details to all those who had indicated such encounters. Subsequent A poltergeist is a projection of psychic energy. investigation and interviews enabled the early psychical researchers to arrive at a number of basic premises regarding ghosts. In the exploration of the paranormal, it is found that most types of phenomena appear to For example, the committee was able to be universal, the individual circumstances of conclude that although ghosts are connected the accounts fitting themselves to the unique with other events besides death, they are more cultural interpretations of whatever area in likely to be linked with death than with any- which they manifest. The ghostly beings thing else. Visual sightings of ghosts were the described in this chapter are listed by loosely most common, and of such cases reported, near- defined categories, for it will soon be apparent ly one-quarter had been shared by more than that these entities know no strictly set bound- one percipient. Those who answered the second aries—especially those established by humans form of the questionnaire requesting more infor- who attempt to explain or to identify them. mation stated that they had not been ill when they had witnessed the paranormal visitations M Delving Deeper and they insisted that these manifestations were Associated Press. “Haunted Experiences Draw Skepti- quite unlike the bizarre, nightmarish creatures cal Society Together.” Boston Globe, July 22, 2001. that might appear during high fevers or high [Online] http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/ alcoholic consumption. Of those cases in which 203/metro/Haunted_experiences_draw_skeptical_ the percipients had experienced auditory phe- socie nomena, such as hearing voices, one-third were Murphy, Gardner. The Challenge of Psychical Research. collective, that is, witnessed by more than one New York: Harper & Row, 1970. percipient at the same time. “Spooky! We’re Still Haunted by Ghosts.” Sydney After the findings of the research commit- Morning Herald, July 23, 2001. [Online] http:// tee had been made public, the SPR began to www.smh.com.au/news/0107/23entertainment/ be flooded by personal accounts of sponta- entertain2.html. neous cases of ghosts and spirits. In order to Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World. New aid the committee in the handling of such an York: Citadel Press, 1959. influx of information, the SPR worked out a Tyrrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier series of questions that could be applied to Books, 1963. each case that came in. Among the questions were the following: Is the account firsthand? Animal Spirits Has the principal witness been corroborated? Was the percipient awake at the time? Was Just as a large percentage of the population of the apparition recognized? Was the percipient all cultures believe that the ghosts of the dear- anxious or in a state of expectancy? Could rel- ly departed members of their human families

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 6 Ghosts and Phantoms

he sat at the typewriter creating another canine adventure for his legions of devoted readers. Due to a series of unfortunate events, Rex was killed in March 1916, and the saddened Terhune wrote the story Lad: A Dog as a trib- ute to the memory of his dear pet. Many months after Rex’s death, Terhune was paid a visit by Henry A. Healy, a financier, who knew how much his host had loved his big dog—but who apparently had not been told of Rex’s passing. Just before leaving that evening, Healy sighed wistfully and said, “Bert, I wish there was someone or something on earth that adored me as much as Rex worships you. I watched him all evening. He lay there at your feet the whole time, looking up at you as a devotee might look up to his god.” Terhune was shocked by his guest’s com- ments. “Good lord, man!” he exclaimed. “Rex has been dead now for more than a year and a half.” Healy turned pale, but stood by the testi- mony of his own senses: “I can swear that he was lying at your feet all evening—just as I’ve seen him do since he was a puppy.” Some weeks later, a longtime friend of Ter- hune’s, Rev. Appleton Grannis, paid a visit to Sunnybank, and after a stroll around the estate and a pleasant afternoon meal, remarked that he thought Bert fancied collies. Terhune replied that was true. In fact all the dogs that Native American might appear to them, so also do many indi- he presently owned were collies. dressed like an animal viduals maintain that they have witnessed the Rev. Grannis firmly disagreed. “Then what spirit. (CORBIS spirit of a beloved pet return to a person or a dog was it that stood all afternoon on the CORPORATION) place after physical death. porch looking in through the French window One of the most beloved authors of dog at you? He’s a big dog with a nasty, peculiar stories, Albert Payson Terhune (1872–1942), scar on his forehead.” was a great animal lover who kept dozens of While the author knew at once that it was pets in Sunnybank, his estate near Pompton his old friend Rex returning for another visit Lakes, New Jersey. Although Terhune’s from the spirit world, Terhune thought better favorite dogs were collies, he did have one than to attempt to explain the situation to a crossbreed named Rex, who was completely conventional man of the cloth. devoted to the writer. Terhune said that even the other dogs Rex was a large dog with a vicious-looking were able to sense the presence of old Rex. scar across his forehead which made him One of the collies that had always been care- appear much more ferocious than he really was. ful to keep his distance from the big scar-faced And though he felt it his duty to bark at every crossbreed continued to skirt very carefully guest who walked across the threshold, Rex around the rug where Rex had always sat wait- would contentedly curl up at Terhune’s feet as ing for his master to sit down to write.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 7

Tulsa, Oklahoma, attorney M. Jean Holmes New American Catholic Bible uses for man is not an animal activist, but her extensive “clay of the ground” (Genesis 2:7) and the study of the Bible for her book Do Dogs Go to Living Bible says “dust of the ground.” In Heaven? (1999) convinced her that the dis- regard to the animals, the New American tinction between humans and animals alleged Catholic Bible states that they were “formed to be found in Scripture is the result of an old out of the ground” and the Living Bible states translator’s “philosophical construction.” In “formed from the soil.” Kolb argues that since her opinion, an examination of the original humans and animals came from the same sub- Hebrew texts for such concepts as “soul” and stance, many Bible scholars, including herself, “spirit” clearly tells that the authors of the var- believe that animals must therefore have a ious books of the Bible believed that animals soul. The holy breath that God breathed into have souls and spirits, just as humans do. Stat- man was the same breath that He breathed ing that she has been enriched by her explo- into the animals, birds, and other creatures. It ration of various religious practices, from is Kolb’s further contention that God’s act of Catholicism to Pentecostalism, Holmes offers blessing the animals is further proof that all a suggestion for those individuals who are trou- creatures have a soul. “‘Blessed,’” she points bled about orthodox teachings that deny spiri- out, “means ‘to make holy,’ ‘sanctify,’ to tuality to animals. She urges them to allow the invoke divine favor upon, ‘to honor as Holy.’” Holy Spirit to be their teacher. God blessed his creation of man and woman, Attorney Holmes says that she is not and thereby granted them a soul. Why else ashamed to be compared to animals, “for most would God have blessed the animals if it were are of the highest character and are very good not to bestow a soul upon them? company. We have much to learn about and from animals.” Holmes was inspired to write her book by her late mother, Irene Hume Holmes, who ORTHODOX teachings deny would often question members of the clergy of spirituality to animals. various faiths: Did animals have spirits? And if they did, would they go to heaven when they died? Although her mother usually received the standard response that animals did not In July 2001, ABC News and Beliefnet possess souls and that humans had dominion released the result of their poll of Americans over their four-legged companions, Holmes’s regarding the question of whether pets would extensive research enabled her to answer at one day meet their owners in heaven. Forty- last her mother’s oft-posed query, “Do dogs go seven percent of pet owners declared their to heaven?” in the affirmative. belief that they would be reunited with their beloved animals in heaven; 35 percent of pet Janice Gray Kolb, author of Compassion for owners said heaven was reserved for humans; All Creatures, says that she had been taught 48 percent of those respondents who did not since childhood that her beloved pets did not own pets believed heaven was off-limits for have souls. Today, however, she states that she animals; and about 17 percent said that they has a firm conviction that there will be animals would reserve judgment until they themselves in heaven. “Once I had this inner conviction walked through the pearly gates. from the Holy Spirit that animals and all God’s creatures do inhabit Heaven with us, then I M Delving Deeper could never believe otherwise,” she writes. “It Boone, J. Allen. Kinship with All Life. New York: was irrevocable! No matter what anyone else Harper & Row, 1954. may argue, I cannot be shaken on this.” Holmes, M. Jean. Do Dogs Go to Heaven? Tulsa, As a student of the Bible, Kolb states that Okla.: JoiPax Publishing, 1999. God created humans out of the ground, and Kolb, Janice Gray. Compassion for All Creatures. Neva- He created animals out of the ground. The da City, Calif.: Blue Dolphin Publishing, 1997.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 8 Ghosts and Phantoms

Smith, Scott S. “The Evidence for Animal Afterlife.” physical laws—and even more importantly, is Fate, March 2001, 20–21. capable of surviving physical death. ———. Pet Souls: Evidence that Animals Survive Documented stories of such apparitions Death. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Light Source may be found in the literature of all eras and Research, 1994. all cultures. Images of loved ones who have Sussman, Dalia. “See Spot Go to Heaven? The Pub- come to say farewell, to offer comfort and lic’s Not So Sure.” ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll, 2001. solace before their transition to another [Online] http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/ of existence, appear to rich and poor alike. story_7888. html. On the night of June 11, 1923, Gladys Apparitions Watson had been asleep for three or four hours when she was awakened by someone calling There is usually agreement among psychi- her name. As she sat up in bed, she was able to cal researchers that when someone refers to an discern the form of her beloved grandfather apparition, he or she is generally speaking of a leaning toward her. “Don’t be frightened, it’s “ghost” that is known to the percipient, rather only me. I have just died,” the image told her. than some ethereal unknown presence. Among the most common and universal of all Watson started to cry and reached across psychic phenomena is that of the “crisis the bed to awaken her husband. “This is how apparition,” that ghostly image which is seen, they will bury me,” Grandad Parker said, indi- heard, or felt when the individual represented cating his suit and black bow tie. “Just wanted by the image is undergoing a crisis, especially to tell you I’ve been waiting to go ever since death. A familiar example might be that of a Mother was taken.” man who is sitting reading in his home in The Watsons’ house was next door to the Dearborn, Michigan, who glances up from his Lilly Laboratories in Indianapolis, Indiana. newspaper to see an image of his father, The bedroom was dimly illuminated with dressed in his customary three-piece business lights from the laboratory. Grandad Parker suit, waving to him in a gesture of farewell. was clearly and solidly to be seen. Then, The percipient is startled, for his father lives before Gladys Watson had awakened her hus- in Austin, . However, within the next band, Grandad Parker had disappeared. few minutes the telephone rings, and it is a call from his sister in Austin, informing him Mr. Watson insisted that his wife had had a that their father has just passed away. nightmare. He told her that her grandfather was alive and well back in Wilmington, Delaware. Gladys Watson was adamant that she knew that she had seen Grandad Parker and IT is theorized that at the moment of death the that it had been no dream. He had come to bid her farewell. soul is freed from the body and is able to soar free It was 4:05 A.M. when Watson called his of time and space. wife’s parents in Wilmington to prove that the experience had been a dream. Mrs. Parker was surprised to receive the call. She had been up most of the night with her father-in-law and Some psychical researchers have theorized had been waiting for morning before she that at the moment of death the soul is freed would let the Watsons know that Grandad from the confines of the body and is able to had passed away at 4:00 A.M. soar free of time and space and, in some instances, is able to make a last, fleeting con- Watson had been awakened by the fully tact with a loved one. These projections at the externalized apparition of her grandfather at moment of death betoken that something approximately 3:30 A.M.Indianapolis time. nonphysical exists within humans that is Her husband had gotten out of bed and made capable of making mockery of all accepted the telephone call at about 4:05 A.M. Grandad

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 9

Parker had died at 4:00 A.M. Eastern time— ously ill. (He made his home with them.) “He “” movie. half an hour before Gladys Watson saw him. took sick the day before. We called the doctor (THE KOBAL COLLECTION) and thought he was going to be all right. The Watson wrote an account of her experience end came suddenly around four o’clock in the for the Journal of the American Society for Psychi- morning. We were going to wait until later in cal Research (Vol. LXV, No. 3) in which she the morning to get in touch with Gladys. I mentioned that both she and her husband were believe sincerely in the truth of this experi- children of Methodist ministers “…schooled ence as my daughter writes it.” against superstition from the time of their birth.” John Frederick Oberlin (1740–1826), the famous pastor, educator, and philanthropist, When Watson was asked by an investiga- literally transformed the whole life of the Ban- tor for the ASPR whether the experience of de-la-Roche valley in the Vosges Mountains hearing her grandfather speak could be com- of Alsace. Shortly after the clergyman’s arrival pared to hearing someone in the flesh or to in the district, he expressed his immediate and hearing with one’s “inner ear,” she answered earnest displeasure regarding the superstitions that it had been as if Grandad Parker had of the natives. Oberlin became especially agi- been there in the flesh, speaking in a soft, yet tated over the villagers’ reports concerning determined voice. the apparitions of dying loved ones. The new Watson’s father, Rev. Walter E. Parker, Sr., pastor resolved to educate the simple folk, and corroborated his daughter’s story in a letter to he launched a vociferous pulpit campaign the ASPR in which he wrote, in part, that against such superstitious tales. Gladys had always been his father’s favorite In spite of his orthodox denial of appari- grandchild and that they had promised to let tions, the reports of such phenomena continued her know if and when Grandad became seri- unabated, and Oberlin was honest enough to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 10 Ghosts and Phantoms

he HMS Eurydice, a 26-gun frigate that capsized and sank in Sandown Bay during a blizzard in 1878, is a famous phantom T vessel that has been sighted by sailors over the years. On October 17, 1998, Prince Edward of England (1964– ) and the film crew for the television series “Crown and Country” saw the three-masted ship off the Isle of Wight and managed to capture its Ghost Ships image on film. Sources: Perhaps the most famous of all ghost ships is the Rickard, Bob, and John Michell. Unexplained Phenomena. Flying Dutchman, whose legend states that as punish- London: Rough Guides, 2000. ment for his impiety and blasphemy, the captain, Cor- Spaeth, Frank, ed. Mysteries of the Deep. St. Paul, Minn.: nelius Vanderdecken, must sail until doomsday. The Llewellyn Publications, 1998. appearance of this supernatural vessel is considered Winer, Richard. Ghost Ships: True Stories of Nautical by seafarers to be an omen of ill-fortune. Nightmares, Hauntings and Disasters. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2000. Another one that is a forerunner of disaster is the ghost ship of the Yangtze River, a medieval Chinese pirate junk. The ghost junk has been said to herald wars, famines, and the deaths of thousands. Off of the Chileo Island, in South America, a ship apparition called the Caleuche, is claimed to leave broken down boats and drowned men in its wake. On January 5, 1931, the MS Tricouleur, with a cargo of chemicals, exploded and sank after leaving Calcutta en route to Bombay. Sailors off Ceylon still report seeing her pass them before disappearing into the fog. Inhabitants along Bay Chaleur of New Brunswick, Canada, sight a “fire ship” that has been appearing for more than a century. Some theorize the ship was an immigrant vessel that sailed mistakenly into the bay instead of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Struck by lightning, it burned and ran aground at the mouth of the Restigouche River. Many New Englanders claim to have seen anoth- er burning vessel, The Palatine, a ship from Holland that met with foul play during Christmas week, 1752, and sunk off Block Island near the coast of Rhode Island. In his poem “The Palatine,” John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892) made the unfortunate tragedy of the ill-fated ship a part of American literature.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 11 admit that he was beginning to feel his dogma experiences is that of the appearance of one’s crumbling around him. In 1806 a dreadful own double. Goethe (1749–1832), a German avalanche at Rossberg buried several villages, poet, had the astonishing experience of meet- and the reports of visions of the dying appearing ing himself as he rode away from Strassburg. to loved ones became so numerous that Oberlin The phantom wore a pike grey cloak with gold at last came to believe that the villagers were lace that Goethe had never seen before. Eight indeed perceiving spirits of the departed. years later, as Goethe was on the same road In Footfalls on the Boundary of Another going to visit Frederika, it occurred to him World (1848), Dale Owen relates that that he was dressed in precisely the same cloak Oberlin came to believe that his wife that his phantom had been wearing on that appeared to him after her death. The clergy- earlier occasion. man maintained that his wife’s spirit watched In 1929, an archbishop wrote to Sir Oliver over him as though she were a guardian angel. Lodge to tell him of a most peculiar incident Furthermore, Oberlin claimed that he could which had occurred one evening when he had see his wife’s spirit, talk with her, and make returned to his home feeling tired. He sat use of her counsel regarding future events. down in a favorite easy chair, and immediately Oberlin compiled extensive manuscripts that fell asleep. Then, he wrote in the letter, he described in detail a series of manifestations in was sharply aroused in about a quarter of an which his wife appeared to him and dictated hour (as he perceived by the clock). As he information regarding life after death. Oberlin awoke he saw an apparition, luminous, became convinced that the inhabitants of the vaporous, wonderfully real of himself, looking invisible world can appear to the living, and interestedly and delightedly at himself. After we to them, and that we humans are appari- the archbishop and himself had looked at tions to them, as they are to us. each other for the space of about five seconds, The question that may remain is whether the ghostly self vanished for a few seconds, the percipients of apparitions actually observe a and then returned even clearer than before. discarnate entity, which occupies an objective area in time and space, or whether they perceive the result of a successfully implanted telepathic message-image, which had been transmitted at A doppleganger is the astral self in out-of-body the moment of death by the dying loved one. experiences and appears as one’s own double. The witnesses themselves, however, insist that their experiences cannot be dismissed as only dramatic devices of their imaginations. Such weird phenomena are termed “auto- M Delving Deeper scopic hallucinations.” They appear to serve Baird, A. T., ed. One Hundred Cases for Survival After no dual purpose, such as providing a warning Death. New York: Bernard Ackerman, 1944. or disclosing valuable information, but only Crookall, Robert. Intimations of Immortality. London: seem to present a projection of one’s own body James Clarke Co., 1968. image. One sees oneself, as it were, without a Dingwall, Eric J., and John Langdon-Davies. The mirror. Unknown—Is It Nearer? New York: New Ameri- Dr. Edward Podolsky has compiled a num- can Library, 1968. ber of cases of people who have reported seeing Smith, Alson J. Immortality: The Scientific Evidence. their own ghosts, and he recorded the experi- New York: Prentice Hall, 1954. ence of a Mr. Harold C. of , , Tyrrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier who returned home after a hard day at the Books, 1963. office with a splitting migraine. As he sat down to dinner, he saw, sitting opposite him, an exact Autoscopy replica of himself. This astonishing double A phenomenon that may be closely related to repeated every movement he made during the the projection of the astral self in out-of-body entire course of the meal. Since that time, Mr.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 12 Ghosts and Phantoms

C. has seen his double on a number of occa- is revived and returned to life through sions—each time after an attack of migraine. heart massage or other medical means. As Mrs. Jeanie P. was applying makeup, 7. Projections that occur at the moment of she saw an exact duplicate of herself also physical death when the deceased subject touching up her features. Mrs. P. reached out appears to a living percipient with whom to touch the double, and the image reached he or she has had a close emotional link. out to touch her. Mrs. P. actually felt her face In addition to these spontaneous, involun- being touched by her mysterious double. tary experiences, there also seem to be those There are two main theories about the voluntary and conscious projections during cause of autoscopy. One theory regards the which the subjects deliberately endeavor to phenomenon as being due to the result of some free their spirit, their soul, from their physical irritating process in the brain, particularly of body. It would appear that certain people have the parietotemporal-occipital area (the visual exercised this peculiar function of the tran- area). A more psychological theory sees in scendent self to the extent that they can pro- autoscopy the projection of memory pictures. ject their spiritual essence at will and produce Certain pictures are stored in the memory and ghosts, apparitions, of the living. when conditions of stress or other unusual psy- Early psychical researcher Edmund Gurney chological situations arise these memories may (1847–1888) told of the incredible experi- be projected outside the body as real images. ments of a Mr. S. H. Beard in his Phantasms of M Delving Deeper the Living, published in 1886. Beard began his Black, David. Ekstasy: Out-of-the-Body Experiences. experiments with “” in New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975. November of 1881 on a Sunday evening after Crookall, Robert. More Astral Projections. London: he had been reading about the great power Aquarian Press, 1964. which the human will is capable of exercising. Fodor, Nandor. Mind Over Space and Time. New York: Exerting the whole force of his being on the Citadel Press, 1962. thought that he would be present in spirit on Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World . New the second floor of a particular house, Beard York: Citadel Press, 1959. managed to project an apparition of himself Tyrrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier that was visible to his fiancee, Miss L. S. Verity. Books, 1963. Three days later, when Beard went to call upon Verity, a very excited young woman told Ghosts of the Living him that she and her 11-year-old sister had Psychical research has identified the following nearly been frightened out of their wits by an types of situations in which out-of-body experi- apparition that had looked just like him. Beard ences (OBEs) or astral projections might occur: felt quite pleased with the success of his experi- 1. Projections that occur while the subject ment. Verity’s sister confirmed his “ghost’s” sleeps. appearance; in fact, the whole matter of a spec- tral visitation had been brought up without 2. Projections that occur while the subject is any allusion to the subject on Beard’s part. undergoing surgery, childbirth, tooth ex- traction, etc. Verity later told Edmund Gurney that she distinctly saw Beard in her room, about one 3. Projections that occur at the time of acci- o’clock. “I was perfectly awake and was much dent, during which the subject suffers a terrified,” she said. “I awoke my sister by violent physical jolt that seems, literally, to screaming, and she saw the apparition herself. catapult the spirit from the physical body. Neither my sister nor I have ever experienced 4. Projections that occur during intense hallucinations of any sort.” physical pain. Although Beard did not disclose his inten- 5. Projections that occur during acute illness. tions to Verity, he was by no means finished 6. Projections that occur during near-death with his experiments. The second time he was experiences (NDEs), wherein the subject seen by a married sister of Verity’s, whom he

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 13 had met briefly only once before. Beard walked up to the bed on which the sister lay, took her long hair into his hand, and, a bit later, took her hand into his. When investigator Gurney learned of Electronic Voice Beard’s second successful projection, he wrote him a note and urged him to let him know the Phenomena— next time that he planned to experiment. Beard complied, and, in a letter dated March 22, 1884, Recording Ghosts he told the researcher simply, “This is it.” Gurney next heard from Beard on April 3. on Tape A statement from Verity was enclosed: “On homas Alva Edison (1847–1931), who first Saturday night…I had a distinct impression developed the cylinder recorder, did so in that Mr. S. H. B. was present in my room, and an effort to communicate with the dead, I distinctly saw him whilst I was widely awake. Tnot to record music. Edison believed that He came towards me and stroked my hair . . . . the soul was composed of swarms of highly charged The appearance in my room was most vivid entities that lived in the cells, and that left the physical and quite unmistakable.” body after death, entering another cycle of life and Again, Verity testified that she had volun- becoming immortal. tarily given Beard the information without any prompting on his part. Beard concluded his Sources: experiments after this episode for Verity’s nerves American Association for Electronic Voice Phenomena. [Online] “had been much shaken, and she had been http://www.dreamwater.com/aaevp/. obliged to send for a doctor in the morning.” Estep, Sarah Wilson. Voice of Eternity. New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1988. Sylvan J. Muldoon was one of those who International Network for Instrumental Transcommunication. claim that astral projection can be learned, [Online] http://www.worlditc.org. developed, and mastered by the serious-mind- Raudive, Konstanin. Translated by Nadia Fowler. Ed. by Joyce ed. In his two books, The Projection of the Astral Morton. Breakthrough. New York: Taplinger, 1971. Body (1929) and The Case for Astral Projection (1936), Muldoon offers a detailed record of many experiments he personally conducted, and provides a systematic method of inducing years researching various techniques in mov- the conditions necessary for astral projection. ing the soul or mind out of the physical body According to Muldoon, it is possible to leave and has established an institute where students the body at will and retain full consciousness can experience his methods and techniques. in the “astral self.” Muldoon was also cognizant of a “silver cord” connecting the phantom The area of “living ghosts” that has received body and the physical body. This cord, said the greatest amount of study in the twenty-first Muldoon, is extremely elastic and permits a century is that of the near-death-experience journey of considerable distance. Muldoon (NDE). In December 2001, the prestigious claimed to have been able to move objects British medical publication The Lancet released while in his astral self and to have gained the results of an extensive study conducted by information that he could not have acquired Dr. Pim van Lommel and his colleagues at Hos- via any of the normal sensory channels. pital Rijnstate in Arnhem, Netherlands, which In his book Far Journeys (1987), Robert indicates that a number of subjects experienced Monroe provides details of his Gateway Pro- visions or lucid thoughts while they were clini- gram, which claims to be able to teach any cally dead. Some of those subjects also reported serious subject the ability to travel out of the out-of-body experiences, indicating that the body and to escape the known dimensions of mind/soul and the brain are independent of one the physical universe. Monroe has spent many another and that consciousness can exist when

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 14 Ghosts and Phantoms

Russ Tamblyn, Clair the brain has flatlined and the electroencephalo- Crookall, Robert. More Astral Projections. London: Bloom, and Richard graph registers no measurable brain activity. Aquarian Press, 1964. Ingram, Jay. “Can Consciousness Exist When the Johnson in a scene from Frederic W. H. Myers (1843–1901) has Brain Is Off-line?” Toronto Star, January 15, 2002. the 1963 movie “The written that cases of astral projection present [Online] http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ Haunting.” (THE KOBAL perhaps not the most useful, “but the most ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/ COLLECTION) extraordinary achievement of the human will. Article_Prin. What can lie further outside any known capac- ity than the power to cause a semblance of Monroe, Robert A. Far Journeys. New York: Double- oneself to appear at a distance? What can be day, 1987. more a central action—more manifestly the Muldoon, Sylvan, and Hereward Carrington. The outcome of whatsoever is deepest and most Phenomena of Astral Projection. London: Rider & unitary in man’s whole being? Of all vital phe- Co., 1966. nomena, I say, this is the most significant; this self-projection is the one definite act which it Phantoms seems as though a man might perform equally well before and after bodily death.” Almost every city, town, or village in the world has a bit of folklore about a Phantom M Delving Deeper Dog with red eyes that guards the grave of a Black, David. Ekstasy: Out-of-the-Body Experiences. master long dead, a Phantom Nun who still New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975. walks the ruins of a convent that burned to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 15 the ground decades ago, a Phantom Horseman unsolved at the present stage of parapsycho- who patrols the grounds of an old battlefield. logical research. Phantoms comprise that category of ghosts Paranormally restored battle scenes offer that have been seen again and again by count- excellent examples of what seem to be phan- less men and women over many years and toms caused by the collective emotions and have literally begun to assume independent memories of large groups of people. Perhaps existences of their own, becoming, in a sense, the most well-known, most extensively docu- “psychic marionettes,” responding to the fears mented, and most substantially witnessed was and expectations of their human percipients. the Phantom Battle of Edge Hill which was In some dramatic instances, an entire section “refought” on several consecutive weekends of landscape seems to be haunted. In most during the Christmas season of 1642. The cases of this particular type of haunting, a actual battle was waged near the village of tragic scene from the past is recreated in pre- Keinton, England, on October 23 between the cise detail, as some cosmic photographer had Royalist Army of King Charles and the Parlia- committed the panorama to ethereal film mentary Army under the Earl of Essex. footage. Battles are waged, trains are wrecked, ships are sunk, the screams of earthquake vic- It was on Christmas Eve that several coun- tims echo through the night—all as it actually tryfolk were awakened by the noises of violent took place months, years, or centuries before. battle. Fearing that it could only be another Thomas A. Edison (1847–1931), the elec- clash between soldiers that had come to dese- trical wizard, theorized that energy, like matter, crate the sanctity of the holy evening and the is indestructible. He became intrigued by the peace of their countryside, the villagers fled idea of developing a radio that would be sensi- from their homes to confront two armies of tive enough to pick up the sounds of times phantoms. One side bore the king’s colors; the past—sounds which were no longer audible to other, Parliament’s banners. Until three o’clock any ears but those of the psychically sensitive. in the morning, the phantom soldiers restaged Edison hypothesized that the vibrations of the terrible fighting of two months before. every word ever uttered still echoed in the ether. If this theory ever should be established, it would explain such phenomena as the restoration of scenes from the past. Just as the ALMOST every city, town, or village in the emotions of certain individuals permeate a cer- tain room and cause a ghost to be seen by those world has a bit of folklore about a phantom. possessing similar telepathic affinity, so might it be that emotionally charged scenes of the past may become imprinted upon the psychic ether The actual battle had resulted in defeat for of an entire landscape. An alternate theory King Charles, and the monarch grew greatly maintains that surviving minds, emotionally disturbed when he heard that two armies of held to the area, may telepathically invade the ghosts were determined to remind the popu- mind of sensitive individuals and enable them lace that the Parliamentary forces had tri- to see the scene as they, the original partici- umphed at Edge Hill. The king suspected that pants, once saw the events occurring. certain Parliamentary sympathizers had fabri- Whatever the reasons may be, it cannot be cated the tale to cause him embarrassment. denied that some locales definitely have built The king sent three of his most trusted officers up their own “atmospheres” over the years and to squelch the matter. When the emissaries that such auras often give sensitive people returned to court, they swore oaths that they feelings of uneasiness—and often sensations themselves had witnessed the clash of the of fear and discomfort. Whether this may be phantom armies. On two consecutive nights, caused by surviving minds, a psychic residue, they had watched the ghostly reconstruction or an impression of the actual event in the and had even recognized several of their com- psychic ether is a question that remains rades who had fallen that day.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 16 Ghosts and Phantoms

gators checked it against detailed accounts of the event in the war office. The times record- ed by the women were, in most cases, identi- cal to the minute of the raid that had taken place nine years before. Another area which seems to be drenched with the powerful emotions of fighting and dying men is that of the small island of Cor- regidor, where in the early days of World War II (1939–45), a handful of American and Fil- ipino troops tried desperately to halt the Japanese advance against the city of Manila and the whole Philippine Islands, valiantly fighting almost beyond human endurance. According to several witnesses, their ghosts have gone on fighting. Today, the only living inhabitants of the island are a small detachment of Filipino marines, a few firewood cutters, and a caretak- er and his family. And then there are the non- living inhabitants. Terrified wood cutters have returned to the base to tell of bleeding and wounded men who stumble about in the jungle. Always, they describe the men as grim-faced and carrying rifles at the ready. Marines on jungle maneuvers have reported coming face to face with silently stalking phantom scouts of that desperate last- stand conflict of more than 60 years ago. Many have claimed to have seen a beautiful red-head- ed woman moving silently among rows of ghost- ly wounded, ministering to their injuries. Most often seen is the ghost of a nurse in a Red Cross Phantom attacker. On August 4, 1951, two young English- uniform. Soldiers on night duty who have spot- (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) women vacationing in Dieppe, France, were ted the phantom have reported that, shortly awakened just before dawn by the violent after she fades into the jungle moonlight, they sounds of guns and shell fire, dive bombing find themselves surrounded by rows and rows of planes, shouts, and the scraping of landing groaning and dying men in attitudes of extreme craft hitting the beach. Cautiously peering out suffering. According to the caretaker and his of their windows, the two young women saw family, the sounds that come with evening are only the peaceful pre-dawn city. They knew, the most disconcerting part of living on an however, that just nine years previously, near- island full of phantoms. Every night the air is ly 1,000 young Canadians had lost their lives filled with horrible moans of pain and the in the ill-fated Dieppe raid. sounds of invisible soldiers rallying to defend Demonstrating an unusual presence of themselves against phantom invaders. mind, the young Englishwomen kept a record Veterans of the Korean conflict returned of the frightening sounds of war, noting the with tales of a phantom town that came to life exact times of the ebb and flow of the invisi- on cold, still nights. By day, Kumsong, Korea, ble battle. They presented their report to the was nothing but piles of battered rubble. The Society for Psychical Research, whose investi- population had long since given up residence

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 17 of their war-ravished village to the rats. The had not been growing increasingly uncomfort- American troops, who looked down on the able in the rain, which was becoming steadily charred ruins from their positions in the front- heavy. She decided that she was not made of line bunkers, called Kumsong “The Capital of such hardy stock as the sturdy villagers and got No Man’s Land.” But on some nights, soldiers back into her automobile to resume her trip. would come back from their frozen bunkers Edith Olivier did not visit Avebury again with stories of music, singing, and the laughter until nine years had passed. At that time, she of women that had drifted up from the ghost was perplexed to read in the guidebook that, town. So many Allied troops heard the ghost- although a village fair had once been an annu- ly music that “Ching and his violin” became a al occurrence in Avebury, the custom had reality to the front-line soldiers. been abolished in 1850. When she protested Although both haunted landscapes and that she had personally witnessed a village fair haunted houses seem most liable to receive in Avebury in 1916, the guide offered Olivier their emotional energy from the psychic a sound and convincing rebuttal. Even more charges generated by scenes of violence and astounding, perhaps, was the information she tragedy, there have been reports of pleasant acquired concerning the megaliths. The par- restorations of the past. ticular avenue on which she had driven on that rainy night of her first visit had disap- On a rainy evening in October of 1916, peared before 1800. Edith Olivier was driving from Devizes to Swindon in Wiltshire, England. The evening Edith Olivier’s experience begs the ques- was so dreary that Olivier wished earnestly for tion: Just how substantial is a phantom? Can a a nice, warm inn in which to spend the night. scene from the past return and assume tempo- Leaving the main road, she found herself pass- rary physical reality once again? Did Olivier ing along a strange avenue lined by huge gray drive her automobile on an avenue that was megaliths. She concluded that she must have no longer there, or did she drive on a solid sur- been approaching Avebury. Although Olivier face that had once been there and had tem- had never been to Avebury before, she was porarily returned? familiar with pictures of the area and knew According to those who have encountered that the place had originally been a circular them, a materialized phantom seems as solid as megalithic temple that had been reached by any human. Modern science no longer regards long stone avenues. solids as solids at all but rather as congealed When she reached the end of an avenue, wave patterns. Psychical researcher James she got out of her automobile so that she might Crenshaw notes that the whole imposing array better view the irregularly falling megaliths. As of subatomic particles—electrons, protons, she stood on the bank of a large earthwork, she positrons, neutrinos, mesons—achieve “parti- could see a number of cottages, which had cle-like characteristics” in a manner similar to been built among the megaliths, and she was the way that wave patterns in tones and over- surprised to see that, in spite of the rain, there tones produce characteristic sounds. Crenshaw seemed to be a village fair in progress. The theorizes that ghosts may be made up of transi- laughing villagers were walking merrily about tory, emergent matter that “…appears and dis- with flares and torches, trying their skill at var- appears, can sometimes be seen and felt before ious booths and applauding lustily for the tal- disappearing…behaves like ordinary matter ented performers of various shows. but still has no permanent existence in the framework of our conception of space and Olivier became greatly amused at the care- time. In fact, after its transitory manifestations, free manner in which the villagers enjoyed it seems to be absorbed back into another themselves, completely oblivious to the rain. dimension or dimensions.…” Men, women, and children walked about with- out any protective outer garments and not a M Delving Deeper single umbrella could be seen. She would have Edsall, F. S. The World of Psychic Phenomena. New joined the happy villagers at their fair if she York: David McKay, 1958.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 18 Ghosts and Phantoms

“Poltergeist” movie. (THE Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World. New people, is attributed to the destructive impulse KOBAL COLLECTION) York: Citadel Press, 1959. of a fragmented psyche to another. Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: According to many contemporary psychi- Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. cal researchers poltergeist manifestations are Tyrrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier dramatic instances of psychokinesis (PK) (the Books, 1963. mind influencing matter) on the rampage. Although the pranks of the poltergeist were formerly attributed to malicious tricks perpe- Poltergeists trated by demons and disembodied spirits, the The perverse talents of the poltergeist (Ger- great majority of psychical researchers today man for “pelting or throwing ghost”) range hold that some faculty of PK is at work. “The from the ability to toss pebbles and smash poltergeist is not a ghost,” the psychoanalyst vases, to the astonishing ability to materialize Dr. Nandor Fodor once wrote, “but a bundle human or beastlike entities, complete with of projected repressions.” voices, intelligent responses, and disagreeable Quite probably, according to many odors. From humankind’s earliest records to researchers, the sex changes that occur during today’s newspaper story, every reported polter- puberty have a great deal to do with the pecu- case follows the same basic patterns. Cul- liar type of PK that is responsible for poltergeist tural influences seem to matter little, if at all. activity. Researchers have only begun to realize A poltergeist manifestation is similar in char- some of the vast chemical changes that take acter whether it takes place in Indonesia, Ice- place in the body during adolescence. Who can land, or Long Island. Only the interpretation say what may happen in the lower levels of the of the disturbance varies. What is attributed subconscious? Psychical researchers have noted to the destructive impulse of a to one that more often a girl than a boy is at the center

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 19 of poltergeistic disturbances and that the sexual Enfield poltergeist change of puberty is associated with either the case/investigator beginning or the termination of the phenome- Maurice Gross. (GUY na. Researchers have also observed that the LYON PLAYFAIR/FORTEAN sexual adjustments of the marital state can also PICTURE LIBRARY) trigger such phenomena. The poltergeist often finds its energy cen- ter in the frustrated creativity of a brooding adolescent, who is denied accepted avenues of expression. Those who have witnessed polter- geistic activity firsthand have been convinced that the energy force is directed by a measure of intelligence or purpose. Observers ranging from skeptical scientists, hard-nosed journal- ists, and innocent bystanders alike have reported seeing poltergeist-borne objects turn corners, poltergeist-manipulated chalk write intelligible sentences on walls, and polter- geist-flung pebbles come out of nowhere to strike children. But, as one investigator com- mented, the phenomena are exactly such as would occur to the mind of a child. In Polter- (1940), Sacheverell Sitwell wrote that the poltergeist always directed its power toward “the secret or concealed weaknesses of the spirit…the recesses of the soul. The mys- ing of poltergeist activity. According to Sander- teries of puberty, that trance or dozing of the son’s observations, the stones are “dropped” or psyche before it awakes into adult life, is a “lobbed” or “just drift around” rather than favorite playground for the poltergeist.” thrown. “Stone-dropping is a purely physical phenomenon,” stated Sanderson, “and can be Why it should be the baser elements of the explained on some physical principles, though adolescent human subconscious that find not necessarily on Newtonian, Einsteinian, or their expression in the poltergeist is a matter any others that concern our particular space- of great speculation among psychical time continuum.” researchers. Physical violence is almost always expressed toward the adolescent energy center of the poltergeist—and a parent, a brother, or a sister may come in for their share of the pun- ishment as well. If the poltergeist sticks PSYCHICAL researchers believe around long enough (its average life is about poltergeist manifestations are dramatic instances two weeks) to develop a voice or the ability to communicate by raps or automatic writing, its of psychokinesis. communications are usually nonsensical, rib- ald, or downright obscene. Cases of poltergeists pelting innocent fami- M Delving Deeper lies with stones and pebbles comprise by far the Carrington, Hereward, and Nandor Fodor. Haunted largest single category of poltergeistic phenom- People. New York: New American Library, 1968. ena and therefore seem to be the most common Fodor, Nandor. The Haunted Mind. New York: New example of PK running wild. Natural scientist American Library, 1968. Ivan T. Sanderson cautioned researchers Sanderson, Ivan T. Things. New York: Pyramid Books, against using the term “throwing” when speak- 1967.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 20 Ghosts and Phantoms

Ghost image of a woman accounts of alleged communication with the frightening an elderly dead to be authentic, they must first of all be man in a double exposed veridical; that is, they must relate to an actual film from ca. 1910. event that was occurring, had occurred, or (CORBIS CORPORATION) would occur. In addition, these cases must each contain an independent witness who could further testify to the truth and import of the experience. The account of James Chaf- fin’s will is a case that truly seems suggestive of survival of the human personality after death.

On September 7, 1921, James Chaffin of Davie County, North Carolina, died as the result of a fall. A farmer, Chaffin was survived by his widow and four sons, but the will that he had had duly attested by two witnesses on November 16, 1905, left all of his property to the third son, Marshall.

One night in the latter part of June 1925, four years after James Chaffin’s death, James Pinkney Chaffin, the farmer’s second son, saw Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- the spirit figure of the deceased standing at his ty Books, 1959. bedside and heard the specter tell of another will. According to the son, his father had Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: appeared dressed as he often had in life. “You Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. will find the will in my overcoat pocket,” the spirit figure said, taking hold of the garment Spirits of the Dead and pulling it back. According to the “USA Snapshots” feature in the April 20, 1998, issue of USA Today, 52 The next morning James Pinkney Chaffin percent of adult Americans believe that arose convinced he had seen and heard his encounters with the dead are possible. In his father and that the spirit had visited him for 1994 analysis of a national sociological survey, the purpose of correcting some error. His Jeffrey S. Levin, an associate professor at East- father’s black overcoat had been passed on to ern Virginia Medical School, found that two- John Chaffin, so James traveled to Yadkin thirds of Americans claimed to have had at County to examine the pocket to which the least one mystical experience. Of that remark- spirit had made reference. The two brothers ably high number, 39.9 percent said that they found that the lining of the inside pocket had had an encounter with a ghost or had been sewn together, and when they cut the achieved contact with the spirit of a deceased stitches, they found a roll of paper that bore person. According to a survey published in the the message: “Read the 27th chapter of Gene- December 1997 issue of Self, 85 percent of its sis in my daddie’s [sic] Old Bible.” readers believed in the reality of communica- James P. Chaffin was then convinced that tion with the spirit world. the specter had spoken truthfully, and he The more that is learned of the remarkable brought witnesses with him to the home of his powers of the human psyche, the more difficult mother where, after some search, they located it is to prove that one has actually made con- the dilapidated old Bible in the top drawer of tact with a spirit of a deceased person, rather a dresser in an upstairs room. One of the wit- than experienced some facet of extrasensory nesses found the will in a pocket that had perception, such as clairvoyance or telepathy. been formed by folding two of the Bible’s In order for psychical researchers to consider pages together.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 21

The new will had been made by James Chaffin on January 16, 1919, 14 years after the first will. In this testament, the farmer stated that he desired his property to be divid- ed equally among his four sons with the admo- nition that they provide for their mother as long as she lived. Although the second will had not been attested, it would, under North Carolina law, be considered valid because it had been writ- ten throughout in James Chaffin’s own hand- writing. All that remained was to present suf- ficient evidence that the hand that had writ- ten the second will was, without doubt, that of the deceased. Marshall Chaffin, the sole beneficiary under the conditions of the old will, had passed away within a year of his father, nearly four years before the spirit of James Chaffin had appeared to his second son, James Pinkney Chaffin. Marshall’s widow and son prepared to contest the validity of the second will, and the residents of the county began to look forward to a long and bitter court battle between members of the Chaffin family. The scandal mongers were immensely disappoint- ed when 10 witnesses arrived in the court- room prepared to give evidence that the sec- ond will was in James Chaffin’s handwriting. After seeing the will, Marshall Chaffin’s wife and son immediately withdrew their opposi- tion. It seemed evident that they, too, believed the will had been written in the hand of the testator. widow and three disinherited sons. Perhaps the Joel Grey and Patrick farmer had intended some sort of deathbed Stewart in the television James Pinkney Chaffin later told an inves- and had these plans go unrealized production of “The tigator for the Journal of the Society for Psychi- when his life was cut short by accident. Christmas Carol.” (THE cal Research that his father had appeared to KOBAL COLLECTION) him before the trial and told him that the law- Society for Psychical Research investiga- suit would be terminated in such a manner. tors were unable to establish any kind of case “Many of my friends do not believe it is possi- for a subconscious knowledge of the will in ble for the living to hold communication with the old Bible or of the message in the coat the dead,” James Pinkney Chaffin said, “but I pocket. Fraud must be ruled out because of the am convinced that my father actually ease in which 10 reliable witnesses, well- appeared to me on these several occasions and acquainted with James Chaffin’s handwriting, I shall believe it to the day of my death.” could be summoned to testify to the authen- It seems strange that James Chaffin should ticity of the handwriting in the will. Charges have kept the second will secret, especially in of a fake will would seem to be further negated view of the subsequent claim that his disturbed by the immediate withdrawal from the contest spirit came back from beyond the grave to of Marshall Chaffin’s widow and son once right the wrong that had been done to his they were allowed to examine the document.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 22 Ghosts and Phantoms

Evidently they, too, recognized the handwrit- Various legends have sprung up about the ing of the elder Chaffin. origin of the lights. Some say the Cherokee spirits and Catawba braves made the lights and search the valley for maiden lovers. It seems that the two tribes had a big battle hun- FIFTY-TWO percent of Americans believe dreds of years ago, in which nearly all of the men of the two tribes were killed. Apparently encounters with the dead are possible. this legend has some basis in fact, because at least a half a dozen Native American graves have been found in the area. The Journal’s summation of the strange According to some local residents, the case of James Chaffin’s will stated the difficul- lights first began to be sighted on a regular basis ty in attempting to explain the case along sometime in 1916. At the time it was thought normal lines. For those willing to accept a that the mystery lights might have been caused supernormal explanation of the event, it by the headlights on locomotives or cars run- should be noted that the Chaffin case is of a ning through a nearby valley. However, during comparatively infrequent type, in which more the spring of that year, all bridges were knocked than one of the witness’s senses is affected by out by a flood and the roads became too muddy the spirit. J. P. Chaffin both “saw” his father’s for cars to travel—yet the Brown Mountain spirit and “heard” him speak. The auditory lights were seen in greater number than before. information provided by the spirit was not strictly accurate, for what was in the overcoat Some who have witnessed the phenomena pocket was not the second will, but a clue to believe that the lights are intelligently con- its whereabouts. But the practical result was trolled. They say that they have seen them the same. butting into each other and bouncing like big basketballs. Certain observers swear that they M Delving Deeper have tracked the lights at speeds of almost 100 Baird, A. T., ed. One Hundred Cases for Survival After miles per hour. On one Saturday night in Death. New York: Bernard Ackerman, 1944. 1959, according to some area residents, more Crookall, Robert. Intimations of Immortality. London: than 5,000 persons turned out to see the lights. James Clarke, 1968. Some of the spookiest lights on record are Fiore, Edith. The Unquiet Dead. New York: Double- the ones linked popularly to ghosts and their day, 1987. haunting grounds. In the little town of Silver Murphy, Gardner. The Challenge of Psychical Research. Cliff, Colorado, ghost lights have plagued the New York: Harper & Row, 1970. local cemetery since 1880. Silver Cliff is itself Watson, Lyall. The Romeo Error. New York: Dell almost a ghost town: In 1880 it boasted a pop- Books, 1976. ulation of 5,087; by the 1950s it had only 217 inhabitants. Spooklights The ghost lights reached the mass media Nestled far from the nearest city of Hickory, in the spring of 1956 in the Wet Mountain Tri- the Brown Mountain region of North Caroli- bune, and on August 20, 1967, in the New na has been a subject of fascination for more York Times. Local folklore has it that the lights than 100 years, for nearly every night along were first seen in 1880 by a group of miners the mountain ridges mysterious lights can be passing by the cemetery. When they saw the seen for which scientists have failed to find flickering blue lights over the gravestones, any logical explanation. From sunset until they left in a hurry. Since then, the lights have dawn, globes of various colored lights, ranging been observed by generations of tourists and in size from mere points to 25 feet in diameter, residents of Custer County. Many of these wit- can be seen rising above the tall trees and nesses have noted that the curious blue lights flickering off again, as they fall to the moun- cannot be seen as clearly on the sandstone tain passes below. markers. This convinced several spectators

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 23 that the lights were only a reflection of house- This alone has caused the Spooksville area to be lights in the valley. called the “UFO” airport. Not so, insisted county judge August Men- In appearance the ghost light resembles a zel. In the New York Times he told of the night bright lantern. Often the light dims before the when everyone in Silver Cliff and nearby spectators, then bounces back over the moun- Westcliff shut off their lights. Even the street tains in a brilliant blaze of light. Hundreds of lights were turned off, but the graveyard lights firsthand encounters with the mysterious ghost still danced as brightly as ever. light are on record. These accounts demon- If the ghostly gravemarkers cannot be strate actual experiences with the unknown, attributed to the reflection of ordinary house sometimes frightening, but always interesting. and municipal lights, just what can they be? During World War II (1939–45) the U.S. Old-timers and younger theorists have come Corps of Engineers scoured the entire area, up with many suggestions. Some believe that using the latest scientific equipment of the the lights are reflections from the stars. Yet the time. For weeks they tested caves, mineral lights are just as clear on a starless, moonless deposits, and highway routes, exhausting every night. Others theorize that they are caused by possible explanation for the origin of the mys- phosphorescing ore and glowing wood—but tery lights. They finally left, confounded. the darker the night, the brighter the lights. It Perhaps the most famous spook lights in was suggested that radioactive ores were caus- the United States are the eerie illuminations ing the flickering lights. But Geiger counters that appear in the night sky just east of Marfa, were then employed to cover the entire area, Texas, a small ranching community southeast and no radioactivity was discovered. of El Paso. Settler Robert Ellison, who feared Finally the seekers of a plausible explana- that he was seeing Apache campfires in the tion confessed total bafflement. None of the distance, first spotted the strange lights in theories would hold water, and the lights them- 1883. When he investigated the next day, he selves could never be approached for a close could find no ashes where he had seen the enough look. As soon as anyone came too near, lights. Local folklore soon attributed the ghost the lights would disappear, only to pop up again lights to the spirits of slain warriors seeking in another section of the cemetery. Photogra- peace, the ghosts of murdered settlers, the phers were hired, but no one managed to cap- restless spectre of the Apache chief Alsate, or ture the elusive blue lights on film. the quests of lost lovers yearning to be reunit- At this point the old-timers simply smile ed. Some area residents have stories of being and provide the fitting explanation for any guided home to safety by the mysterious lights, classic ghost story. According to local legend, while others tell of being terrified by close the cemetery, which is still in use, is the final encounters with the glowing orbs. resting place for many miners who died while Theorists have ascribed the digging precious ores. The flickering lights of to natural phenomena, such as ball lightning, the graveyard resemble the little lights worn electrostatic charges, or gas emissions. Certain on the miners’ caps, and the ghostly lights scientists have blamed a combination of solar belong to the restless souls of the miners, who activity and seismic activity that creates a still search for the gold they never found. kind of underground lightning that on occa- A far more notorious ghost light is located sion rises above ground level to be seen as the in the tri-state area of Spooksville, in a corner of eerie lights. , Arkansas, and Oklahoma. There are many more ghost lights haunt- Spooksville’s ghostly light is advertised as a ing the nooks and crannies, mountain peaks tourist attraction, and brings in countless num- and valleys, of the planet Earth. Experts have bers of the curious. The mysterious light, known tried to explain the mystery of spook lights by variously as “spook light” or “ghost light” to the using the existing structure of physics and visitors and inhabitants of the region, was offi- known natural phenomena, such as ball light- cially dubbed a UFO by the U.S. Air Force. ning, will o’ the wisps, and swamp gas, but so

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 24 Ghosts and Phantoms

far all attempts at scientific explanation have distinguished professor of logic at Oxford Uni- been unsuccessful. versity, put forth his “psychic ether” theory of hauntings. Price hypothesized that a certain M Delving Deeper level of mind may be capable of creating a Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of mental image that has a degree of persistence the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, in the psychic ether. This mental image may 1989. also contain a degree of telepathic ability by Clark, Jerome. Unexplained! Detroit and London: Vis- which it can affect others. Price’s theory holds ible Ink Press, 1999. that the collective emotions or thought Floyd, Randall. Ghost Lights and Other Encounters. Lit- images of a person who has lived in a house tle Rock, Ark.: August House, 1993. some time in the past may have intensely Gaddis, Vincent H. Mysterious Fires and Lights. New “charged” the psychic ether of the place— York: Dell Books, 1968. especially if there had been such powerful Steiger, Brad. Beyond Belief. New York: Scholastic, emotions as fear, hatred, or sorrow, super- 1991. charged by an act of violence. The original agent, Price theorized, has no direct part in the haunting. It is the charged psychic ether which, when presented with a percipient of Famous Haunted Houses suitable telepathic affinity, collaborates in the and Places production of the idea-pattern of a ghost. Ghosts, according to Price, may be mani- n a Gallup Poll conducted in May 2001, 42 festations of past events that have been percent of the respondents said that they brought to the minds of persons sensitive Ibelieved that houses could be haunted by enough to receive a kind of “echo” from the ghosts or spirits of the dead. Psychoanalyst Dr. past. These sensitive individuals receive Nandor Fodor theorized that genuinely haunt- impressions from those emotion-charged ed houses were those that had soaked up emo- events that have left some trace of some ener- tional unpleasantness from former occupants. gy in the inanimate objects at the place where Years, or even centuries, later, the emotional they occurred. This information, or memory, energy may become reactivated when later may be transmitted as telepathic messages occupants of the house undergo a similar emo- that can be received at some deep level of the tional disturbance. The “haunting”—mysteri- human subconscious. These impressions then ous knocks and rappings, opening and slam- express themselves in the conscious mind in ming doors, cold drafts, appearance of ghostly such a form as an uneasy feeling or a ghost. figures—is produced, in Fodor’s hypothesis, by Perhaps every old house, courtroom, hos- the merging of the two energies, one from the pital ward, apartment, or railroad depot is past, the other from the present. In Fodor’s “haunted.” Any edifice that has been much theory, the reservoir of absorbed emotions, used as a setting for human activity almost which lie dormant in a haunted house, can certainly has been saturated with memory only be activated when emotional instability is traces of the entire gamut of emotions. But it present. Those homes which have a history of may be this multiplicity of mental images that happy occupants, the psychoanalyst believed, works against the chances of a ghost popping are in little danger of becoming haunted. up in every hotel room and depot lobby. An Psychic investigator Edmund Gurney put over-saturation of idea-patterns in the majori- forth the hypothesis that the collective sight- ty of homes and public places may have left ing of a ghost is due to a sort of telepathic only a kaleidoscopic mass of impressions that “infection.” One percipient sees the ghost combine to produce the peculiar atmosphere and, in turn, telepathically influences another one senses in so many places. It is only when person, and so on. an idea-pattern that has been supercharged In his presidential address to the Society with enormous psychic intensity finds the for Psychic Research in 1939, H. H. Price, a mental level of a percipient with the necessary

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 25

ecause Hollywood has produced so many motion pictures portraying ghosts and the afterlife, it should come as no surprise that Bmany former homes and places of certain movie stars who have passed on to the other side are Haunted said to be haunted. The following places are said to be haunted by Hollywood greats: Hollywood • Ever since the late 1920s, the spirit form of the Great Lover, Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926), • The “Man of Steel,” George Reeves (1914– has been seen in and around his former home, 1959), who starred in the series Superman Falcon’s Lair, on Bella Drive. (1950–57), is claimed to have been seen in the • The former house of Joan Crawford (1904– home on Benedict Canyon Drive where his 1977) on Bristol Avenue has an eerie history of body was found. mysterious fires that kept breaking out on the Sources: wall where the headboard of her bed once Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places. Reprint. New York: rested. Penguin USA, 1996. • Clifton Webb (1891–1966), who in life was a Jacobson, Laurie, and Mark Wanamaker. Hollywood Haunted. militant nonsmoker with a distaste for cats, is Los Angeles: Angel City Press, 1999. said to make life difficult for cigarette smokers Steiger, Brad, and Sherry Hansen Steiger. Hollywood and the and cat fanciers in his former home on Rex- Supernatural. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990. ford Drive. • The ethereal form of Marilyn Monroe (1926– 1962) has been seen to materialize in front of her earthly home on Helena Drive. •When popular singer Englebert Humperdinck bought Jayne Mansfield’s (1933–1967) “Pink Palace” on Sunset Boulevard shortly after her death, he claimed he encountered her ghost. • Guests at the Roosevelt Hotel on 7000 Holly- wood Boulevard have reported encounters with the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Mont- gomery Clift (1920–1966). People have sighted the spirit of Monroe near the full-length mirror on the lower level, and many guests have had their sleep interrupted by Clift blowing on a trumpet in Room 928 as his spirit still rehears- es for his role as the bugler in From Here to Eternity (1953). • Mae West (1892–1980) loved to host seances in her old home in the Ravenswood Apartments on Rossmore Avenue, and her spirit has remained strongly attached to the building.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 26 Ghosts and Phantoms

Bell Witch’s Cave degree of telepathic affinity that a real ghost can appear. According to most accounts, the disturbances A ghost, then, in Price’s theory, has noth- began one night in 1817 with mysterious rap- ing to do with the “supernatural.” The appear- pings on the windows of the Bells’ cabin near ance of a specter is an out-of-the-ordinary Clarksville, . Twelve-year-old Eliza- occurrence, a paranormal happening, but beth “Betsy” Bell began to complain of an there is a “natural” cause for the manifestation invisible rat gnawing on her bedpost at night, of the ghost. Once science determines just and the entire family, including the parents, how the energy released by intense emotions John and Luce, experienced the midnight is able to permeate the matter of wood, stone, confusion of having their covers pulled off metal, and gems and just how the furnishings their beds. of a room are able to absorb these vibrations, When the Bell family arose one morning, it will be as easy to “dehaunt” a house as it is stones littered the floor of their front room and to rid it of pests. Medical doctors have learned the furniture had been overturned. The chil- to deal with the unseen world of viruses; dren, Betsy, John, Drewry, Joel, and Richard, physicists have learned to work with such were goggle-eyed and spoke of ghosts and gob- unseen lines of force as electricity; so may it be lins. John Bell lectured his family severely. one day with the “psychic germs” that infect They would keep the problem to themselves. haunted houses and the invisible field of force They didn’t want their family to become the that dictates the mechanism of ghosts. subject for common and unsavory gossip. That night, Richard was awakened by something pulling his hair, raising his head right off the pillow. Joel began screaming at HAUNTINGS are in the minds of his brother’s plight, and from her room, Betsy began howling that the gnawing rat had persons sensitive enough to receive a kind of “echo” begun to pull her hair, too. from the past. Most of the family awakened the next day with sore scalps, and John Bell reversed his decision. It was obvious that they needed help. That day he would confide in James Johnson, In the hauntings described in this chapter, their nearest neighbor and closest friend. however, there were no psychical researchers available who had the ability to negate the Johnson accompanied his friend to the effect of the powerful psychic energies that cabin that evening. The tale that Bell told was had been released by entities from other an incredible one, but Johnson knew that his dimensions, spirits of the dead, or unconscious neighbor was not given to flights of fancy. psychokinetic projections of the living. While he watched at Betsy’s bedside that night, Johnson saw the young girl receive sev- M Delving Deeper eral blows on the cheeks from an invisible Bardens, Dennis. Ghosts and Hauntings. New York: antagonist. He adjured the spirit to stop in the Ace Books, 1965. name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and there was Carrington, Hereward, and Nandor Fodor. Haunted no activity from the ghost for several minutes, People. New York: New American Library, 1968. but then Betsy’s hair received a yank that Fodor, Nandor. The Haunted Mind. New York: New brought a cry of pain from her lips. Again American Library, 1968. Johnson adjured the evil spirit, and it released Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- the girl’s hair. ty Books, 1959. Johnson concluded that the spirit under- Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: stood the human language and that Betsy was Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. the center of the haunting. He met with other Tyrell, G. N. M. Apparitions. New York: Collier neighbors, and they decided to help the Bell Books, 1963. family as best they could. A committee kept

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 27 watch at the Bell house all night to try to pla- urge the witch to talk and declare herself and cate the spirit, but all this accomplished was to her intentions. At last their efforts were bring about an especially vicious attack on the rewarded. At first the voice was only a unfortunate Betsy. A number of neighbors vol- whistling kind of indistinct babble, then it unteered their own daughters to sleep with became bolder—a husky whisper speaking Betsy, but this only managed to terrorize the from darkened corners. At last, it became a other girls as well. Nor did it accomplish any full-toned voice that spoke not only in dark- useful purpose to take Betsy out of the cabin ness but also in lighted rooms and, finally, dur- into the home of neighbors—the trouble simply ing the day as well as the night. Immediately followed her there and upset the entire house. the charge of ventriloquism was heard from By now the haunting had achieved wide the skeptical. To put a halt to the accusations notoriety, and the disturbances were thought of trickery, John Jr. brought in a doctor, who to be the work of a witch, who had set her evil placed his hand over Betsy’s mouth and lis- spirits upon the Bell family. Each night the tened at her throat while the witch’s voice house was filled with those who sat up trying chatted amicably from a far corner of the to get the “witch” to talk or to communicate room. The doctor decreed that the girl was in with them by rapping on the walls. The distur- no way connected with the sounds. bances soon became powerful enough to move From the beginning of the witch’s visita- outside the cabin and away from Betsy. Neigh- tion, it had minced no words in its dislike of bors reported seeing lights “like candles or John Bell, Betsy’s father. The spirit often lamps” flitting through the fields, and farmers swore to visitors in the Bell home that she began to suffer stone-throwing attacks from would keep after him until the end of his days. the Bell Witch. To a visitor’s question concerning its iden- These particular peltings seemed to have tity, the witch once answered that it was a spir- been more in the nature of fun than some of it who had once been very happy, but it had the other manifestations of the spirit. Young been disturbed and made unhappy. Later, the boys in the area would often play catch with witch declared itself to be the spirit of an Indi- the witch if she happened to throw something an and sent the family on a wild bone chase to at them on their way home from school. Once gather up all of its skeletal remains. If her an observer witnessed several boys get sudden- bones were all put back together, she would be ly pelted with sticks that flew from a nearby able to rest in peace, the entity lied to them. thicket. The sticks did not strike the boys with Later, the witch told the family with a much force, and, with a great deal of laughter, merry cackle that she was the ghost of old Kate the boys scooped the sticks up and hurled Batts, a woman who had been an eccentric them back into the thicket. Once again, the recluse and who had earned the appellation of sticks came flying back out. The observer cut “witch” from the citizens of Clarksville. When notches in several of the sticks with his knife the word spread that it was the ghost of old before the boys once again returned the Kate who was haunting the Bells, the entire witch’s volley. He was able to identify his mystery became much more believable to sev- markings when the playful entity once again eral doubting neighbors. flung the sticks from the thicket. The Bell home became crowded, indeed, The witch was not so gentle with the when the witch’s “family” moved in with her. scoffers who came to the Bell home to expose Four hell-raisers named Blackdog, Mathemat- the manifestations as trickery. Those who ics, Cypocryphy, and Jerusalem, each speaking stayed the night invariably had their covers in distinct voices of their own, made every jerked from their beds. If they resisted the night party time during their stay with their witch’s yanking, they were slapped soundly on “mother.” The sounds of raucous laughter rat- the face. tled the shingles of the Bell home, and wit- Spiritists, clergymen, reporters, and curios- nesses noted the strong scent of whiskey that ity seekers had waged a ceaseless campaign to permeated every room in the house.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 28 Ghosts and Phantoms

When two local preachers arrived to inves- ple by shouting obscenities about them in front tigate the disturbances, the witch delivered of their friends. each of their Sunday sermons word for word A friend of the family, Frank Miles, and in a perfect imitation of their own voices. learned of the witch’s objection to Betsy’s The Bell Witch was adept at producing engagement and resolved to stand up to the odd objects apparently from thin air. Once, at evil spirit on her behalf. He challenged the one of Mrs. Bell’s Bible study groups, the entity to take any form it wished, and he ladies were showered with fresh fruits. Betsy’s would soon send her packing. Suddenly his friends were treated to bananas at one of her head jerked backwards as if a solid slap had birthday parties. Although the father, John stung his cheeks. He put up his forearms to Bell, was the butt of malicious pranks and block a series of facial blows, and then cruel blows, the witch looked after Mrs. Bell dropped his guard as he received a vicious solicitously. Once when she was ill, the witch punch in the stomach. Miles slumped against was heard to tell her to hold out her hands. a wall, desperately shaking his head to recover When Luce Bell did so, a large quantity of his senses. hazelnuts dropped into her palms. When Mrs. Bell weakly complained that she could not Frank Miles looked helplessly at Betsy crack them, family members and neighbors Bell, who watched the one-sided boxing watched in wide-eyed fascination as the nuts match. Reluctantly, he picked up his hat and cracked open and the meats were sorted from coat. A man couldn’t fight an enemy he the shells. couldn’t see. Next to the materialization of fruits and General Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), nuts, the witch was especially fond of produc- Old Hickory himself, decided to have his try at ing pins and needles. Mrs. Bell was provided defeating the witch. An old friend of John Bell, with enough pins to supply the entire county, Jackson set out from The Hermitage accompa- but sometimes the witch would impishly hide nied by a professional “witch-layer” and several them in the bedclothes or in chair cushions— servants. As his party approached the Bell points out. place, Jackson was startled when the wheels of his coach suddenly froze and the full strength of John Jr., Betsy’s favorite brother, was the the horses could not make them budge an inch. only member of the family besides the mother A voice from the bushes cackled a greeting to who received decent treatment from the Jackson and uttered a command that “unfroze” witch. The invisible force often whipped Joel the wheels. The general and his men realized and Richard soundly, and Drewry was so that the element of surprise was lost. The witch frightened of the witch that he never married, knew they were coming. fearing that the entity might someday return and single out his own family for particular That night the witch-layer fled in terror attention. John Jr. was the only one of Betsy’s when the witch attacked him, and General brothers who could “sass back” at the witch Jackson’s men followed him out the door. and get away with it. The witch even went to According to the old stories, Jackson told special pains to get John Jr. to like it, and the John Bell that fighting the witch was worse mysterious entity often performed demonstra- than having faced the British at the battle of tions of ability solely for his benefit. . Old Hickory wanted to stay for a week and face down the spirit, but his com- The cruelest act perpetrated on Betsy was mittee of ghost chasers had had enough, so he the breaking of her engagement to Joshua Gard- left with his men. ner (or Gardiner). Friends and family acclaimed the two young people to be ideally suited for With the decisive defeat of her champions, one another, but the witch protested violently Miles and Jackson, Betsy had no choice but to when the engagement was announced. The give in to the witch’s demands and break her witch screamed at Joshua whenever he entered engagement with Joshua Gardner. On the the Bell home and embarrassed both young peo- night on which Betsy returned the ring, the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 29 witch’s laughter could be heard ringing victo- 1935 without hearing the slightest unexplained riously from every room in the house. scratch or undetermined rapping. Charles Bell Shortly after the entity had accomplished has written the official record of the mysterious the severing of Betsy’s marriage agreement disturbances endured by his ancestors in The Bell with her fiancé, it once more began to concen- Witch: A Mysterious Spirit, or Our Family Troubles trate its energy on the destruction of John Bell. (reprint of pamphlet, 1985). Richard was walking with his father on that Today, the abandoned homestead of the day in December of 1820 when John Bell col- Bell family is owned by a private trust, and no lapsed into a spasmodically convulsing heap. visitors are allowed to explore the property. John Bell was brought home to his bed The only site connected with the legends of where he lay for several days in a weakened the Bell Witch and open to the public is the condition. Even during the man’s illness, the Bell Witch Cave, which continues to produce witch would not leave him in peace, but con- accounts of unusual lights and eerie images on tinued to torment him by slapping his face photographs. and throwing his legs into the air. On the M Delving Deeper morning of December 19, 1820, John Bell Bell, Charles, and Harriet P. Miller. Mysterious Spirit: lapsed into a stupor from which he would The Bell Witch of Tennessee. Forest Knolls, Calif.: never be aroused. The witch sang bawdy songs Elders Publishing, 1985. all during John Bell’s funeral and annoyed the Carrington, Hereward, and Nandor Fodor. Haunted assembled mourners with sounds of its crude People. New York: New American Library, 1968. celebration throughout the man’s last rites. Fodor, Nandor. The Haunted Mind. New York: New After the death of her father, the witch American Library, 1968. behaved much better toward Betsy. It never Hays, Tony. “The Bell Witch Project.” World Net again inflicted pain upon her and actually Daily, June 14, 2001. [Online] http://www. addressed her in terms of endearment. During worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ the rest of the winter and on into the spring ID=2312. months, the manifestations decreased steadily. Norman, Michael, and Beth Scott. Historic Haunted Then, one night after the evening meal, a America. New York: Tor, 1996. large smoke ball seemed to roll down from the Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: chimney of the fireplace out into the room. As Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. it burst, a voice told the family: “I’m going now, and I will be gone for seven years.” Borley Rectory True to its word, the witch returned to the homestead in 1828. Betsy had entered into a The haunting phenomena usually began each successful marriage with another man; John Jr. night in Borley Rectory shortly after Reverend had married and now farmed land of his own. and Mrs. Smith had retired for the evening. Only Mrs. Bell, Joel, and Richard remained on They would be lying in bed, and they would the home place. The disturbances primarily hear the sound of heavy footsteps walking past consisted of the witch’s most elementary their door. Reverend G. E. Smith soon took to pranks—rappings, scratchings, pulling the cov- crouching in the darkness outside of their room ers off the bed—and the family agreed to with a hockey stick gripped firmly in his hands. ignore the unwanted guest. Their plan worked, Several nights he lunged at “something” that and the witch left them after two weeks of pes- passed their door—always without result. tering them for attention. The entity sought Bells began to ring at all hours and became out John Jr. and told him in a fit of pique that an intolerable nuisance. Hoarse, inaudible it would return to one of his descendants in whispers sounded over their heads. Small peb- “one hundred years and seven.” bles appeared from nowhere to pelt them. A Dr. Bell should have been the woman’s voice began to moan from the center recipient of the Bell Witch’s unwelcome return of an arch leading to the chapel. Keys popped visit, but Bell and his family survived the year from their locks and were found several feet

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 30 Ghosts and Phantoms

from their doors. The Smiths found themselves tant had just shared a lunch with Mr. and Mrs. living in what Dr. would soon come Smith when a glass candlestick struck an iron to call “the most haunted house in England.” stove near the investigator’s head and splashed him with splinters. A mothball came tumbling In the summer of 1929, Price answered the down the stairwell, followed by a number of plea of the haunted rector and his wife. Leav- pebbles. ing London, Price and an assistant drove to the small village of Borley, reviewing what they Price busied himself for the next several already knew about the eerie rectory. The days with interviewing the surviving daughters building, though constructed in modern times, of Henry Bull, the builder of the rectory, and as stood on the site of a medieval monastery many former servants as had remained in the whose gloomy old vaults still lay beneath it. village. The eldest of the three surviving Close at hand had been a nunnery, whose ruins daughters told of seeing the nun appear at a were much in evidence. About a quarter of a lawn party on a sunny July afternoon. She had mile away stood a castle where many tragic approached the phantom and tried to engage it events had occurred, ending with a siege by in conversation, but it had disappeared as she Oliver Cromwell. There was a persistent leg- had drawn near to it. The sisters swore that the end about a nun who had been walled up alive entire family had often seen the nun and that in the nunnery for eloping with a lay brother their brother had said that, when dead, he who had been employed at the monastery. The would attempt to manifest himself in the same lay brother, who received the punishment way. It was their father, Henry Bull, who had meted out for such sins, was hanged. Inhabi- bricked up the dining room window so that the tants of the rectory, and several villagers, had family might eat in peace and not be disturbed reported seeing the veiled nun walking by the spectral nun peeping in at them. through the grounds. A headless nobleman A man who had served as gardener for the and a black coach pursued by armed men had Bull family told Price that every night for also been listed as a frequent phenomenon. eight months he and his wife heard footsteps in their rooms over the stables. Several former maids or grooms testified that they had remained in the employ of the Bulls for only BORLEY Rectory presents a combination one or two days before they were driven away of a “haunting” and the phenomenon of by the strange occurrences which manifested themselves on the premises. poltergeistic activity Mrs. Smith was not at all reluctant to admit that she, too, had seen the shadowy figure of a nun walking about the grounds of the rectory. The rectory had been built in 1863 by the On several occasions, she had hurried to con- Reverend Henry Bull (sometimes called Mar- front the phantom, but it had always disap- tin in the literature of psychical research). He peared at the sound of her approach. The had fathered 14 children and had wanted a Smiths left the rectory shortly after Price’s visit. large rectory. He died in the Blue Room in They had both begun to suffer the ill effects of 1892 and was succeeded in occupancy by his the lack of sleep and the enormous mental son, Harry, who died at the rectory in 1927. strain that had been placed on each of them. The building was vacant for a few months— Borley Rectory presents an interesting while a dozen clergymen refused to take up combination of a “haunting” and the phe- residence there because of the eerie tales they nomenon of poltergeistic activity. Harry Price had heard—until Reverend G. E. Smith and maintained that approximately one-half of all his family accepted the call in 1928. hauntings include some type of poltergeistic Price, the well-known psychical researcher, disturbance. Henry Bull had 14 children who did not have to wait long for the phenomena lived in the rectory. Phenomena began to to put on a show for him. Price and his assis- become active about 10 years after he had

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 31 moved into the rectory with his family. It is also interesting to record that the phenomena reached new heights of activity when the Reverend Lionel Algernon Foyster, a cousin of the Bull family, took up residence in the Rec- tory on October 16, 1930. The reverend brought with him his wife, Marianne, and his four-year-old daughter Adelaide. (Many accounts of Borley Rectory refer to the Foys- ters as Rev. B. and Marianne Morrison.) The Foysters had lived there only a few days when Mrs. Foyster heard a voice softly calling, “Marianne, dear.” The words were repeated many times, and, thinking her hus- band was summoning her, she ran upstairs. Foyster had not spoken a word, he told her, but he, too, had heard the calling voice.

Once, Mrs. Foyster laid her wristwatch by The entity may or may not have been sug- The Borley Rectory—The her side as she prepared to wash herself in the gesting that the Foysters once again bring Dr. Most Haunted House in bathroom. When she completed her washing, Harry Price upon the scene. At any rate, that England. (FORTEAN she reached for the watch and discovered that is exactly what they did. Advised by the Bull PICTURE LIBRARY) the band had been removed. It was never sisters of the famed investigator’s interest in returned. Reverend Foyster was quick to realize the Borley phenomena, Reverend Foyster that the weird tales that he had heard about wrote to London to inform Price of renewed Borley Rectory had all been true. He could activity in the rectory. hardly deny them in view of such dramatic evi- Price gained permission to stay in the rec- dence. He was not frightened, however, as he tory with two friends, and upon arrival, the felt protected by his Christian faith. He used a researcher and his party once again examined holy relic to quiet the disturbances when they the house from attic to cellar. The haunting became particularly violent and remained wasted no time in welcoming the returning calm enough to keep a detailed journal of the investigator. While he was examining an phenomena that he and his family witnessed. upstairs room, an empty wine bottle hurled Marianne Foyster received the full fury of itself through the air, narrowly missing him. the haunting’s attack from the beginning of The party was brought back down to the their occupancy. One night, while carrying a kitchen by the screams of their chauffeur, who candle on the way to their bedroom, she had remained behind to enjoy a leisurely received such a violent blow in the eye that it smoke. The distraught man insisted that he produced a cut and a black bruise that was vis- had seen a large, black hand crawl across the ible for several days. A hammerhead was kitchen floor. thrown at her one night as she prepared for During conversation, Mrs. Foyster dis- bed. She received a blow from a piece of metal closed that she had seen the “monster” that that was hurled down a flight of stairs. Anoth- had been causing all the eerie disturbances. er time, she narrowly missed being struck by a Reverend Foyster showed Price the entry that flat iron, which smashed the chimney of the he had made in his journal on March 28 when lamp that she was carrying. his wife had confronted the entity while In addition to persecuting Mrs. Foyster, ascending a staircase. She had described it as a the entity seemed determined to establish monstrosity—black, ugly, and ape-like. It had contact with her. Messages were found reached out and touched her on the shoulder. scrawled on the walls: “Marianne…please… Price later learned that others had seen the get help.” creature on different occasions.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 32 Ghosts and Phantoms

The Foysters also told Price and his team The phantom nun was seen three times in that the phenomena had begun to produce one evening by one observer, but was not items that they had never seen before. A small noticed at all by any of the other investigators. tin trunk had appeared in the kitchen when A strange old cloak kept the researchers baf- the family was eating supper. A powder box fled by continually appearing and disappear- and a wedding ring materialized in the bath- ing. Several of Price’s crew reported being room, and, after they had been put away in a touched by unseen hands. drawer, the ring disappeared overnight. Stone- throwing had become common, and Reverend On the last day of Harry Price’s tenancy on Foyster complained of finding stones in their May 19, 1938, Marianne Foyster’s missing bed and under their pillows as well. wedding ring once again materialized. The investigator snatched it up, lest it disappear, Although Reverend Foyster was a brave and brought it home to London with him. man, he had never enjoyed good health nor the kind of stamina necessary to outlast a full-scale In late 1938, the Borley Rectory was pur- haunting. The Foysters endured the phenome- chased by a Captain W. H. Gregson, who na at the rectory for five years before leaving in renamed it “The Priory.” He was not at all dis- October of 1935. After the Foysters left, the turbed by warnings that the place was haunted, bishop decreed that the place was for sale. but he was upset when his faithful old dog went wild with terror on the day they moved In May of 1937, Harry Price learned that the in and ran away, never to be seen again. He rectory was empty and offered to lease the place was also mildly concerned with the strange for a year as a kind of ghost laboratory. His sum track of unidentified footprints that circled the was accepted, and the investigator enlisted a house in fresh fallen snow. The tracks were not crew of 40 assistants, mostly men, who would caused by any known animal, the captain take turns living in the rectory for a period of swore, nor had any human made them. He fol- one year. Price outfitted the place and issued a lowed the tracks for a time until they mysteri- booklet that told his army of researchers how to ously disappeared into nothingness. correctly observe and record any phenomena that might manifest themselves. Captain Gregson did not have long to puz- Shortly after the investigators began to zle out the enigma of Borley. At midnight on arrive, strange pencil-like writings began to February 27, 1939, the “most haunted house appear on the walls. Each time a new marking in England” was completely gutted by flames. was discovered, it would be carefully circled Gregson testified later that a number of books and dated. Two researchers reported seeing had flown from their places on the shelves and new writing form while they were busy ringing knocked over a lamp, which had immediately and dating another. It appeared that the entity exploded into flame. missed Mrs. Foyster. “Marianne…Marianne… Borley Rectory has remained one of the ” it wrote over and over again. “Marianne… most haunted houses in Britain, but in Decem- prayers…please help.” ber 2000, Louis Mayerling, who claimed Borley The organized investigators were quick to was a second home to him until it burned in discover a phenomenon that had not been 1939, wrote a book entitled We Faked the Ghosts noted by any of the rectors who had lived in of Borley Rectory in which he claimed that Harry Borley. This was the location of a “cold spot” Price and the world had been taken in by in one of the upstairs passages. Certain people hoaxsters. Mayerling states that he first arrived began to shiver and feel faint whenever they at Borley in 1918 to find Rev. Harry Bull and his passed through it. Another “cold spot” was family taking great delight in perpetuating local discovered on the landing outside of the Blue folklore about a phantom nun and other para- Room. Thermometers indicated the tempera- normal activity. According to the author, the ture of these areas to be fixed at about 48 Foysters were also in on the , encouraging degrees, regardless of what the temperature of Mayerling, a teenager at the time, to walk the rest of the house may have been. around the gardens at dusk in a black cape.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 33

Calvados Castle Mayerling admits that there was one inci- dent he was unable to explain. On Easter in The disturbances that took place in the Nor- 1935, the acclaimed playwright George man castle of Calvados, France, from October Bernard Shaw; T. E. Lawrence, the famous 12, 1875, to January 30, 1876, were written up “Lawrence of Arabia”; Sir Montagu Norman, and published in the Annales des Sciences Psy- Governor of the Bank of England; and chiques in 1893 by M. J. Morice. Although the Bernard Spilsbury, the Home Office criminal master of Calvados kept a diary that could forensic scientist—all believers in the haunt- later be used as a documentary of the phenom- ing phenomena at Borley—joined Mayerling ena, he insisted that his family name not be and Marianne Foyster for a seance at the rec- mentioned in connection with the “haunt- tory. All at once, Mayerling recalls, all the ing.” He is, therefore, referred to in the narra- kitchen bells clanged as one and a brilliant tive only as M. de X. His immediate family silver-blue light seemed to implode around consisted of Mme. de X, and their son, Mau- them from the walls and the ceilings. From rice. The remainder of the household consist- his previous experience creating eerie sounds ed of Abbe Y., tutor to Maurice; Emile, the and noises in the rectory, Mayerling knew coachman; Auguste, the gardener; Amelina, that it was impossible to make all the bells the housemaid; and Celina, the cook. sound at once and he had no idea what had On the evening of October 13, Abbe Y. caused the lightning-like flash around them. came down to the drawing room and told M. He was, in fact, blinded by the phenomenon and Mme. de X. that his armchair had just and eventually recovered sight in only one moved. He insisted that he had distinctly seen it eye. Shaw and Norman refused to stay the move out of the corner of his eye. M. de X. night after such a violent display of the para- calmed the abbe and returned with him to his normal, and Mayerling confesses in his book room. He attached gummed paper to the foot of that memory of the experience still set his the cleric’s armchair, fixed it to the floor, and spine to tingling. told him to call if anything further should occur. Mayerling’s confession of pranks during About ten that evening, the master of Cal- the occupancy of the Bull and Foyster families vados was awakened by the ringing of the does not explain the extensive phenomena abbe’s bell. He got out of bed and hurried to the reported by Price’s team of researchers during man’s room. Here he found the tutor with his its year-long observation of the rectory nor the covers pulled up to the bridge of his nose, peek- manifestations noted by Gregson after he ing out at him as if he were a frightened child. assumed ownership of Borley. Since the M. de X. saw that the armchair had moved admitted pranksters were not present at the about a yard and that several candlesticks and rectory during those years, the authenticity of statuettes had been upset. And, the abbe com- the haunting of Borley will remain a contro- plained, there had been rappings on his wall. versial subject among psychical researchers. The next evening, the manifestations did M Delving Deeper not confine themselves to the abbe’s room. Carrington, Hereward, and Nandor Fodor. Haunted Loud blows were heard all over the castle. M. People. New York: New American Library, 1968. de X. armed his servants and conducted a Hill, Amelia. “Hoaxer’s Confession Lays the Famed search of the entire building. They could find Ghosts of Borley.” The Observer, December 31, nothing. It would be a pattern that they would 2000. [Online] http://www.observer.co.uk/ repeat again and again as the haunting phe- uk_news/story/0,6903,416556,00.html. nomena began its siege in earnest. Night after Price, Harry. The Most Haunted House in England. night, its hammering fist would pound on London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1940. doors and rap on walls. The inhabitants of Cal- ———. Poltergeist Over England. London: Country vados Castle would not know a night of unmo- Life, 1945. lested slumber for more than three months. Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: The curate of the parish arrived to witness Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. the phenomena and was not disappointed. Nei-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 34 Ghosts and Phantoms

ther was Marcel de X., who had come to try to night by terrible sobs and cries coming from determine the origin of the manifestations. the green room. The cries seemed to be those That night, the sound of a heavy ball was heard of a woman in horrible suffering. During the descending the stairs from the second floor to next few nights, the activity seemed to become the first, jumping from step to step. intensified and the cries of the sorrowful woman in the green room had become shrill The parish priest was also invited to stay a and despairing. night in the castle. He heard the heavy tread of a giant descending the stairs and proclaimed Shortly after the “weeping woman” had the activity to be supernatural. Marcel de X. arrived to add to the confusion at Calvados, a agreed with the priest. He had quickly con- cousin of Mme. de X., an army officer, cluded that this ghost would be a most difficult appeared to pay them a visit. He scoffed at the one to banish and had decided to leave Calva- wild stories the members of the household dos Castle to the noisy spirit. He wished M. de told him, and against all their pleas, he insist- X. the best of luck and returned to his home. ed upon sleeping in the green room. They need not worry about him, he assured them, On Halloween, the haunting seemed to he always had his revolver at his side. outdo itself with a display of phenomena that kept the household from going to bed until The officer strode boldly to the green three o’clock in the morning. The center of room, left a candle burning as a night light, the activity had now become what was called and went straight to sleep. He was awakened a the green room, and the phenomena seemed short time later by what seemed to be the soft always to either begin or end with loud rap- rustling of a silken robe. He was instantly pings in this empty room. The ghost now aware that the candle had been extinguished seemed to walk with a tread that had nothing and that something was tugging at the covers human about it. It was like two legs deprived on his bed. In answer to his gruff demands to of their feet and walking on the stumps. know who was there, he felt a cold breath of air blow out the candle he had relit and the rustling noise seemed to become louder, and something was definitely determined to rob THE abbe fared the worst throughout the duration him of his bedclothes. When he shouted that whoever was there must declare himself or he of the phenomena. would shoot, the only response to his demand was an exceptionally violent tug on the covers. It was a simple matter to determine where It was during a violent November rain- his silent adversary stood by the sound of the storm that the ghost acquired a voice. High rustling and the pull on the bedclothes, so he above the howl of the wind and the rumble of decided to shoot three times. The lead slugs the thunder, the beleaguered household heard struck nothing but the wall, and he dug them a long shriek that at first sounded like a out with a knife that next morning. woman outside in the storm calling for help. The abbe fared the worst of any member of The next cry sounded from within the castle. the household throughout the duration of the The members of the household gathered phenomena. Whenever the cleric left his together as if seeking strength from their room, he always made certain that the win- unity. Three sorrowful moans sounded as the dows were bolted and his door was locked. thing ascended the staircase. The key to his room was secured to a leather The men of Calvados left the sitting room thong that he kept belted to his waist. These to carefully inspect the castle. They found precautions never accomplished the slightest nothing. There was no woman in the castle, bit of good. Upon returning to his room, the and no sign that anything had entered the cas- abbe would inevitably find his couch over- tle from the storm. They heard no more sounds turned, the cushions scattered about, his win- until everyone was awakened at 11:45 the next dows opened, and his armchair placed on his

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 35 desk. Once he tried nailing his windows closed. He returned to find the windows wide open, and by way of punishment, the couch cushions were balanced precariously on the outside windowsill. Such pranks the abbe Haunted Hotels could bear with much more patience than the time the invisible invader dumped every one in the US of his books on the floor. Only the Holy Scrip- tures remained on the shelves. The most vicious attack on the clergyman occurred once when he knelt at his fireplace • The Old Stagecoach Inn, Waterbury, stirring the coals, preparatory to placing new • St. James Hotel, Cimarron, New Mexico kindling on the andirons. Without warning, a • Kennebunk Inn, Kennebunkport, Maine huge deluge of water rushed down the chim- • The Dorrington Hotel, Dorrington, ney, extinguishing the fire, blinding the abbe • Hotel Monte Vista, Flagstaff, Arizona with flying sparks, and covering him with • The Brookdale Lodge, near Boulder Creek, ashes. The tutor woefully concluded that such California actions could only be the work of his satanic • The Horton Grand Hotel, San Diego, California majesty, the devil. • The Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, California The only other person who actually suf- Sources: fered physical pain dealt out by the haunting Blackman, W. Haden. The Field Guide to North American phenomena was Mme. de X., who was in the Hauntings. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998. act of unlocking a door when the key suddenly Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places. Reprint. New York: disengaged itself from her grip and struck her Penguin USA, 1996. across the back of her left hand with such force Mead, Robin, and Pamela Wright, illus. Haunted Hotels: A Guide that she bore a large bruise for several days. to American and Canadian Inns and Their Ghosts. One night the invisible creature roamed Nashville, Tenn.: Rutledge Hill Press, 1995. the corridors as if it were a lonely wayfarer Murray, Earl. Ghosts of the Old West. New York: Tor Books, 1994. seeking admittance to the rooms of each of the members of the household. It knocked once or twice on of several bed- rooms, then, true to pattern, it paused to deal X. recorded an eerie bellowing, like that of a 40 consecutive blows to the abbe’s door before bull, which bothered everyone during the it returned to thump about in the green room. master’s absence. A weird drumming sound The weary household had its only respite was also introduced and a noise much like during the long siege when the reverend someone striking the stairs with a stick. father H. L., a Premonstrant Canon, was sent Upon the master’s return to Calvados, the there by the bishop. From the moment the ghost became more violent than it had ever Reverend Father entered the castle until the been before. It stormed into the rooms of moment he left, there was not the slightest Auguste the gardener and Emile the coach- sound from the noisy nuisance. But after the man and turned their beds over. It whirled clergyman had made his departure there was a into the master’s study and heaped books, sound as if a body had fallen in the first-floor maps, and papers on the floor. The midnight passage, followed by what seemed to be a screams increased in shrillness and urgency rolling ball delivering a violent blow on the and were joined by the roaring of a bull and door of the green room—and the haunting the furious cries of animals. A rhythmic tap- had once again begun its devilment in earnest. ping paraded up and down the corridors as if a On January 20, 1876, M. de X. left for a small drum and bugle corps were conducting two-day visit to his brother, leaving his wife to manuevers. For the first time, the rappings keep up the journal of the haunting. Mme. de seemed to direct themselves to the door of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 36 Ghosts and Phantoms

Maurice, the son of M. and Mme. de X. Terri- Sunday in September, the drawing room furni- ble screams sounded outside his room, and the ture was arranged in horseshoe fashion with violence of the successive blows on his door the couch in the middle. A few days after- shook every window on the floor. ward, Mme. de X. lay terrified in her bed and On the night of January 26, the parish watched the latch to her room unbolt itself. priest arrived with the intention of conduct- M. de X. was out of the castle for a few days on ing the rites of exorcism. He had also arranged business, and she was alone with the servants. for a Novena of Masses to be said at Lourdes The duration of the phenomena was much that would coincide with his performance of briefer this time, and the restless ghost seemed the ancient ritual of putting a spirit to rest. to be content to play the organ and to move The priest’s arrival was greeted by a long, an occasional bit of furniture about the room drawn-out cry and what sounded like a stam- of Maurice’s new tutor. Eventually the phe- pede of hoofed creatures running from the first nomena became weaker and weaker until the floor passage. There came a noise similar to only thing that haunted Calvados Castle was that of heavy boxes being moved, and the the memory of those terrible months when door to Maurice’s room began to shake as if the haunting phenomena had run rampant. something demanded entrance. M Delving Deeper The rites of exorcism reached their climax Flammarion, Camille. Haunted Houses. London: T. at 11:15 on the night of January 29. From the Fisher Unwin, 1924. stairway came a piercing cry, like that of a beast Hauck, Dennis William. International Directory of that had been dealt its deathblow. A flurry of Haunted Places. New York: Penguin, 2000. rappings began to rain on the door of the green Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- room. At 12:55, the startled inhabitants of Cal- ty Books, 1959. vados Castle heard the voice of a man in the first-floor passage. M. de X. recorded in his jour- nal that it seemed to cry Ha! Ha!, and immedi- Epworth Rectory ately there were 10 resounding blows, shaking One of the most famous cases in the annals of everything all around. A final blow struck the noisy hauntings is the one that visited the door of the green room; then there was the Reverend Samuel Wesley and his family at sound of coughing in the first-floor passage. Epworth Rectory in 1716. Among the 19 chil- The family rose and cautiously began to dren of the Reverend Wesley who witnessed move about the castle. The priest slumped in the phenomena were John and Charles, the exhaustion, sweat beading his forehead from the founders of Methodism and the authors of long ordeal. There was no sound of the hammer- some of Christendom’s best-loved hymns. ing fist, no raucous screams, no shaking of doors, It was on the first of December that the no shifting of furniture. They found a large children and the servants began to complain earthenware plate that had been broken into 10 of eerie groans and mysterious knockings in pieces at the door to Mme. de X.’s room. No one their rooms. They also insisted that they could had ever seen the plate before that night. hear the sound of footsteps ascending and Although it appeared that the haunting descending the stairs at all hours of the night. was over, several days after the had Reverend Wesley heard no noises for been performed, Mme. de X. was sitting at a about a week and severely lectured the child writing desk when an immense packet of holy or servant who brought him any wild tale medals and crosses dropped in front of her on about a ghost walking about in the rectory. If her paper. It was as if the ghost had but suf- there were any noises in the rectory, he told fered a momentary setback and was announc- his family one night at dinner, they were ing that it must retreat for a time to recuperate undoubtedly caused by the young men who and lick its wounds. came around in the evenings. The reverend Towards the end of August, soft knockings had four grown daughters who had begun to and rappings began to be heard. On the third entertain beaus and suitors, and their father’s

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 37

veiled sarcasm did not sit at all well with walked through the rectory, the noises seemed Epworth Rectory. them. “I wish the ghost would come knocking to play about them. Mysterious crashing sounds (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) at your door, Father,” one of them told him. echoed in the darkness. Metallic clinks seemed to fall in front of them. Somehow managing to The girls were so angry with their father maintain their courage, the Wesleys searched that they fought down their fright and vowed every chamber but found nothing. to ignore the noises until they became so loud that their no-nonsense parent could not help After he called a family meeting to pool acknowledging them. They didn’t have long their knowledge about the invisible guest, Rev- to wait. The very next night, nine loud erend Wesley learned from one of the older girl’s knocks thudded on the walls of Reverend and observations that the disturbances usually began Mrs. Wesley’s bedchamber. The clergyman at about ten o’clock in the evening and were thought some mischief-maker had managed to always prefaced by a “signal” noise, a peculiar get into the rectory unnoticed and was trying kind of winding sound. The noises followed a to frighten them. He would buy a dog big pattern that seldom varied. They would begin enough to gobble up any intruder. in the kitchen, then suddenly fly up to visit a bed, knocking first at the foot, then the head. True to his word, the clergyman obtained a These seemed to be the ghost’s warming-up huge mastiff and brought it into the rectory. exercises. After it had followed these prelimi- That night, however, as the knocks began to naries, it might indulge any spectral whim sound, Reverend Wesley was startled to see his which appealed to it on that particular night. canine bodyguard whimper and cower behind “Why do you disturb innocent children?” the frightened children. Wesley roared in righteous indignation one Two nights later, the sounds in the house night as the knockings in the nursery became seemed so violent that Wesley and his wife especially violent. “If you have something to were forced out of bed to investigate. As they say, come to me in my study!”

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 38 Ghosts and Phantoms

As if in answer to Wesley’s challenge, a ing their playtime hours as well as being an knock sounded on the door of his study with amusing nighttime nuisance. Several witnesses such force that the cleric thought the boards reported seeing a bed levitate itself to a consid- must surely have been shattered. erable height while a number of the Wesley Wesley decided to secure reinforcements children squealed gaily from the floating mat- in the fight against the “deaf and dumb tress. The only thing that bothered the chil- devil” which had invaded his rectory. He dren was the creepy sound, like that of a trail- sent for Mr. Hoole, the Vicar of Hoxley, and ing robe, Old Jeffery had begun to make. One told him the whole story. The Vicar said that of the girls declared that she had seen the ghost he would lead devotions that night and see if of a man in a long, white robe that dragged on the thing would dare to manifest itself in his the floor. Other children claimed to have seen presence. an animal similar in appearance to a badger, scurrying out from under their beds. The ser- vants swore that they had seen the head of a rodent-like creature peering out at them from a crack near the kitchen fireplace. EPWORTH Rectory is the most famous cases Then, just as the Wesleys were getting in the annals of noisy hauntings. accustomed to their weird visitor, the distur- bances ended as abruptly as they had begun. Old Jeffery never returned to plague Epworth The “thing” was not the least bit awed by Rectory with its phenomena, but the memory the Vicar of Hoxley. In fact, it put on such a of its occupancy has remained to bewilder good show that night that the clergyman fled scholars of more than two centuries. in terror, leaving Wesley to combat the demon M Delving Deeper as best he could. Edsall, F. S. The World of Psychic Phenomena. New The children had overcome their initial York: David McKay, 1958. fear of the invisible being and had come to Price, Harry. Poltergeist Over England. London: Coun- accept its antics as a welcome relief from the try Life, 1945. boredom of village life. “Old Jeffery,” as they Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- had begun to call their strange guest, had ty Books, 1959. almost achieved the status of a pet, and it was Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: soon observed that it was quite sensitive. If Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. any visitor slighted Old Jeffery by claiming that the rappings were due to natural causes, General Wayne Inn such as rats, birds, or wind, the haunting phe- nomena were quickly intensified so that the Located on the old Lancaster roadway between doubter stood instantly corrected. Philadelphia and Radner, the General Wayne Inn has been in continuous operation since The disturbances maintained their sched- 1704 when Robert Jones, a Quaker, decided to uled arrival time of about ten o’clock in the serve travelers with a restaurant and a place of evening until the day that Mrs. Wesley lodging. The land was purchased from fellow remembered the ancient remedy for ridding a Quaker William Penn and was originally house of evil spirits. They would get a large called the Wayside Inn. Because of the inn’s trumpet and blow it mightily throughout location near Merion, the site of numerous every room in the house. The sounds of a loud battles during the Revolutionary War horn were said to be unpleasing to evil spirits. (1775–83), it was renamed the General Wayne The ear-splitting experiment in exorcism Inn in 1793 in honor of a local hero, General was not only a complete failure, but now the Anthony Wayne (1745–1796). During the spirit began to manifest itself in the daylight as colonies’ war of independence, the inn played well. The children seemed almost to welcome host to General George Washington and the the fact that Old Jeffery would be available dur- Marquis de la Fayette, as well as a number of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 39 their antagonists, the British Redcoats and bedroom of Mike Benio, a contractor who also their Hessian mercenaries. From time to time had psychic abilities. The entity appealed to throughout its history, the inn has also served Benio to unearth his bones, which had been as a post office, a general store, and a social buried in the basement of the inn, and give center for newly arrived immigrants. them a proper burial in a cemetery. When John- No longer an inn, the three-story stone son returned from a vacation, Benio asked per- and timber building still serves meals as well mission to excavate a certain area of the cellar as an extensive menu of ghosts—some say as that was under the parking lot. Here, Benio many as 17. When Barton Johnson bought the found a small, unknown room that contained General Wayne Inn in 1970, he was well fragments of pottery and some human bones. aware of its reputation for being haunted. In After giving the remains a proper burial, the 1972, New Jersey Jean and Bill ghost of Ludwig was at peace and no longer Quinn conducted a seance in which at least manifested at the General Wayne Inn. 17 different entities declared their presence and provided a bit of their personal history. Johnson, his wife, and their two sons also par- ticipated in the seance. THE spirits of the Hessians had been seen by When Wilhelm, a Hessian soldier who was many customers and employees at the General killed in the Revolutionary War, identified himself, he explained that most of the time he Wayne Inn. liked to stay down in the cellar. His spirit claimed that it was restless because he had been stripped of his clothes at the time of his On one occasion, when Johnson wished to death so that another soldier might use them. test the claims made during the seance that Wilhelm had been humiliated by being buried the Hessian soldiers frequented the inn’s bar in his underwear, so he was searching for a after closing time, he placed a tape recorder in proper uniform to wear in the afterlife. The the room. The next morning during playback, restaurant’s maitre de had little sympathy for Johnson could clearly hear the sounds of bar Wilhelm’s plight, however. He had seen the stools being moved about, the water faucet ghost on so many occasions that he finally being turned on and off, and glasses catching told Johnson that he would no longer venture the water. Some nights later, on a Monday down to the cellar. night when the bar was closed for the entire In addition to Wilhelm, who manifested at evening, a customer looking in the inn’s front the 1972 seance, there was a little boy ghost, window claimed to have seen a man dressed in who cried for his lost mother; two female enti- a Revolutionary War-era Hessian’s uniform, ties who had worked at the inn and had died sitting slumped at the bar. young under bizarre circumstances; eight other Jim Webb and his partner Guy Sileo Hessian soldiers who had once been quartered bought the inn in 1995. When Webb was at the inn and who had died nearby in battle; a found murdered in his office on December 27, Native American who seemed primarily to be 1996, and Felicia Moyse, a 20-year-old assis- observing the others; and an African Ameri- tant chef, committed suicide on February 22, can who was an entity of few words. Many cus- 1997, some people felt that the place had tomers and employees had seen the spirits of added two more ghosts to its roster. Others the Hessians over the years. Usually they recalled that one of the General Wayne Inn’s played harmless pranks, such as blowing on the most frequent customers in 1839 would have necks of young women, but one of their spec- found the growing ghostly and gory history of tral number enjoyed terrifying anyone whose the place to be right up his alley. The guest in job it was to stay after closing and clean up. question was Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), Ludwig, the spirit of another Hessian soldier, who scratched his initials on a window of the materialized for many nights at 2:00 A.M. in the inn in 1843.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 40 Ghosts and Phantoms

M Delving Deeper while he made the trip to Jamaica. After all, Brown, Jennifer. “Legendary Inn Haunted by Ghosts, she did have eight servants to assist her, and it of Death.” Centre Daily Times, March 1, was quite unlikely that any prowler would try 1997. [Online] http://tristate.pgh.net/~bsilver/ to take on such odds. HAUNTED.htm. The phenomena seemed almost to have Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National been waiting for William Ricketts to leave on Directory. New York: Viking/Penguin, 1996. an extended trip before it began its manifesta- Norman, Michael, and Beth Scott. Historic Haunted tions in earnest. He had only been gone a America. New York: Tor, 1996. short time when, one afternoon while lying down in her room, Mary heard the noise of The Gray Man of Hinton Ampner someone walking in the room and the rustling of silk clothing as it brushed the floor. She The account of the disturbances that gripped opened her eyes to see absolutely no one. She Hinton Ampner was first set down by Mary called the servants and a thorough search was Ricketts, who, with her children, servants, made of the upstairs rooms and closets. The and her brother, witnessed manifestations of a cook reminded her mistress that she had heard most eerie and frightening sort. Ricketts was the same rustling noise descending the stairs intelligent and widely read, and her reputa- on several occasions and had once seen the tion for truthfulness forever went unsullied. tall figure of a woman in dark clothes. Ricketts Her brother, John Jervis, was named Baron found herself being less dismissive of the ser- Jervis and Earl St. Vincent for his distin- vants’ stories now that she, too, had heard the guished naval services. The Hinton Ampner spectral rustling of an invisible lady. case was published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research in April 1893. Nocturnal noises continued, and, one night, as Mary Ricketts lay sleeping in the yel- In 1757, Mary had married William Henry low room which the “gray man” had been seen Ricketts of Canaan, Jamaica, and they moved to enter, she was awakened by the heavy plod- into the large country home outside of Hinton ding steps of a man walking toward the foot of Ampner, England. From the very first there had her bed. She was too frightened to reach for been disturbances, the sound of doors slam- the bell at her bedside. She jumped from her ming, the shuffling of footsteps. Ricketts had bed and ran from the room into the nursery. spent many nights watching for the “prowlers” The children’s nurse was instantly out of her that he was convinced had somehow gained bed, rubbing her sleep-swollen eyes and won- entrance into the house. They had lived there dering what on earth had so upset the mistress for about six months when their nurse swore of the house. The nurse became immediately that she saw a gentleman in a drab-colored suit awake when Mary Ricketts told her about the of clothes go into the yellow room. Such things heavy footsteps. The rest of the servants were as these the Rickettses tolerated for four years, summoned and again a fruitless search was firmly convinced that the noises were the result made to discover some human agency who of wind and prowlers, and that the gray man might be responsible for the disturbance. and a once-sighted figure of a woman were the products of the servant’s imagination. It was in November that the knocking and For several years, Mary Ricketts accompa- rappings began. A few months later, after the nied her husband on his frequent business first of the year, Mary Ricketts and her house- trips to the West Indies, but, in 1769, having hold noticed that the entire house seemed to be now mothered three children, she decided to filled with the sound of a “hollow murmuring.” remain alone in England at the old manor A maid, who had spent the night in the yellow house that they occupied. Because they were room, appeared at the breakfast table palefaced convinced of a natural explanation for the dis- and shaken over the dismal groans that she had turbances, William had no pronounced anxi- heard around her bed most of the night. ety when Mary told him that she felt that she By midsummer the eerie sound of voices in should remain in England with the children the night had become intolerable. They began

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 41 before the household went to bed, and with a person in mortal agony. She was too fright- brief intermissions were heard until after broad ened to move, but she felt secure in the day in the morning. Mary Ricketts could fre- knowledge that her brother and his servant quently distinguish articulate sounds. Usually a were quite capable of handling any monster. shrill female voice would begin, and then two others with deeper and manlike tones joined in the discourse. Although the conversation often sounded as if it were taking place close to AST her, she never could distinguish actual words. P wrongs doings began to form a chain of evil At last, Mary Ricketts appealed to her at Hinton Ampner. brother, the Earl St. Vincent, to come to her aid. Earlier, he had spent a few days at Hinton Ampner and had heard nothing, but now the When her brother awakened the next urgency in his sister’s letter convinced him afternoon, Mary quickly questioned him about that whatever was troubling her was real—at the struggle that she heard the night before. least to her and the servants. When the Earl The Earl St. Vincent frowned and shook his St. Vincent arrived at the mansion, he had in head in disbelief. He had heard no shot nor his company a well-armed manservant. The any of the terrible groaning. earl was convinced that some disrespectful pranksters had conspired to annoy his sister The earl himself was forced to experience and her household, and he was determined to the frustration of hearing sounds that no one deal out swift justice. Captain Luttrell, a else could perceive on the next day. He was neighbor of the Rickettses, joined in this cam- lying in his bed, having just awakened from his paign to exorcise the spooks. Captain Luttrell afternoon’s sleep, when he heard a sound as if was familiar with the old legends of the area an immense weight had fallen through the and had accepted the possibility of a supernat- ceiling to the floor. He leaped out of bed, fully ural agency at work, but he had volunteered expecting to see a gaping hole in both ceiling his services to determine the cause of the dis- and floor. There was not the slightest splinter, turbances, regardless of their origin. nor had anyone else in the mansion heard the crash. Even his servant, who slept in the bed- The three armed men were kept on the go room directly below, had heard nothing. all night by the sound of doors opening and slamming. Mary Ricketts’s brother became a The earl insisted that his sister leave at believer in the world unseen. He soon con- once, and, because he was unable to stay at cluded that the disturbances were definitely Hinton Ampner any longer, he ordered his not the results of any human activity. Captain Lieutenant of Marines to the mansion to assist Luttrell declared that Hinton Ampner was Mary in her moving chores and to maintain unfit for human occupancy and urged Mary the nightly watch. Mary Ricketts gave notice Ricketts to move out at once. to her landlord, Lady Hillsborough, and imme- The Earl St. Vincent agreed with his sis- diately set the servants to work packing trunks ter’s neighbor, but he realized that she could and bags. The night after her brother left, she not quit the house so easily. She needed a cer- and the entire household heard a crash such as tain amount of time to notify her husband and the one that he had described. The crash was landlord of her decision, and the necessary followed by several piercing shrieks, dying preparations had to be made to obtain a differ- away as though sinking into the earth. ent house. He told Mary that he would stand To disguise her fear, the nurse flippantly guard every night for a week, sleeping by day remarked how pleasant the sound was and and watching by night. how she would love to hear more noises such The brother had maintained his vigil for as that. The unfortunate woman was troubled about three nights when Mary was awakened with horrid screaming and groaning in her by the sound of a pistol shot and the groans of room every night until the household moved.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 42 Ghosts and Phantoms

Mary Ricketts returned to Hinton Ampner knew that it was the master because of the only once after she had moved away. She drab-colored gray clothing that Lord Stawell entered the house alone and heard a sound was so fond of wearing. From that time on, the that she had never heard before, a sound that “gray man” and his groans and plodding foot- she said caused her “indescribable terror.” steps were heard in the corridors of Hinton Lady Hillsborough sent her agent, a Mr. Ampner. The lady was said to have been the Sainsbury, to stay a night in the house and to phantom of the first Lady Stawell. test the truth of the rumors about her manor. M Delving Deeper Mr. Sainsbury did not last the night. Price, Harry. Poltergeist Over England. London: Coun- In 1772, a family named Lawrence moved try Life, 1945. into Hinton Ampner. Their servants reported Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- seeing an apparition of a woman, but the ty Books, 1959. Lawrences threatened their servants not to make any statements. They lasted a year Myrtles Plantation before they moved out. After their occupancy, According to the Smithsonian Institution, the the house was pulled down to be used in the Myrtles Plantation located three miles north construction of a new manor. of St. Francisville, Louisiana, is the most When Mary Ricketts resided in the man- haunted house in the United States. Built on sion, an old man had come to her with a tale the site of an ancient Native American burial about having boarded up a small container for ground in 1794 by General David Bradford, Lord Stawell, the original owner of Hinton the plantation has been the location for at Ampner. He had suggested that the small box least 10 violent deaths. Throughout the years, might have contained treasure and might offer owners and their guests have fled the house in a clue to the haunting. Workmen discovered the middle of the night, terrified by the the container when they were stripping the appearance of frightening ghosts—and the mansion. It was found to conceal the skeleton entities continue to be sighted to this day. of a baby. The haunting began when Bradford’s When Mary Ricketts learned of this star- daughter Sara Matilda married a young judge tling discovery, it seemed to offer the final key named Clark Woodruffe. Although the to the legend of Hinton Ampner. The vil- Woodruffes were happily married and their lagers said Lord Stawell had engaged in illicit union had produced two daughters, Clark relations with the younger sister of his wife, began an extramarital affair with Chloe, one who had lived with them at the manor. It had of the house slaves, when Sara Matilda was been the subject of ancient gossip that his sis- carrying their third child, who would also be a ter-in-law had borne his child—a child that daughter. Although Judge Woodruffe had a had been murdered at its birth. When Lady reputation for integrity with the law, he was Stawell died, her sister, Honoria, became the also known as being promiscuous. At first, mistress of Hinton Ampner. The past wrongs Chloe tried to deny the sexual demands of her began to form a chain of evil: The first Lady master, but she knew that if she fought against Stawell, wronged by a younger sister and an them, she could be sent to work in the fields. indiscreet husband; the innocent babe, born Eventually, the judge grew tired of her and of an illicit union, murdered, its body boarded chose another house slave as his new mistress. up in the walls of the manor. Lord Stawell, the When Chloe saw that she had fallen from perpetrator of most of the sins, was himself left favor, she feared that she would also lose her on his bed in the yellow room to die in agony, position as a servant in the mansion and be while his family waited outside, ignoring his ordered to the fields. groans of pain. Chloe hoped that she might somehow win It was shortly after Lord Stawell’s death in back Woodruffe’s affections and not be in dan- 1755 that the groom swore that his old master ger of being sent to the brutal work in the had appeared to him in his room. The groom fields. One evening, as she stood nearby the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 43 judge and Sara Matilda, listening for any men- ing a green headscarf wrapped turban-style tion of her name and what she feared would around her head with an earring pinned over be her dreaded fate, Woodruffe grew annoyed her missing ear. Her spirit is also held respon- with her presence and accused her of eaves- sible for stealing earrings from many guests dropping on a private family conversation over the nearly 200 years since her hanging. with his wife. Angrily, the judge ordered his John and Teeta Moss, the current owners of overseers to cut off one of Chloe’s ears as pun- the Myrtles Plantation, have converted the ishment. From that time on, Chloe wore a place into a bed and breakfast, and Hester Eby, green headscarf with an earring pinned to it to who manages house tours of the mansion and hide her missing ear. grounds, states that the haunting phenomena Wise in the ways of herbs and potions, continue unabated. Teeta Moss even pho- Chloe came up with what she believed might tographed a shadowy image of Chloe standing be the perfect means that would guarantee her near the house. According to Eby and members status of house slave and keep her out of the of the staff, resident ghosts frequently reported fields. She baked a birthday cake for the include those of the two poisoned Woodruffe Woodruffes’ oldest daughter and placed olean- girls, who are often heard playing and running der, a poison, into the mix, scheming that the in the halls. Many guests have heard babies cry- family would become ill and her services ing when there are no infants present in the would be required to nurse them back to mansion, and a floating candle moving slowly health. Tragically, Chloe inadvertently sprin- up the stairs has been often reported. kled too much oleander into the cake mix and Sara Matilda and two of her daughters became extremely ill and died within hours after the birthday party. Neither the judge nor the baby MYRTLES Plantation is the most haunted ate any of the poisoned cake. house in the United States. Grief-stricken and ashamed of what she had done, Chloe confided in another slave that she had only intended to make the moth- Other ghosts include those of a woman in a er and her daughters ill so that she would be black skirt who floats about a foot off the floor the one to take care of them. Chloe’s choice of and who is seen dancing to music that cannot a confidante proved to be her undoing, for be heard by the living; a man who was stabbed rather than keeping the secret, the woman to death in a hallway over an argument con- loudly proclaimed to her fellow slaves that the cerning a gambling debt; an overseer who was death of the mistress of the house and her two robbed and killed in 1927 and who angrily daughters had not been due to some mysteri- demands that guests leave the place and return ous sudden illness. A mob made up of both the to their own homes; an unseen pianist who Woodruffes’ slaves and their white neighbors plays the grand piano but who ceases at once if chased Chloe into the surrounding woods someone enters the room. There is another where they caught her and hanged her. Later ghost of a young girl that seems to appear only her body was cut down, weighted with rocks, when a thunderstorm approaches the planta- and thrown into the river. Judge Woodruffe tion. The spectral image has long curly hair, closed off the room where the birthday party wears an ankle-length dress, and is seen cup- had been held and never allowed it to be used ping her hands and trying to peer inside the again while he lived. This decree was relative- window of the game room. ly short-lived, for Clark Woodruffe was mur- Many guests have heard the sounds of foot- dered a few years later. steps on the stairs and have seen the image of a Since that scene of mob violence in ante- man staggering to reach the hallway at the top. bellum Louisiana, the ghost of Chloe has been Hester Eby says that it is commonly believed often sighted both inside and outside of the that the ghost is that of William Winter, an plantation house. She is most often seen wear- attorney who owned the Myrtles Plantation in

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 44 Ghosts and Phantoms

the late nineteenth century. According to the The drummer, whose name was Drury, story surrounding his death, a stranger on begged Mompesson to check his story with horseback who claimed to be in desperate need Colonel Ayliff of Gretenham. The colonel of an attorney called him to the porch one would vouch for his integrity, the drummer evening. When Winter stepped outside to see insisted. Mompesson was swayed by the drum- how he might be of service, the man shot him mer’s pleas that he not be put into jail, but he and rode away. Fatally wounded, Winter stag- told the man that he would confiscate his gered through the house, painfully climbed the drum until he had checked out his story. Drury stairs, and died in the arms of his wife. demanded that his drum be returned, but Throughout the years, many residents and Mompesson told him to be on his way and to their employees have heard their names called give thanks for his own freedom. by invisible entities. The haunting phenome- Mompesson had the drum sent to his house na seemed to fade and flow, intensifying and for safekeeping, then left on a business trip to then lessening in its manifestations. Now that London. Upon his return, his wife informed the place is also a bed and breakfast hotel, Eby him that the household had been terrorized by said that the staff knows when the Myrtles is strange noises in the night. She could only having a bad night by the number of guests accredit the sounds to burglars trying to break who call up at midnight and demand to leave into the house. On the third night of his return, the place at once. Mompesson was brought to his feet by a loud knocking that seemed to be coming from a side M Delving Deeper door. With a pistol in one hand and another in Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National his belt, Mompesson opened the door. No one Directory. New York: Viking/Penguin, 1996. was there, but now the knocking had begun at Norman, Michael, and Beth Scott. Historic Haunted another door. He flung that one open, too, and America. New York: Tor Books, 1996. finding no one there, walked around the out- Taylor, Troy. “The Myrtles Plantation ‘One of Ameri- side of the house in search of the culprit. He ca’s Most Haunted.’” Ghosts of the Prairie. [Online] found no one on his search, nor could he http://www.prairieghosts.com/myrtles.html. account for the hollow drumming that sounded Turnage, Sheila. Haunted Inns of the Southeast. Win- on the roof when he went back to bed. ston-Salem, Mass.: John F. Blair, 2001. From that night on, the drumming came always just after the Mompessons had gone to bed. It made no difference whether they The Tedworth Drummer retired early or late, the invisible drummer was The bizarre haunting phenomena that beset ever prepared to tap them an annoying lullaby. the family of John Mompesson of Tedworth, After a month of being contented with rooftop England, in March of 1661 had overtones of maneuvers, the disturbances moved inside— witchcraft and the fixing of a terrible curse. into the room where Mompesson had placed The “demon” of Tedworth is so much a part of the ex-soldier’s drum. Once it had established the legend and folklore of England that ballads itself in the home, the ghostly drummer and poems have been written in celebration of favored the family with two hours of martial the incredible prowess of the pesky ghost. rolls, tattoos, and points of war each evening. John Mompesson, a justice of the peace, On the night in which Mrs. Mompesson had brought before him an ex-drummer in was being delivered of a child, the drummer Cromwell’s army, who had been demanding was respectfully quiet. It maintained this money of the bailiff by virtue of a suspicious silence for a period of three weeks, as if it were pass. The bailiff had believed the pass to be allowing the mother to fully recover her counterfeit, and Mompesson, who was famil- strength before it began its pranks in earnest. iar with the handwriting of the gentleman The children were the ones who suffered who had allegedly signed the note, immedi- most when the drummer terminated its truce. ately declared the paper to be a forgery. With terrible violence, the thing began beat-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 45

ing on their bedsteads at night. It would raise work in the house. This was witnessed by a “The Tedworth the children’s beds in time with its incessant roomful of people, but Mompesson soon for- Drummer” poltergeists drumming, and, when it finally did quiet bade his servant such familiarities with their (1662–1663). (FORTEAN down, it would lie under their beds scratching invisible tormenter. PICTURE LIBRARY) at the floor. The Mompessons hopefully tried moving their children to another room, but it When the thing began to leave behind did no good. The drummer moved right along offensive, sulphurous fumes, the Mompessons with them. took this as sufficient evidence that their unwelcome guest had come directly from the By November 5, the ghostly drummer had pit of Hades. A Reverend Cragg was sum- achieved such strength that it could hand moned to conduct a prayer meeting in the boards to a servant who was doing some repair house. The drummer maintained a reverent

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 46 Ghosts and Phantoms

silence during the minister’s prayers, but upon lacking a fireplace, and on a particularly cold the last “amen,” it began to move chairs about and bitter winter’s night, became very hot and the room, hurl the children’s shoes into the filled with a noxious odor. air, and toss every object that it could get its On the following morning, Mompesson invisible hands on. A heavy staff struck Rev. scattered fine ashes over the chamber floor to Cragg on the leg, but the astonished clergy- see what sort of imprints might be made by the man reported that a lock of wool could not incredible entity. He was rewarded by the eerie have fallen more softly. discovery of the markings of a great claw, some The knocking had become so loud at letters, circles, and other weird footprints. nights that it awakened neighbors several It was at this point in the manifestations houses away. The Mompessons’ servants had that Rev. Joseph Glanvil arrived to conduct also become subject to receiving nocturnal his investigation. The phenomena were most visits from the drummer. Their beds were cooperative for Rev. Glanvil and provided raised while they attempted to sleep, and at him with ample evidence of their existence times it curled up about their feet. from the very first moment of his arrival. It was eight o’clock in the evening and the chil- dren were in bed, enduring their nightly ritual of scratching, bed-liftings, and pantings. Rev. BALLADS and poems have been written in Glanvil tried desperately to trace the source of the disturbances, but could find nothing. He celebration of the incredible prowess of the was momentarily elated when he noticed Tedworth Drummer. something moving in a linen bag, but upon scooping up the cloth, and hoping to find a rat or a mouse in his clutches, he was dismayed to The ghost particularly delighted in find himself left holding an empty bag. wrestling with a husky servant named John. It Later that night, when Rev. Glanvil and a would jerk the bedclothes off the sleeping man, friend retired for the evening, they were awak- throw shoes at his head, and engage in a hearty ened by a loud knocking. When the clergyman tug-o’-war with the man, who was trying des- demanded to know what the entity wished of perately to keep the covers on his bed instead them, a disembodied voice answered that it of on the floor. At times, the powerful entity wanted nothing of the two men. The next would entwine itself around John and forcibly morning, however, Rev. Glanvil’s horse was hold him as if he were bound hand and foot. found trembling in a state of nervous exhaus- With a tremendous effort of brute strength, the tion, appearing as though it had been ridden servant would free himself from the grasp of his all night. Glanvil had scarcely mounted the invisible opponent and reach for the sword that horse for his return trip when the animal col- he kept beside his bed. John had found that the lapsed. Although the horse was well-attended brandishing of his sword was the only action and cared for, it died within two days. that could make the thing retreat. One night in the children’s bedroom, the By January 10, 1662, nearly a year after its voice shrieked its claim that it was a witch unwelcome arrival, the entity had acquired a over a hundred times in rapid succession. The voice and the ability to simulate the sound of next day, the harried Mompesson fired his pis- rustling silk and the panting of animals. It had tol at an animated stick of firewood and was begun by singing in the chimney, then moved astonished to see several drops of blood appear into the children’s bedroom where it chanted: on the hearth! The firewood fell to the floor “A witch, a witch! I am a witch!” When and a trail of blood began to drip on the stair- Mompesson rushed into the nursery with his way as the wounded ghost retreated. pistol, the disturbances ceased at once. When the invisible thing returned three That night it came to his bedside, panting nights later, it seemed to vent its anger on the like a large dog. The bedroom, even though children. Even the baby was tormented and not

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 47 allowed to sleep. At last Mompesson arranged By the time a king’s commission had to have the children taken to the house of arrived to investigate the haunting, the phe- friends. At this tactic, the drummer pounded nomena had been quiet for several weeks. The severely on Mompesson’s bedroom door, then cavaliers spent the night with the Mompes- quit its post there to show itself to a servant. sons, then left the next morning, declaring that the entire two-year haunting was either a The terrified man told Mompesson that he hoax or the misinterpretation of natural phe- could not determine the exact proportions of nomena by credulous and superstitious men. the entity, but he had seen a great body with two red and glaring eyes, which for some time Reverend Joseph Glanvil’s frustration with were fixed steadily upon him. His Majesty’s investigators is obvious in the conclusion of Saducismus Triumphatus, his When the children were returned to their account of the Mompesson family’s ordeal, home, the thing seemed to want to make up to where he stated that it was bad logic for the them. The Mompessons and their servants king’s investigators to conclude a matter of could hear distinctly a purring, like that of a fact from a single negative against numerous cat in the nursery. The contented purring, affirmatives, and so affirm that a thing was however, turned out to be but another ploy of never done. “This is the common argument of the devilish drummer. Four hours later, it was those that deny the being of apparitions,” beating the children’s legs against the bedposts Glanvil declared. “They have traveled all and emptying chamber pots into their beds. hours of the night and have never seen any A friend who had stayed the night in the thing worse than themselves (which may well haunted house had all of his coins turned be) and thence they conclude that all appari- black. His unfortunate horse was discovered in tions are fancies or impostures.” the stables with one of its hind legs firmly fas- M Delving Deeper tened in its mouth. It took several men work- Edsall, F. S. The World of Psychic Phenomena. New ing with a lever to dislodge the hoof from the York: David McKay, 1958. animal’s jaws. Price, Harry. Poltergeist Over England. London: Coun- About this time, Drury, the man whose try Life, 1945. drum Mompesson had confiscated, was locat- Sitwell, Sacheverell. Poltergeists. New York: Universi- ed in Gloucester Gaol where he had been sen- ty Books, 1959. tenced for thievery. Upon questioning, he Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: freely admitted witching Tedworth’s justice of Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957. the peace. He boasted that he had plagued him and that Mompesson would have no peace until he had given him satisfaction for The Whaley House taking away his drum. The Thomas Whaley mansion, completely Mompesson had the drummer tried for furnished with antiques from the days of early witchcraft at Sarum, and the man was con- California, is also considered to be a haunted demned to be transported to one of the Eng- house. Immediately after its construction was lish colonies. Certain stories have it that the completed in 1857, the mansion became the man so terrified the ship’s captain and crew by center of business, government, and social “raising storms” that they took him back to affairs in Old San Diego. The oldest brick port and left him on the dock before sailing house in Southern California, the Whaley away again. Witchcraft was a real thing to the house served as a courthouse, a courtroom, a people of 1663, and noisy hauntings were theater, and a boarding house—as well as the often recognized as the work of Satan. While family home of Thomas and Anna Whaley on board ship, Drury had told the captain that and their children. he had been given certain books of the black Today, no one is allowed in the Whaley arts by an old wizard, who had tutored him in House after 4 P.M., but police officers and the finer points of witchcraft. responsible citizens say that someone—or

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 48 Ghosts and Phantoms

something—keeps walking around half the tions that were expended there in the early night turning all the lights on. Located at 2482 days of San Diego. Many individuals who San Diego Avenue in Old San Diego, the have visited the old house have heard the Whaley House has been restored and is now sounds of a crowded courtroom in session and owned and operated by the San Diego Histori- the noisy meetings of men in Thomas Wha- cal Society as a tourist attraction. Often, while ley’s upstairs study. According to many psychi- conducting tours through the old mansion, cal researchers, the fact that this one single members of the society have heard eerie foot- mansion served so many facets of city life, in steps moving about other parts of the house addition to being a family home, almost guar- when the rooms were visibly unoccupied. antees several layers of psychic residue perme- ating themselves upon the environment. June Reading, a former director of the Whaley House, told of footsteps being heard Many sensitive visitors to the Whaley in the master bedroom and on the stairs. Win- House have also perceived the image of Anna dows, even when fastened down with three Whaley, who, some feel, still watches over the four-inch bolts on each side, would fly open of mansion that she loved so much. And who, their own accord—often in the middle of the according to a good number of those who night, triggering the burglar alarm. People have encountered her presence, deeply resents often reported having heard screams echoing the intrusion of strangers. throughout the second story of the mansion, Reading remembered the night in 1964 and once a large, heavy china closet had top- when television talk show host Regis Philbin pled over by itself. Numerous individuals had and a friend saw Anna Whaley as they sat on sensed or psychically seen the image of a scaf- the Andrew Jackson sofa at 2:30 A.M.The fold and a hanging man on the south side of ghostly image floated from the study, through the mansion. the music room, and into the parlor. At that moment, Philbin, in nervous excitement, dis- solved the apparition with the beam of his flashlight. NO one is allowed in the Whaley House In the fall of 1966, a group of newspeople after 4 P.M. volunteered to stay in Whaley House to spend the night with Yankee Jim. Special permission was granted to the journalists by the historical society, and the ghost hunters settled in for According to Reading, 10 years before their overnight stay. The wife of one of the Thomas Whaley constructed his home on the reporters had to be taken home by 9:30 P.M. site, a sailor named Yankee Jim Robinson had She was badly shaken and claimed that she been hanged on the spot of what would later had seen something on the upper floor that become the arch between the music room and she refused to describe. The entire party of the living room in the mansion. Whaley had journalists left the house before dawn. They, been an observer when Yankee Jim kept his too, refused to discuss the reason for their pre- appointment with the hangman. mature departure, but some people say the Some visitors to the Whaley House have ghost of Yankee Jim, still protesting the horror reported seeing a gaudily dressed woman with of his death, confronted them. Since that a painted face lean out of a second-story win- time, night visits have not been permitted in dow. In Reading’s opinion, that could well be Whaley House. an actress from one of the theatrical troupes In addition to the sightings of the primary that had leased the second floor in November spirits of Thomas and Anna Whaley, Reading 1868. said that the other ghosts most often seen The Court House Wing of the mansion is include those of Yankee Jim, who walks across generally thought to be the most haunted spot the upstairs sitting room to the top of the in the Whaley House, due to the violent emo- stairs; a young girl named Washburn, a play-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 49 mate of the Whaley children; and “Dolly Var- the only one who could see George and Mari- den,” the family’s favorite dog. And then an Kirby, the ghostly couple who harassed him there are the screams, the giggles, the rattling and tried to get him to enjoy a more relaxed doorknobs, the cooking odors, the smell of lifestyle. The fact that the ghostly couple were Thomas Whaley’s Havana cigars, Anna’s played with wit and style by Cary Grant and sweet-scented perfume, the sound of footsteps Constance Bennett, two popular and attrac- throughout the house, and the music box and tive actors, no doubt boosted the appeal of the piano that play by themselves. film and its two sequels.

M Delving Deeper The Uninvited (1943)—This motion picture Lamb, John. San Diego Specters. San Diego: Sunbelt presents an eerie and compelling story, as well Productions, 1999. as delivering a serious study of haunting phe- May, Antoinette. Haunted Houses and Wandering nomena. Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) Ghosts of California. San Francisco: San Francisco and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) move into Examiner Division, 1977. a home on the Cornish coast of England that Norman, Michael, and Beth Scott. Historic Haunted has been abandoned for many years. Soon, they America. New York: Tor Books, 1996. discover that the house is haunted. Smith, Susy. Prominent American Ghosts. New York: Milland and Hussey portray two ordinary, Dell, 1969. but intelligent and rational, people who must deal with a place occupied by an evil entity. The film is extremely subtle in presenting the Ghosts in the Movies spirits, and therein lies much of its power to seize the imagination and to provoke genuine rom the very beginnings of photography chills. Director Lewis Allen never forces his and cinema, spiritualists and psychical hand, but focuses instead on allowing the F researchers have hoped to be able to audience to feel the emanations from the spir- capture evidence of ghosts on film and there- it world along with the actors. by offer proof of the survival of the human spirit. While there are thousands of alleged The Innocents (1961)—This adaptation of spirit photographs that psychics claim to be Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw (1898) is authentic; reel upon reel of ghostly phenome- made particularly effective by director Jack na caught on film that investigators purport to Clayton’s decision to allow the audience to be genuine; and, more recently, an increasing see the ghosts only through the eyes of the number of videocassettes of glowing lights in protagonist, the governess Miss Gliddens haunted houses that the amateur photogra- (Deborah Kerr). The film is a psychological phers insist are real, the great majority of such masterpiece, dealing with ghosts that may or photographic evidence has only garnered may not be truly there. charges of trickery or gullibility from the skep- The Haunting (1963)—This film has tics. However, even the skeptics like a spine- become a classic with horror film buffs and tingling ghost story now and then. Among the serious psychical researchers, both of whom best are the following films: laud director Robert Wise for choosing to use Topper (1937)—A with decidedly subtlety in the manner in which he presents nonthreatening ghosts, this film delighted the ghosts in this adaptation of Shirley Jack- theater audiences and removed tales of haunt- son’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959). ings from the familiar creepy castles and the Although the motion picture contains a num- wild-eyed people with psychotic impulses that ber of chilling scenes, the spirits themselves had become overly familiar in the horror films are ambiguous, as well as frightening. The pre- of the 1920s and 1930s. Directed by Norman sentation of the haunting phenomena in this Z. McLeod, the script was adapted from the motion picture is extremely effective, and Thorne Smith novel about Cosmo Topper, a Wise uses camera angles and lighting tech- meek and mild banking executive, who was niques that emphasize a sense of a terrible

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 50 Ghosts and Phantoms

reality within a surrealistic world of the super- Busters to save the world. The sequel, Ghost natural. The 1999 version is far inferior. Busters II (1989), although retaining all the The Shining (1980)—Adapted from Stephen principals of the original, lacked the energy King’s 1977 novel, director Stanley Kubrick and the excitement to sustain another box crafted a film that many assess as a masterpiece office success. of horror. Director Kubrick manages to create a Ghost (1990)—In addition to presenting film that interacts with the viewer’s own imagi- an interesting depiction of the interaction of nation on many levels, thereby making even a ghost (Patrick Swayze) and a spirit medium more credible the appearance of ghosts and the (Whoopi Goldberg), this film also offers a protagonist’s descent into violence and insanity. touching love story. Ghost is ranked as num- ber 32 on the list of the top-grossing movies Ghost Story (1981)—Four successful elder- of all time. ly men (Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Dou- glas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Houseman), The Sixth Sense (1999)—M. Night Shya- members of the Chowder Society, have shared malan won the Academy Award for Best Orig- a terrible secret for 50 years. Although the inal Screenplay and was nominated as Best Peter Straub novel upon which this film is Director for this film, ranked as number 14 on based held many more levels of ghostly and the list of the top-grossing movies of all time. ghastly surprises, director John Irvin does a The plaint of young Cole Sear (Haley Joel fine job of converting a multigenerational Osment) to child psychologist Malcolm ghost story to the motion picture medium. Crowe (Bruce Willis) “I see dead people” was among the most familiar quotes of 1999. Poltergeist (1982)— stated Because the audience is able to see the ghosts, that in Poltergeist he, as screenwriter, and Tobe the “dead people,” along with Cole, the spirits Hooper, who assumed the directorial reins for are presented as solid, physical beings, rather the film, sought to walk the thin line between than wispy, ethereal images. The film has a the scientific and the spiritual. Starring Craig twist ending that brought many audiences T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as Steve and back for a second viewing. Diane Freeling, who move into a new home The Others (2001)—While Grace Stewart which unknown to them has been built over a (Nicole Kidman) awaits the return of her hus- graveyard, the film became extremely popular band in the final days of World War II (1939– with motion picture audiences. The tension in 45), she lives with her two children (James the film centers on little Carol Anne (Heather Bentley, Alakina Mann) in an old mansion on O’Rourke), who announces that “they’re the island of Jersey. The children suffer from a here,” shortly before the entities pull her into a disease that does not allow them to be spiritual vortex. The challenges faced by the touched by direct sunlight. Freeling family as they struggle to reclaim Carol Ann from the spirit world make for a The children begin to fear that the large presentation of unrelenting suspense. Neither old house is haunted, and they insist to their of the sequels was able to maintain the edge- mother that they have even seen ghosts in of-the-seat tensions of the original film. certain rooms. Grace Stewart will have none of such talk, and she reprimands Bertha Mills Ghost Busters (1984)—Three parapsychol- (Fionnula Flanagan), her principal domestic, ogy professors (, , and that neither she nor any member of the house- ) lose their funding at the uni- hold help should ever encourage such childish versity, so they establish a ghost-removal busi- fantasies. But eventually, Stewart must also ness. Big trouble arises when Dana Barrett face the reality that has overtaken all of them. (Sigourney Weaver) discovers an ancient god in her refrigerator and becomes possessed by M Delving Deeper Zuul, the Gate Keeper. Ghosts and evil spirits Clarens, Carlos. An Illustrated History of the Horror galore will plague the entire planet if the Gate Film. New York: Capricorn Books, 1968. Keeper meets with Vinz Clortho (Rick Mora- Hardy, Phil. The Encyclopedia of Horror Movies. New nis), the Key Master. It is up to the Ghost York: Harper & Row, 1986.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 51

lthough ghosts and phantoms are fre- quent subjects for television documen- taries, there have been few series that A have treated the spirit world in a serious manner. In 1953, Topper, a fantasy-comedy about a Ghosts on businessman who is harassed by a ghostly couple try- ing to get him to loosen up and enjoy life, became a successful television series. The characters were Television Series derived from Topper (1937), a comedy that became popular enough among motion picture audiences to Today, the most popular television programs deal- produce two sequels. ing with ghosts and the afterlife are Crossing Over with John Edward and Beyond with James Van On Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, which pre- Praagh. Their presentations consist primarily of their miered in the 1950s, serious students of psychical professed ability as mediums to establish communi- research recognized many classic cases of ghosts cation with spirits and to relay personal communica- and phantoms presented in a balanced manner, but tions to family members who have come to the studio with the actual names and places changed. as members of the audience. The emphasis was on romantic comedy in the tele- Sources: vision series The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1968–70) in Internet Movie Database Inc. [Online] http://us.imdb.com. which the restless spirit of a handsome sea captain Maltin, Leonard, ed. Leonard Maltin’s 1999 Movie & Video Guide. (Edward Mulhare) haunted a beautiful widow (Hope New York: Dutton Signet, 1998. Lange) in a picturesque New England seaside cottage. Steiger, Brad, and Sherry Hansen Steiger. Hollywood and the The series was another successful adaptation of a Supernatural. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990. popular motion picture (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, 1947). VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Visible Ink Press, 1999. Serious treatment of ghosts and phantoms remained largely the province of documentaries until The X-Files premiered in the 1993–94 season. Although FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigated many areas of the paranormal, hauntings and ghostly phe- nomena were treated as matters of serious inquiry throughout the series’ nine-year run.

The Others (1999–2000) also treated the spirit world seriously, but was canceled after one season. The series starred Julianne Nicholson as a college student with latent mediumistic abilities who was mentored by an experienced medium (Bill Cobbs). In September 2002, the series Haunted premiered with Matthew Fox as a private investigator who received assistance from the spirit world while solv- ing crimes. In October 2002, the Sci Fi Channel began an eight-week revision of the classic series In Search Of with host Mitch Pileggi offering occasional seg- ments on ghosts.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 52 Ghosts and Phantoms

Internet Movie Database Inc. [Online] http://us.imdb. 90 percent of her body. Firefighters and the com. coroner’s office were left with the puzzle of Maltin, Leonard, ed. Leonard Maltin’s 1999 Movie & how this could be possible when the fire took Video Guide. New York: Dutton Signet, 1998. only four minutes to extinguish and was con- Stanley, John. : The Science Fiction, fined to a couch, a table, and the chair in Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide. New York: which the victim was sitting. Boulevard, 1997. Was this another case of spontaneous Steiger, Brad, and Sherry Hansen Steiger. Hollywood human combustion? In many ways it is simil- and the Supernatural. New York: St. Martin’s Press, iar to so many other unexplained instances of 1990. SHC. On March 24, 1997, 76-year-old John O’Connor was found dead in his living room Spontaneous Human at Gortaleen in northern Ireland. An intense Combustion (SHC) and localized heat had left only his head, upper torso, and feet unburned, as well as the he enigma of spontaneous human com- chair in which he was sitting. There was very bustion (SHC) is considered the most little smoke damage done to the room or the T bizarre and frightening of all the phe- furniture. nomena in the world of the unexplained and In December 1956, Virginia Caget of Hon- the unknown. Some believe that stories of olulu, Hawaii, walked into the room of Young SHC are only urban legends, eerie tales of Sik Kim, a 78-year-old disabled person, to find people bursting into flames that never really him enveloped in blue flames. By the time happened to real people. But this is not the firemen arrived on the scene, Kim and his easy case. Urban legends happen to a friend of a chair were ashes. Strangely enough, nearby friend, but are really untraceable back to any curtains and clothing were untouched by fire, true original narrator of the event. In the case in spite of the fierce heat that would have of spontaneous human combustion, one is left been necessary to consume a human being. with the charred remains and ashes of individ- On August 19, 1966, Doris Lee Jacobs of uals who were once fully living, breathing, Occano, California, burned to death in her feeling human beings. trailer home at 1342 23rd Street. Although Spontaneous human combustion is included Jacobs suffered burns on over 95 percent of in the chapter on ghosts and hauntings because her body, the inside of the trailer was only par- for centuries certain scientists and psychical tially scorched. Officials could offer no expla- researchers have suggested that the phenomena nation for the fire, because it was the woman, may be due to some kind of internalized psy- not the trailer, who had burst into flames. chokinetic facet of the human mind. Polter- How can human flesh be heir to such dan- geists have been known to cause spontaneous gers as spontaneous combustion? Spontaneous outbreaks of fires, and mysterious fires and lights combustion, it is assumed, is confined to oily have been part of the repertoire of a haunted rags and newspapers piled up in poorly venti- house since humans first began to keep records lated corners of basements and garages. of such phenomena. Then, too, there are those theorists who place the blame for SHC directly On September 20, 1938, in Chelmsford, on vengeful spirits or malicious entities from England, a woman burst into blue flames in other dimensions of reality. Whatever the true the midst of a crowded dance floor. No one cause of SHC, such accounts have haunted men was able to extinguish the blaze that seemed and women for centuries, thus the mystery is to be fed by her own flesh, and in minutes she placed in this chapter. was but a heap of ashes. In December 2001, a 73-year-old woman On July 30, 1937, a woman who had been in Garden Grove, California, died from the paddling about in a small boat with her hus- third-degree burns that she had suffered over band and children at England’s Norfolk

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 53

Broads was engulfed by terrible blue flames and was nothing but a mound of ash in a mat- ter of a few horrifying moments. Neither any member of her family nor the wooden boat was harmed. Dr. D. J. Gee, a lecturer in forensic medi- cine at the University of Leeds, England, wrote of a case of SHC for the journal Medi- cine, Science and the Law (5:37–8, January 1965). According to Gee, the victim was a slim, 85-year-old woman who lived with her son and daughter-in-law in a ground-floor apartment. Her family had left the apartment by 9:30 A.M. on the day she died. Neighbors had discovered smoke issuing from a kitchen window and found the smoldering remains of a human body on the hearth. When Gee visited the apartment two hours later, he noticed that the room was exceedingly warm and the ceiling felt hot. The paintwork was blistered and the walls and fur- In order to test Thurston’s theories, Gee Men sifting through the nishings begrimed by soot. Only a part of the conducted some experiments of his own. He aftermath of an alleged wooden edge of the hearth was burned, and a learned that human fat, when melted in a cru- spontaneous combustion small section, approximately one foot in diam- cible, would only burn at a temperature some- incident. (FORTEAN eter, of the floor was damaged. The rug had not where near 250 degrees centigrade. However, PICTURE LIBRARY) been burned, but it was greasy with tiny frag- a cloth wick prepared in liquid fat will burn ments of fat. A tea towel lying near where the even when the temperature of the fat has body had been found was barely singed, and a dropped as low as 24 degrees centigrade. large pile of dry firewood remained unaffected. Gee also enveloped a layer of human fat in Gee concluded from his examination that several layers of thin cloth in order to produce the woman must have suffered a heart attack a roll about eight inches long. Combustion of and fallen into the fire. The body was ignited at the roll proceeded slowly along its length, the head by the fire and had been sufficiently burning with a smoky yellow flame and pro- inflammable to burn to such an extensive degree ducing a great deal of soot. In both of these without any other source of heat, like a candle. experiments, a fan was arranged so that com- The draft from the chimney had prevented the bustion would proceed in a direction opposite spread of flames to other parts of the room. the flow of air. In a 1961 study Dr. Gavin Thurston stud- Gee admitted that these experiments were ied the literature of SHC and came to a num- by no means conclusive, but argued that they ber of conclusions, among them: supported the theory put forward by Thurston, 1. That under certain conditions a body will which he believed to be the most reasonable burn in its own fat with little or no damage explanation for the occurrence of spontaneous to surrounding objects. human combustion. 2. The combustion is not spontaneous, but On April 7, 1969, Grace Walker of Long started by an external source of heat. Beach, California, was found on the floor of her 3. This has occurred where the body has living room with burns covering 90 percent of been in the path of a draft up a chimney her body. Although she was still alive when dis- from a lighted fire. Oxygenation of the flue covered, she was pronounced dead on arrival at prevents outward spread of the fire. the hospital. Investigating police officers said

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 54 Ghosts and Phantoms

that the only signs of fire in the house were the ety of fires fed by such combustibles as hickory ashes left from Walker’s clothes, which had and oak, gasoline, oil, coal, and acetylene. been burned from her body by the flames from Krogman learned that it takes a terrific her flesh. There were no burners lighted on the amount of heat to completely consume a stove and not a single match was to be found in human body, both flesh and skeleton. Cadav- Walker’s house. Friends and relatives said that ers that were burned in a crematorium burn at the woman did not smoke and never carried 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for more than eight matches on her person. hours, burning under the best possible condi- tions of both heat and combustion, with everything controlled, are still not reduced to ash or powder. Only at temperatures in excess SPONTANEOUS human combustion of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit did he observe bone fuse so that it ran and became volatile. seems to strike without warning and without How, then, can a human being burn leaving a clue. beyond recognition—in a number of cases in less than an hour—yet not cause the fire to spread beyond the chair in which the victim The strange phenomenon of ball lightning was sitting or the small area of the floor on has been used by many scientists in an which he or she might have sprawled? Accord- attempt to explain the even stranger mystery ing to Krogman, the temperatures required to of spontaneous human combustion, but it is as bring about such immolation should ignite and difficult to isolate in laboratories for study as consume anything capable of burning within a SHC. In 1960, Louise Matthews of South considerable radius of the blaze. Philadelphia survived an eerie experience that might substantiate the theory of ball lightning In what has become one of the classic as a factor in at least some of the mysterious cases of SHC, Mary H. Reeser of St. Peters- cremations that have taken place throughout burg, Florida, was last seen relaxing comfort- the world and throughout all recorded time. ably in an armchair in her apartment at 9:00 Matthews claimed that she was lying on her P.M. on Sunday evening, July 2, 1951. When a living room sofa when she glanced up to see a telegram was delivered to her 11 hours later, large red ball of fire come through both the nothing remained of the 170-pound woman closed window and the venetian blinds with- but a skull that had shrunk to the size of a out harming either. At first Matthews thought baseball, one vertebra, and a left foot wearing that an atomic bomb had fallen, and she the charred remains of a black slipper. buried her face in the sofa. But the ball of fire St. Petersburg Fire Chief Nesbit said that he passed through the living room, into the din- had never seen anything like it in all his years of ing room, and drifted out through a closed investigating fires. Police Chief J. R. Reichart dining room window. Matthews said that it received an FBI report stating that there was no made a sizzling noise as it floated through her evidence that any kind of inflammable fluids, house. And she was able to exhibit visible volatile liquids, chemicals, or other accelerants proof of her experience: As the ball of fire had had been used to set the widow’s body ablaze. A passed over her, she had felt a tingling sensa- spokesman for a St. Petersburg mattress compa- tion in the back of her head. Her scalp was left ny pointed out that there is not enough material as smooth and clean as her face. in any overstuffed chair to cremate a human In his experiments regarding the effects of body. Cotton, he said, comprises the basic stuff- fire on flesh and bone, Dr. Wilton Krogman, ing of such a chair, and this material is often professor of physical anthropology at the Uni- combined with felt and hair or foam-rubber versity of Pennsylvania, tested bones still cushions. None of these materials is capable of encased in human flesh, bones devoid of flesh bursting suddenly into violent flames, although but not yet allowed to dry out, and bones that they do possess properties that enable them to have dried. He burned cadavers in a wide vari- smolder for long periods of time.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Ghosts and Phantoms 55

At first Krogman theorized that a “super From the Latin apparitus, past participle of lightning bolt” might have struck Reeser, her apparere, meaning to appear. body serving as a conductor to ground the cur- astral self Theosophical belief that humans rent through a wall-type heater behind the possess a second body that cannot be per- chair. He discarded this theory as soon as he ceived with normal senses, yet it coexists learned that local weather bureau records with the human body and survives death. showed no lightning in St. Petersburg on the night Reeser met her bizarre death. automatic writing Writing that occurs in an Krogman remarked that he had never seen unconscious state or when one is in a a skull so shrunken or a body so completely trance or supposed telepathic contact with consumed by heat. Such evidence was con- a spirit. trary to normal experience, and he regarded it discarnate The lack of a physical body. as the most amazing thing he had ever seen. If Coined from dis- and the Latin stem carn, he were living in the Middle Ages, he mused, meaning flesh. he would suspect black magic. Spontaneous human combustion seems to Geiger counter An instrument named after its strike without warning and without leaving a inventor, German physicist Hans Geiger clue. It seems to occur primarily among the (1882–1945), that is used to measure and elderly and among women, but there is no stan- detect such things as particles from radioac- dard rule for these grim cases of tive materials. combustibility. Nearly every theory, such as hallucinations A false or distorted perception that those who imbibe heavily might be more of events during which one vividly imag- susceptible to the burning death, has been dis- ines seeing, hearing or sensing objects or proved and rejected. At this time, no investiga- other people to be present, when in fact tor has determined the critical set of circum- they are not witnessed by others. stances that might bring body cells to the stage at which they might spontaneously burst into megalith Very large, sometimes enormous the flames that feed on the body’s own fatty tis- stones that stand alone or are a part of sue, and SHC remains a baffling mystery in the architecture of prehistoric structures. annals of the unexplained and the unknown. Novena of Masses In the Roman Catholic M Delving Deeper Church, the recitation of prayers or devo- Arnold, Larry E. Ablaze! The Mysterious Fires of Spon- tions for a particular purpose, for nine con- taneous Human Combustion. New York: M. Evans secutive days. From the Latin nus,meaning & Co., 1996. nine each and from novern, meaning nine. “Ball Lightning Link to Human Combustion.” paranormal Events or phenomena that are Ananova, December 12, 2001. [Online] http:// beyond the range of normal experience www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_479064.html. and not understood or explained in terms Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of of current scientific knowledge. the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1989. phenomena Unusual or extraordinary things Gaddis, Vincent H. Mysterious Fires and Lights. New or occurrences that are experienced or per- York: David McKay, 1967. ceived. From Latin via the Greek word Rickard, Bob, and John Michell. Unexplained Phenom- phainomenon, meaning that which appears. ena. London: Rough Guides, 2000. Past participle of phainein, to bring to light or to shine. philanthropist Someone who is benevolent or Making the Connection generous in his or her desire or activities to improve the social, spiritual or material apparition The unexpected or sudden appear- welfare of humankind. From the late ance of something strange, such as a ghost. Latin, ultimately, Greek philanthropos,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 56 Ghosts and Phantoms

humane; philos; loving and anthropos, to treat patients in order to gain awareness human being. of suppressed subconscious experiences or memories that might be causing psycho- psychoanalyst One who uses the therapeutic logical blocks. methods of psychiatric analysis, such as dream analysis and free association, as rectory The house or dwelling that a rector developed by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) lives in.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 57

Chapter Exploration

Apelike Monsters Bigfoot Orang Pendek Skunk Ape Yeti Creatures of the Night Chupacabra Ghoul Golem Imp Incubus Jersey Devil Succubus Vampire Werewolf Chapter 11 Monsters of Land, Sea, and Air Dragons Mysterious Creatures Loch Ness and Other Lake Monsters Sea Serpents Thunderbirds Wee Folk and Their Friends Stone Age humans feared “monsters” that Elves Fairies emerged from the darkness. Saber-toothed Gnomes tigers stalked them; cave bears mauled Goblins Gremlins them, and rival hominid species struggled Leprechauns Menehune against them for survival. Ancient night- Mermaids Nisse terrors surface in the dreams and Selkies Trolls imaginations of present-day humans, and Actors Who Faced sometimes the monsters turn out to be real. (or Became) Movie Monsters 58 Mysterious Creatures

Introduction continued to fashion human-animal deities of great power, such as the gods of ancient Egypt, ome psychologists have suggested that which included the cat goddess Bast, the there is something within the human canine-headed Anubis, the hawkman Horus, Spsyche that craves monsters and mysteri- and so on. From such were-beings, it was a ous creatures. For some individuals, the very natural progression to fashion other mystical idea that , werewolves, and chu- creatures, such as the minotaur (half-human, pacabras are out there, lurking in the shad- half-horse), the satyr (half-human, half-goat), ows, makes the adrenaline surge in an other- the harpy (half-woman, half-bird), and a host wise humdrum and dull workaday world. Oth- of other hybrid entities—the vast majority ers may find that the notion of long-necked unfavorably disposed toward humankind. And monsters swimming in the world’s lakes, ape- somewhere along the way, certain people like giants prowling the forests and prehistoric developed a genetic disorder known as por- behemoths trampling down remote jungles phyria, which often brought about psychosis ignites their creative fires. Creatures that defy and an extreme hypersensitivity to sunlight, science, reason, and logic can thrive well in thereby suggesting that they were truly vam- the human imagination. pires. Others succumbed to the mental illness called lycanthropy (from the Greek, lykan, Other researchers see some people’s fear of wolf, and thrope, man; literally, “wolf man”) in monsters as a kind of psychic residue of primi- which people believed themselves to become tive fears when early humankind dreaded night- actual werewolves. fall and the predators that stalked the darkness for victims. Dr. Christopher Chippindale of While many psychologists and anthropol- Cambridge University’s museum of archaeology ogists perceive the origin of humankind’s fear and anthropology has observed that such half- of vampires, werewolves, and other blood- human, half-animal monsters as the werewolf sucking monsters to lie in the ancient night- and other were-creatures were painted by Stone mares of Stone Age peoples, other researchers Age artists more than 10,000 years ago. Some of called cryptozoologists (from kryptos, Greek the world’s oldest art found at ancient sites in for hidden) seek to prove that such creatures Europe, Africa, and Australia depict animal- as Bigfoot, the , and sea human hybrids. “In other words,” Chippindale serpents really exist. Such determined indi- told the Guardian newspaper, “werewolves and viduals point out that the mountain gorilla vampires are as old as art.” Composite beings was considered a superstition of the native from a world between animals and humans, he people of Africa until 1902 when Oscar van said, are a common theme to be found in the Beringe, a German explorer, shot two of them earliest of cave and rock art. Such “theri- while climbing a volcano in the eastern anthropes,” or hybrid beings, are, in fact, the Congo. Cryptozoologists argue that such phys- only common denominator in primitive art ical evidence as hair samples, feces, and casts around the planet. These werewolves, were- of footprints indicate that unknown species of lions, and were-bats belonged to an imagined apes or apemen unrecognized by science may world that early humans saw as powerful, dan- exist in the Himalayan mountains, the remote gerous, and frightening. forests of northern California and Canada, and other parts of the world. Chippindale commented that these Some cryptozoologists claim that the Loch ancient depictions of were-animals remain Ness Monster and sea serpents could be sur- among the most potent images that vivors from the age of the . The humankind has ever created. When modern coelacanth, a bizarre fish older than the great anthropologists or archaeologists enter the reptiles by millions of years, was thought to caves with electric lights, he said, the paint- have been extinct for 65 million years until ings “are still frightening.” one was caught off the coast of South Africa Once humankind’s psyche had absorbed in 1938. Since that time, more than 200 have such hybrid monsters from the Stone Age, it turned up in fishnets from Indonesia to Kenya.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 59

If the coelacanth survived for over 380 mil- been reported since the Middle Ages. In 840 lion years, cryptozoologists maintain, why C.E., Agobard, the Archbishop of Lyons, told couldn’t certain of the giants from the rela- of three such demons, “giant people of the for- tively recent Jurassic Era, roughly 150 million est and mountains,” who were stoned to death years ago, be hiding in our deepest forests, after being displayed in chains for several days. , and lakes? In his Chronicles, Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Abbey, Essex, England, wrote of a “strange Society and author of Why People Believe monster” whose charred body had been found Weird Things (1997), says that people believe after a lightning storm on the night of St. in monsters and other things that go bump in John the Baptist in June 1205. He stated that the night because they satisfy a human search a terrible stench came from the beast with for significance and a desire to have meaning “monstrous limbs.” in their lives. Robert Pyle, an ecologist and Villagers of the Caucasus Mountains have author of Where Bigfoot Walks, expresses his legends of an apelike “wildman” going back for opinion that creatures such as Bigfoot fill a centuries. The same may be said of the human need for something to believe in and Tibetans living on the slopes of Mt. Everest keep alive the concept of wilderness in the and the Native American tribes inhabiting the modern world. northwestern United States. The Gilyaks, a In this chapter a wide range of mysterious remote tribe of Siberian native people, claim creatures will be encountered, from those that there are animals inhabiting the frozen monsters dwelling only in the nightmares forests of Siberia that have human feelings and inherited from Stone Age ancestors to those travel in family units. Based on the eyewitness that just might be waiting to be discovered by descriptions of hundreds of reliable individuals the next expedition into a hitherto unex- around the world who have encountered these plored region of jungle, forest, or ocean depth. creatures, it would seem that the creatures are more humanlike than apelike or bearlike. For M Delving Deeper one thing, these giants are repeatedly said by Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of witnesses to have breasts and buttocks. Nei- the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, ther apes nor bears have buttocks—nor do 1989. they leave flatfooted humanlike footprints. Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Ani- mals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. In 1920, the term “abominable snowman” was coined through a mistranslation of the McKie, Robin. “Stone Age Man’s Terrors Still Stalk Tibetan word for the mysterious apelike mon- Modern Nightmares.” The Observer, November ster yeti, “wildman of the snow.” For the next 25, 2001. [Online] http://www.observer.co.uk/ two decades, reports of the creature were com- uk_news/story/0,6903,605611,00.html. mon in the Himalayan mountain range, but it Pyle, Robert. Where Bigfoot Walks. Boston: Houghton was not until the close of World War II Mifflin, 1997. (1939–45) that world attention became focused Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend on the unexplained humanlike bare footprints Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton Company, that were being found at great heights and freez- 1961. ing temperatures. The Himalayan activity Shermer, Michael. Why People Believe Weird Things. reached a kind of climax in 1960 when Sir New York: MJF, 1997. Edmund Hillary (1919– ), conqueror of Mt. Everest, led an expedition in search of the elu- sive yeti and returned with nothing shown for his efforts but a fur hat that had been fashioned Apelike Monsters in imitation of the snowman’s scalp. ightings of monstrous apelike creatures The humanlike creature—whether sighted lurking in the darkness of forests and in the more remote, wooded, or mountainous Smountainous regions of the world have regions of North America, South America,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 60 Mysterious Creatures

Bigfoot Russia, China, Australia, or Africa—is believed by some anthropologists to be a two-footed Reports of a large apelike creature in the Unit- mammal that constitutes a kind of missing link ed States and the Canadian provinces are to be between humankind and the great apes, for its found in the oral traditions of native tribes, the appearance is more primitive than that of journals of early settlers, and accounts in Neanderthal. The descriptions given by wit- regional frontier newspapers, but wide public nesses around the world are amazingly similar. attention was not called to the mysterious Height: six to nine feet. Weight: 400 to 1,000 beast until the late 1950s when roadbuilding pounds. Eyes: black. Dark fur or body hair from crews in the unmapped wilderness of the Bluff one to four inches in length is said to cover the Creek area north of Eurka, California, began creature’s entire body with the exception of the to report a large number of sightings of North palms of its hands, the soles of its feet, and its America’s own “abominable snowman.” Once upper facial area, nose, and eyelids. stories of giant humanlike monsters tossing Some question the existence of giant ape- around construction crews’ small machinery like creatures because there is so little physical and oil drums began hitting the wire services, evidence besides casts of huge humanlike foot- hunters, hikers, and campers came forward prints. Some researchers respond by pointing with a seemingly endless number of stories out that Mother Nature keeps a clean house. about the shrill-squealing, seven-foot forest Scavengers soon eat the carcasses of the largest giant that they had for years been calling by forest creatures and the bones are scattered. such names as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Wauk- Zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson suggested that if Wauk, Oh-Mah, or Saskehavis. these beings are members of a subhuman race, In North America, the greatest number of they may gather up their dead for burial in spe- sightings of Bigfoot have come from the Fraser cial caves. Dr. Jeanne-Marie-Therese Koffman River Valley, the Strait of Georgia, and Van- agreed that the creatures might bury their dead couver Island, British Columbia; the “Ape in secret places. It may be, she theorized, that Canyon” region near Mt. St. Helens in south- they may throw the corpses of the deceased western Washington; the Three Sisters Wil- into the rushing waters of mountain rivers or derness west of Bend, Oregon; and the area into the abysses of rocky caverns. Others around the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, remind the skeptical that it is not unusual for especially the Bluff Creek watershed, northeast certain of the higher animals to hide the bod- of Eureka, California. In recent years, extreme- ies of their dead. Accounts of the legendary ly convincing sightings of Bigfoot-type crea- “elephants’ graveyard” are well-known; and in tures have also been made in areas of New Ceylon, the phrase “to find a dead monkey” is York, New Jersey, Minnesota, South Carolina, used to indicate an impossible task. Tennessee, and Florida. Proving the existence of such creatures Reports of Bigfoot-type creatures in Cali- may seem to many scientists to be an impossi- fornia go back to at least the 1840s when min- ble task, but persistent searchers for undeni- ers reported encountering giant two-legged able evidence of the apelike beings feel that beastlike monsters during the gold rush days. proof is right around the next corner in some Sightings of the Oh-Mah, as the native tribes darkened forest. called them, continued sporadically until August 1958, when a construction crew was M Delving Deeper building a road through the rugged wilderness Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of near Bluff Creek, Humboldt County, and dis- the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, covered giant humanlike footprints in the 1989. ground around their equipment. For several Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Boston: Faber mornings running, the men discovered that & Faber, 1985. something had been disturbing their small Dash, Mike. Borderlands. New York: Dell Books, 2000. equipment during the night. In one instance, Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend an 800-pound tire and wheel from an earth- Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. moving machine had been picked up and car-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 61 ried several yards across the compound. In An alleged Bigfoot another, a 300-pound drum of oil had been photographed in 1967 stolen from the camp, carried up a rocky near Bluff Creek, mountain slope, and tossed into a deep California. (AP/WIDE canyon. And in each instance, only massive WORLD PHOTOS) 16-inch footprints with a 50-to-60-inch stride offered any clue to the vandal’s identity. When media accounts of the huge foot- prints were released, people from the area began to step forward to exhibit their own plaster casts of massive, mysterious footprints and to relate their own frightening encounters with hairy giants—stories that they had repressed for decades for fear of being ridiculed. Not to be outdone, Canadians began telling of their own startling encounters with Sasquatch, a tribal name for Bigfoot, that had been circu- lating in the accounts of trappers, lumberjacks, and settlers in the Northwest Territories since the 1850s. Long before the frontier folk discov- ered the giant of the woods, the Sasquatch had become an integral element in many of the On October 20, 1967, near Bluff Creek, myths and legends of the native people. north of Eureka, California, Bigfoot hunters Perhaps the most remarkable and most Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin managed to thoroughly documented account of a shoot several feet of movie film of what appears Sasquatch from those early days in Canada to be a female Bigfoot. With its glossy black hair occurred in 1884 and was recorded in the shining in the bright sun, the Bigfoot walks away Daily British Colonist, July 4, 1884. In the from the camera with a stride that is human. It immediate vicinity of Number 4 tunnel, 20 has pendulous breasts, and it looks back at the miles from Yale, British Columbia, a group of cameraman as it walks steadily toward a growth railroad men captured a creature that could of trees. It does not appear to be frightened, but truly be called half-man and half-beast. The it is obvious that it wishes to avoid contact. men called him “Jacko” and described him as Experts say that the creature in the filmstrip is looking much like a gorilla, standing about over seven feet tall and estimate its weight at four feet, seven inches and weighing 127 around 400 pounds. It left footprints 17 inches pounds. The only sound that issued from him long, and it had a stride of 41 inches. Patterson was a kind of half-bark and half-growl. Jacko and Gimlin felt that they had at last provided was described as having long, black, strong the scientific community and the world at large hair and resembling a human being with the with proof of Bigfoot’s existence. exception that his entire body, except his hands and feet, were covered with glossy hair about one inch long. His forearm was much longer than a man’s forearm, and he possessed THE seven-foot forest apelike creature is known extraordinary strength. as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Wauk-Wauk, Oh-Mah, or The man who became Jacko’s “keeper,” George Telbury of Yale, announced his inten- Saskehavis. tion to take the man-beast to London, Eng- land, to exhibit him. All traces of Jacko van- ished after the rash of news stories recounting After his examination of the Patterson- the details of his capture. Gimlin film, Dr. John R. Napier, director of the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 62 Mysterious Creatures

Primate Program of the Smithsonian in seclusion in a Los Angeles nursing home Institution, commented that while he saw when the story of the gorilla suit hoax broke, nothing that pointed conclusively to a hoax, he refused to confirm or deny the reports. did express some reservations about the exag- Chris Murphy, a Bigfoot researcher, told gerated, fluid motion of the creature. He also the Sunday Telegraph (October 19, 1997) that said that he thought the Bigfoot was a male, in “very high computer enhancements of the spite of the pendulous breasts, because of the film show conclusively that, whatever it was, crest on its head, a signature of male primates. it was not wearing a suit. The skin on the Dr. Osman Hill, director of Yerkes Region creature ripples as it walks.” Primate Research Center at Emory University, Other Bigfoot experts have declared the stated his opinion that the Bigfoot in the film- Patterson-Gimlin film to be an authentic doc- strip was hominid (humanlike) rather than umentary of a genuine female hominoid. Two pongoid (apelike). If the being in the film was Russian scientists, Dmitri Bayanov and Igor a hoax, Hill commented, it had been incredi- Bourtsev, minutely analyzed every movement bly well done. of the female Bigfoot on the controversial film Technicians at the Documentary Film and concluded that it had passed all their tests Department at Universal Pictures, Holly- and their criteria of “distinctiveness, consis- wood, agreed with the scientists’ assessment tency, and naturalness.” Who, they ask rhetor- and said that it would take them a couple of ically in their chapter in The Sasquatch and million dollars to duplicate the monster on Other Unknown Hominoids, “other than God the filmstrip. First, they stated, they would or natural selection is sufficiently conversant have to create a set of artificial muscles, train with anatomy and bio-mechanics to ‘design’ a an actor to walk like the thing on the film, body which is perfectly harmonious in terms then place him in a gorilla skin. of structure and function?” Most scientists remained skeptical, and On September 22, 2000, a team of 14 the controversy raged for 30 years. On Octo- researchers that had tracked the elusive Big- ber 19, 1997, just prior to a press release by the foot for a week deep in the mountains of the North American Science Institute that would Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washing- announce their analyses that the creature ton State found an extraordinary piece of evi- depicted on the film was genuine, stories dence that may end all arguments about appeared in the media claiming that John whether or not the creature exists. There, in a Chambers, the academy award-winning make- muddy wallow near Mt. Adams, was an up artist of The Planet of the Apes (1968), had imprint of Bigfoot’s hair-covered lower body as been responsible for creating the gorilla suit it lay on its side, apparently reaching over to that had fooled the monster hunters. Accord- get some fruit. Thermal imaging equipment ing to Howard Berger of Hollywood’s KNB confirmed that the impression made by the Effects Group, it was common knowledge massive body was only a few hours old. within the film industry that Chambers had The team of Bigfoot hunters who discov- designed the costume for friends of Patterson ered the imprint—Dr. LeRoy Fish, a retired who wanted to play a joke on him. Mike wildlife ecologist with a doctorate in zoology; McCracken Jr., an associate of Chambers, Derek Randles, a landscape architect; and stated his opinion that he (Chambers) was Richard Noll, a tooling metrologist—next responsible for designing the gorilla suit. made a plaster cast of what appeared to be Roger Patterson died in 1972, never impressions of the creature’s left forearm, hip, doubting that he had caught a real Bigfoot on thigh, and heel. More than 200 pounds of film. And none of the individuals who plaster were needed to acquire a complete 3- allegedly asked John Chambers to design a 1/2 x 5-foot cast of the imprint. Dr. Jeff Mel- gorilla costume in order to hoax Patterson drum of Idaho State University stated that the have ever stepped forward and identified imprint had definitely not been made by a themselves. Chambers himself, who was living human getting into the mud wallow.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 63

On October 23, Idaho State University utan (“man of the woods”), sometimes referred issued a press release stating that a team of to as the “Sumatran Yeti.” According to tradi- investigators, including Dr. Meldrum; Dr. tion, the first recorded sighting of orang pendek , retired physical anthropologist dates back to 1295 when Marco Polo from Washington State University; Dr. John (1254–1324) saw it on one of his expeditions to Bindernagel, Canadian wildlife biologist; John the island. While many naturalists regard the Green, retired Canadian author and longtime tales of the orang pendek as native folklore, in Bigfoot hunter; and Dr. Ron Brown, exotic ani- 1916 Dr. Edward Jacobson wrote in a Dutch sci- mal handler and health care administrator, had entific journal of his encounter with one of the examined the plaster cast obtained from the creatures. Since Jacobson’s sighting, there have mud wallow and agreed that it could not be been many accounts of people seeing the orang “attributed to any commonly known Northwest pendek, including that of a Mr. van Herwaar- animal and may present an unknown primate.” den, who spotted one while scouting the forests According to the university press release, for good lumber in 1923. Most witnesses after the cast had been cleaned, “extensive describe the creature as standing about five feet impressions of hair on the buttock and thigh tall and as being covered with short dark hair. It surfaces and a fringe of longer hair along the is definitely bipedal, and its arms are propor- forearm were evident.” In addition, Meldrum, tioned more like that of a human, rather than associate professor of anatomy and anthropol- the extended arms of an ape. Remarkably, the ogy, identified what appeared to be “skin ridge orang pendeks have been heard conversing with patterns on the heel, comparable to finger- one another in some unintelligible language. prints, that are characteristic of primates.” While the cast may not prove without ques- tion the existence of a species of North Ameri- can ape, Meldrum said that it “constitutes signif- THE orang pendek may be the most likely of the icant and compelling new evidence that will Bigfoot-type creatures to be proved to be real. hopefully stimulate further serious research and investigation into the presence of these primates in the Northwest mountains and elsewhere.” Debbie Martyr, former editor of a London M Delving Deeper newspaper, went in search of the elusive Suma- Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of tran apeman and returned in March 1995 with the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, numerous consistent eyewitness accounts of the 1989. orang pendek and plaster casts of its footprints. Byrne, Peter. The Search for Big Foot: Monster, Myth or She stated that she even saw the creature for Man? Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1976. herself on three occasions. The first time that Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Boston: Faber she sighted the orang pendek, she admitted & Faber, 1985. that she was so shocked that she didn’t snap a ———. “Top Cryptozoolgical Stories of the Year picture. She hadn’t really expected to see an 2001.” The Anomalist, January 4, 2001. [Online] actual bipedal erect primate. She remarked that http://www.anomalist.com/features/topcz2001. the orang pendek is wonderfully camouflaged html. because its colors correspond to those of the forest floor—beige, tawny, rust red, yellow tan, Green, John. On the Track of the Bigfoot. New York: and chocolate brown. If the creature remains Ballantine Books, 1973. immobile, she said, it is impossible to see. Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. The orang pendek may be the most likely of the Bigfoot-type creatures to be proved to be real. Too many scientists have heard its Orang Pendek calls, followed its trails through the jungle, Sumatra has an ancient tradition of apemen and caught glimpses of the creature. On Octo- known as orang pendek (“little man”) or orang- ber 29, 2001, the London Times reported that

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 64 Mysterious Creatures

n April 2001, British zoologist Rob McCall pre- sented a hair sample allegedly taken from a Himalayan Yeti to Bryan Sykes, professor of Ihuman genetics at the Oxford Institute of Mole- cular Medicine, one of the world’s leading experts on DNA analysis. Sykes said that laboratory analysis of the mysteri- The Real Manimal? ous hairs yielded some DNA, but the experts were not able to identify it. http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/the_north_east/archive/ The Orang Pendek of Sumatra is much less famil- 2002/09/04/abom.re.html. iar. After Marco Polo visited the island in 1292, he “Scientists Are Hair’s Breadth from the Yeti.” The Herald, mentioned an encounter with an apelike animal that September 5, 2002. [Online] http://www.theheard.co.uk/ has come to be known as the Sumatran Yeti. Since news/archive/5-9-19102-23-54-40.html. 1818, various English and European explorers of the thick jungle growth of Sumatra have told of sighting an apeman that the native people call Orang Pendek, “little man of the forest.” Witnesses describe the Orang Pendek as stand- ing about five feet tall and covered with short brown or orange hair. It walks upright without the assistance of its front fists, and its arms are of humanlike propor- tions. Many have asserted that they heard the Orang Pendeks conversing with one another in some unin- telligible language. In 1918 L. C. Westenek, the Suma- tran governor, wrote of several sightings, including one in which he claimed to have seen an Orang Pen- dek attempting to light a fire. In September 2002 Hans Brunner, an associate of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, acknowl- edged to be one of the world’s most renowned hair experts, released his findings that alleged Orang Pen- dek hair samples that had been provided by a three- man team of British explorers were different from any species against which he had tested them.

Sources: “Do ‘Orang Pendek’ Really Exist…?” [Online] http://www. jambiexplorer.com/content/orangpendek.htm, n.d. Henderson, Mark. “Yeti Hair Sample Defies DNA Analysis,” The Times, April 2, 2001. [Online] http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ article/0,,2-108351,00.html. “North-East Adventurer Set to Prove Abominable Snowman Exists.” This Is the North East, September 4, 2002. [Online]

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 65 an early analysis of hair samples taken by a Area residents also complained about the British expedition to the mountain rainforest Sandman or Skunk Ape peeping in their win- near Gunung Kerinci in western Sumatra did dows at night. Others said that they had had not appear to have come from any known pri- garbage cans upset by a huge creature that mate in the area. Adam Davies, the leader of retreated into the night when they clicked on the expedition, stated that he had no doubt yardlights. The more observant eyewitnesses that orang pendek truly exists. described the nocturnal marauder as standing between six and seven feet tall and weighing M Delving Deeper somewhere between 300 and 400 pounds. Henderson, Mark. “Team ‘Find Traces of Sumatran Nearly every witness mentioned the terrible Yeti.’” The Times, October 29, 2001. [Online] stench that accompanied the giant intruder. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001373 161,00.html. Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Ani- mals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. “Man-Beast Hunts in the Far East.” 83 THE Skunk Apes’ hair absorbs the stench of (October/November 1995): 18–19. rotting animal carcasses left behind by alligators. Martyr, Deborah. “An Investigation of the Orang- Pendek, the ‘Short Man’ of Sumatra.” Cryptozool- ogy 9 (1990): 57–65. According to some of its pursuers, the crea- Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend ture lives in muddy and abandoned alligator Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. caves deep in the steamy Everglades swamp. The alligators leave the rotting remains of their Skunk Ape kills behind to putrefy in the heat of their hide- With the rash of media reports about Bigfoot aways, and the Skunk Apes absorb the stench sightings beginning in the late 1950s and early into their hair, thus accounting for their awful 1960s, Floridians began coming forward to smell. Although the Skunk Ape is said to be make their encounters with their “Skunk Ape” primarily a vegetarian and often steals produce known. As with Bigfoot in the Northwestern from area gardens, Everglades hunters claim to United States and Sasquatch in Canada, leg- have seen the giant kill a deer and split open its ends of an apelike monster that haunts the belly to get at the liver and entrails. more remote areas of Florida have been in cir- In 1980, large footprints, complete with culation since the early days of that state’s his- the impression of toes, were found in the tory. And as with the legends of the hairy giants Ocala National Forest. The sheriff’s depart- of the North, members of Native American ment estimated that the unknown creature tribes insisted the centuries-old tales were true. that had made the prints was about 10 feet tall On December 5, 1966, Orlando Sentinel and weighed around 1,000 pounds. staff writer Elvis Lane wrote about two On Monday evening, July 21, 1997, Vince hunters who claimed to have wounded the Doerr, chief of the Ochopee Fire Central Dis- monster. Although it left a trail of blood, the trict, told the Miami Herald that he had seen creature—at that time dubbed the “Florida “a brown-looking tall thing” run across the Sandman,” in contrast to the “Abominable road ahead of him. He was certain that the Snowman”—seemed relatively unscathed by thing was not a bear. Ochopee borders the their volley, and the two men fled in the Everglades, and a few days after Doerr’s sight- opposite direction. In another report, Lane ing, a group of six British tourists and their described how the son of a ranch hand had guide, Dan Rowland, saw a Skunk Ape on gone to investigate the sounds of someone Turner River Road, just north of the town. opening their garage and had surprised the According to Rowland’s statement in the hairy giant raising the door. When the young Miami Herald (July 28, 1997), the unknown man shouted his alarm, the monster threw a apelike creature was between six and seven heavy tire at him. feet tall, “flat-faced, broad-shouldered, cov-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 66 Mysterious Creatures

ered with long brown hair or fur and reeking dismissed his report until several scholars dis- of skunk.” The seven witnesses observed the covered the journals of Major Lawrence Wad- Skunk Ape “in a slough covered with bald dell, who, during his 1887 expedition, reported cypress trees.” Rowland added that “…it loped having found humanlike tracks in the snow. along like a big monkey or gorilla, then it dis- The First Everest Expedition was launched appeared into the woods.” in 1921, led by Colonel C. K. Howard-Bury. In February 2001, the Sarasota Sheriff’s The climbing party of six British men and 26 Department received an anonymous letter native porters was crawling slowly up the containing some photographs of an apelike north face of Everest, near the Lhakpa La Pass, creature that had been taken by a woman who when Howard-Bury spotted tracks in the feared that an orangutan was running loose in morning snow. Most of them were easily recog- the area of Myakka State Park and might nizable as those of rabbits or foxes, but one set harm members of her family. Cryptozoologist of indentations was peculiar, appearing as if a , who examined the pictures man walking barefoot had made them. A Sher- along with animal welfare specialist David pa guide identified the tracks as belonging to Barkasy, said that they appeared to be good the Yeti or the “mehteh kangmi,” the man- graphic evidence for the unknown anthropoid beast of the mountains who lived in the snow. known as the Florida Skunk Ape. According to Coleman, “The photographs clearly show a Later, when Howard-Bury telegraphed his large, upright dark orangutan-like animal reports to Calcutta, he mentioned the inci- among the palmettos, showing eye-shine and dent briefly. Unfortunately, the telegraphic typical anthropoid behavior of fright due to facilities were very primitive and the words the woman’s flash camera.” “mehteh kangmi” were garbled into “metch kangmi.” The expedition’s assistants in Cal- M Delving Deeper cutta were confused by the term and asked a Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Boston: Faber Calcutta newspaper columnist to translate the & Faber, 1985. term. The columnist told them that “metch” ———. “Top Cryptozoolgical Stories of the Year was a term of extreme disgust, so it might be 2001.” The Anomalist, January 4, 2001. [Online] translated as the “horrible snowman” or the http://www.anomalist.com/features/topcz2001. html. “abominable snowman.” Otto, Steve. “Absolute Kinda Irrefutable Proof of A reporter for one of England’s most sensa- Skunk Ape.” Tampa Tribune, February 13, 2001. tional newspapers was in the office when the [Online] http://news.tbo.com/news/MGACIN7J telegram was translated. He raced for the 3JC.html. cable office in Calcutta, wiring his paper that Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend the First Everest Expedition had encountered Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. a frightening creature known as the “abom- inable snowman.” Thus the hairy wild men of Yeti the Himalayas were named in error and the Tales of hairy monsters existing in the Asian term has persisted to this day. When Howard- wilderness can be found in the writings of sev- Bury and his unsuccessful mountain climbers eral venerable Chinese scholars who linked admitted defeat on Mt. Everest, they returned these creatures to the “time of the dragon,” to civilization and discovered that newspaper the presumed genesis of Asian civilization. reporters were eager for more information Despite an occasional report by a European about the abominable snowmen. visitor to the region, the apelike creatures did In the 1930s scientists studied the reports not receive any sort of widespread notoriety of explorer Frank Smythe’s discovery of Yeti until the beginning of the twentieth century. tracks in the snow at 14,000 feet. The foot- During an expedition into the Himalayas prints measured 13 inches in length and were in 1906, botanist H. J. Elwes was astonished to five inches wide. Famed mountaineer Eric E. glimpse a hairy figure racing across a field of Shipton claimed that he saw similar tracks on snow below him. The scientific establishment his expedition to Everest in 1936.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 67

World War II (1939–45) stopped moun- An alleged Yeti, or taineering and scientific exploration of the abominable snowman, formidable Himalayas, but in 1942, Slavomir on the 1952 issue of Rawicz and four other men escaped from a Radar magazine. (MARY Communist prison camp in Siberia and struck EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY) out on a “long walk” toward India. They reported meeting two Yeti during their incred- ible journey. Sightings of Yeti mushroomed in the 1950s as several scientists seriously investigated the snowmen. In 1950, natives reported Yeti in three different locations, including a sighting by a large group of monks near Thyangboche. A Yeti also ventured out of the forest and hung around the Thyangboche Monastery until it was finally chased away by monks who blew bugles, struck gongs, and shrieked at it. The following year, Eric Shipton discovered tracks and photographed them while on his way to Everest with an expedition. In 1952, Sir Edmund Hillary and George Lowe found “snowman” hair in a high moun- tain pass, and tracks were reported by a Swiss expedition. In 1954, an expedition financed by the London Daily Mail set out to capture a In August 1981, Soviet mountain climber Yeti. They found tracks in several different Igor Tatsl told the Moscow News Weekly that he locations, but returned without their prize. and his fellow climbers had seen a Yeti and that Three other scientific groups also reported they had attempted a friendly, spontaneous finding tracks. contact with the creature. Tatsl went on to state that his team had made a plaster cast of an In 1957, the first expedition sponsored by imprint of a Yeti’s footprint that they had found the American millionaire Tom Slick found on a tributary of the Varzog River. This particu- hair and footprints at several locations. Two lar river rushes through the Gissar Mountains porters said Yeti had been sighted in those in the Pamiro-Alai range of Tadzhik in Central regions earlier that year. Peter and Bryan Asia. In Tatsl’s considered opinion the Yeti may Bryne said they had seen a snowman when the quite likely be humankind’s closest evolution- Slick Expedition was in the Arun Valley. In ary relative. He further believed that their sens- 1958, Gerald Russell and two porters with the es were more highly developed than those of Second Slick Expedition encountered a small the human species. snowman near a river, and in the following year, tracks were reported by the Third Slick Expedition, as well as by members of a Japan- ese expedition. THE have been linked to the “time of the Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who con- quered Mt. Everest, created a sensation when dragon,” the presumed genesis of Asian civilization. he returned with the alleged scalp of a Yeti. Hillary later proved that the so-called scalp was actually goat skin, and he declared that Russian scientists have sponsored serious snowman tracks were made by foxes, bears, efforts to track down the Yeti for more than a and other animals that became enlarged when quarter of a century. Although each Russian the snow is melted by the sun. province may have its own name for the mys-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 68 Mysterious Creatures

terious giants of the mountain—in Dagestan, proclamation, after much debate in December “kaptar”; in Azerbaijan, “mesheadam”; in 1998 the members of the Chinese scientific Georgia, “tkys-katsi”; while the Chechens, community had decreed once and for all that Ingushes, Kabardins, and Balkars call it the the creatures do not exist. “almasti”—each startled eyewitness seems to However, in spite of the official pronounce- describe the same strange beast. ment from the Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese call the snowman “yeren,” that neither the Yeti nor the yeren exist, and in 1977, 1980, and 1982, expeditions anthropologist Zhou Guoxing reminded his searching for the manbeast set out to track colleagues that unidentifiable hair specimens down their quarry in the Shennongjia Forest and 16-inch casts of footprints had been found Park in western Hubei province. In September during scientific expeditions to the Shen- 1993, a group of Chinese engineers claimed to nongjia region. In his opinion, even if 95 per- have seen three yeren walking on trails in the cent of the reports on the existence of the wild Shennongjia Forest Park. man are not credible, it remains necessary for scientists to study the remaining five percent. In October 1994, the Chinese government established the Committee for the Search of In April 2001, British scientists on the trail Strange and Rare Creatures, including among of the Yeti announced the best evidence yet for its members specialists in vertebrate paleontol- the existence of the mysterious creature of the ogy and palaeanthropology. A loose consensus Himalayas—a sample of hair that proved among interested members from the Chinese impossible to classify genetically. Dr. Rob Academy of Sciences maintains that the yeren McCall, a zoologist, removed strands of the are some species of unknown primates. The Yeti hair from the hollow of a tree and brought largest cast of an alleged wildman footprint is them back to Britain to be analyzed. Dr. Bryan 16 inches long, encouraging estimates that the Sykes, Professor of Human Genetics at the yeren itself would stand more than seven feet Oxford Institute of Molecular Medicine, one tall and weigh as much as 660 pounds. The sci- of the world’s leading authorities on DNA entific committee has also studied and exam- analysis, stated that they could not identify the ined eight hair specimens said to have come DNA that they had discovered in the hair and from yeren ranging through China and Tibet. that they had never before encountered DNA The analyses of the hairs, varying in color from that they couldn’t recognize. the black collected in Yunnan province and M Delving Deeper the white collected in Tibet to the reddish Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of brown from Hubei, indicate a nonhuman the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, source, but no known animal. 1989. In April 1995, a yeren expedition of 30 Dash, Mike. Borderlands. New York: Dell Books, 2000. members led by Professor Yuan Zhengxin set Henderson, Mark. “‘Yeti’s hair’ Defies DNA Analy- out for the Hubei mountains. Although the sis.” The Times, April 2, 2001. [Online] http:// enthusiastic Professor Zhengxin expressed con- www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-108351,00.html. fidence that the well-equipped group would Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Ani- capture a yeren within three years, by July most mals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. of the expedition members had returned to Bei- Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend jing with little more than some possible hair Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. samples to show for their three-month safari. In January 1999, Feng Zuoguian, a zoolo- gist for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced through the state-run China Daily Creatures of the Night newspaper that China was officially proclaim- ing its firm opposition to any outsiders who here is no known culture on this plan- attempted to organize expeditions to capture et that has not at one time or another the Yeti or the yeren. According to the official T cowered in fear because of the savage

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 69 attacks of a nocturnal predator known as a soon a part of the teachings of all major faiths therianthrope, a human-animal hybrid such as and cultures. But while culture, magic, and a werewolf, “werebear,” “werelion,” or a “were- religion had amassed thousands of years of something.” Such creatures were painted by prohibitions concerning the shedding of Stone Age artists more than 10,000 years ago blood, what could be more repulsive to the and represent some of the world’s oldest cave human psyche than the hybrid half-human, art—and they probably precipitated some of half-animal monsters bite the throats and the world’s first nightmares. drink the blood of men, women, and chil- Some time in those fierce and frightening dren? Vampires rose from their dank graves by prehistoric years when every day was a struggle night to sustain their spark of life through the for survival for the primitive hunter-gatherers drinking of blood. Werewolves devoured the there came the realization that the flowing of a flesh and blood of their victims by night or victim’s vital fluid after a fatal attack from a day. How could people defend themselves cave bear’s claws and jaws was connected with against these blood-hungry creatures when the release of the life force itself. Blood became they also had the ability to shapeshift into sacred. Once the association was made bats, wolves, and luminous fogs? And then between blood and the life force, a large num- there were the supernatural beings, such as ber of magical and religious rituals became the incubus and the succubus, who were centered around the shedding of blood, and more interested in seizing human souls than thousands of members of ancient priesthoods in sucking human blood. have raised chalices filled with the dark, holy elixir of life over thousands of altars stained with both animal and human blood. HERIANTHROPES As respect for the spiritual quality of T , a human-animal human life evolved, the sacrifice of men, hybrid, were painted by Stone Age artists more than women, and children was considered forbid- 10,000 years ago. den. And while in less civilized times the drinking of an animal’s vital fluid had been deemed an appropriate way in which to absorb the strength or virility of the lion, the bear, or It is difficult for those living in the mod- the boar, religious law now admonished ern world to imagine the night terrors of our against both the drinking of animal blood and ancestors as they prepared to face the the eating of meat from which the blood had demon- and monster-riddled world after sun- not been thoroughly drained. down. Today, vampires, werewolves, and creatures of the dark have become the sub- The Old Testament book of Leviticus jects of entertainment, scary movies, and (17:14) acknowledges that blood is “the life of thrilling television programs that bring relief all flesh, the blood of it is the life thereof,” but from the tensions of the real world of home- the children of Israel are instructed that they work, peer acceptance, work-related stress, “shall not eat of the blood of no manner of taxes, and providing for one’s children. Yet flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood there- there seems within each human being a of: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.” desire to be frightened—safely frightened, Again, in Deuteronomy 12:20–24, the Lord that is—by those dormant memories of those warns, “…thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever demon-infested nights when the creatures thy soul lusteth after…Only be sure that thou waited in the shadows to seize their victims. eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and As one watches the late-night creature fea- thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. ture on television and hears that strange Thou shalt not eat [blood]; thou shalt pourest sound outside the window, the thought pops it upon the earth as water.” uneasily into the mind that all things are Similar warnings against the ingesting of possible—even those things that everyone blood for religious or health reasons were knows cannot possibly exist.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 70 Mysterious Creatures

M Delving Deeper pointed ears on its reptilianlike head, but all Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of who have seen the Chupacabra after dark state the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, that they will never forget its red eyes that glow 1989. menacingly in the shadows. Although its arms Clark, Jerome, and Loren Coleman. The Unidentified. are thin, they are extremely powerful, ending in New York: Warner Paperback Library, 1975. three-clawed paws. Coleman, Loren. Curious Encounters. Boston and A most unusual attribute of the Chu- London: Faber & Faber, 1985. pacabra is its chameleonlike ability to change Gordon, Stuart. The Encyclopedia of Myths and Leg- colors even though it appears to have a strong, ends. London: Headline Books, 1994. coarse black hair that covers its torso. Some- Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Folk- how, the creature is able to alter its coloration . New York: Larousse, 1995. from green to grayish and from light brown to Keel, John A. Strange Creatures from Time and Space. black, depending upon the vegetation that Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1970. surrounds it. Another peculiarity of the beast is the row of quill-like appendages that runs Chupacabra down its spine and the fleshly membrane that extends between these projections, which can Named for its seeming penchant for attacking flare or contract and also change color from goats and sucking their blood, the Chupacabra blue to green or from red to purple. (“goat sucker”) both terrified and fascinated the public at large when it first burst upon the Some witnesses have claimed that the scene in Puerto Rico in the summer of 1995. Chupacabra can fly, but others state that it is From August of 1995 to the present, the mon- the beast’s powerful hindlegs that merely cata- ster has been credited with the vampirelike pult it over walls, small trees, and one-story deaths of thousands of animals, ranging from barns or outbuildings. It is those same strong goats, rabbits, and birds to horses, cattle, and legs that enable the creature to run at deer. While some argue that the creature is a extremely fast speeds to escape its pursuers. new monster, others point out that such enti- It wasn’t long after the night terrors began ties have always existed and been reported by in Puerto Rico before reports of Chupacabra farmers and villagers in Puerto Rico and Cen- began appearing in Florida, Texas, Mexico, tral and South America. and among the ranchers in Brazil’s southern states of Sao Paulo and Parana. In Brazil, the ranchers called the monster “O Bicho,” the Beast, but there was no mistaking the brutal FROM August of 1995 to the present, the signature of the Chupacabra on the mutilated corpses of sheep and other livestock. And the Chupacabra has been credited with the vampirelike description provided by frightened eyewit- deaths of thousands of animals. nesses was also the same—a reptilian creature with thin arms, long claws, powerful hind legs, and dark gray in color. The beast has been observed by numerous On May 11, 1997, the newspaper Folha de eyewitnesses as it attacked their livestock, and Londrina in Parana State, Brazil, published the they have described it as nightmarish in appear- account of a slaughter that had occurred at a ance. Standing erect on powerful goatlike legs ranch near Campina Grande do Sul when in a with three-clawed feet, the monster is generally single corral 12 sheep were found dead and described as slightly over five feet in height, another 11 were horribly mutilated. While though some reports list it as over six and a half some authorities attributed the attacks to wild feet. Its head is oval in shape and it has an elon- dogs or cougars, those who had been eyewit- gated jaw with a small, slit mouth and fangs that nesses to the appearance of the beast argued protrude both upward and downward. A few that the creature that they had seen walking witnesses have claimed to have seen small, on its hind legs and seizing livestock by the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 71 throat had most certainly not been any kind of known canine or cat. Rumors concerning Chupacabra’s origin began to circulate at a furious pace. From April to September 2000, the bloodsucker in Chile slaughtered more than 800 animals, and both the people and the authorities were becoming concerned about what kind of monster was running amuck in their country. Some witnesses to the bloody rampages of the creature described it as a large rodent, others as a mutant kangaroo; still others perceived it as a winged, apelike vampire. A number of authorities began to speculate that the Chu- pacabra-type creatures had been manufac- tured by some secret government agency, a bizarre hybrid of various animals, created for whom knew what purpose. A number of cler- gymen issued pronouncements stating that the creatures were heralding the end of the world. UFO enthusiasts theorized that aliens brought the monsters to test the planet’s atmosphere, in order to prepare a mass inva- sion of Earth. Anthropologists reminded peo- ple that tales of such mysterious, vampirelike monsters that sucked the blood out of live- stock had been common in Central America for centuries. A widely popular story spread throughout Chile that Chilean soldiers had captured a Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufol- Chupacabra. (JOHN Chupacabra male, female, and cub that had ogy, reported that a specialist of veterinary SIBBICK/FORTEAN been living in a mine north of Calama. Then, medicine examined the carcass and acknowl- PICTURE LIBRARY) according to the account, a team of NASA edged that it was an uncommon creature with scientists arrived in a black helicopter and great eye cavities, smooth batlike skin, big reclaimed the Chupacabra family. The crea- claws, large teeth, and a crest sticking out tures, so the story claimed, had escaped from a from the main vertebra. The specialist said secret NASA facility in the Atacama Desert that the specimen could have been a hybrid of northern Chile where the U.S. space animal made up of several species, created agency was attempting to create some kind of through genetic engineering. hybrid beings that could survive on Mars. However, on September 5, 2000, the offi- On August 30, 2000, Jorge Luis Talavera, a cial analysis of the corpse by the university farmer in the jurisdiction of Malpaisillo, medical college was that Talavera had shot a Nicaragua, had enough of the nocturnal dog. A furious Luis Talavera declared that the depredations of Chupacabra. The beast had officials had switched carcasses. “This isn’t my sucked the life from 25 of his sheep and 35 of goatsucker,” he groused as the college returned his neighbor’s flock, and he lay in wait with the skeleton of a dog for his disposal. rifle in hand for its return. That night it Today, Chupacabra reports continued seemed that Talavera accomplished what no unabated from nearly all the South American other irate farmer or rancher had been able to countries. While the creature remains contro- do. He shot and killed a Chupacabra. versial and arguments ensue whether it is

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 72 Mysterious Creatures

some kind of vampire, extraterrestrial alien, or bances of wild animals seeking carrion. Later, a creation of some secret branch of the U.S. as funeral customs became more elaborate and government, frightened and angry people men and women were buried with their jewel- complain that whatever Chupacabra is, it ry and other personal treasures, the lure of easy continues to suck the blood from their live- wealth superseded any superstitious or ecclesi- stock. astical admonitions that might have otherwise kept grave robbers away from cemeteries and M Delving Deeper from desecrating a corpse’s final rest. Astuya, Juan Carlos. “Chile Homeowner Terrified by .” Trans. by Scott Corrales. La Estrel- Then, in the late 1820s, surgeons and doc- la de Valparaiso, October 14, 2001. [Online] tors began to discover the value of dissection. http:// www.rense.com/general15/chu.htm. The infant science of surgery was progressing rapidly, but advancement required cadavers— Corrales, Scott. Chupacabras and Other Mysteries. and the more cadavers that were supplied, the Murfreesboro, Tenn.: Greenleaf Publications, more the doctors realized how little they actu- 1997. ally knew about the anatomy and interior ———. “How Many Goats Can a Goatsucker Suck?” workings of the human body, and thus the Fortean Times 89 (September 1996): 34–37. more cadavers they needed. As a result, soci- Del Valle, Fernando. “The ‘Goat Sucker’ Legend eties of grave robbers were formed called the Claws Its Way into Texas.” USA Today, May 15, “resurrectionists.” These men made certain 1996. that the corpses finding their way to the dis- Ocejo-Sanchez, Virgilio. “Eyewitness Describes Flying secting tables were as fresh as possible. And, of Chupacabras.” Trans. by Mario Andrade. Septem- course, digging was easier in unsettled dirt. ber 21, 2001. [Online] http://ufomiami.dventures. The great irony was that advancement in com/. medical science helped to perpetuate the leg- end of the ghoul. Ghoul M Delving Deeper The ghoul is linked with both the vampire Fodor, Nandor. Between Two Worlds. New York: and the werewolf in traditional folklore, but Paperback Library, 1967. there are a number of obvious reasons why the entity has never attained the popularity ———. The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at achieved by the Frankenstein monsters, Drac- the Supernatural. New York: New American ulas, and Wolfmen of the horror films. The Library, 1968. category of ghoul encompasses a number of Hurwood, Bernardt J. Vampires, Werewolves, and different entities. One type of ghoul, like the Ghouls. New York: Ace Books, 1968. vampire, is a member of the family of the Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to undead, continually on the nocturnal prowl Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- for new victims. Unlike the vampire, however, sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. this ghoul feasts upon the flesh of the Masters, R. E. L., and Eduard Lea. Perverse Crimes in deceased, taking the corpses from cemeteries History. New York: Julian Press, 1963. and morgues. The ghoul more common to the waking world is that of the mentally unbal- Golem anced individual who engages in eating or The Golem is the Frankenstein monster of Jew- otherwise desecrating the flesh of deceased ish tradition, but it is created from virgin soil humans. Yet a third type of ghoul would be and pure spring water, rather than the body those native of Arabic folklore, the ghul parts of cadavers. It is also fashioned by those (male) and ghulah (female), demonic who purify themselves spiritually and physical- that haunt burial grounds and sustain them- ly, rather than heretical scientists in foreboding selves on human flesh stolen from graves. castle laboratories who bring down electricity It is easy to envision how the legend of the from the sky to animate their patchwork ghoul began in ancient times when graves human. Once the Golem has been formed, it is were shallow and often subject to the distur- given life by the Kabbalist placing under its

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 73

”The Golem of Prague” (1920) was directed by Paul Wegener.

(GETTY IMAGES)

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 74 Mysterious Creatures

Boris Karloff in the 1931 production of “Frankenstein.”

(CORBIS CORPORATION)

tongue a piece of paper with the Tetragramma- of Formation, and in his modern adaptation of ton (the four-letter name of God) written on it. the ancient text, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan stressed According to certain traditions, the cre- that the initiate should never attempt to make ation of a Golem is one of the advanced stages a Golem alone, but should always be accom- of development for serious practitioners of panied by one or two learned colleagues for it Kabbalah and alchemy. Instructions for fash- can become a monster and wreak havoc. ioning a Golem according to the Talmudic When such a mistake occurs, the divine name tradition was set down sometime in the tenth must somehow be removed from the creature’s century by Rabbi Eliezar Rokeach in The Book tongue and it be allowed to revert to dust.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 75

he novel Frankenstein: A Modern Prome- theus (1818) with its story of the daring sci- entist Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the mon- Who Was the Tster made of human parts that he brought to life is one of the most famous works of fiction. Mary Inspiration for Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797–1851) was 16 when she met the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). Mary ran off to Europe with Shelley in 1816, and they spent Dr. Frankenstein? the summer with Lord George Gordon Byron Sources: (1788–1824) and his friend and personal physician Dr. Hardy, Phil. The Encyclopedia of Horror Movies. New York: John Polidori (1795–1821) in Geneva. To pass the time Harper & Row, 1986. during a dreary summer, Lord Byron suggested that Internet Movie Database Inc. [Online] http://us.imdb.com. each of them should write a ghost story. Eighteen- Stanley, John. Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, year-old Mary was the only one of the four who actu- and Horror Movie Guide. New York: Boulevard, 1997. ally fulfilled the assignment, publishing her novel two Radford, Tim. “Frankenstein May Have Been Based on Scots years after she married Shelley in December 1816. Scientist.” The Guardian, May 1, 2002. [Online] http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4404697,00.html. While the novel has been hailed as a masterpiece Veitch, Jennifer. “So Who Is Behind the Monster?” Edinburgh and a work of genius, scholars have long debated the Evening News, May 3, 2002. [Online] http://www.edinburgh source of Mary Shelley’s inspiration. What—or news.com/capitalcity.cfm?id=476592002. who—suggested the character of Dr. Victor Franken- stein, who became the prototype of the mad or obsessed scientist? In 2002, while researching the influence of sci- ence upon the poetry of Percy Shelley, Chris Goulding, a Ph.D. student at Newcastle University, found histori- cal documents that indicated that the model for Victor Frankenstein was Dr. James Lind (1736–1812), Shel- ley’s scientific mentor at Eton in 1809–10. Lind had become fascinated with the ability of electrical impulses to provoke muscle movement in the legs of dead frogs, and he was quite likely the first scientist in England to conduct experiments similar to those that enabled Dr. Frankenstein to focus electricity from lightning and bring his monster to life. Percy Shelley was interested in science, and Goulding points out passages in Mary Shelley’s unfinished biography of her husband wherein she commented that Percy often spoke of the great intellectual debt that he owed to Dr. Lind.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 76 Mysterious Creatures

The most famous Golem is “Yossele,” the other animal and serve as a witch’s familiar. creature said to be created by Judah Loew Ben In many of the transcripts of the European Bezalel (1525–1609) to help protect the Jews witchcraft trials, the demonic spirit given by of Prague from the libel that the blood of a the Devil to a witch to do his or her bidding Christian child was used during the Passover was referred to as an imp. Seder. There are many accounts of how Yosse- In most of the descriptions of imps given le saved Jews from reprisals directed against by witches or those theologians who claimed them by those citizens who had been incited to have exorcised the entities, their appear- by the anti-Semitic libel. Once the Golem ance apart from the animals they possessed had served its purpose, the rabbi locked it in was always a solid black in color. Since they the attic of Prague’s Old-New Synagogue, were creatures without souls sired by the where it is widely believed that the creature Devil, imps were condemned to be dark shad- rests to this day. The synagogue survived the ow beings, forever denied the light of God. widespread destruction directed against Jewish Over the centuries, the meaning of the places of worship by the Nazis in the 1930s word has lost its satanic implications. When and early 1940s, and it is said that the Gestapo one speaks of someone having an impish did not even enter the attic. A statue of Yosse- smile, one is likely to mean that that individ- le, the Golem of Prague, still stands at the ual has wry sense of humor. To refer to chil- entrance to the city’s Jewish sector. dren as “little imps” suggests that they are mis- chievous, rather than malignant. M Delving Deeper THE most famous Golem is “Yossele,” that was Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995. allegedly created by Judah Loew Ben Bezalel Michelet, Jules. Satanism and Witchcraft. New York: (1525–1609) to help protect the Jews of Prague. Citadel Press, 1939, 1960. Walker, Barbara. The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols & Sacred Objects. Edison, N.J.: Castle Books, 1988.

M Delving Deeper Incubus “Frankenstein and the Golem.” Jewish Gothic. According to ancient tradition, there are two [Online] http://www. jewishgothic.com/golem.html. main classifications of demons that sexually Kaplan, Aryeh. Sefer Yetsirah: The Book of Creation in molest humans—the incubi that assault Theory and Practice. New York: Samuel Weiser, women and the succubi that seduce men. 1990. Both sexual predators are said to have been Unterman, Alan. Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend. born as a result of Adam’s sexual intercourse London and New York: Thames and Hudson, with Lilith, a beautiful demonic entity, often 1991. said to have been his first wife, or in other tra- Winkler, Gershon. The Golem of Prague. New York: ditions, a fantasy wife created to alleviate his Judaica Press, 1994. loneliness before the advent of Eve. The incu- bi were said to seduce unsuspecting women by Imp appearing to them in the guise of their hus- In Old English impe means a young plant bands or lovers, and as one might suspect, the shoot or a tree sapling. Over the years, the incubi played an important role in the history word came to refer to smallish entities that of the Inquisition. Even pious nuns appeared were direct offspring of the Devil and sent before the tribunals, attesting to their afflic- from hell to do evil deeds to humans on Earth. tion by persistent incubi that tried to persuade Imps might well be called junior demons, and them to break their vows of chastity. Epi- one of their principal assignments, according demics of demon possession and erotomania to Christian authorities, was to disguise them- swept such convents as Loudon, Louviers, selves as black cats, owls, ravens, or some Auxonne, and Aixen-Provence.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 77

avid J. Skal, author of The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror (1997), has made the observation that the histo- Dry of horror entertainment closely paral- lels the great social traumas of the twentieth century. The Top Ten Monsters became popular at the box office dur- ing World War II (1939–45), particularly during the Movie Monsters second half of the conflict, and Hollywood film studios responded to the demand by creating horror tales fea- 5. King Kong, the giant ape, from the original turing vampires, werewolves, and mummies. In 1944 King Kong (1933). alone, 21 horror films were released. 6. Chucky, the possessed, murderous doll, from After the war ended in 1945, audiences no longer Child’s Play (1988). were attracted to such classic monsters. Science fic- tion tales of UFOs and aliens replaced Earth-based 7. Michael Myers, the masked murderer, who is supernatural monstrosities. described in the film Halloween (1978). During the Vietnam conflict, monsters and mad- 8. Hannibal Lecter, the erudite, cannibalistic ser- men returned with a vengeance, and a remarkable 54 ial killer from The Silence of the Lambs (1991). horror films were released in 1972. Then, after the 9. Jason, the unstoppable monster in the hockey United States Armed Forces pulled out of Vietnam, the mask, from Friday the 13th (1980). movie monsters retreated again. In 1975, only 17 hor- 10. The Alien, the multi-jawed, many-fanged crea- ror films were released by major studios. ture in Alien (1979). In 2001, the Media Psychology Lab at California Sources: State in Los Angeles polled people across the United States from ages 6 to 90 in all ethnic groups to deter- Seiler, Andy. “Oh, the Horror! Oh, Boy!” USA Today, October 25, 2001. [Online] http://www.usatoday.com/life/lphoto.htm. mine which movie monsters ranked as the favorites. Skal, David J. The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror. According to the survey, the most frightening motion New York: Boulevard, 1997. picture of all time for all groups was The Exorcist (1973). Stanley, John. Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, The favorite top ten monsters were the following: and Horror Movie Guide. New York: Boulevard, 1997. 1. Dracula, the aristocratic vampire, in the 1931 Theokas, Christopher. “Bela’s Dracula Still Has Bite.” USA Today, version, Dracula, with Bela Lugosi as the blood- October 31, 2001. [Online] http://www.usatoday.com/life/ sucking count. enter/movies /2001-10-31-scary-movies.htm. 2. Freddy Krueger, the slayer of teenagers with the razor-sharp metal talons on his fingers, from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 3. The Frankenstein monster, the original version with Boris Karloff, Frankenstein (1931). 4. Godzilla, the prehistoric giant reptile that spews radioactive rays and stomps cities to rubble, from the original Japanese film, Godzilla of the Monsters (1954).

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 78 Mysterious Creatures

In his book Eros and Evil, R. E. L. Masters M Delving Deeper remarked on the scant amount of records from Fodor, Nandor. Between Two Worlds. New York: the Inquisition concerning the experiences of Paperback Library, 1967. men who succumbed to seductive succubi in ———. The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at contrast to the enormous number of recorded the Supernatural. New York: New American instances in which women yielded to the sex- Library, 1968. ual attentions of the incubi. Such lack of Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to reports did not imply that succubi were less Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- seductive than incubi, but rested on the belief sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. of the inquisitors and clergy of the day that Masters, R. E. L. Eros and Evil. New York: Julian women were “naturally inclined to vice…and Press, 1962. would always put up defenses more feeble than Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New those offered by males.” Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1960.

Jersey Devil INCUBI fashion temporary bodies out of water Some witnesses say that the Jersey Devil that haunts the Pine Barrens in southeastern New vapor or gases. Jersey is a cross between a goat and a dog with cloven hoofs and the head of a collie. Others swear that it has a horse’s head with the body The incubus could prove to be a jealous of a kangaroo. Most of the people who have lover. In April 1533, according to old sighted the creature mention a long tail, and church records, an incubus became enraged nearly all of the witnesses agree that the thing when he discovered his human mistress in has wings. But it doesn’t really fly as much as the arms of the son of the tavernkeeper at it hops and glides. Schilttach, near Freiburg. In his furious state Whatever the Jersey Devil is, people have of mind, the incubus not only set the tavern been sighting it in the rural area in South Jersey ablaze, but he burned the entire village to since 1735, which, according to local legend, is the ground. the year that it was born. Rather than some Church authorities dealt with the problem monstrous animal that was somehow spawned of how a spirit could develop a corporeal body in the one million acres of pines that still by advancing such theories as these: incubi remain some distance from the state’s cities and fashion temporary bodies out of water vapor or refineries, the Jersey Devil has at least a semi- gases; they have no actual physical bodies, but human origin. It seems that there was a promi- they possess the power to create an illusion of nent family in South Jersey whose patriarch corporeality; they inhabit recently deceased demanded a large number of heirs to carry on corpses and animate them for the purpose of the Leeds name to future generations. While sexual intercourse with the living; they actual- that might have been well and good for Mr. ly have material bodies that they can manipu- Leeds, when she learned that she was about to late into any shape they desire. bear her thirteenth child, Mrs. Leeds decided Father Montague Summers theorized that that she had enough. She had grown tired of such demons as the incubi might be com- being continually pregnant to satisfy her hus- posed of that same substance known as ecto- band’s ego. In a fit of rage, it is said that she plasm from which the spirits of the dead draw cursed the unborn child within her and cried their temporary body during materialization out that she would rather bear the devil’s child seances with mediums. He reasoned that than give birth to another Leeds for posterity. such psychic drainage could occur if a frus- Visualizing the image of Satan, Mrs. Leeds trated young person encouraged the atten- decreed that she wished the child to be born tions of an evil entity by fantasizing about with claws and fangs, fierce and wild as some erotic materials. vicious beast. The old legend said that Mrs.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 79

Leeds was granted her angry wish of revenge. Jersey Devil, 1901 The baby was born a monster with devilish illustration. (FORTEAN fangs, claws, tail, and cloven hoofs, but the PICTURE LIBRARY) extremes of its viciousness soon eclipsed the bor- ders of Leeds’s curse. The little monster ate every one of the other Leeds children and escaped out of the chimney to begin its reign of terror among the farmers and villagers of the region. For well over 200 years, terrified witnesses have claimed to encounter the Jersey Devil. The most famous series of sightings occurred in January 1909 when hundreds of men and women reporting seeing or hearing the fright- ening creature. So many people refused to leave the safety of their homes that local mills were forced to shut down for lack of workers. As with so many of its kind, local folklore has it that the Jersey Devil serves as an omen of tragedy and war. According to some wit- nesses, the being was sighted just prior to the onset of the Civil War (1861–65) and again before the start of the Spanish-American con- flict (1898) and World War I (1914–18). Lilith, according to the Midrash, preys not M Delving Deeper only on males as they lie sleeping, but also Clark, Jerome, and Loren Coleman. The Unidentified. upon mothers who have just given birth, as New York: Warner Paperback Library, 1975. well as their newborn babes. Amulets of pro- Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Folk- tection against the approach of Lilith may be lore. New York: Larousse, 1995. found in many traditional Jewish bookstores. Keel, John A. Strange Creatures from Time and Space. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1970. Seibert, Trent. “Scary Legend Has Roots in Wilder- ness of New Jersey.” Denver Post, June 2, 2001. [Online] http://www.100megsfree4. com/farshores/ SUCCUBI appear to men as beautiful, sensual cjdevil.htm. women, but they also may be vampires thirsting for

Succubus human blood. According to certain mystical traditions, the demonic sexual molesters known as the incubi and the succubi were the children of Father The plural form of “Lilith” in Hebrew is Adam’s consorting with a beautiful fallen angel “lilim,” which is found in Talmudic and Kab- named Lilith, who in the view of certain Jewish balistic literature as a term for spirits of the mystics, was Adam’s wife before the creation of night. Sometimes the word lilith is translated Eve. Succubi appear to men as beautiful, sensual as “night-owl,” which would seem to refer to women, tempting and promising, but they also Lilith, the succubus, having wings and being may be vampires thirsting for human blood. capable of flight. Sometimes, according to While those males who consort with a succubus Hebrew scholars, the term lilith represents often meet an untimely end, on occasion their “wind-spirit,” and in Hebrew the word for interaction with the entity brings about a horde “spirit” (ruach) also means wind. Lilith is of demonic children, who will one day gather at often depicted as a beautiful woman with his deathbed and hail him as their father. long, unkempt hair and large batlike wings.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 80 Mysterious Creatures

n the summer of 2002, Romanian Tourism Minis- ter Dan Agathon announced plans to build a Dracula theme park on a hilltop near the Imedieval town of Sighisoara, the birthplace of the fifteenth-century Romanian count Vlad Tepes Count Dracula (1431?–1476?), said to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s (1847–1912) famous vampire novel, Dracula (1897). Theme Park Critics immediately opposed the idea of such an Marinas, Radu. “Dracula Park Plan ‘Undead.’” Reuters.com, July enterprise, stating that the park would undermine 1, 2002. [Online] http://reuters.com/jhtml?type= more dignified projects to restore the medieval spirit entertainmentnews&StoryID=1151684. of Sighisoara. Tourism Minister Agathon denied any rumors suggesting that the concept of a Dracula theme park was being abandoned due to the efforts of opposing critics, and he requested that all groups support the effort to attract more tourists to the medieval town.

Sources: “Ghostbuster Believes Dracula’s Ghost Is Haunting Theme Park Site,” Ananova, June 26, 2002. [Online] http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_616089.html?men u=news.scienceanddiscovery.p...

M Delving Deeper a nightmarish creature of the undead with Fodor, Nandor. Between Two Worlds. New York: twisted fangs and grasping talons. After Bram Paperback Library, 1967. Stoker’s novel Dracula (1897) became a popu- ———. The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at lar stage play, and, in 1931, a classic horror the Supernatural. New York: New American film, the image of the vampire as a hideous Library, 1968. demon was transformed into an attractive “Jewish Vampires.” Jewish Gothic. [Online] http:// stranger who possesses a bite that, while fatal, www.jewishgothic.com/vampire.html. also promises eternal life. The vampire of leg- Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to end, a demonic presence, wrapped in a rotting Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- burial shroud, intent only on sating its blood- sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. lust, was forgotten and replaced by the beguil- Unterman, Alan. Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend. ingly romantic figures that have appeared ever London and New York: Thames and Hudson, 1991. since in films and popular novels. The cinematic depiction of the vampire in F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) presented a Vampire much more accurate characterization of the Contrary to the glamorous image popularized traditional vampire. In this film actor Max by motion pictures depicting handsome vam- Schreck’s loathsome bloodsucker creeps about pires and their beautiful “brides,” the appear- in the shadows with dark-ringed, hollowed ance of a true vampire in folklore is grotesque, eyes, pointed devil ears, and hideous fangs.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 81

With his long, blood-stained talons, his egg- The 1922 silent German shaped head, and his pasty white complexion, film “Nosferatu” was the Schreck’s Nosferatu looks more like the crea- first film which ture of the undead as seen in the collective introduced vampires into nightmares of humankind throughout the the cinema. (CORBIS centuries. E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the CORPORATION) Vampire, released on December 29, 2000, teased audiences with the unsettling sugges- tion that the monstrous Nosferatu (Willem Dafoe) who assumed the title role in the clas- sic film by F. W. Murnau (John Malkovich) was actually portrayed by a real vampire, rather than an actor. The vampire legend is universal, and every culture has its own name for the monster. The word itself rises from the slavonic Magyar— vam, meaning blood; pir, meaning monster. To cite only a few other appellations for the vam- pire from different languages, there is the then the only courses of action remaining are older English variation, vampyr; the Latin, to pry open his coffin during the daylight sanguisuga; Serbian, vampir; Russian, upyr; hours while the vampire lies slumbering and Polish, Upirs; and the Greek, Brucolacas. pound a wooden stake through his heart—or, From the villages of Uganda, Haiti, to the perhaps a bit safer, destroy the coffin while he Upper Amazon, all indigenous people know is away and allow the rays of the early morn- the vampire in its many guises. Traditional ing sun to scorch him into ashes. Native American medicine priests, Arctic Eskimo shamen, and Polynesian Kahuna all know the vampire and take precautions against those who were once human who are now undead and seek blood by night to sus- THE vampire legend is universal, and every tain their dark energies. culture has its own name for the monster. With each succeeding generation, the dark powers of the vampire have grown. His hyp- notic powers have become irresistible, and his In 1982, parapsychologist Stephen Kaplan, strength is that of a dozen men. He can trans- director of the Vampire Research Center in form himself into the form of a bat, a rat, an Elmhurst, New York, discovered a vampire owl, a fox, and a wolf. He is able to see in the subculture living among the general popula- dark and to travel on moonbeams and mist. tion. Kaplan estimated that there were approx- Sometimes, he has the power to vanish in a imately 21 “real” vampires living secretly in puff of smoke. the United States and Canada. He spoke to many of these self-professed creatures of the Over the centuries certain precautions night, some of whom claimed to be as old as have been determined, such as liberally apply- 300 years, and he established the demograph- ing wolfbane and sprigs of wild garlic at every ics of vampires, placing Massachusetts in the door and window. A crucifix can be worn lead with three; followed by Arizona, Califor- about one’s neck and placed prominently on nia, and New Jersey, with two each; and the several walls. And if people are truly serious remaining 15 vampires scattered throughout about putting a stop to the nocturnal predator, the other states and provinces. they can hunt down his grave or coffin and place thereon a branch of the wild rose to Today, with the ever-growing popularity of keep him locked within. If that doesn’t work, the Gothic movements, the various vampire

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 82 Mysterious Creatures

role-playing games, the continuing bestselling The vast majority of those enthralled by status of the vampire novels, and the vampire lifestyle are those young people the high ratings of television series based on who find dressing the part of an attractive and vampires and the occult, it would be an seductive member of the undead appeals to impossible task to estimate the current popu- their romantic sensibilities. For them it is like lation of those who define themselves as some being able to dress up for Halloween at least facet of the term “vampire,” or to establish any one night per week all year long. but the most approximate demographics. Mil- While role-playing as vampires and vic- lions of readers and viewers have agreed with tims may be considered quite harmless as long Rice that the vampire is a romantic, as the participants know when to draw the enthralling figure. The author’s major vampire line between fantasy and reality, those who character, Lestat de Lioncourt, and her series cross the boundaries of mental abnormality of books in the “Vampire Chronicles” series, into blood fetishism and obsessive blood- portray the undead as far from grotesque, drinking may gradually develop a psychosis shroud-wrapped monsters. Rice has stated that that can force them to mutilate or even kill she perceives the vampire as an individual others. On February 1, 2002, a 23-year-old who never dies, who exerts a charm over peo- woman who said that she became a vampire in ple, then accepts their blood as a sacrifice that London, then murdered a man in Germany he might live. In her opinion, the image of the and drank his blood, was jailed for the crime. vampire is alluring, attractive, seductive, and the idea of being sacrificed to keep such an According to psychologists, the true lair of entity alive becomes rather romantic. the vampire must be sought in the hidden In the November 24, 2000, issue of The recesses of the human mind, rather than in New York Times, Margaret Mittelbach and secluded burial vaults. The desire to assume Michael Crewdson reported on the city’s vam- the guise of a vampire, is highly suggestive of pire scene that has been going strong since the pathologically immature, dependent personal- mid-1990s and the many nightclubs that cater ities, who cannot fend for themselves in nor- to the “daylight-challenged” in their article, mal everyday living, but who must attach “Vampires: Painting the Town Red.” The jour- themselves to a more productive personality, nalists describe the activities in “dens” where just as the vampire attaches itself to those as many as 300 “undead heads” dance, drink, hosts on whose blood it feeds. Such individu- and make merry late into the night. The dress als almost always subconsciously desire to code in such establishments is “gothic,” “dark- return to the state of complete dependence fetish,” “faerie,” “Wiccan,” or “Celtic” and the characteristic of the prenatal state. Psychoan- overwhelmingly predominant color of the alysts often discover that in those pathological clothing is black. On the “rare occasion” cases in which subjects believe themselves to when a patron of these vampire havens smiles, be vampires the grave or coffin comes to sym- Mittelbach and Crewdson noted, one can bolize the womb. The vampire’s dependence make out “the glint of white fangs.” upon the grave or coffin as a place of safety seems again to betray a deep longing for the Other researchers have discovered that prenatal security of the womb. The act of these “Human Living Vampires” believe that sucking a victim’s blood is in itself significant, they require blood in order to function at their for many psychologists state that such an act highest level of proficiency. They realize that would be a sign of mother-fixation. they are not really immortal beings, but they may feel that they have extrasensory abilities that border on the supernatural that are M Delving Deeper accentuated with the ingestion of human Fodor, Nandor. Between Two Worlds. New York: blood. Most often the vital fluid is obtained Paperback Library, 1967. from willing donors who permit the vampires ———. The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at to make small cuts or punctures in their flesh the Supernatural. New York: New American and lick or suck the blood. Library, 1968.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 83

Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to According to a number of ancient magical Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- texts, one of the methods by which one might sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. willingly become a werewolf was to disrobe and Melton, J. Gordon. The Vampire Book: The Encyclope- to rub completely over one’s naked body an dia of the Undead. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Visi- ointment made of the fat of a freshly killed ani- ble Ink Press, 1998. mal and a special mixture of herbs. The person “Self-styled Vampire Reveals British Link.” The who wished to accomplish the lupine transfor- Guardian, February 1, 2002. [Online] http://www. mation should also wear a belt made of human guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,642870, or wolf skin around the waist, then cover his or 00. html. her body with the pelt of a wolf. To accelerate the process of shapeshifting, the apprentice werewolf should drink beer mixed with blood Werewolf and recite an ancient magical incantation. Unlike the vampire, werewolves are not mem- The prefix were in Old English means bers of the undead who promise everlasting “man,” so coupled with wolf, it designates a life in exchange for a little bite on the neck. creature that can alter its appearance from When werewolves are in their human form, human to beast and become a “man wolf.” In they can walk about tranquil forest paths or French, the werewolf is known asloup garou; in bustling city streets appearing as ordinary as Spanish, hombre lobo; Italian, lupo manaro; anyone on his or her way to work or shopping. Portuguese, lobizon or lobo home; Polish, wilko- They needn’t fear the scorching rays of the ris- lak; Russian, olkolka or volkulaku; and in ing sun. They have no use for a coffin in Greek, brukolakas. which to sleep during the daylight hours. They have no dread of mirrors that may not show their reflection. Crucifixes don’t distress them in the least, and they themselves would probably use garlic for seasoning. STORIES of women who gave birth to Contrary to the legend popularized by Holly- werecreatures are common among the North wood horror films, one does not undergo a American tribal myths. painful transformation into a wolf after being bitten or scratched by a werewolf. According to the ancient traditions, those who became were- wolves were generally of two types: 1) Power- Native American tribes tell of bear-people, hungry sorcerers who deliberately sought the wolf-people, fox-people, and so forth, and state ability to shapeshift into the form of a wolf that in the beginning of things, humans were as through an application of black magic so that animals and animals as humans. Stories of they might more effectively rob or attack their women who gave birth to werecreatures are victims. Those who became werewolves through common among the North American tribal incantations, potions, or spells took evil delight myths. Early cultures throughout the Americas, in their savage strength and their ability to strike Europe, Asia, and Africa formed totem clans fear into the hearts of all those whom they and often worshipped minor deities that were encountered. 2) Innocent men or women who half-human, half-animal. Norse legends tell ran afoul of a sorcerer who had vengefully placed about hairy, humanlike beings that live in the a curse of lupine transformation upon them. underworld caves and come out at night to feast Those innocents who had become werewolves on the flesh of unfortunate surface dwellers. To against their will may have been filled with dis- the people of the Middle Ages, there was little gust at their acts of slashing, ripping, and often question that such creatures as werewolves truly ingesting the flesh of their human victims, but existed, and the Inquisition was certain to they were powerless to resist such gruesome and include these demonic entities in their arrests. murderous desires while they remained under Switzerland can lay claim to the first offi- the spell that had been placed upon them. cial execution of werewolves, when in 1407,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 84 Mysterious Creatures

wolf, the court was quick to decree that he should be executed and his body burned and reduced to ashes. The infamous werewolf Peter Stubbe of Cologne revealed that he possessed a magic belt that could instantly transform him into a wolf. To return to human form, he had but to remove the belt. Although the authorities never found his magical werewolf belt, they beheaded him for his crimes in 1589. According to testimony in the case against Jacques Roulet in 1598, a group of hunters came upon two wolves devouring the body of a 15-year-old boy. Since they were well- armed, the men pursued the wolves and were astonished to see the pawprints slowly becom- ing more humanlike. At last, they tracked down and apprehended a tall, gaunt man with long matted hair and beard, barely clothed in filthy rags, his hands red with blood and his long nails clotted with human flesh. The loathsome creature identified himself as a vagabond named Jacques Roulet, who with his brother and a cousin possessed a salve that enabled them to assume the form of wolves. Together, the three werewolves claimed to have attacked, killed, and eaten many chil- dren in various parts of the countryside. Sometimes it becomes difficult to establish the line of demarcation that separates leg- A werewolf from the several individuals so accused were tortured endary accounts of werewolves and other 1980 film “The Howling.” and burned in Basel; but the inquisitors in wereanimals devouring human victims from (THE KOBAL COLLECTION) France have the dubious distinction of record- the early historical records of savage human ing the most cases of werewolfism in all of predators ambushing their victims by night. In Europe—30,000 between 1520 and 1630. The the Middle Ages, large bands of beggars and werewolf trials began at Poligny in 1521 brigands roamed the European countrysides when, after enduring the torture chamber, after dark, often dressed in wolfskins and three men admitted to consorting with she- howling like a pack of wolves on the hunt. In wolves and demons in order to gain the power the rural areas of France, Germany, Lower to transform themselves into wolves—then Hungary, Estonia, and other countries, these they confessed to having killed and devoured nocturnal marauders were called “were- many small children over a 19-year period. wolves.” The old Norwegian counterpart to They were summarily burned at the stake. werewolf is vargulf, literally translated as The famous case of Gilles Garnier, who “rogue wolf,” referring to an outlaw who sepa- was executed as a werewolf at Dole, France, in rates himself from society. In addition to these 1573, provides grim details of attacks on human wolf packs that preyed upon isolated numerous children, in which Garnier used his farmers and small villages, historical records hands and teeth to kill and to cannibalize his are replete with illustrations of ancient war- young victims. In view of the heinous crimes riors who went into battle wearing the skins of and Garnier’s confession that he was a were- wild animals, hoping that the ferocity and

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 85 strength of the beasts would magically rub off control until the next full moon—when she on them. Most often, in the Northern Euro- would snarl, howl, and resume her wolflike pean tribes, the fierce animal of choice was behavior. Rosenstock and Vincent stated that the wolf or the bear. the woman was eventually discharged and provided with antipsychotic medication, but In ancient Scandinavia, the Norse words she declared that she would haunt graveyards ulfhedhnar (“wolf-clothed”) and berwerker refer until she had found the male werewolf of her to the wolf or bear skins worn by the fierce dreams. Viking warriors when they went “berserk,” war-mad, and fought with the fury of vicious M Delving Deeper animals against opponents. In the Slavonic Clark, Jerome, and Loren Coleman. Creatures of the languages, the werewolf is called vlukodlak, Outer Edge. New York: Warner Books, 1978. which translates to “wolf-haired” or “wolf- Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, skinned,” once again suggesting the magical n.d. transference desired from wearing the skin of a Fodor, Nandor. Between Two Worlds. New York: brave animal into battle. Paperback Library, 1967. Interestingly, the popular conception that ———. The Haunted Mind: A Psychoanalyst Looks at one becomes a werewolf after having been bit- the Supernatural. New York: New American ten or scratched by such a creature of the Library, 1968. night originated not in ancient tradition but Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to in the motion picture The Wolf Man (1941). Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- Such werewolf deterrents as sprigs of garlic, sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. wolf bane, and the deadly silver bullet were Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of also created for classic werewolf stories from Shape-Shifting Beings. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Frankenstein Meets the Werewolf (1943) to An Visible Ink Press, 1999. American Werewolf in Paris (1997). Even the ancient “gyspy folklore” repeated by Ankers, the heroine in The Wolf Man, was created by Siodmak: “Even a man who’s pure in heart Monsters of Land, Sea, and says his prayers at night, may become a and Air wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” hile so many of the mysterious crea- Just as certain humans imagine themselves tures that are frightening and dis- Wturbing may belong completely to to be vampires, others believe themselves to shapeshift into wolves. Psychologists recog- the realm of the supernatural and fanciful, nize a werewolf psychosis (lycanthropy or judgment must be reserved concerning some lupinomanis) in which persons so afflicted of the monsters reported roaming the forests may believe that they change into a wolf at and jungles. In recent decades a large number the full moon. Those who are so disturbed of animals previously unrecognized by the may actually “feel” their fur growing, their fin- experts, although well-known to the aborigi- gernails becoming claws, their jaw lengthen- nal inhabitants of the locales that were the ing, their canine teeth elongating. In their creatures’ natural habitat, have been officially paper “A Case of Lycanthropy,” published in “discovered.” the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1977, Although hunters in Kamchatka, Man- psychiatrist Harvey Rosenstock and psycholo- churia, and Sakhalin had long been telling gist Kenneth Vincent discussed the case histo- excited stories of the giant carnivorous brown ry of a 49-year-old woman who received daily bear they had encountered, European scien- psychotherapy and antipsychotic drugs and tists did not accept the existence of the bear who still perceived herself as a wolfwoman until 1898. The largest land animal next to the with claws, teeth, and fangs. Medical person- African elephant is the white rhinoceros, nel would manage to get the woman under which remained officially unacknowledged

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 86 Mysterious Creatures

until 1900. The largest of the apes, the moun- African swamps that are “Mokey’s” hangouts tain gorilla, was considered a native supersti- and stated later that the descriptions of the tion until 1901. The dragons of Komodo beast would fit that of a sauropod, the giant Island, Indonesia, were considered the cre- plant-eating reptile that supposedly became ations of a strange myth conjured up by the extinct about 60 million years ago. islanders until 1912. And the British zoologist J. , an expedition mem- who described the bizarre “royal hepard”—a ber from Tucson, Arizona, told of having dis- half-leopard and half-hyena beast long claimed covered huge tracks that led into the Likouala by the natives of Rhodesia to be an actual River. In his opinion, no animal smaller than beast of prey—wondered how such a large ani- an elephant could have left such a path mal, and one so distinct from other species, through the thickets near the river, and, could have remained “unknown” for so long. Greenwell noted, elephants always leave an In June 1994, the first living specimen of the exit trail when they leave a river. Whatever Vu Quang ox was caught in a rugged area on the left these massive prints made no such sign of Vietnamese-Laotian border, and its verified an exit, which may indicate that Mokey is a existence was hailed as the zoological find of the marine, as well as land, creature. half-century. This horned mammal, weighing Tracking even -sized creatures is more than 200 pounds with cinnamon, black, not that simple in the Likouala swampland, and white coloration, is a hemibovid, a species which is twice the size of Scotland, and thick ancestral to both oxen and antelope that was with venomous snakes and disease-bearing thought to have become extinct four million insects. On November 28, 1981, Herman years ago. Zoologists estimated their present Regusters, an aerospace engineer from South population to be in the hundreds. Pasadena, California, and his wife, Kia, In July 1999, zoologists saw the first photo- claimed to have seen and to have pho- graphic evidence that the Javan rhinoceros, tographed a dinosaurlike animal in a remote thought completely wiped out on the Asian African lake. Kia Regusters said that the mainland in the 1960s, still thrived 130 kilo- gigantic reptile was dark red with a long, thick meters north of Ho Chi Minh City in the Lam neck, and longer than two hippopotamuses. Dong province of Vietnam. These huge ani- Unfortunately, the photograph taken by the mals, which can weigh more than 3,000 Regusters was rather fuzzy, and their tape pounds, have somehow been misplaced or recording of the “roaring trumpeting noise” missed for nearly 40 years. heard frequently around Lake Tele was impos- In December 2000, scientists set out to sible to identify. search the northern jungles of Thailand for Dr. Bill Gibbons, a zoologist who special- conclusive proof of the sightings of large, hairy izes in attempting to track down new species, elephants that witnesses claim strongly resem- told the (London) Sunday Times (June 3, ble the long-extinct woolly mammoth. What 1999) that he is certain that mokele-mbembe these scientists and forestry officials may dis- exists. According to Gibbons, cryptozoologists cover is either a new species of elephant or had heard reports that hunters from the long-lost descendants of the great-tusked Kabonga tribe had killed a mokele-mbembe mammoth of the Ice Age. and had tried to eat it. Its flesh proved inedi- For at least 200 years now, stories have ble and the carcass was left to rot and be emerged from the swamps, rivers, and lakes of gnawed and pecked at by scavengers. African jungles that there exists a brownish- If there are monsters from the Age of Rep- gray, elephant-sized creature with a reptilian tiles surviving in the remote jungles of the tail and a long, flexible neck. The native peo- world, what giant creatures might be thriving ple call it “mokele-mbembe” (“the one who in the vast depths of the seas and a number of stops the flow of rivers”) or “emela-ntuka” the larger lakes throughout the world? What (“the one who eats the tops of trees”). In prehistoric monsters might be surviving 1980, Dr. Roy Mackal led an expedition into unchanged, unscathed by the Earth changes

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 87 that annihilated their cousins more than 60 marine monster is known to have survived million years ago? Supporting such specula- into the Miocene Epoch, just over 30 million tions were the discoveries of numerous coela- years ago. If the coelacanth has survived for 70 canths (crossoptergian fish) off the coast of million years, it seems possible that the rela- southeast Africa in 1938. The coelacanths tively young Basilosaurus could still be inhab- that were dragged from the ocean by the nets iting the seas. of fishermen had survived almost unchanged After years of researching Nessie in Loch for 70 million years—from a time even before Ness and similar long-necked lake creatures the Age of Reptiles. Then, after nearly 200 of all around the Northern Hemisphere, Dr. Roy the supposedly extinct “living fossils” had Mackal has come to believe that rather than been discovered on the southeast African beholding “monsters” in the waters, people are coast, the fourth coelacanth, a female almost witnessing small, remnant bands of Zeu- five and a half feet long, was caught off the glodons. In Mackal’s theory, the creatures coast of Madagascar in March 2001. If a num- migrate from oceans to lakes, following such ber of coelacanth, whose species preceded the prey as spawning salmon. Lake Champlain is dinosaurs, have survived, why not some aquat- linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the Richelieu ic descendants of the giant reptiles? and St. Lawrence Rivers of Quebec. Loch A popular theory to explain the existence Ness is connected to the sea, and so is Lake of sea monsters is that they may be survivors Okanagan in British Columbia, where Ogo- of one of the giant reptiles of the Mesozoic pogo is frequently sighted. Age. Philip Gosse, the famous nineteenth- Smaller than the Basilosaurus, a later century naturalist, was an avid exponent of development on the evolutionary ladder, Zeu- the possibility that plesiosaurs could still be glodons bear little resemblance to modern thriving in the Earth’s oceans. While the . Mackal said that the fossil remnants of Mesozoic Age ended tens of millions of years the creature at the Smithsonian Institute ago, he argued, there was no a priori reason “looks like a big anaconda [a large semiaquatic why some of the descendants of the great sea boa constrictor] with a ridge down its back.” reptiles could not have survived. Other marine zoologists favor the unverified exis- M Delving Deeper tence of an aquatic mammal related to the Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. New York: Par- whales as their candidate for the mantle of sea aview, 2002. monster. They maintain that the horselike ———. “Top Cryptozoological Stories of the Year mane often reported on the so-called sea “ser- 2001.” The Anomalist, January 4, 2001. [Online] pents” would be an unlikely appendage for a http://www.anomalist.com/features/topcz2001. reptile—and, they argue that only a warm- html. blooded mammal would be able to survive in Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Ani- the cold water of the North Atlantic where so mals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. many stories originate. Mackal, Roy P. A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele- Still other marine researchers have Mbembe. New York: E. J. Brill, 1987. expanded the theory of the monstrous sea ———. Searching for Hidden Animals: An Inquiry into mammal and combined it with another candi- Zoological Mysteries. Garden City, N.Y.: Double- date for survival from prehistory. They day, 1980. hypothesize the survival of an ancient species of known as Zeuglodon or Basilosaurus, Dragons whose fossil remains are well-known. Well- equipped for the role of a sea monster, One of the most universal monster myths is Basilosaurus was a huge beast with a slim, that of the dragon. The awesome, reptilelike elongated body measuring over 70 feet in beasts appear in the folklore of nearly every length. Its skull was long and low, and the country. And the fact that the creature was creature propelled itself by means of a single truly regarded as an actual monster rather pair of fins at its forward end. This massive than a myth can be demonstrated in several

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 88 Mysterious Creatures

Lynne Cherry‘s survived into the Age of Man. Pick up any illustration from The book on dinosaurs and it is apparent that a Dragon and the Unicorn. Tyrannosaurus Rex would have made a terrific (HARCOURT, INC.) dragon in anyone’s legend. Such a huge reptile thudding about the countryside of early Europe or Asia could certainly fit even the most dramatic descriptions of a dragon. No theorist favoring the surviving dinosaur solution to dragons claims that the great reptiles existed in anything approaching abundance. But even a handful of such ancient monsters existing in isolated lakes and forested valleys would not have gone unno- ticed, even in the sparsely populated Europe of the Dark Ages. The discovery of even just a few of these great reptiles would have given rise to a far-reaching legend. A more palatable theory is that the ancient historians were actually describing huge snakes such as the python, which often writings of the day. Edward Topsell, writing in reaches a length of more than 30 feet. A num- his Historie of Serpents (1608), commented ber of dragon stories from the Middle Ages tell that among all the kinds of serpents, there is how the dragon wound itself about its prey none comparable to the Dragon, or that and slowly crushed it. afforded and yielded “so much plentiful matter The giant snake theory does not account in history for the ample discovery of the for descriptions of the dragon’s feet or its abili- nature thereof.” ty to walk on all fours, but some species of giant lizard, such as the Komodo dragon, attains a length of 10–12 feet. The Komodo presently resides in the East Indies, but in A few scientists hold the theory that a number of ancient times, it is possible that St. George dinosaurs might have survived into the Age of Man. and his fellow dragon-killers might have fought some unknown species of monster lizard in Europe and Asia. A third, more believable theory has an While examining the “true accounts” of adventurer of the Middle Ages coming upon a dragons in the folklore and records of several cave filled with the bones of a giant cave bear cultures, one cannot help wondering if there and mistaking them for the skeletal remains of really were dragonlike monsters prowling the a dragon. Workmen excavating earth for a earth, devouring hapless villagers, receiving cathedral might even have unearthed the fossil periodic sacrifices of young maidens, spreading remains of a dinosaur. It was not until the terror into the hearts of all, and being thwart- nineteenth century that scientists realized that ed only by courageous knights. For years, chil- the age of fossil bones often ran into millions dren have been read tales, seen motion pic- of years. Previously, the skeletons were consid- tures, and heard songs of reluctant dragons, ered to have been the remains of some giant kindly dragons, affectionate dragons, magic creature only recently dead. If, at the time the dragons, and timid dragons. dragon legend was flourishing in Europe, a dis- Behind every myth smolders some spark of covery of fossil remains was unearthed or sight- truth and reality. A few scientists hold the ed in a cave, the find would seem to offer con- theory that a number of dinosaurs might have clusive proof for the existence of dragons. It is

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 89

likely that the bones of the mammoth, the ed in the Scottish lake where it had been sighted Dennis Quaid (right) in woolly rhinoceros, and the giant cave bear since the fifteenth century. With that brief film- the 1996 movie were not that uncommon in early Europe. The strip, Nessie mania had been brought into the “Dragonheart.” (THE tusk of the mammoth was often called for in twentieth century and has never subsided, seem- KOBAL COLLECTION) the recipes of medieval love potions. ingly growing stronger each year. And in spite of In the marketplace of the Austrian city of Irvine’s intentions, his cinematic record of the Klagenfurt, there is a statue of a giant killing a Loch Ness Monster did not put an end to the dragon. The dragon’s head has quite obviously controversy over the creature’s existence. been modeled on the skull of a woolly rhinoc- eros. The connection can be proven by the fact that old records note the discovery of a “dragon’s skull” in Klagenfurt in the sixteenth NEARLY two million tourists visit Scotland to century, 30 years before the statue was con- structed. The skull has been preserved all see if they might obtain a glimpse and a photograph of these years by the city fathers and can be iden- the Loch Ness Monster. tified today as that of the Ice Age rhinoceros.

M Delving Deeper Carrington, Richard. Mermaids and Mastodons. Lon- Sightings of Nessie, most often described as don: Arrow Books, 1960. a long-necked monster resembling a prehis- Heuvelmans, Bernard. On the Track of Unknown Ani- toric brontosaurus, have been seen in and near mals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. Loch Ness since St. Columba made the first recorded sighting in 565, and nearly two mil- Mackal, Roy P. A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele- lion tourists each year come to Scotland to see Mbembe. New York: E. J. Brill, 1987. if they might obtain a glimpse and a photo- graph of the elusive water beast. For the past Loch Ness and Other Lake Monsters several decades, volunteer Nessie spotters work In 1936, Glasgow filmmaker Malcolm Irvine in relays from mid-May to mid-October. Each filmed a dark blob, approximately 30 feet in volunteer is equipped with log pads, field glass- length, moving slowly across Loch Ness and es, and video cameras with telephoto lenses. offered what he believed to be proof that the Could a prehistoric creature actually be most famous monster in the world actually exist- living in a lake in Scotland? Loch Ness is cer-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 90 Mysterious Creatures

A picture of the alleged (the hump) and a comparison of the unidenti- Loch Ness Monster fied creature with a motorboat moving in the taken from Urquhart same area (filmed immediately after the crea- Castle on May 21, 1977. ture had swum past), the RAF conceded that (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) the object was “not a surface vessel.” And: “One can presumably rule out the idea that it is any sort of submarine vessel for various rea- sons, which leaves the conclusion that it prob- ably is an animate object.” In the spring of 1968, David James, a for- mer member of the British Parliament and head of the Loch Ness Phenomena Investiga- tion Bureau, stated that in the studied opinion of the bureau, it should be made clear that there was no single monster that had lived in Loch Ness for a few thousand years. What the bureau was investigating was the possibility of an unidentified creature, “breeding, evolving like any other species…cut off from the sea, for 5,000 to 7,000 years.” The Loch Ness Phe- nomena Investigation Bureau also wished to make one assertion clear: “There is something there. Too many reliable persons have seen too much, with too little possibility for coinci- tainly large enough and deep enough. It is 24 dence, connivance, or conjuration to pass the miles long by about a mile across. It has a entire matter off as only a figment of some- mean depth of 433 feet, twice that of the one’s imagination.” North Sea into which it flows through the In 1968, Dr. Roy P. Mackal, University of River Ness at its eastern end. Five rivers and Chicago biologist and head of the U.S. branch 50 mountain streams feed Loch Ness. The of the bureau, received a three-year grant from loch never freezes, and snow rarely lies near its Field Enterprises Educational Corporation of shores. Its temperature remains fairly constant Chicago that incorporated the services and the at about a chilling 42 degrees Fahrenheit, submarine of Dan Taylor. Although the expedi- summer or winter. tion had sophisticated photographic equip- One of the more verifiable of the sightings ment, biopsy darts, and other advanced of a large creature in Loch Ness was made in research materials the murky brown waters of the mid-1960s by , a member of Loch Ness rendered all the underwater devices the Defense Ministry’s Joint Air Reconnais- relatively useless. Mackal has theorized that the sance Center (JARIC), who said that the 12- type of creature that most neatly fits the mass of to-16-foot-long thing that he photographed descriptive evidence and photos compiled by traveling at a speed of 10 knots was “almost researchers and witnesses has to be some kind certainly animate.” of large aquatic mammal that would be capable of thriving above 50-degrees north latitude. On January 24, 1966, the Royal Air Force issued its analysis of the Dinsdale filmstrip, Dan Taylor of Hardeeville, South Carolina, stating that the movement in the water of the accompanied Mackal on the 1969 quest for “hump” of the creature indicated that the Nessie that was sponsored by Field Enterprises, object was moving at a speed of about 10 miles publishers of the World Book Encyclopedia. He per hour. After much technical discussion had been selected to become a part of the expe- about the relative size and perspective of the dition because of his expertise with submarines, “solid black, approximately triangular shape” and he brought with him a small fiberglass sub-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 91

o monster in history has been pursued as actively as the creature that is said to inhabit the depths of Loch Ness in Scot- Nland. Since 1936, there have been 27 recorded films taken of “Nessie” and hundreds of offi- cially recorded sightings. Although hundreds of photographs of the Loch Nessie on Film Ness Monster have been taken and alleged to be authentic, all but a very few have been easily Sources: explained by scientists as ripples in the lake’s surface, Fraser, Stephen. “New Nessie Pictures Spark Debate.” Scotland floating debris, or deliberate . on Sunday, September 8, 2002. [Online] http://www.news. scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1000212002. A new controversy regarding the authenticity of a Milne, Meg. “Unearthed: The 1936 Film That First Launched series of photographs of Nessie arose in September Nessie Mania.” Scotland on Sunday, November 25, 2001. 2002 when Roy Johnston, a retired printer, released [Online] http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/text_only. four photographs to the media that showed a large cfm?id=SS01045931. snakelike creature arching out of the water and with- Watson-Smyth, Kate. “Heritage Panel Rules on How to Hunt for drawing beneath the surface of the lake with a splash. Nessie.” Independent, January 5, 2001. [Online] http:// While some photographic experts declared the pic- www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/ tures to be genuine, others scoffed and argued that nessieo50101.shtml. the images were not taken in sequence, as Johnston had said they were. In 2001 Janet McBain, curator of the Scottish Screen Archive, found the original 16mm film that first launched the Nessie craze. Made on September 22, 1936, by Glasgow filmmaker Macolm Irvine for the Scottish Film Productions Company, the film had become nearly as legendary as the lake monster that it depicted. McBain said that while the existence of the Irvine newsreel was well documented, it was thought to have been destroyed and lost. According to eyewitness accounts, Irvine had first sighted the creature in 1933, but his camera jammed. Three years later, Irvine and his film crew spent three weeks at the lakeside before he got the footage he wanted. On the footage, which lasts about one minute, the creature’s head and neck appear above the surface of the water, then its two humps, one behind the other, and finally what appears to be a tail, thrashing behind from side to side. The area near the ruins of Urquhart Castle at Drumnadrochit is still the most common vantage point for Nessie sightings and is said to attract more than 200,000 visitors per year.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 92 Mysterious Creatures

Nessie for himself. In the middle of the lake, his binoculars focused clearly on the creature for 10 minutes, he saw what looked like the back of an elephant. He shrugs off the skeptics who say that he merely saw a school of fish or a trick of the light. He is familiar with the dwellers of the deep. It was his groundbreak- ing research on sonar that was used to locate the Titanic. In 1972, Rines set up an underwater sound stage at the lake, designed to trigger lights and start a camera whenever a large object passed the station. In 1975, the camera, rigged to roll at one frame every 45 seconds, captured the image of a creature that he believes resembles a plesiosaur, an aquatic, air-breathing dinosaur that should have been extinct 65 million years ago. Film crew preparing to marine that he had built to explore the murky In March 1998, Scottish pet food salesman film a lake monster. depths of Loch Ness. It was on one of his last Richard White won a prize award of $825.00 (ARCHIVES OF runs around the loch that Taylor encountered for the best photograph of the Loch Ness Mon- BRAD STEIGER) Nessie. The submarine was hovering around a ster of the year. White had been on his way to depth of 250 feet when he said that he felt the the village of Foyers above the loch when he craft beginning to turn, unnaturally, “like the noticed an unusual disturbance in the water secondhand of a clock being pushed backward halfway across the loch toward Urquhart Cas- by a finger,” he told J. R. Moehringer of the Los tle on the opposite bank. He stopped to take a Angeles Times (August 16, 1998). Taylor knew took, grabbed his camera, and began snapping that something had pushed up against the sub- photos of the monster in the water. marine and turned it around, but he said that it Gary Campbell, president of the Official didn’t dawn on him that it had been Nessie Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, declared until he surfaced. White’s photos of “Nessie” to be among the D. Gordon Tucker, head of the electronic best that he had ever seen. The fact that scien- engineering department at Birmingham Uni- tists using computer enhancement techniques versity, and a team of sonar experts did have had been unable to assess exactly what the pic- better luck finding evidence of Nessie in the tures showed, Campbell said, only added to the peat-stained loch waters with the special mystery of Loch Ness. Although Nessie is far equipment that he had developed. During a and away the most famous of all monsters number of expeditions to the lake (1968–70) inhabiting inland bodies of water, there are and probing Loch Ness with sonar, Tucker’s reports of equally large, equally strange aquatic study appeared to provide evidence that a fam- creatures in lakes all over the world. ily of monsters does indeed inhabit the loch. In M Delving Deeper one 13-minute period, Tucker stated, sonar Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Alien Animals. Harris- echoes defined large objects moving underwa- burg, Penn.: Stackpole Books, 1981. ter. A massive object was recorded swimming Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. New York: Par- at a speed as high as 17 miles per hour and div- aview, 2002. ing at a rate of 450 feet a minute. “From the Dey, Iain. “Monster-hunters Set to Trap Nessie with evidence we have,” he concluded, “there is the Net.” The Scotsman, October 30, 2001. some animal life in the loch whose behavior is [Online] http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/text_ difficult to reconcile with that of fish.” only.cfm?id=119742. In 1971, Bob Rines, a world-renowned Dinsdale, Tim. Loch Ness Monster. 4th ed. Boston: patent attorney, physicist, and engineer, saw Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 93

Mackal, Roy P. The Monsters of Loch Ness. Chicago: Meade-Waldo prepared a paper on the sight- Swallow Press, 1976. ing, which he presented to the society at its “Monster Hunter.” II, December 5, 2001. meeting on June 19, 1906. In his report, he [Online] http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/ told how his attention was first drawn to a 0,1597,320220-412,00.shtml. “large brown fin…sticking out of the water, Russell, Davy, ed. “When Lake Monsters Attack!” X- dark seaweed-brown in color, somewhat crin- Project, August 16, 2001. [Online] http://www. kled at the edge.” The creature’s fin was an xprojectmagazine.com/archives/cryptozoology/ astonishing six feet in length “and projected lmaattack.html. from 18 inches to two feet from the water.” Under the water and to the rear of the fin, the Sea Serpents zoologist said that he could perceive “the shape of a considerable body. A great head “Any fool can disbelieve in sea serpents,” and neck did not touch the [fin] in the water, commented Victoria, British Columbia, news- but came out of the water in front of it, at a paper editor Archie Willis in 1933. Willis’s distance of certainly not less than 18 inches, pronouncement came as a sharp rejoinder to probably more. The neck appeared to be the the skeptics who laughed at the hundreds of thickness of a slight man’s body, and from witnesses who swore that they had seen a large seven to eight feet was out of the water.” snakelike creature swimming in the waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Willis The head, according to Meade-Waldo’s christened the sea monster “Cadborosaurus,” expert observation, had a “very turtlelike and the nickname stuck. appearance, as had also the eye…it moved its neck from side to side in a peculiar manner; The creature with its long serpentine body, the color of the head and neck was dark its horselike head, humps on its back, and its brown above and whitish below.” Meade- remarkable surface swimming speed of up to Waldo also stated that since he saw the crea- 40 knots, has been a part of coastal lore from ture, he has reflected on its actual size and Alaska to Oregon for hundreds of years. While concluded that it “was probably considerably the waters of the Pacific Northwest border larger than it appeared at first.” one of the deepest underwater trenches on the planet—where almost any massive seabeast Nicoll discussed the incident of the Valhal- could reside—the greatest number of sightings la sea monster sighting two years later in his of Cadborosaurus have occurred in the inland book Three Voyages of a Naturalist: “I feel cer- waters around Vancouver Island and the tain that [the creature] was not a reptile…but northern Olympic Peninsula. a mammal. The general appearance of the creature, especially the soft, almost rubberlike In Cadborosaurus: Survivor of the Deep fin, gives one this impression.” (2000), Vancouver biologist Dr. Edward L. Bousfield and Dr. Paul H. Leblond, professor of Off shore on the Atlantic seacoast of oceanography at the University of British North America, there is a that has Columbia, describe the creature as a classic sea been paying periodic visits to the Cape Ann monster with a flexible, serpentine body, an area and Gloucester, Massachusetts, for more elongated neck topped by a head resembling than 340 years. An Englishman named John that of a horse or giraffe, the presence of anteri- Josselyn, who was returning to London, made or flippers, and a dorsally toothed or spiky tail. the first sighting of the creature as it lay When the crew of the yacht Valhalla sight- “coiled like a cable” on a rock at Cape Ann. ed a sea monster off Parahiba, Brazil, on Seamen would have killed the serpent, but December 7, 1905, it was fortunate to have two Native American crew members protest- among its passengers E. G. B. Meade-Waldo ed such an act, stating that all on board would and Michael J. Nicoll, two expert naturalists, be in danger of terrible retribution if the sea Fellows of the Zoological Society of Britain, creature was harmed. who were taking part in a scientific expedition On August 6, 1817, Amos Lawrence, to the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. founder of the mills which bore his name,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 94 Mysterious Creatures

Sea serpent. (MARY sighted the sea monster and issued a proclama- pent, often as they sailed the harbor and near- EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY) tion to that effect. Col. Thomas H. Perkins, ly always stating that they were frightened by one of Boston’s wealthiest citizens, also testi- the appearance of a huge snakelike creature at fied to the reality of the great serpent, stating least 70 feet in length. that it was about 40 feet in length with a single In April 1975, some fishermen saw the horn nine to 12 inches long on its head. monster up close and personal and were able On that same August day, a group of fish- to provide one of the more complete descrip- ermen spotted the marine giant near Eastern tions of the monster. Point and shouted that it was making its way According to Captain John Favazza, they between Ten Pound Island and the shore. had sighted a large, dark object on their star- They said later that they could clearly see the board side, about 80 feet away, that they had thing’s backbone moving vertically as it at first thought was a whale. Then a serpent- appeared to be chasing schools of herring like creature lifted its head from the surface, around the harbor. Shipmaster Solomon saw the fishing boat, and began to swim Allen judged the serpent to be between 80 directly toward them. Favazza later told and 90 feet in length. reporters that the sea serpent was black, Generations of Gloucester residents and smooth rather than scaly, with a pointed head, tourists have sighted the Cape Ann sea ser- small eyes, and a white line around its mouth.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 95

he giant , one of the most terrifying monsters of the sea, has never been seen alive. A member of the class Cephalopoda, Are Giant T which includes the and the nau- tilus, the is the largest invertebrate in the the True world. The statement that the monster has never been Sea Monsters? seen alive should be amended to read that no marine zoologist or other scientist has been able to observe Sources: the giant squid in its natural habitat. The huge crea- Askwith, Richard. “They Came from the Deep.” The Independent, ture, commonly known as the kraken, has been August 7, 2002. [Online] http://news.independent.co.uk/ reported throughout nautical history. There have been world/environment/story.jsp?dir=507&story=322280&host=.... frightening reports of people snatched from their “Deep-sea Monster Caught on Tape.” Science News from boats or the seashore by the tentacles of the kraken, MSNBC, December 20, 2001. [Online] http://www.msnbc. numerous sightings of whales being attacked by the com/news/674647.asp. giant squid, and stories of entire ships being pulled Heuvelmans, Bernard. In the Wake of Sea-Serpents. New York: Hill and Wang, 1968. beneath the surface by a beast with tentacles more than 200 feet long. Some scholars of marine lore insist that the great giant squid fight scene in Jules Verne’s (1828–1905) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1870) was based on an actual encounter with a kraken that involved the French battleship Alecton in 1861. On a weekend in July 2002, early morning joggers discovered the remains of a giant squid almost com- pletely intact, stretching nearly 50 feet in length and weighing over 500 pounds. Observers said the beast had eyes the size of small dinner plates and a parrot- like central beak. Dr. David Pemberton, Senior Curator of Zoology at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, rushed to the scene in time to save the fragile corpse from the incoming tide. Six months earlier, another nearly complete spec- imen of giant squid had been washed ashore near Aberdeen, Scotland. In December 2001, scientists from the United States, Japan, Spain, and France reported eight separate sightings in various oceans of an unknown species of squid that if not giant squids were certainly very large creatures. Underwater video cameras recorded footage of what may be a new species of squid 13 to 23 feet long gliding through ocean depths of 11,000 feet.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 96 Mysterious Creatures

It swam sideways in the water, like a snake. It water, fearing that the hideous beast might at was longer than his 66-foot boat, and he esti- any moment resurface and eat them. The mated its girth as about 15 feet around. Rebecca Sims, under the command of Captain Some cryptozoologists, individuals who Gavitt, pulled alongside her sister ship, and the study the possibility of such creatures as sea crews of the two ships began discussing the and lake monsters truly existing, have theo- strange monster that they had encountered. rized that plesiosaurs, one of the giant reptiles The next morning, the crewmen had of the Mesozoic Age, which ended about 70 pulled in only about half of the line when the million years ago, could have survived in the massive carcass suddenly popped to the sur- depths of the relatively unchanged environ- face. It was much greater in length than the ment of Earthl’s oceans. Because some sea ship, which measured 100 feet from stem to monster sightings occur in cold waters, other stern, and it had a thick body that was about researchers favor the survival of an ancient 50 feet in diameter. Its color was a brownish species of mammals, such as the ancestor of gray with a light stripe about three feet wide the whale known as Zeuglodon or Basilosaurus. running its full length. Its neck was 10 feet The Basilosaurus had a slim, elongated, snake- around, and it supported a grotesque head that like body measuring more than 70 feet in was 10 feet long and shaped like that of a length which the huge creature propelled by gigantic alligator. The astounded crewmen means of a single pair of fins at its forward end. counted 94 teeth in its ghastly jaws—and each of the three-inch, saberlike teeth were The debate over what monstrous creatures hooked backward, like those of a snake. best wear the mantle of “sea monster” could have been solved for all time back in 1852 Seabury was fully aware of the ridicule when two New Bedford whaling vessels, the accorded to sailing masters and their crews Monongahela and the Rebecca Sims, were drift- who claimed to have encountered “sea ser- ing slowly in the Pacific doldrums, their sails pents,” so he gave orders that the hideous head limp from lack of wind. When the lookout’s be chopped off and placed in a huge pickling shout of “something big in the water” caused vat in order to preserve it until they returned Captain Seabury of the Monongahela to use his to New Bedford. In addition, he wrote a telescope to view the object; he could distin- detailed report of their harpooning the sea guish only a huge living creature, thrashing monster and he provided a complete descrip- about in the water as if in great agony. The tion of the thing. Since Gavitt and his crew captain’s immediate deduction was that they were homeward bound, Seabury gave him the had come upon a whale that had been wound- report in order to prepare New Bedford for the ed by the harpoons of another whaler’s long- astonishing exhibit that he and his men would boats and was now dying. bring with them upon their own return. Seabury ordered three longboats over the If only Seabury would have transferred the side to end the beast’s pain, and he was in the grisly head to Gavitt’s vessel along with his first boat as it pulled alongside the massive report of the monster, the doubting world thing that he still believed was a wounded would have had its first mounted sea serpent’s whale. The instant a harpoon struck the beast, head more than 150 years ago. Captain a nightmarish head 10 feet long rose out of the Seabury’s account of the incredible sea serpent water and lunged at the boats. Two of the long- arrived safely in New Bedford and was entered boats were capsized in seconds. Before the into the records along with the personal oath monster submerged, the terrified whalers real- of Captain Gavitt. But the Monongahela never ized at once that they were dealing with a sea returned to port with its incredible cargo. creature the likes of which they had never seen. Years later her nameboard was found on the shore of Umnak Island in the Aleutians. Unfurling her sails to catch what little wind there was, the Monongahela managed to come M Delving Deeper alongside the capsized longboats and began to Carrington, Richard. Mermaids and Mastodons. Lon- pick up the seamen who were bobbing in the don: Arrow Books, 1960.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 97

Cleary, Ryan. “Monster Beached.” The Telegram, saw the gigantic bird. One man said that he August 2, 2001. [Online] http://www.thetelegram. had at first believed it to be a type of plane com/topstories/news/story.asp?id=46701&In=In. that he had never before seen. On April 24, Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. New York: Par- back at Alton, a man described it as an enor- aview, 2002. mous, incredible thing, flying at about 500 Ellis, Richard. Monsters of the Sea. New York: Alfred feet and casting a shadow the same size as that A. Knopf, 1994. of a Piper Cub at the same height. Two police- Heuvelmans, Bernard. In the Wake of the Sea Serpents. men said that the monster bird was as big as a New York: Hill and Wang, 1968. small airplane.

Thunderbirds The Thunderbird figures prominently in the traditions of many Native American tribes. For THE Thunderbird is an embodiment of the some, it is the flapping of the Thunderbird’s Great Mystery, the Supreme Being, which created all wings that one hears during rainstorms rum- bling in the skies and it is the Thunderbird’s things on Earth. eyes and beak that flash the lightning. To the Lakota of the prairie, the Thunderbird is an embodiment of the Great Mystery, the Supreme Giant Thunderbird-type creatures have Being, which created all things on Earth. For continued to be sighted in various parts of the the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy of the United States, from the northeast to the northeast, Hino, the Thunderbird, guardian of northwest and many points in between. On the skies and the spirit of thunder, could assume September 25, 2001, a witness sighted a giant the form of a human when it suited its purpose. bird flying over South Greensburg, Pennsylva- The cosmology of many of the western tribes nia. Researchers soon found other witnesses establish a Thunderbird in each of the four cor- who claimed to have had sightings of Thun- ners of the world as guardians and protectors, derbirds in Westmoreland County, Pennsylva- fighting always to keep away evil spirits. nia. On November 5, a resident of Bristol, Many scholars over the centuries have Connecticut, who was out walking his dog at attributed the Native American myths of the dawn, said that he had sighted a giant birdlike Thunderbird to their reverence for the eagle, creature the size of an ultralight plane flying the largest of indigenous birds in North Amer- over a community center. ica. Interestingly, however, many people have In addition to the ancient Native Ameri- claimed to have seen for themselves a great can legends of the Thunderbird, there are cer- bird, far larger than the eagle, flying overhead. tain old pioneer records that support the exis- In fact, even in the nineteenth century, some tence of giant birdlike creatures in the skies of witnesses were claiming to have seen flying North America. From the mouth of the Illi- monsters that resembled pterodactyls, the nois River at Grafton to Alton (Illinois), a winged reptiles that should have been extinct distance of 20 miles, the Mississippi River runs 60 million years ago. from west to east, and its north bank (the Illi- On April 9, 1948, a farm family outside of nois side) is a high bluff. When the first white Caledonia, Illinois, saw a monster bird that men explored the area, they found that some they all said was bigger than an airplane. In unknown muralist from some forgotten tribal different parts of the state on the same day, a culture had engraved and painted hideous Freeport truck driver said that he, too, had depictions of two gigantic, winged monsters. seen the creature. A former army colonel The petroglyphs were each about 30 feet in admitted that he had seen a bird of tremen- length and 12 feet in height. dous size while he stood talking with the head Father Jacques Marquette (1637–1675), the of Western Military Academy and a farmer celebrated Jesuit priest-explorer, mentioned the near Alton. On April 10, several witnesses strange petroglyphs in his journals of the Mis-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 98 Mysterious Creatures

sissippi, published in Paris in 1681. In a small of The Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advo- volume published in 1698, Father Louis Hen- cate: “[the Piasa] was artful as he was powerful, nepin (1626–after 1701), another early explor- and would dart suddenly and unexpectedly er of the wilds of the west, had also described upon an Indian, bear him off into one of the the two enormously large petroglyphs. In his caves of the bluff and devour him. Hundreds of 48-page booklet The Piasa or the Devil Among warriors attempted for years to destroy him, but the Indians (Morris, Ill., 1887), P. A. Armstrong without success. Whole villages were nearly described the creatures as having “the wings of depopulated, and consternation spread through a bat, but of the shape of an eagle’s…They also all the tribes of the Illini.” had four legs, each supplied with eagle-shaped In the legends of the Miami tribe, the talons. The combination and blending together Miamis were fighting their traditional ene- of the master species of the earth, sea, and mies, the Mestchegamies, at the upper end of air…so as to present the leading and most ter- the lower canyon near the cave of the Piasa. rific characteristics of the various species thus As the fighting was reaching its climax, the graphically arranged, is an absolute wonder and war whoops apparently disturbed the Piasa, seems to show a vastly superior knowledge of and two fierce, winged creatures emerged from animal, fowl, reptile, and fish nature than has their caves, “uttering bellowings and shrieks, been accorded to the Indian.” while the flapping of their wings upon the air Whatever the petroglyphs truly represent- roared out like so many thunderclaps.” The ed, all the native tribes of what then consti- awful winged beasts swooped low over the tuted the Northwest Territory had a terrible heads of the combatants, and each snatched a tradition associated with the creatures they Miami chieftain in its massive talons. The called the Piasa (or Piusa). Sometime in the Miamis became instantly demoralized, believ- 1840s, Professor John Russell of Jersey County, ing that the Great Spirit had sent the Piasa to Illinois, explored the caves that the Piasa were aid and assist their enemies. said to have inhabited and reported that the roof of the cavern was nearly 20 feet high and The Miamis were so crippled as a nation vaulted. The shape of the cave was irregular, that the survivors fled toward the Wabash but so far as Professor Russell and his guide River and did not feel safe until they had could judge, the bottom averaged 20 by 30 crossed its waters. Here they remained for gen- feet. According to Russell: “The floor of the erations before returning to Illinois territory. If cave throughout its whole extent was one these stories are true, then the seeming assis- mass of human bones. Skulls and other bones tance by the Piasa to the Mestchegamies in were mingled together in the utmost confu- their desperate battle with the Miamis near sion…we dug to the depth of three or four feet Alton, Illinois, proved to be a terrible curse in every quarter of the cavern and still found instead of a sudden blessing. Soon after the only bones. The remains of thousands must Piasa had flown off with the screaming and have been deposited there.” struggling Miami chieftains in their talons, the monsters apparently developed a taste for Some of the traditions of the native people human flesh. Consequently, the Mestchegami state that the Piasa was fond of bathing in the came to pay for their victory over the Miamis Mississippi and was a rapid swimmer. When it through an unending sacrifice of their people to was splashing about in the Father of Waters, it feed the ever-hungry Piasa, which now seemed raised such a commotion as to force great waves insatiable in their forays for human flesh. over the banks. Other ancient traditions state that when the Piasa was angry it thrashed the According to Armstrong’s little book and ground with its tail until the whole earth shook his recounting of the Miami tradition, the and trembled. The Piasa was generally feared Piasa existed “several thousand winters before because of its propensity for snatching tribes- the palefaces came.” Armstrong goes on to sug- people and making off with them. John Russell gest the Piasa could have been surviving ptero- published an account of the Piasa’s insatiable dactyl from the age of the great reptiles. “The appetite for human flesh in the 1848 July issue fossil remains of some 25 species of this mon-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 99 ster have been found [c. 1887], and it is some- Biologists in the region said that they times called the pterosaur or flying lizard,” he believed the witnesses sighted a bird known as writes. “But the most singular monster of the the Steller’s sea eagle, a species native to age yet discovered [and its shape and compo- northeast Asia, that occasionally shows up on nent parts analyzed] is the ramphorhyneus, the Aleutian islands and on Kodiak, Alaska. which seems to be a connective link between The Steller’s sea eagle can have a wingspan of birds, beasts, and reptiles. Its body and neck eight feet and is about three times as large as a resemble that of the Piasa, while its tail is iden- bald eagle. tical with it, except it is pictured as dragging M Delving Deeper behind instead of being carried around the Armstrong, P. A. The Piasa or the Devil Among the body or over its back and head. The shape of Indians. Morris, Ill., 1887. the head is drawn to resemble that of a duck, with the long bill of a snipe or bittern, but it is Coleman, Loren. ”Top Cryptozoological Stories of the full of sharp, round teeth, like those of the Year 2001.” The Anomalist, January 4, 2001. crocodile. It had four legs, with eagle’s talons, [Online] http://www.anomalist.com/features/topcz and a pair of bat-like wings…its entire length 2001.html. from head to tip of tail was probably 30 feet or Porco, Peter. “Southwest Alaskans See Bird They Say more. In many respects the Piasa is a faithful Is Super Cub-sized.” Anchorage Daily News, Octo- copy of the ramphorhyneus. The form, shape, ber 15, 2002. [Online] http://www.adn.com/ and description of the Piasa, according to the 1962481p-2066841c.html. Indian tradition, were painted from actual Steiger, Brad. Worlds Before Our Own. New York: G. sight of the living subject…Thus may the tra- P. Putnam’s Sons, 1978. ditions of these Indians be true…” Numerous sightings of birds the size of small airplanes were reported in southwest Wee Folk and Pennsylvania in the summer and early fall of Their Friends 2001. On June 13, a resident in Greensville, who said that he was familiar with the wildlife ll cultures have their stories of the wee in the area, at first mistook the huge bird for an folk, the nature entities, that appear so ultralight aircraft. He estimated the wingspan A often to be a mirror-image of to be about 15 feet and the body to be nearly humankind and somehow indicate that five feet in length. In July, a witness in Erie humans are part of a larger community of County claimed to have seen a large, black- intelligences—both physical and nonphysical. colored bird with a wingspan of about 17 feet. Since the beginning of time, the human race On September 25, a witness who said that he and the wee folk have shared this planet, expe- had a strong interest in ornithology, encoun- riencing a strange, symbiotic relationship. In tered a massive bird with a head about three such cultures as ancient Rome, the household feet long and a wingspan of 10 to 15 feet. spirits were called “Lares,” and the tradition of In October 2002, Alaskan villagers in each home having its own guardian of the Togiak and Manokotak reported seeing a huge hearth survived throughout most of Europe. bird larger than anything they had seen Although the great majority of modern people before. Pilot John Bouker, owner of Bristol stereotypically envision fairies, elves, brown- Bay Air Service, said that while flying to ies, and so forth gamboling about only in the Manokotak he and his passengers sighted a woodlands, there are long traditions of friendly large “raptorlike” bird with a wingspan that spirits who guard the home and look after the matched the length of his Cessna 207, about barn, stables, and farm animals. 14 feet. When Moses Coupchiak, a heavy In many traditions, especially in the equipment operator from Togiak, spotted the British Isles and Scandinavia, the fairy folk monster bird flying toward him, he said that were supernormal entities who inhabited a he thought it was a small airplane until it magical kingdom beneath the surface of the banked to the left and flew away. earth. In all traditions, the wee people are

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 100 Mysterious Creatures

depicted as possessing many more powers and advanced and possessed a technology that abilities than humans, but somehow they are seemed to be magical compared to the primi- strongly dependent on human beings and tive tools of the primitive hunter-gatherer from time to time they seek to reinforce their humans who later became the established resi- own kind by kidnapping both human children dents of the area. The little people may have and adults. died out, they may have been assimilated into While the wee people and their associated the encroaching culture by interbreeding, or entites—elves, gnomes, and leprechauns—are they may largely have gone underground, most often depicted as sweet, little winged emerging topside often enough to be perpetu- “Tinkerbells” and jolly forest creatures in ated in folklore and legend. bright costumes and pointed hats, each of the M Delving Deeper fairy folk and their kin have a dark side. Some Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. of the nursery tales throughout the centuries New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. have depicted a certain mischievous nature to DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine the wee people, but the creatures can become Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of downright nasty—even dangerous—if pro- Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. voked. Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. Medieval theologians seemed to favor New York: Larousse, 1995. three possibilities to explain the origin of Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, these beings: Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: 1. they are a special class of demoted angels, Random House, 2000. 2. they are spirits of the dead or a special class Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to of the dead, or Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. 3. they are fallen angels. Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: Most of the ancient texts declare that An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. these entities are of a middle nature, “between Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: humans and angels.” Although they are of a Rider, 1948. nature between spirits and humans, they can intermarry with humans and bear half-human children. One factor has been consistent in all Elves traditions: the “middle folk” continually med- In old Germany, “” was a name applied to dle in affairs of humans, sometimes to do them any kind of supernatural spirit, especially one good, sometimes to do them ill. that inhabited fields or forests. The Germans C. S. Lewis (1898–1963), author of many also blamed elves for sitting on their chests books on spiritual matters, once suggested that while they slept and causing them to have a the wee folk are a third rational species. The nightmare. angels are the highest, having perfect goodness In Scotland, England, and Scandinavia, and whatever knowledge is necessary for them “elf” was another name for a member of the to do God’s will; humans, somewhat less per- fairy folk. Then, as fairy lore developed and fect, are the second; fairies, having certain became more intricate and complex, with lev- powers of the angels but no souls, are the third. els and classes within their supernatural ranks, Because the folklore of the wee people is so the English designated elves as smaller mem- multicultural and worldwide, some theorists bers of the fairy population and the Scots gave have suggested that the fairy folk may actually the title of elf to those beings who were gener- have been the surviving remnants of a past ally of human size. Things changed a bit in civilization populated by a species of early Scandinavia, as well, when the people there humans or humanoids that were of diminutive began to distinguish two categories of elves— stature compared to evolving Homo sapiens. the benign light ones and the dastardly dark These little people may have been quite ones. Scottish lore developed to perceive the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 101 kindly elves as the “seelie court” and the nasty Fairies—magical spirits as the “unseelie court.” winged beings. Scandinavians also called the elves the (CORBIS CORPORATION) “huldre folk” and envisioned two principle divisions of the beings. There were the lovely, charming elves, who easily passed for humans and who loved to join in folk dances and in vil- lage parties. These elves, especially the females of the bunch, could easily seduce any human male into obeying their will. The male elves, though appearing handsome and dashing in the firelight of a village festival, would usually be exposed as ugly when moonlight struck them in the forests. The Danes also noticed that even the attractive elves occasionally betrayed themselves with a long cowlike tail that popped out of their dress or trousers. In contemporary presentations, elves are usually portrayed as jolly creatures, humanlike in appearance, but extremely diminutive in size, who love teasing humans and playing pranks on them.

M Delving Deeper Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. of sidhe. Some say that it refers to the mounds New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. or hills in which the supernatural folk abide. DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine Others say that it means “the people of Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of peace,” and that is how the sidhe generally Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. behave toward humans unless the topside Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: dwellers offend them in some way. Simon & Schuster, 1998. Traditionally, the fairies are a race of beings Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. who are the counterparts of humankind in New York: Larousse, 1995. physical appearance but, at the same time, are Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, nonphysical or multidimensional. They are Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: mortal, but lead longer lives than their human Random House, 2000. cousins. Fairies have always been considered Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to very much akin to humans, but also as some- Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- thing other than mortal. sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. The fairies are said to be able to enchant Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: humans, to take advantage of them in numer- An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. ous ways, and even cast a spell on likely young Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: men or women and marry them. They often Rider, 1948. seem intent upon kidnapping children and adults and whisking them off to their under- Fairies ground kingdom. Those who return from the According to those who speak the Gaelic magical kingdom have experienced missing tongue of Scotland and Ireland, the wee folk hours, days, weeks—even years. prefer to be known as “sidhe” (also spelled On the plus side, fairies have also been sidh, sith, sithche) and pronounced “shee.” reported to help farmers harvest their crops or There is disagreement as to the exact meaning assist housemaids in cleaning a kitchen. There

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 102 Mysterious Creatures

“Fairy Tale: A True are accounts of fairy folk guiding humans to war in heaven, the dispossessed angels materi- Story.” (THE KOBAL achieve material successes, and stories are told alized on Earth and assumed physical bodies COLLECTION) of fairy midwives who stand by to assist at the similar to those of humans—those beings births of favored human children and who declared “a little lower than the angels.” remain to guide and tutor them for the rest of Eventually, these paraphysical beings took their lives. humans as mates, thereby breeding a hybrid species of entities “betwixt Man and Angel.” Some scholars and researchers of the con- siderable body of worldwide fairylore maintain William Shakespeare (1564–1616) made that fairies are entities who belong solely to fairies famous in a number of his masterworks. the realm of spirit. Many of the ancient texts He is largely responsible for the concept of the declare that the fairies are somehow of a “mid- wee folk as mostly benign—mischievous, per- dle nature betwixt Man and Angel.” Some haps, but never evil. Alexander Pope biblically inspired authorities have sought to (1688–1744) wrote lovely passages idealizing cast fairies as an earthly incarnation assumed fairies, but once satirically remarked that he by the rebellious angels who were driven out believed many of the woodland sprites were pos- of heaven during the celestial uprising led by sessed by the souls of deceased socialites who Lucifer. These fallen angels, cast from their even after death refused to give up earthly heavenly abode, took up new residences in the amusements. Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) forests, mountains, and lakes of Earth. As fall- emphasized the beauty of the fairy realm and en angels, they now existed in a much-dimin- the struggle of the fairies to achieve humanlike ished capacity, but still possessed more than souls. The famed poet William Butler Yeats enough power to be deemed supernatural by (1865–1939) had a nearly obsessive interest in the human inhabitants of the planet. the supernatural and strongly believed in fairies. In a variation of that account of the fairies’ It was the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir origin, other scholars contend that after the Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), who came

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 103 to the defense of Elsie Wright and Frances Grif- www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/local_london/news/ fiths, the two little girls who allegedly pho- weird/2001/february12/ed01120201.htm. tographed fairies in the famous Case of the Cot- Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: tingley Fairies in 1917. Doyle became convinced An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. that fairies are genuine psychic phenomena and that just as some people can act as mediums and Gnomes others have unusual powers of extrasensory per- ception, so do others—especially certain chil- Traditionally, gnomes are most often repre- dren—have the ability to see fairies. Concerning sented as gnarled, wrinkled, hunched old men fairies themselves, Doyle theorized that they are who have been assigned to guard some ancient constructed of material that emits vibrations treasure. Over the years, the entities have been either shorter or longer than the normal spec- confused with images of mischievous elves, trum visible to the human eye. fun-loving fairies, or dwarves working in dia- Although in the it was revealed that mond mines, but classically, the role of the the two girls had quite likely faked the pho- gnome is that of a supernatural guardian who tographs of the fairies, in 1997 a motion pic- can release the treasures of the earth to the ture entitled Fairy Tale: A True Story chose to earnest alchemist or magician. The gnome, emphasize the magical qualities of the Cotting- according to the alchemists of the Renais- ley incident. Charles Sturridge, the director, sance, had the ability to move through the was quoted in Premiere, November 1997, as earth in a manner similar to a human moving saying that he didn’t want to make a film about through air or a fish through water. The whether or not the two young girls had faked alchemist would seek to invoke the energy of the fairy photographs. Sturridge emphasized the salamander, a lizardlike entity whose ele- that his film was really all about, “The need to ment was fire, and the gnome, whose element believe beyond what you can see.” Interesting- was earth, and combine their energies with air ly, yet another film about the Cottingley and water to create gold from base metals. fairies, Photographing Fairies, appeared in 1998, The name applied to the guardian of the and director Nick Willing chose to depict the earth’s treasures is thought to be derived from elemental beings primarily as spirits. the Greek “genomos,” earth-dweller. Popular images of little men and women with pointed M Delving Deeper hats who inhabit flower gardens and forests Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. have most likely confused gnomes with elves. New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. Chollet, Laurence. “Under the Fairy Influence.” The M Delving Deeper Record, March 14, 2001. [Online] http://www. Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. bergen.com/yourtime/lc14200103146.htm. New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Simon & Schuster, 1998. Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. New York: Larousse, 1995. New York: Larousse, 1995. Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: Random House, 2000. Random House, 2000. Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. “More Than Just a Fairy Story.” The Kingston Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: Guardian, February 12, 2001. [Online] http:// An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 104 Mysterious Creatures

Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: Rider, 1948. Rider, 1948.

Goblins Gremlins Goblins are closely related to demonic enti- Although gremlins are a recent addition to ties. Although some Europeans recognize a the folklore of the wee folk, it would seem that gentler variety known as a “,” gob- their antecedents are the goblins of old. The lins seem never to be satisfied with creating term “gremlin” was derived from the Old Eng- mischief. Their specialty is wreaking havoc lish word greme, which means to vex and and malicious acts of harm. Usually portrayed annoy. And that is certainly what the grem- as small, grotesque beings, the basic nature of lins did to the pilots and their aircraft in goblins is as foul as their appearance. World War II (1939–45) when the pesky enti- The spunkie is a Scottish goblin that par- ties were routinely blamed for engine troubles, ticularly has it in for those travelers who ven- electronic failures, and any other thing that ture out after dark. The spunkie is considered might go wrong with an airplane. so nasty that tradition claims it to be a direct Although the tales of gremlins received agent of Satan. It hovers about in the dark- their greatest notoriety annoying the pilots of ness, just waiting for a traveler to become lost Great Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) in the in the night, perhaps during a rainstorm when period 1940–45, Dave Stern, an aerospace, avi- visibility is especially bad. The goblin mani- ation, and history writer, says that the legend fests a light that appears to the desperate way- began in 1923 when a British navy pilot farer like illumination shining through a win- crashed into the sea. Once he was rescued, he dowpane, thus signaling shelter and a dry blamed the accident on some little people who place to spend the inclement evening. But as had jumped out of a beer bottle and had tor- the hopeful traveler approaches the light, it mented him all night. It was these wee trouble- keeps moving just a bit farther away. Since the makers who had followed him into the air- poor, drenched pilgrim has no choice in the plane, entered into the engine, messed with the darkness but to keep pursuing the light source, flight controls, and caused him to crash. Not the spunkie keeps moving it just a bit farther long after this reported gremlin attack, some on—until the evil goblin has lured the unfor- pilots and mechanics stationed at an overseas tunate traveler over a cliff. RAF aerodrome complained of being bothered by the annoying entities, and by 1925, British M Delving Deeper pilots were cussing the little monsters and Bord, Janet. Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People. blaming gremlins for almost anything that New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. might possibly go wrong with their aircraft. DuBois, Pierre, with Roland Sabatier and Claudine According to airmen who swore that they Sabatier, illustrators. The Great Encyclopedia of had survived close encounters with the mis- Fairies. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. chief makers, the gremlins dressed in red or Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: green double-breasted frock coats, old-fash- Simon & Schuster, 1998. ioned tricorn hats with a feather (or some- Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. times stocking caps with tassels at high alti- New York: Larousse, 1995. tudes), tights, and pointed footwear. Some of Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, the gremlins loved to suck the high octane gas Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: out of the tanks; others messed with the land- Random House, 2000. ing gears; and still others specialized in jam- Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to ming the radio frequencies. Just as the pilots Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- and mechanics were learning to respect the sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. gremlin crowd, it wasn’t long before they also Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: began to be annoyed by the gremlins’ girl- An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. friends, the finellas, nicknamed the widgets.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 105

When the U.S. Army Air Force pilots Model from the film were stationed in Great Britain after the Unit- “Gremlin.” (FORTEAN ed States entered World War II in December PICTURE LIBRARY) 1941, they found the gremlins waiting for them. The men may have scoffed at their allies at first, but they were soon suffering unexplained attacks on their instrument pan- els, their bombing sights, and the de-icer mechanisms. The Yanks found that they had also fallen victims to the annoying antics of the gremlins. Although the most intense activity of the gremlin throng occurred during World War II, one stills hears on occasion a pilot cussing a mechanical failure in his aircraft as having been caused by a gremlin attack.

M Delving Deeper Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. New York: Larousse, 1995. turb the mounds or raths in which the lep- Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, rechauns dwell. Those who would wantonly Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: violate the wee one’s domicile is to invite Random House, 2000. severe supernatural consequences upon oneself. Stern, Dave. “The Great Gremlin Caper.” Fate The trouble at the rath outside the village (December 2001): 8–13. of Wexford began on a morning in 1960 when the workmen from the state electricity board began digging a hole for the erection of a light Leprechauns pole within the parameters of a rath. The vil- The classic tale of the leprechaun is that of lagers warned the workmen that the pole the Irishman catching one of the wee folk and would never stay put, because no self-respect- demanding to be given the little fellow’s crock ing community of wee folk could abide a dis- of gold. In these stories, the sly leprechaun turbance on their mound. always manages to trick the greedy lout who The big city electrical workmen had a has grabbed him by causing the human to laugh at the expense of the villagers and said glance away from him for even a moment. some uncomplimentary things about the level Once a human takes his or her eyes off the of intelligence of the townsfolk of Wexford. leprechaun he or she has somehow managed They finished digging the hole to the depth to glimpse in the first place, the wee one has that experience had taught them was ade- the power to vanish in a flash. quate; then they placed the post within the The origin of the leprechaun derives from freshly dug opening and stamped the black a tale much like the old story of the shoemak- earth firmly around its base. The satisfied fore- er and the elves. The leprechaun, dressed in man pronounced for all within earshot to hear his bright green clothing with a red cap and a that no fairy folk or leprechaun would move leather apron, was originally known as the the pole from where it had been anchored. cheerful cobbler, a wee person who takes However, the next morning the pole tilted delight in repairing humans’ shoes for a at a sharp angle in loose earth. The villagers reward of a bowl of porridge. shrugged that the wee folk had done it, but The countryfolk of Ireland take their wee the foreman of the crew voiced his suspicions folk seriously, and they know better than to dis- that the leprechauns had received some help

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 106 Mysterious Creatures

Illustration of a M Delving Deeper leprechaun from A Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York: Treasury of Irish Stories. Simon & Schuster, 1998. (ELSIE LENNOX) Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. New York: Larousse, 1995. Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York: Random House, 2000. Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: Rider, 1948.

Menehune The Menehune are the wee people of the Hawaiian Islands; and just as there are folk leg- ends and beliefs that the fairies of the British Isles were originally an early diminutive people, so do some traditions in Polynesia maintain that the Menehunes were an ancestral pygmy race that averaged about two feet in height. from some humans bent on mischief. Glaring There are ancient sites in the Hawaiian Islands his resentment at any villagers who would that some inhabitants still believe are the ruins meet his accusative eyes, the foreman ordered of temples built by the Menehunes. his men to reset the pole. For most Polynesians, however, the pre- The next morning that one particular pole vailing accounts of the Menehune are told as if was once again conspicuous in the long line of the beings have always been members of a spir- newly placed electrical posts by its weird tilt in it race that coexists with humans. The Mene- the loose soil at its base. While the other poles hune often serve as guardians and guides for in the line stood straight and firmly upright, the people, and the help of the “little vanish- that one woebegone post was tilted askew. ing ones” is sought in all tasks, from erecting a The foreman had endured enough of such home to building a canoe. Much like the old rustic humor at his expense. He ordered the European traditions of setting out food for the crew to dig a hole six feet wide, place the pole elves to come at night and assist the farmer or precisely in the middle, and pack the earth so shoemaker, workers in Hawaii will sometimes firmly around the base that nothing short of a set out sweets to insure the cooperation of the bomb could budge it. Menehune in the completion for their work But the next morning the intrusive pole project. The Menehune are highly regarded as had once again been pushed loose of the little engineers, and very often construction workers people’s rath. The foreman and his crew from in Hawaii will ask a traditional priest, a Kahu- the electricity board finally knew when they na, to ask the blessing of the Menehune before were licked. Without another word to the any major building has begun. To neglect to do grinning villagers, the workmen dug a second so may bring dire consequences if the work has hole four feet outside of the mound and been scheduled on a site that the Menehune dropped the pole in there. And that was regard as sacred. In this case, the Kahuna must where it stood as solid as the Emerald Isle for offer prayers and gifts to pacify the spirit beings many years to come. and win their cooperation.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 107

From time to time, native inhabitants and assume human shape and marry him, at the tourists to the islands claim to caught a same time granting him three wishes that may glimpse of the Menehune as they scurry from make them wealthy. If she feels that she has bush to bush in the forested regions. Most been disrespected or treated badly, she may people describe the little people with light or use her beauty to lure a fisherman to the deep- slightly reddish-colored skin and large fuzzy est part of the lake and drown him. mops of hair. In Lake Tanganyika in the small East M Delving Deeper African country of Burundi, the Mambu-mutu Beckwith, Martha. Hawaiian Mythology. Honolulu: is very much the classical , half University of Hawaii Press, 1970, 1989. attractive woman and half large fish. In her Grant, Glen. Obake Files: Ghostly Encounters in Super- case, however, she does not fancy humans, natural Hawaii. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, and her only intention is to drag them under 1996. the lake’s surface and suck their blood. Westervelt, William D. Hawaiian Legends of Ghosts In Estonian folklore, the Nakh are shape- and Ghost-Gods. Rutland, Vt.; Tokyo: Charles E. shifting water demons who walk freely on land Tuttle Co., 1963, 1971. as handsome young men or beautiful women who lure their victims with the sound of their Mermaids sweet, seductive singing. Once they have enchanted their victims, they lead them to There are few tales of the fairy folks’ friends river, lake, or ocean and entice them to watery that are as captivating as those that deal with graves. the mermaid, those ocean-dwelling divinities that are half-human and half-fish. Although The Nix is a particularly nasty shape-shift- there are mermen, the greater fascination has ing entity who, like all the fairy folk, loves to always been on the mermaid with her top half dance. According to German folklore, the a beautiful woman and her bottom half that of Nix are attracted to the sound of music at a fish. Traditionally, the mermaid is also gifted fairs, carnivals, or outdoor concerts, and they with a lovely singing voice, which can be used appear as attractive men or women who to warn sailors of approaching storms or jagged enthrall the human audience with their skill rocks ahead. Or, in many of the ancient stories, and grace on the dance floor. Once they have the seductive siren song of the mermaids lure lured a charmed human to join them at the seamen onto the jagged rocks and to their water’s edge with the promise of romantic dal- deaths. As with all of the “middle-folk,” mer- liance, they reveal themselves to be ugly, maids can be agents of good or of destruction. green-skinned fairies who drag their victims into the water and death by drowning. As in the folklore of the , sometimes mermaids fall in love with humans and are M Delving Deeper able to come ashore in human shape and to Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. live on land for many years. They may even New York: Larousse, 1995. have children with their human husbands. Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to But in all of these tales of mercreatures and Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- human mates, the mermaid longs to return to sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. the sea, and one day she will leave her human Shuker, Karl P. N. “Menagerie of Mystery.” Strange family and do so. (spring 1995): 20–23; 54–56. The Ceasg is a type of mermaid that haunts the lakes of the Scottish highlands. Nisse Her upper body and facial features are those of a beautiful, well-endowed woman, but her In the Scandinavian tradition, the nisse is a lower half is that of a large salmon. Like most household entity that looks after hearth and supernatural beings, the Ceasg is of a dual home, a kind of guardian entity—but with an nature. If a handsome young man should cap- attitude. Nisse can be extremely volatile if ture her attention and treat her well, she may provoked, and they are often mischievous lit-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 108 Mysterious Creatures

tle pranksters. Naughty children sometimes But the bits of the “unbreakable” drills have their hair pulled and their toys hidden by began to shatter one after another. An old the nisse, who is always watching with disap- farmer came forward to repeat the warning that proving eyes any sign of misbehavior or dis- the crew was trespassing on land that belonged obedience. And a cat that becomes too curi- to the hidden folk. At first the workmen ous will likely have its tail yanked good and laughed at the old man and marveled that such proper by the annoyed nisse. primitive superstitions could still exist in mod- The nisse is also the farmer’s friend, and it ern Iceland. But the drill bits kept breaking. often sleeps in the barn to keep watch over Finally, the manager of the plant, although the animals. If a hired hand should be slow in professing disbelief in such superstitions, feeding the cattle or other livestock, the nisse agreed to the old farmer’s recommendation will be certain to give them their grain—and that he consult a local seer to establish con- to mete out punishment to the sluggish hired tact with the hidden folk and attempt to make man who was tardy in his duties. The nisse peace with them. After going into a brief might trip him as he walks up the stairs to his trance-state, the seer returned to waking con- bedroom or spill his hot soup on his lap at the sciousness to inform the manager that there evening meal. If treated with respect, the nisse was one particularly powerful member of the remains an effective guardian over hearth and hidden folk who had selected this plot as his outbuildings. He does demand payment for dwelling place. He was not an unreasonable the performance of his duties, and the wise being, however. If the processing plant really householder will be certain to leave hot por- needed the plot for its expansion, he would ridge on the step at night and to make it agree to find another place to live. The hid- known that the nisse is free to take whatever den one asked only for five days without any grain from the bin that he might require for drilling, so that he could make his arrange- his own needs. ments to move. Closely related to the nisse are the hul- The manager felt a bit strange bargaining drefolk, the hidden people, the fairy folk of with a being that was invisible—and as far as Scandinavia, who are generally quite benign if he had previously been concerned, imaginary. treated with respect. If one should be foolish But he looked over at the pile of broken drill enough to anger them or violate their territo- bits and told the seer that the hidden one had ry, they can become extremely malicious. a deal. Work on the site would be shut down Generally, though, as the following story illus- for five days to give him a chance to move. trates, the hidden people are quite reasonable. After five days had passed and the work- men resumed drilling, the work proceeded In 1962, the new owners of a herring-pro- smoothly and efficiently until the addition to cessing plant in Iceland decided to enlarge the plant was completed. There were no more their work area. According to Icelandic tradi- shattered bits on the unbreakable drill. tion, no landowner must fail to reserve a small plot of his or her property for the hidden folk, M Delving Deeper and a number of the rural residents earnestly Booss, Claire, ed. Scandinavian Folk & Fairy Tales . pointed out to the new proprieters that any New York: Gramercy Books, 1984. extension of the plant would encroach upon Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. the plot of ground that the original owners New York: Larousse, 1995. had set aside for the little people who lived Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to under the ground. Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver- The businessmen laughed. For one thing, sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. they didn’t harbor those old folk superstitions. Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: For another, they had employed a top-notch, An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. highly qualified construction crew who pos- Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. sessed modern, unbreakable drill bits and Trans. by Angela Hall. Rochester, N.Y.: D. S. plenty of explosives. Brewer, 1993.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 109

Selkies lenting enemies of humankind. Those occa- Selkies, the seal people of the Orkney and sional Scandinavian folk heroes who dared to Shetland Islands, wish to live harmoniously engage them in mortal combat were able to with those humans who love the sea as much defeat the trolls with their superior intelli- as they do. They have sometimes been con- gence, rather than might of arm or sword. fused with the sirens of Greek lore that have Trolls are most often quite slow-witted, and no interest in creating anything but death and they become confused and weak if they can be chaos for seafarers. The selkies can shape-shift somehow tricked into stepping out of their and appear in human form, resuming their darkened caves into direct sunlight. true forms only when they wish to travel In more contemporary times, the is through the sea. regarded as a denizen of mountain caves, larg- The selkies are among a small number of er than the average human, and exceedingly gentle and supernatural beings. They often ugly, who often crouches under bridges wait- take human spouses and produce children ing for unsuspecting victims. who occasionally have webbed hands and feet M Delving Deeper and who are always born with a love for the sea. But one day the selkie’s desire for the sea Booss, Claire, ed. Scandinavian Folk & Fairy Tales. will overwhelm her, and she will reclaim her New York: Gramercy Books, 1984. discarded seal skin and return to the ocean, Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. where she will keep in touch with her human New York: Larousse, 1995. family only by her song and an occasional Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. appearance near the shore. John Sayles wrote Translated by Angela Hall. Rochester, N.Y.: D. S. and directed an enchanting film about the Brewer, 1993. selkies in The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), adapted from Rosalie Frye’s novella The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry. Actors Who Faced (or M Delving Deeper Became) Movie Monsters Benwell, Gwen, and Arthur Waugh. Sea Enchantress: The Tale of the Mermaid and Her Kin. New York: ven the most casual fan of Hollywood Citadel Press, 1965. horror films is familiar with the classic Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore. Ecreatures of movie monsterdom and the New York: Larousse, 1995. actors who portrayed them—such as the Spence, Lewis. The Fairy Tradition in Britain. London: Frankenstein monster, as enacted by Boris Rider, 1948. Karloff (1887–1969); the Wolf Man, as played by Lon Chaney, Jr. (1906–1973); and the vampire Count Dracula, as immortalized by Trolls Bela Lugosi (1882–1956). However, some of Trolls bear no resemblance to the cute little the most well-known actors in motion pic- dolls with big bug-eyes, dolphin grins, and tures or television encountered monsters—or bushy red hair. Rather, trolls are nasty mon- impersonated them—before their stars had sters who can assume gigantic proportions and begun to rise or after their clout at the box wreak havoc wherever they choose. They are office had begun to grow less powerful. Of fiendish giants, often associated with dark-side course there are also the cases in which an sorcerers. established star simply enjoys playing a bona To the , the term “troll” was fide monster for a change of pace. applied only to hostile giants. By the time of Dana Andrews (1909–1992), a minister’s the high Middle Ages, trolls had become a bit son, starred in such Hollywood classics as The smaller and more fiendish, but they had also Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Laura (1944), and become capable of working black magic and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Then, in sorcery. Regardless of their size, trolls are unre- Curse of the Demon (1957), he played an

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 110 Mysterious Creatures

American psychic investigator in London through a bizarre transformation machine, who was forced to battle a group of devil-wor- became a slave to intelligent, human-sized shippers who paid obeisance to a hideous ants. ancient demon. In the science fiction classic Donovan’s Before James Arness (1923– ) became Brain (1953), Nancy Davis (Mrs. Ronald Rea- television’s invincible Matt Dillon in the gan) (1921– ) played the girlfriend of a sci- long-running series Gunsmoke (1955–75), he entist who falls under the telepathic control of played an alien being, a giant, carnivorous the rich man’s brain that he is keeping alive. humanoid vegetable who terrified a group of The star of such motion picture master- scientists at an isolated Arctic research station pieces as Champion (1949), Lust for Life in The Thing (1951). In Them! (1954), he was (1956), and Spartacus (1960), Kirk Douglas a government agent trying to subdue giant (1916– ) faced supernatural monsters in two mutant ants that had taken over the Los films. In The Chosen (1978), he played a Angeles sewer system. nuclear power industrialist whose son (Simon The recipient of a special Academy Award Ward), turned out to be the Antichrist, per- in 1949 for his contribution to motion pic- haps the ultimate monster. In The Fury tures, actor/dancer Fred Astaire (1899–1987), (1978), Douglas’s luck as a father was little the master of the Hollywood musical, better when his son (Andrew Stevens) devel- appeared in Ghost Story (1981) as one of a oped incredible psychokinetic powers that he group of elderly men being stalked by a venge- began to use against others. ful female shape-shifting spirit. Although Clint Eastwood (1930– ) In the science fiction classic The War of the handily dealt with thugs, outlaws, and crimi- Worlds (1953), Gene Barry, who starred in such nals later in his career as hardened police offi- television series as Bat Masterson (1958–61) cers or lawmen, in his cinematic green years, and Burke’s Law (1963–66), was a scientist he was put up against bizarre monsters that attempting to thwart a Martian invasion of were much too large to punch out or even to Earth. He also appeared in The Devil and Miss bring down with a .357 Magnum. In Revenge Sarah (1971), an offbeat Western about a satan- of the Creature (1955), he played a laboratory ic outlaw harassing his tormentor’s wife. assistant to a scientist who was involved in Raymond Burr (1917–1993), television’s placing the captured Gill Man from the Black masterful attorney in the long-running law Lagoon on exhibit at a Florida aquarium. That and order series Perry Mason (1957–66), was same year, Eastwood was a jet pilot trying to not quite so articulate in Bride of the Gorilla kill a giant tarantula that had been created in (1951). Burr portrayed a scheming murderer a laboratory experiment in Tarantula. who was transformed into a human gorilla by Peter Graves (1921– ) became well a witch, the mother of a native girl he had known as Jim Phelps, the authoritative direc- betrayed. In the movie monster classic Godzil- tor in the television series Mission Impossible la (1956), he was an American journalist in (1967–73; 1988–90). As a scientist in Red Tokyo covering the story of a radioactive, pre- Planet Mars (1952), Graves established radio historic monster’s devastation of Japan’s capi- contact with Martians. Courageously, Graves tal. Burr’s scenes were deftly spliced into the attempted to thwart the takeover of Earth by a original Japanese footage to ensure the film Venusian creature in It Conquered the World obtaining a worldwide audience. (1956), and in The Beginning of the End In The Devil Within Her (1975), Joan (1957), he battled aliens and their under- Collins (1933– ), the manipulative Alexis of ground menagerie of huge creatures. the television series Dynasty (1981–89), had In The Power (1968), George Hamilton the role of a nightclub entertainer whose baby (1939– ) is a man gifted with supernatural had been cursed by an evil . She fared powers imparted to him at birth by extrater- little better in Empire of the Ants (1977), when restrials who is forced to battle another power- Collins portrayed a real estate broker who, ful, but evil, mind similarly endowed. In Love

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 111

at First Bite (1979), Hamilton brought his film Before he was “Little Joe” on television’s Two characters from the career back from limbo with his portrayal of a venerable Western series Bonanza (1959–72), film “How to Make a comedic vampire. before he was a nearly perfect father on Little Monster.” (DEL In 1968 Charlton Heston (1924– ), the House on the Prairie (1974–82), and long VALLE GALLERY) star of The Ten Commandments (1956) and before he was an angel on Highway to Heaven Ben Hur (1959), for which he won an Oscar, (1984–89), Michael Landon (1936–1991) was appeared in Planet of the Apes as an astronaut a hairy monster in I Was a Teenage Werewolf who arrived in Earth’s future to discover that (1957). Landon played a troubled high school intelligent apes were ruling the planet. He youth who was transformed into a werewolf by continued his role as an astronaut displaced by a misguided scientist who believed that he was time in Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970. conducting experiments to improve the In the grimly futuristic The Omega Man human race. (1971), Heston is the single human immune The winner of the Best Actor Oscar in to a terrible virus that is decimating Earth’s 1975 for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as population after the radiation effects of a Best Supporting Actor in 1983 for Terms of nuclear war and is turning most of those sur- Endearment, and again as Best Actor for As viving into murderous mutants. In The Awak- Good As It Gets (1997), in his early years as an ening (1980), he was an archaeologist faced actor Jack Nicholson (1937– ) squared off with the decision of whether or not to kill his against two masters of the supernatural in The daughter, who has been possessed by the spirit Raven (1963) with his portrayal of the son of a of an ancient mummy. man transformed into a large raven (Peter

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 112 Mysterious Creatures

Lorre, 1904–1964) by a nasty wizard (Boris Making the Connection Karloff). In The Terror (1963), Nicholson was a Napoleonic officer who encountered a witch, anthropology The scientific study of the ori- a mad baron (Karloff), and the vengeful spirit gins, behavior, physical, social, and cultur- of a young woman. Nicholson walked the thin al aspects of humankind. line of madness in The Shining (1980) and erupted on the screen in demonic, axe-wield- bipedal Any animal that has two legs or feet. ing fury, goaded to violence by the supernatur- From the Latin stem biped, meaning two- al forces in a mountain resort. In The Witches footed. of Eastwick (1987), Nicholson got promoted cadaver A dead body that is usually intended from the demonically insane to an entity that for dissection. From the Latin cadere, may have been Satan himself—or at least a meaning to fall or to die. high-ranking demon. Nicholson made an excellent werewolf in the film Wolf (1994), The study of so-called mythical skillfully achieving the trauma and terror of an creatures such as Sasquatch or Bigfoot, ordinary man undergoing supernatural trans- whose existence has not yet been scientifi- formation. In Mars Attacks! (1996), he was the cally substantiated. president of the United States attempting to demarcation The process of setting borders, defeat the bug-eyed invaders from Mars. limits or marking boundaries. From the Leonard Nimoy (1931– ) was playing Spanish demarcacion, literally meaning, aliens long before he became Mr. Spock, the marking off. science officer of the Enterprise on the original elixir Something that is a mysterious, magical television series (1966–69). In In substance with curative powers believed to Satan’s Satellites (also known as Zombies of the heal all ills or to prolong life and preserve Stratosphere, 1958), he was an alien soldier youthfulness. From the Arabic al-iksir and who was part of a squadron determined to the Greek xerion, meaning dry powder for conquer Earth. He also had a small part in The treating wounds. Brain Eaters (1958), wherein alien creatures feasted on human gray matter. hoax An act of deception that is intended to Donald Sutherland (1934– ) pounded a make people think or believe something is stake into the heart of his bride in Dr. Terror’s real when it is not. House of Horrors (1965) when he learned that jinni In Islamic or Muslim legend, a spirit that she was a vampire. In Invasion of the Body is capable of taking on the shape of Snatchers (1978), he was a man desperately try- humans or animals in order to perform ing to destroy pods from outer space that grew mischievous acts or to exercise supernatur- into human beings, replacing the original per- al power and influence over humans. From sons with look-alike alien creatures. Sutherland the Arabic , which is the plural of jinni. returned to fighting vampires with a vengeance as The Chosen One’s mentor in the original Kabbalist/Kabbalah Jewish mystical teachings film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). that are based on hidden meanings in the Hebrew Scriptures. Can also be spelled M Delving Deeper Cabala. From the Hebrew qabbalah, mean- Halliwell, Leslie. Halliwell’s Film Guide. 6th ed. New ing tradition, and from quibbel, to give, York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1987. receive or accept, ultimately something Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. New York: Put- that is handed down. nam Publishing, 1982. lupinomanis Having the excessive character- Skal, David J. The Monster Show: A Cultural History of istics of a wolf, such as being greedy or rav- Horror. New York: Boulevard, 1997. enously hungry. Stanley, John. Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide. New York: lycanthropy The magical ability in legends Boulevard, 1997. and horror stories of a person who is able

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysterious Creatures 113

to transform into a wolf, and take on all of sauropod Any of various large semi-aquatic its characteristics. plant-eating dinosaurs that had a long neck and tail and a small head. From the metrology The scientific system or study of suborder Sauropoda, a Latin word meaning measurements. From the Greek metrologie, lizard foot. meaning theory of ratios and metron, or measure. therianthropic Used to describe a mythologi- paleoanthropology The study of humanlike cal creature that is half human and half creatures or early human beings more animal. Coined from the Greek therion, primitive that Homo Sapiens, usually done meaning small wild animal, and anthropo, through fossil evidence. meaning human being. paleontology The study of ancient forms of Wiccan Someone who is a witch, a believer or life in geologic or prehistoric times, using follower of the religion of Wicca. such evidence as fossils, plants, animals, zoology The scientific branch of biology that and other organisms. studies animals in all their characteristics putrefy Causing something to decay, usually and aspects. From the Greek zoologia, liter- indicating a foul odor. From the Latin stem, ally the study of life and from zolion, or life putr, meaning rotten, plus facere, to make. form.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 115

Chapter Exploration

Dreams Creative and Lucid Dreaming Nightmares Sleep Paralysis Symbology of Dreams The Mechanics of Memory False Memories Phobias

Altered States of Consciousness Hallucinations Hypnosis Meditation Psychedelics—The Mind-Expanding Drugs Relaxation Chapter 12 Extrasensory Perception: Mysteries of The “Sixth Sense” ESP Researchers the Mind Clairvoyance Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) Precognition Psychokinesis Throughout the centuries, philosophers, Telepathy poets, prophets, and scientists wondered who humans really are. Many believe the greatest adventure is available to those who wish to explore the mysteries of the mind—the miracle of consciousness, the enigma of dreams, and the mind beyond the physical bodies. 116 Mysteries of the Mind

Introduction on the totality of impulses that it receives from the upstream nerves, the receiving nerve erhaps the greatest mystery of the decides whether or not to fire. In this manner, human mind is how the brain gives rise electrical impulses are processed in the brain P to consciousness. A three-pound mass before being transmitted to the physical body. of spongy tissue somehow makes humans con- However, while this movement of ions and scious of what they see, hear, touch, taste, chemicals may trace the process of thinking smell, think, remember, and dream. This same and reacting, it still does not reveal the region grey matter allows humans to have subjective of the brain that specializes in consciousness. experiences of love, friendship, and the appre- Professor Johnjoe McFadden from the ciation of music, art, and literature. In addi- School of Biomedical and Life Sciences at the tion to conscious awareness, mystical states of University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, consciousness appear to permit extrasensory has remarked that it is consciousness that communication with other human beings and makes individuals human. Without conscious- even allow prophetic glimpses of the future. ness, “…language, creativity, emotions, spiri- The psychologist William James (1842– tuality, logical deduction, mental arithmetic, 1910) once wrote that we know what con- our sense of fairness, truth, ethics, are all sciousness is—as long as no one asks us to inconceivable,” McFadden told the May 17, define it. Nobel Laureate Gerald M. Edelman, 2002, issue of Science News. director of the Neurosciences Institute, has McFadden theorizes that the mystery of commented that what is most daunting about consciousness might be solved by considering consciousness is that it doesn’t seem to be a the conscious mind as an electromagnetic matter of behavior—it just is. “Multiple and field. Every time a nerve fires, according to simultaneous in its modes and objects, McFadden, the electrical activity sends a sig- ineluctably ours,” Edelman has said, “it is a nal to the brain’s electromagnetic (em) field. process and one that is hard to score. We know However, unlike solitary nerve signals, infor- what it is in ourselves, but can only judge its mation that reaches the brain’s em field is existence in others by inductive inference.” automatically linked together with all the While no contemporary scientist would other signals in the brain, and the brain’s em disagree that it is the brain that generates con- field creates the binding process that is char- sciousness, there is no consensus regarding acteristic of consciousness. which parts of the brain are responsible for While the conscious electromagnetic conscious experience. By assuming, as many information field remains a theory, McFadden scientists do, that consciousness is generated believes that it explains, among other things, by neurons with special properties or locations why conscious actions feel so different from in the brain, they leave unanswered the fun- unconscious ones, “because they plug into the damental question: What is the process by vast pool of information held in the brain’s which the brain gives rise to consciousness? electromagnetic field.” And the em field of Which raises another question: How does the brain is more than a repository of informa- conscious brain activity differ from the brain tion. It can influence human activity by push- activity directing all of the unconscious actions ing some neurons toward firing and others that have become as automatic as breathing? away from firing. If his theory can be demon- Scientists generally agree about the strated to be true, McFadden says, it will process involved in the brain responding with reveal “many fascinating implications for the thought when, for example, one sees an concept of free will, the nature of creativity or object. Signals from the retina of the eye trav- spirituality, consciousness in animals, and el along nerves as waves of electrically even the significance of life and death.” charged ions. When these waves reach the This chapter will explore many mysteries nerve terminus, the signal is transmitted to of the mind, most of which presently defy sci- the next nerve via neurotransmitters. Based entific elucidation. While science may be able

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 117 to define the process by which many of these their pilgrimage to these holy places to seek mysteries manifest, the actual region of the advice and healing from their dreams. After brain that gives rise to these enigmas remains rigorous periods of fasting, prayer, and sacred as unknown as the secret of human conscious- ritual, they would attempt to induce revelato- ness itself. Perhaps one must look outside of ry nocturnal visions by spending the night in the brain and begin to search for evidence of the temple. This practice was commonly the human soul to explain dreams and their employed by the cultic prophets and the kings symbols, the higher levels of awareness that of the ancient cities of Lagash in Sumer and may be achieved in various altered states of Ugarit in Syria. consciousness, and the riddle of ESP Plato (c. 428–348 or 347 B.C.E.) saw dreams (extrasensory perception), the mind express- as a release for passionate inner forces. In the ing itself outside of the traditional boundaries second century, another Greek, Artemidorous of space and time. of Ephesus, produced the Oneirocritica, the M Delving Deeper encyclopedia that was the forerunner to thou- Anderson, Mark K. “Awareness: Mystery of the sands of dream books throughout the ages. Mind.” Wired News. [Online] http://www.wired. In Hinduism, it is believed that the com/news/print/0,1294,51765,00.html. 15 April immortal soul within the physical body is able 2002. to leave the “house of flesh” during sleep and Chalmers, David J. “The Puzzle of Conscious Experi- to travel wherever it desires. It is also thought ence.” Scientific American Special Issue: Mysteries that the passing to the next life after death of the Mind 7, no. 1 (1997): 30–37. may be compared to a sleeper awakening from Cosmiverse Staff Writer. “The Conscious Mind May a dream. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Be Electric.” Cosmiverse [Online] http://www. states that the soul, the “self-luminous being,” cosmiverse.com/news/science/science05170201. may assume many forms, high and low, in the html. 17 May 2002. world of dreams. “Some say that dreaming is Hellmich, Nanci. “When Sleep Is But a Dream.” but another form of waking, for what a man USA Today. [Online] http://www.usatoday. experiences while awake he experiences again com/life/llead.htm. 27 March 2001. in his dreams.…As a man passes from dream Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New to wakefulness, so does he pass at death from York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. this life to the next” (Brihadaranyaka Upan- ishad, 4.3.11–14, 35). The Mesopotamian and Egyptian courts Dreams employed skilled professionals who sought to interpret dreams and visions. The Israelites, hether in ancient or in contemporary by contrast, believed that interpretation of times, dreams are a mystery of the dreams could be accomplished only with the Wmind that everyone has experienced. Lord’s guidance. “For God speaketh once, yea Quite likely, most individuals have also pon- twice, yet a man perceiveth it not. In a dream, dered the meaning of their dreams. Whether in a vision of the night, when sleep falleth these sleep-time adventures are considered voy- upon men in slumberings upon the bed; then ages of the soul, messages from the gods, the He openeth the ears of men, and speaketh doorway of the unconscious, or accidental by- their instructions, that he may withdraw man products of insufficient oxygen in the brain, from his purpose and hide pride from man” down through the ages thoughtful men and (KJV: Job 33:14). The Talmud, the Hebrew women have sought to learn more about this sacred book of practical wisdom, reveals that intriguing activity of the sleeping consciousness. the Jews gave great importance both to the Among the ancients there were the dream dream and to the one whom the Lord gave the incubation temples of Serapis, Egyptian god of knowledge to interpret the dream. Joseph and dreams; and later, of Aesculapius, the Greek Daniel were two Israelites who attained high god of healing. Thousands of people made regard for their skill as dream interpreters.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 118 Mysteries of the Mind

God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy [preach] and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” By the late nineteenth century, dreams were being examined from a physiological per- spective. The ancient notion that God spoke directly to men in dreams was pretty much dismissed by a culture that was becoming more scientific and materialistic. Then came the groundbreaking work of Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung. In 1899 Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), a Viennese psychiatrist and the founder of psy- choanalysis, brought dreams into the realm of Dreaming of worlds Dreams, or night visions, might be audito- the scientific community with the publication beyond. (ANDREW C. ry and present a direct message (as in Job of his monumental work, The Interpretation of STEWART/FORTEAN 33:15–17, Genesis 20:3,6) or at other times be Dreams, in which he maintained that the PICTURE LIBRARY) symbolic, requiring skilled interpretation. dream is “the guardian of sleep” and “the royal Jacob had a dream of a ladder set up on Earth, road” to understanding the human uncon- the top of it reaching to heaven. He beheld in scious. Freud’s theory was basically that the this dream angels of God ascending and dream was a disguised wish-fulfillment of descending on the ladder with the Lord stand- infantile sexual needs, which were repressed ing above it, confirming the covenant of by built-in censors of the waking mind. The Abraham to Jacob (Genesis 28:12). King apparent content of the dream was only con- Solomon received both wisdom and warning cealing a shockingly latent dream. Through in dreams (I Kings 3:5, 9:2). the use of a complex process of “dream work,” which Freud developed, the dream could be unraveled backward, penetrating the uncon- scious memory of the dreamer and thereby set- SIGMUND Freud brought dreams into the ting the person free. realm of the scientific community with his publication According to Dr. Stanley Krippner (1932– ), former director of the Dream Laboratory at The Interpretation of Dreams. Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, contemporary experiments in sleep laborato- ries have confirmed many of Freud’s specula- The New Testament accounts surrounding tions and cast doubt upon others. Some psy- the birth of Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) record chiatrists, including Lester Gelb, argue that a number of revelatory dreams. Joseph was the concept of the unconscious should be instructed to wed Mary and was assured of her totally abandoned in explaining human purity (Matthew 1:20), in spite of the apparent behavior. Gelb feels it would be more useful to fact that she was already pregnant. Later, recognize several states or types of conscious- Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt (Matthew ness—working, sleeping, dreaming, daydream- 2:13), return to Israel, (2:19) and to go to ing, trance, and so forth—each of which can Galilee (2:22). The Magi (the three wise men) be productively studied by behavioral scien- were warned in a dream not to return to their tists. Krippner stated that possible confirma- native land along the same route as they had tion of Freud’s emphasis on sexual symbolism come (2:12) because of Herod’s evil inten- does occur occasionally in modern electroen- tions. Acts 2:17 contains the prophetic verse: cephalographic dream research, but he further “And it shall come to pass in the last days saith observed that human thought processes are too

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 119 varied to allow any single, unitary explanation The god Hermes pours of dreaming to be adequate. sleep into the eyes of mortals. (GETTY IMAGES) Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung (1875– 1961), a student and later dissenter of Freudian techniques, added new dimensions to the understanding of the self through dreams. From Jung’s perspective, Freud expressed a contempt for the psyche as a kind of waste bin for inappropriate or immoral thoughts. In Jung’s opinion, the unconscious was far more than a depository for the past; it was also full of future psychic situations and ideas. Jung saw the dream as a compensatory mechanism whose function was to restore one’s psycholog- ical balance. His concept of a collective unconscious linked humans with their ances- tors as part of the evolutionary tendency of the human mind. Jung rejected arbitrary interpre- tations of dreams and dismissed free Freudian association as wandering too far from the dream content. Jung developed an intricate system of “elaborations,” in which the dreamer relates all that he or she knows about a sym- bol—as if he or she were explaining it to a visi- tor from another planet. ego is the “I” within each individual. It is the thinking, feeling, and aware aspect of self that Jung found startling similarities in the enables the individual to distinguish himself unconscious contents and the symbolic or herself from others. In psychoanalytic theo- processes of both modern and primitive ry, the ego mediates between the more primi- humans, and he recognized what he called tive drives of the “id,” the unconscious, “archetypes,” mental forces and symbology instinctual self, and the demands of the social whose presence cannot be explained by any- environment in which the individual must thing in the individual’s own life, but seemed function. (Jung saw the self as encompassing to be “aboriginal, innate, and inherited shapes the total psyche, of which the ego is only a of the human mind.” Jung believed that it is small part.) Jung called this psychic integra- crucial to pay attention to the archetypes met tion of the personality, this striving toward in dream life. Of special importance is the wholeness, the process of “individuation.” “shadow,” a figure of the same sex as the dreamer, which contains all the repressed char- acteristics one has not developed in his or her conscious life. The “anima” is the personifica- tion of all the female tendencies, both positive MANY authorities consider Dr. Nathaniel and negative, in the male psyche. Its counter- Kleitman (1895–1999) to be the father of modern part in the female psyche is the “animus.” scientific dream research. The most mysterious, but most significant, of the Jungian archetypes is the self, which M. L. von Fram describes in Man and His Symbols (1964) as the regulating center that brings Many authorities consider Dr. Nathaniel about a constant expansion and maturing of Kleitman (1895–1999) to be the father of the personality. The self emerges only when modern scientific dream research, for he pur- the ego can surrender and merge into it. The sued the subject when his colleagues dismissed

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 120 Mysteries of the Mind

the area as having no value. As a professor of infants’ immature nervous systems for the philosophy at the , onslaught of experiences that come with the Kleitman asked a graduate student, Eugene maturation of vision, hearing, and the other Aserinsky, to study the relationship of eye senses. To further support this theory, Krippn- movement and sleep; and in 1951, Aserinsky er cites studies done with older subjects that identified rapid eye movement (REM) and indicate that young adults spend 25 percent of demonstrated that the brain is active during their time dreaming while the proportion sleep, thus establishing the course for other decreases to 20 percent among the elderly. It dream researchers to follow. Although discus- seems that the brain, once it is functioning sions of REM are now commonplace in the well, does not need as much dream time. conversations of informed laypeople, it should Recent experiments demonstrate that sim- be noted that prior to the work of Kleitman ple forms of mental functioning go on at night and Aserinsky most scientists maintained that even when the individual is not dreaming. the brain “tuned down” during sleep. The brain appears to require constant stimula- Pursuing the REM research, Kleitman and tion even during sleep and may use dream another of his medical students, William C. periods to “keep in tune” and to process infor- Dement, found what may be the pattern for a mation that has accumulated during the day. “good night’s sleep.” They discovered a night- In the mid-1950s, Drs. William Dement and ly pattern of sleep that begins with about 90 Charles Fischer, working at Mount Sinai Hospi- minutes of non-REM rest during which brain- tal in New York, asked a group of volunteers to waves gradually lengthen and progress spend several nights in the laboratory. When through four distinct stages of sleep, with the volunteers fell asleep, they were awakened Stage Four the deepest stage. It is then that throughout the night each time the electroen- the first REM episode of the night begins. cephalographs indicated the start of a dream Rapid eye movement is now observable, but period. These volunteers got all of their regular the body itself remains still. The central ner- sleep except for their dream time. After five vous system becomes extremely active during nights of dreamlessness, they became nervous, REM. It becomes so intensely active that Dr. jittery, irritable, and had trouble concentrating. Frederick Snyder, of the National Institute of One volunteer quit the project in a panic. Mental Health (NIMH), termed the activity Another group of volunteers in another part “a third state of earthly existence,” distinct of the hospital was awakened the same number from both non-REM sleep and wakefulness. of times each night as those in the first group, The breathing is even in non-REM sleep. but they were awakened when they were not During the REM episode breathing may accel- dreaming. In other words, they were allowed erate to a panting pace. The rhythm of the approximately their usual amount of dream heart may speed up or slow down unaccount- time. These volunteers suffered none of the ably. Blood pressure can dramatically fall. troubles and upsets that afflicted the first group. Other physiological changes also occur during For the first time, the Dement and Fischer REM. The flow of blood to the brain increases experiment presented evidence that regular about 40 percent. Then the individual stirs dream sleep is essential to physical well-being. and returns to the non-REM sleep cycle. This Some of the volunteers went as long as 15 pattern repeats itself throughout the night. nights without dream sleep, at which point Dreaming, in Dr. Stanley Krippner’s esti- they tried to dream all of the time, and the mation, is a primary means of brain develop- researchers had to awaken them constantly. ment and maturation. Newborn infants spend When their dream time was no longer inter- about half of their sleeping time in the rapid rupted, the volunteers spent much more time eye movement or dream state. Although such than normal in dream sleep and continued to dreams probably are concerned with tactile do so until they had made up their dream loss. impressions rather than memories, he believes Dement summed up the results of their that these dreams probably prepare the experiment by concluding that when people are

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 121 deprived of REM sleep, a rebound effect occurs. in the February 15, 2002, issue of Archives of If individuals are not getting their proper share General Psychiatry and provoked criticism of REM and non-REM rest and are feeling from other sleep experts who stated that the sleepy, they can become a menace. People who main problem with America’s sleep habits is have accumulated a large sleep debt are danger- deprivation, not oversleeping. ous drivers on the highway, for example. Dr. Patricia Carrington, a Princeton Uni- Krippner believes that dreaming is as nec- versity psychologist, has expressed her essary to humans as eating and drinking. Not hypothesis that humankind would be better only does dreaming process data to keep the served if it followed the natural rhythms, the brain “in tune,” but there is also evidence that biological alternation of rest and relaxation a biochemical substance that accumulates dur- that is seen in animals. Only in human beings ing the day can only be eliminated from the is there such a thing as 17 hours of constant nervous system during dream periods. Individ- wakefulness. uals should be just as concerned about receiv- Many sleep and dream researchers have ing adequate dream time at night as they are theorized that one of the reasons why humans about receiving adequate food during the day. use drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and other means Any disturbance that interrupts sleep will of altering states of consciousness may be to interfere with dream time, thus leaving the somehow manipulate the body-mind structure individual less well prepared—physically and into obeying the schedule forced upon it— psychologically—to face the coming day. rather than permitting it to follow the natural Alcohol, amphetamines, and barbiturates cycles and rhythms of life itself. Dr. Jurgen depress the amount of dreaming an individual Zulley, psychologist at the Max Planck Insti- can experience during the night, and users of tute for Psychiatry in Munich, Germany, has these drugs should be aware of the fact. Coffee, found evidence for a four-hour sleep-wake however, does not seem to depress dream time. cycle with nap periods at approximately 9:00 Today there are at least 170 sleep clinics A.M., 1:00 P.M., and 5:00 P.M. Zulley feels that operating in the United States, and their analy- individuals shouldn’t try to combat their nat- ses cite more than 50 sleep disorders. A general ural drowsiness at these times with coffee consensus of the researchers at such clinics breaks or with exercise. In his opinion indi- expresses the opinion that—second only to the viduals should seek to be biologically correct. common cold—sleep disorders constitute the It would be better for human health, Zulley most common health complaint. In March advises, if individuals took a short nap or just 2001, the National Sleep Foundation released leaned back in a chair for a bit of relaxation the results of a poll that revealed that 51 per- rather than reaching for a soft drink or a cup cent of adults complained of insomnia, the of coffee to keep the mental motors running. inability to fall into a restful sleep, a few nights Dream researchers also have learned that per week over the period of a year; 29 percent environment appears to have a marked effect said that they had experienced insomnia on dreams. One may have unusual dreams almost every night over a year’s time. when spending the night in a friend’s home or Researchers also have noted a mysterious in a motel room. In their series of studies at the kinship between mental illness and sleep— Maimonides Dream Laboratory, the research and even longevity and sleep. Daniel Kripke, team found that the subjects’ dreams often a professor of psychiatry at the University of contained references to the electroencephalo- California at San Diego, led a study that graph and to the electrodes on their heads, tracked the sleeping habits of 1.1 million especially during the first night in which they Americans for six years and concluded that, participated in the study. Charles Tart, one of contrary to popular belief, people who sleep the nation’s most eminent sleep and dream six or seven hours per night live longer than researchers, suggests that dream content also those who sleep eight or more. The controver- will differ with the demands placed upon the sial study, the largest of its kind, was published dreamer; dreams that are written down at

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 122 Mysteries of the Mind

home and given to a researcher will differ from dreams despite the fact that many psycholo- dreams given to a psychotherapist, because in gists used to believe that dreams lasted only a the latter instance the emphasis is on the per- second or two. son’s inner life and his or her attempts to The subjects at the Maimonides Dream change his or her behavior. Laboratory recalled the visual elements in their It has been noted that patients who go to dreams most clearly, but auditory (sound) and Freudian psychotherapists eventually begin to tactile (touch) impressions also were common. incorporate Freudian symbols into their While subjects in the dream laboratories report dreams while patients who see Jungian ana- auditory and tactile impressions in addition to lysts do the same with Jungian symbols. vivid visual dreams, some individuals stubborn- Opinions on the degree to which external ly insist that they “never dream.” Since events influence dreams vary widely. Some researchers have established that dreaming is as dream researchers contend that all dreams are necessary to mental and physical health as eat- the result of presleep experiences, while ing and drinking, it becomes apparent that Freudian psychoanalysts emphasize the inter- individuals who claim that they never dream nal determinants of dream content (i.e., one’s simply are not remembering their dreams, or unconscious drives and defenses). Others are having dreams they wish to forget—the argue that the presleep experiences of one’s nightmares. daily activities may be used by the uncon- M Delving Deeper scious, but they are not of major significance Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. New York: Berkley in dream interpretation. Medallion Books Edition, 1973. In 1967, Tart presented a list of the various Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New items that influence dreams. Tart’s list includ- York: Basic Books, 1955. ed the dreamer’s actual life history; the dream- Hall, Calvin S. The Meaning of Dreams. New York: er’s memories of what has happened to him or McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1953, 1956. her, especially during the past week; the “day Jung, C. G., ed. Man and His Symbols. London: Aldus residue,” which includes immediate presleep Books, 1964; New York: Dell Publishing, 1968. experiences; and currently poorly understood Kramer, Milton, ed. Dream Psychology and the New factors such as atmospheric concentration, Biology of Dreaming. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. barometric pressure, and paranormal stimuli Thomas, 1969. such as telepathic messages. Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- Dream researchers are not sure how the ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy visual dimensions in dreams compare with the P. Tarcher, 1990. visual dimensions in everyday life. Dream Perls, Frederick S. Gestalt Therapy Verbatim. reports indicate that most often the dream is Lafayette, Calif.: Real People Press, 1969. on a “cinemascope screen” rather than on a Sechrist, Elsie. Dreams—Your Magic Mirror. New small “television screen.” People usually are York: Dell Publishing, 1969. seen full-length and in about the same dimen- sions as they appear during waking hours. Stekel, Wilhelm. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Washington Square Press, 1967. One reason REMs (rapid eye movements) Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New are associated with dreams may be that the York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. eyes scan the visual scene just as they do dur- Vedantam, Shankar. “Study Links 8 Hours’ Sleep to ing the waking state. On the other hand, eye Shorter Life Span.” Washington Post, February 15, movements also occur when subjects report 2002. [Online] http://www.washingtonpost.com/ no movement in their dreams, suggesting that wp-dyn/articles/A12305-2002Feb14.html. the relationship between rapid eye move- ments and dreams is highly complex. Creative and Lucid Dreaming There is not a one-to-one relationship between waking time and dream time. How- Data currently being researched indicates that ever, extreme time distortion rarely occurs in dreams provide a fertile field for the examina-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 123

ne myth about the human brain is the claim that humans use only about 10 percent of their brain capacity. Medical Odoctors and psychologists insist that the statement is not supported by any scientific evidence. It is likely the myth that humans use only about 10 percent of their brains arose during 1930s research The Unused Brain when scientists were uncertain regarding the func- tions of large areas of the cortex. In recent years, Sources: researchers have been able to “map” the functions of Czerner, Thomas B. What Makes You Tick? The Brain in Plain different areas of the brain. English. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Nolte, John. The Human Brain: An Introduction to Its Functional The neocortex, by which higher thinking is per- Anatomy. Philadelphia: Mosby Publishing, 2002. formed, consists of a sheet of cells about 2.5 millime- Restak, Richard M., and David Grubin. The Secret Life of the ters in thickness. Without the neocortex, conscious- Brain. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press, 2001. ness, would not exist. Although the neocortex is a large part of human evolution, it does contain cavities without any brain cells, as well as considerable amounts of cere- brospinal fluid, white matter, blood vessels, blood, and “non-thinking cells.” However, scientists say these areas should not be constituted as the mythical unused 90 percent of the brain.

tion of creative processes. The act of dream- Although the experiment itself had a strik- ing, that most personal and subjective experi- ing effect on the academic world of physiology, ence, may well be a key to humankind’s hid- the manner in which the idea came to Loewi is den powers. Many artists, writers, inventors, perhaps even more astounding. It is conceiv- musicians, and other creative people have able that ideas can be transferred from one received inspiration in their dreams or have mind to another during sleep, but when such used their dreams as problem-solving catalysts. ideas are not in the mind of another person, from where could they possibly arise? Before All through Easter Day in 1920, Dr. Otto his death in 1961, Loewi stated that he could Loewi, research pharmacologist at the New not possibly answer this question. Perhaps no York University College of Medicine, pon- one can, but it is certain that Loewi’s dream dered a strange dream that revisited the provided the key to subsequent research that details of an experiment that he had discarded eventually gained him the Nobel Prize. 17 years before. Acetylcholine, the chemical that he had used in the experiment, had first Solving problems via the dream state is as been isolated by Dr. H. H. Dale, Loewi’s close old as humankind itself. Thomas Edison friend, in 1914, but the new test inspired by (1847–1931), the “Genius of Menlo Park,” it Loewi’s dream brought about an abrupt is said, had the habit of curling up in his roll- change in the theory of muscle stimulation. top desk to catch brief naps that sometimes Loewi and Dale shared the Nobel Prize for constituted his entire sleep schedule. After physiology and medicine in 1936. such a nap he would emerge with the answers

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 124 Mysteries of the Mind

to problems that had plagued him during his puter. Material must be fed into it or it cannot waking state. produce effective answers. To the intellect, a particular plan may sound silly, but to the sub- Elias Howe (1819–1867) failed at the con- conscious it may make a lot of sense. scious level to perfect a workable sewing machine. Then one night he dreamed that a The concept of the dream as a creative savage king ordered him to invent a sewing tool may be somewhat alien to Western machine, and when he was unable to comply, thought, but numerous Eastern writings, the spear-armed natives raised their weapons including the ancient Hindu Upanishads, to kill him. At that exact moment, he noticed speak of this aspect of the dream. One of the that each spear had a hole in it just above the Upanishads says that “…Man in his dreams point. This vision gave him the much-needed becomes a creator. There are no real chariots clue to the commercial perfection of the in that state…no blessings…no joys, but he sewing machine. himself creates blessings, happiness and joys.” Psychologists Montague Ullman, Joseph Another famous scientist who used his Adelson, Howard Shevrin, and Frederick dreams to solve problems was Niels Bohr Weiss have done much to advance the thesis (1885–1962), who one night dreamed of a sun that dreams basically are creative. composed of burning gas with planets spin- ning around it, attached by thin threads. He Psychoanalyst Ullman cites four creative realized that this explained the structure of aspects of dreaming: the atom, which eventually led to the field of 1. the element of originality; atomic physics and, ultimately, atomic energy. 2. the joining together of elements into new patterns; 3. the concern with accuracy; SOLVING problems via the dream state is as 4. the felt reaction of participating in an involuntary experience. old as humankind itself. Ullman concedes that the final product of a dream’s creativity may be either dull or ecstatic, but he insists that it is an act of cre- William Wordsworth (1770–1850) credit- ation to have the dream in the first place. ed dreams for the many poems he wrote. Lucid dreaming is simply the technique of “Kubla Khan” was the result of a dream by dreaming while knowing that one is still Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834). The dreaming. The word “lucid” is used to indicate classic novel Jane Eyre (1847) was spun from a sense of mental clarity. A lucid dream usual- the dreams of Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855). ly occurs while one is in the midst of a dream Some of the world’s most successful business and suddenly realizes that the experience that executives never make a decision until they he or she is undergoing is not happening in have a chance to allow it to pass through their physical reality, but in the framework of a minds during the hours of sleep, permitting dream scenario. Often the dreamer notices solutions to come during dreams. Once this some impossible occurrence in the dream, practice of “sleeping on a problem” becomes such as having a conversation with a deceased habit, these successful individuals find that relative or having the ability to fly, which there is really nothing magical about the prompts this awareness. While experiencing process of dreaming solutions. Creative dream- lucid dreaming is not quite the same thing as ing simply appears to be a matter of training the exercising control over one’s dreams, the mind to do certain things. The subconscious dreamer who realizes that he or she is dream- level of the mind does the work, rather than ing may greatly influence the course of the the intellectual level. The subconscious under- events in the dream scenario. Some practi- stands symbols far better than words, and, in tioners of lucid dreaming promise extended general, can be likened to an electronic com- creativity, the ability to overcome nightmares

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 125 and other sleep problems, the healing of mind Psychiatrist Ernest Hartmann of Tufts Uni- and body—and even spiritual transcendence. versity believes that the nightmares of people Those who teach lucid dreaming state that who seem physically healthy but who regularly the two essentials are motivation and effort. suffer from “bad dreams” are reflecting their Lucid dreaming techniques allow the individ- personalities rather than a traumatic past or a ual dreamer to focus intention and to prepare present struggle with health problems. Hart- a critical mind. The exercises taught by those mann found evidence of “thin boundaries” in conducting lucid dreaming workshops range people prone to recurrent nightmares. In his from ancient Tibetan techniques to modern assessment they were men and women who programs developed by dream researchers. tended to be more open and sensitive than the average. They were, he discovered, people M Delving Deeper with a tendency to become quickly and deeply Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. New York: Berkley involved in relationships with other individu- Medallion Books Edition, 1973. als. At the same time, paradoxically, they also Hall, Calvin S. The Meaning of Dreams. New York: tended to be “loners,” people who did not McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1953, 1956. identify strongly with groups of any kind. Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990. Krippner, Stanley, with Montague Ullman and Alan NIGHTMARES might be the price that Vaughan. : Experiments in Nocturnal some otherwise healthy and untroubled people pay for ESP. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland Publishers, 1989. LaBerge, Stephen. Lucid Dreaming. New York: Ballan- their sensitivity and creativity. tine, 1986. Lucidity Institute. [Online] http://www.lucidity.com/ LucidDreamingFAQ2.html. Hartmann developed a 138-item “Bound- Sechrist, Elsie. Dreams—Your Magic Mirror. New ary Questionnaire” that he administered to York: Dell Publishing, 1969. more than a thousand people, including a wide Van de Castle, Robert L. Our Dreaming Mind. New range of students, nightmare sufferers, and York: Ballantine, 1994. naval officers. The findings supported earlier studies that suggested that many of the men and women who endure nightmares are artistic Nightmares or otherwise creative people. Naval officers, A nightmare differs considerably from a not surprisingly, most often turned up on the frightening dream. The terror of a nightmare opposite end of the scale with rather “thick is more intense and does not present an image boundaries.” Hartmann speculates that or a dream sequence. Dreamers in the throes “boundary thickness” may reflect a basic orga- of a nightmare cry out while in deep sleep. nizational pattern of the brain—one that is They sweat, have difficulty in breathing, and genetically determined or established early in often appear as if paralyzed. life. The general openness of “thin-bound- In 1968 Dr. R. J. Broughton compiled con- aried” people may predispose them to creativi- siderable evidence that indicates that bed-wet- ty, but it also binds them to a childlike vulner- ting, sleepwalking, and nightmares occur dur- ability that leaves them at the mercy of the ing periods of deep sleep rather than during night creatures that go “bump” in the darkness. periods of dreaming, as the layperson often Nightmares, then, just might be the price assumes. Bed-wetting is common among unsta- that some otherwise healthy and untroubled ble individuals, and the sleepwalker, in about people pay for their sensitivity and creativity. 25 percent of the cases, is also a bed-wetter. The nightmare may work out the vulnerability, Dream researcher Dr. Stanley Krippner agrees Hartmann states, especially if the sufferer that nightmares, bed-wetting, and sleepwalk- learns to maneuver the frightening dream from ing rarely coincide with dream periods. a place of vulnerability to a place of control.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 126 Mysteries of the Mind

“The Nightmare” On October 2, 2001, clinical psychologist Boston’s Logan Airport following the hijack- engraving by Henry Alan Siegel, editor of Dream Time magazine, ings of the jets that crashed into the Twin Tow- Fuseli. (FORTEAN told Mike Conklin, reporter for the Chicago ers, cautioned that in some cases it might be six PICTURE LIBRARY) Tribune, that the people of the United States months or a year before certain people would had entered a “national epidemic of night- begin having traumatic dreams of the series of mares” brought on by the destruction of the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. World Trade Center on September 11. “Night- Siegel went on to explain that such night- mares are a cardinal symptom of something mares should be considered the brain’s natur- traumatic in [One’s] life,” Siegel said. “In this al means of dealing with the trauma, dis- case, we’ve lost our sense of security, and this is pelling it through the subconscious while something more traumatic than most Ameri- people are sleeping. Although people tend to cans have really experienced before.” think of nightmares as a kind of mental poi- Dr. Michael Friedman, a sleep specialist at son, Siegel said that, in reality, “they are a Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in form of vaccine.” Chicago, agreed that there was no question that they had begun treating many patients M Delving Deeper with sleep problems and nightmares related to Conklin, Mike. “Plague of Nightmares Descend on the incidents of that terrible event. Deirdre Elm Street.” Tribune, October 2, 2001. [Online] Barrett, a psychology professor at Harvard http://chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/ Medical Center who supervised counselors at chi-0110020007oct02.story?coll=chi-leisureterr.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 127

Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. New York: Berkley narcolepsy, a sleep disorder. Research has also Medallion Books Edition, 1973. determined that instances of sleep paralysis Hall, Calvin, S. The Meaning of Dreams. New York: usually begin around the ages of 16 and 17, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1953, 1956. increases through the teen years, and general- Kramer, Milton, ed. Dream Psychology and the New ly declines during the 20s. Although the con- Biology of Dreaming. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. dition is comparatively rare during the 30s, Thomas, 1969. roughly 3 to 6 percent of the general popula- Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- tion may continue on occasion to experience ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy sleep paralysis throughout their lives, especial- P. Tarcher, 1990. ly if they undergo sleep deprivation or experi- Sechrist, Elsie. Dreams—Your Magic Mirror. New ence frequent sleep disruption. York: Dell Publishing, 1969. Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. RESEARCHERS links sleep paralysis with Sleep Paralysis rapid eye movement (REM), the dream state. Sleep paralysis is a condition that occurs in that state just before falling to sleep (hypna- gogic state) or just before fully awakening Because the experience is extremely fright- from sleep (hypnopompic state). Although ening for many who suffer from sleep paralysis, the condition may last for only a few seconds, they may be reluctant to discuss the problem during that time a person undergoing sleep because they have become convinced that paralysis is unable to move or speak and often they have witnessed a supernatural visitation experiences a sense of fear that there is some or because they fear they are going insane. unknown presence in the room. Along with Researchers insist that while the condition of such hallucinations as seeing ghosts, angels, sleep paralysis may be unpleasant and unset- devils, and extraterrestrial beings, many indi- tling, it is not indicative of any serious long- viduals undergoing sleep paralysis also report term psychological problem. Those enduring the sensation of being touched, pulled, or feel- severe sleep paralysis have been successfully ing a great pressure on the chest. treated with certain antidepressants that A general consensus among researchers inhibit REM sleep. Even more effective, many links sleep paralysis with rapid eye movement sleep researchers maintain, is to understand (REM), the dream state. While in the normal more about what the condition is and learn state of dreaming, the muscles relax and the not to fear it. brain blocks signals that would permit the limbs to move, thus preventing the body from M Delving Deeper acting out its dreams. In the case of sleep Hellmich, Nanci. “When Sleep Is But a Dream.” paralysis, the usual barrier between sleeping USA Today, March 27, 2001. [Online] http:// and wakefulness temporarily drops and certain www.usatoday.com/life/llead.htm. sleep phenomena, of which immobility is one, Hufford, David J. The Terror That Comes in the Night: enter into wakefulness. Some individuals, An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural momentarily paralyzed, suffer feelings of Assault Traditions. Philadelphia: University of dread, helplessness, and become convinced Pennsylvania Press, 1989. that they have been visited by some supernat- Krippner, Stanley, with Joseph Dillard. Dreamwork: ural presence. How to Use Your Dreams for Creative Problem- The 1990 International Classification of Solving. Buffalo, N.Y.: Bearly, 1988. Sleep Disorders reports that sleep paralysis Rowlands, Barbara. “In the Dead of Night.” The may occur to 40 to 60 percent of the popula- Observer, November 18, 2001. [Online] http:// tion once or twice in a lifetime, but happens www.observer.co.uk/life/story/0,6903,596608,00. quite frequently to people who suffer from html.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 128 Mysteries of the Mind

Dr. Carl Jung (1875–1961). the objects in the dream, and by becoming (THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS) aware of the messages contained in the dream. Perls found that in order to learn from dreams, it is not essential to work out the entire dream structure. To work even with small bits of the dream is to learn more about the dreamer. In order to “relive” a dream one must first refresh one’s memory of it by writ- ing it down or by telling it to another person as a story that is happening now, in the pre- sent tense. Perls used the present tense in all of Gestalt dream work. In his view, dreams are the most spontaneous expression of the exis- tence of the human being. One might per- ceive dreams being much like a stage produc- tion, but the action and the direction are not under the same control as in waking life. Therefore, Perls advised, it is helpful to visual- ize a dream as a script from one’s own internal stage production. Each part of the dream is likely to be dis- guised or to bear a hidden message about the dreamer. When the message comes through, Symbology of Dreams the individual will feel that shock of recogni- Fritz Perls (1893–1970), the founder of tion that Gestalt called the “Ah-ha!” Gestalt therapy, believed that dreams were Perls concluded that every dream has a “the royal road to integration.” In his view the message to reveal to the dreamer. Like most various parts of a dream should be thoroughly dream researchers, he recommends that one examined and even role-played to gain self- keep a paper and pencil at bedside in order to awareness and to integrate fragmented aspects record the important points of one’s dreams as of the personality into wholeness. According they are remembered. to Perls, the different parts of a dream are frag- Dr. Stanley Krippner (1932– ), formerly ments of the human personality. To become a of the Maimonides Dream Laboratory in New unified person without conflicts, one must put York City, said if one were to lie quietly in bed the different fragments of the dream together. for a few moments each morning the final dream of the night would often be remem- bered. In Krippner’s opinion, no dream sym- bols carry the same meaning for every person. IN order to learn from dreams, it is not essential to Despite certain mass-produced “dream inter- work out the entire dream structure. pretation guides,” the research in the dream laboratories indicates that only a skilled thera- pist, working closely with an individual over a long period of time, can hope to interpret The Gestalt approach to learning about dream symbolism with any degree of correct- oneself through dreams lies in a concerted ness. Even then the therapist’s interpretations attempt to integrate one’s dreams, rather than would hold true for only that one subject. seeking to analyze them. This can be accom- Krippner points out, however, that certain plished by consciously reliving the dreams, by dreams do occur with great frequency among taking responsibility for being the people and peoples all over the world. Dr. Carl G. Jung

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 129

(1875–1961) spoke of “archetypal images” in humankind’s “collective unconscious.” In this part of the mind, Jung believed, were images common to all people everywhere. People liv- ing in different times and different places have dreamed of “wise old men,” “earth mothers,” “mandalas” (circles within a square), and other “archetypes.” Jung’s theories are rejected by many psy- chologists and psychiatrists as being too mysti- cal, but Krippner believes Jung’s hypotheses really are not in conflict with what the dream researchers call “scientific common sense.” There must be something structural in the brain comparable to the structural form of other body parts. If so, this structure would develop along certain general lines even though an individual were isolated from other human beings. According to a general consensus among dream researchers, the number one rule in understanding one’s dreams is to understand oneself. It is only by knowing oneself as com- pletely as possible that any individual will be able to identify and fully comprehend the dream symbols that are uniquely his or her own. Here are a number of symbols common- ly seen in dreams and general meanings that have been applied to them by certain researchers: • Falling. A natural fear and common to chil- Dr. Sigmund Freud • Angel. Contact with Higher Self or super- dren. Falling from grace or higher spiritual (1856–1939). (THE LIBRARY consciousness. Guidance. Wisdom. Truth. realms. Defeat. OF CONGRESS) • Bathing. Spiritual cleansing. Need to “clean • Hair. If soft and clean: spiritual beauty; if up” one’s life. matted and dirty: spiritually unclean; if • Cat. Universal symbol for woman. May thinning or bald: a man may feel conscious- refer to gossip; beware of gossip. The myste- ness of his age, or of aging. Gray or white rious. Independence. represents wisdom. A haircut may repre- • Church. The realm of Inner Awareness. sent loss of vitality. Higher Self. Spiritual need. • Island. Seclusion. Desire to get away from it • Desert. Spiritual thirst. Emotional barren- all. Security. A place of inhibitions. ness. Sterility. • Judge. Authority figure. One who views • Devil. Unpleasant person. Authoritarian objectively and fairly. Need for Self-disci- figure of negative emotions. Parent figure pline. Hidden guilt. for unhappy childhood. Search for forbid- • Key. The answer to a problem. Opening den knowledge. new doorways of opportunity. Gaining of • Earthquake. Inner turmoil. Old ideas and new knowledge or wisdom. problems coming forth. Literal or prophet- • Lake. Water symbol for spirit. Peace if placid ic. Changes. or smooth.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 130 Mysteries of the Mind

• Mirror. Reveals one’s true Self. good, bad, or While memory is easy to define, there is no indifferent. A reflection of the truth. Can agreement among researchers to explain how also represent illusion, that which is not it works, and scientists have not yet estab- real, only a reflection. lished a model for the actual mechanics of •Needle. Sewing indicates repairing errors of memory that is consistent with the subjective the past or may be someone giving some- nature of consciousness. one the “needle.” Dr. Daniel L. Schacter, a Harvard professor • Ocean. Spirit, God, Higher Self. Peace, of psychology and an expert on memory, states unless a rough sea, then turmoil, strife, etc. that subjectivity in the process of remembering • Pig. Selfishness. involves at least three important aspects: Mem- • Relatives. Relatives often represent parts of ories are mental constructs fashioned in accor- the dreamer’s Self playing various roles of dance with the present needs, desires, and influ- his or her life. ences of the individual; memories are often • Suitcase. Prosperity. Desire to travel. Pres- accompanied by emotions and feelings; and the tige. Subconscious desire for someone else actual act of remembering something usually to go away. involves a conscious awareness of the memory. • Sun. Spiritual light and awareness. In the twenty-first century, some scientists •Teeth. The loss of a tooth or teeth may fore- favor the comparison of the brain to a com- tell the loss of something of value. puter and memories as programs that have •Water. Source of Life. Spirit, God, Univer- been encoded into the system. Behaviorists sal. argue that memories, and the thinking process in general, are products of learned behavior. M Delving Deeper Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. New York: Berkley Many researchers have long observed that Medallion Books Edition, 1973. the more traumatic an experience, the more Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New likely an individual is to recall it later. Neuro- York: Basic Books, 1955. scientists point to numerous current studies Hall, Calvin S. The Meaning of Dreams. New York: that indicate that memory involves a set of McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1953, 1956. encoded neural connections that can occur in several parts of the brain. The more powerful Jung, C. G., ed. Man and His Symbols. London: Aldus the images accompanying an event, the more Books, 1964; New York: Dell Publishing, 1968. the brain is stimulated and likely to make it a Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- part of long-term memory. ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990. Although scientists have yet to understand Krippner, Stanley, with Mark Waldman. Dreamscap- how memory really works, a survey of psychol- ing: New and Creative Ways to Work with Your ogists conducted in 1996 revealed that 84 per- Dreams. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 1999. cent of them believed that every experience a Perls, Frederick S. Gestalt Therapy Verbatim. person undergoes throughout his or her life is Lafayette, Calif.: Real People Press, 1969. stored in the mind. However, a great many Sechrist, Elsie. Dreams—Your Magic Mirror. New current studies suggest that such is not the York: Dell Publishing, 1969. case. An increasing amount of research on memory indicates that every moment of every Stekel, Wilhelm. The Interpretation of Dreams. New bit of sensory data experienced by individuals York: Washington Square Press, 1967. throughout the course of their normal day-to- day life process is not retained by the brain and is not able to be recalled at some future The Mechanics of Memory time. Rather than the brain serving as a kind of repository for a complete audio or video emory is the ability to retain and to recording of everything that has ever hap- recall personal experiences, informa- pened to a person, the only memories that are Mtion, and various skills and habits. stored are bits and fragments of one’s more

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 131 meaningful experiences that are somehow A chart showing the encoded in engrams within the neural net- stages of memory, work of the brain. The process of memory encoding, and storage. involves an act of consciousness that with- (STANDLEY PUBLICATIONS) draws a significant or emotional event in an episodic montage or collage of images, rather than a complete recall of sensory data. Scientists believe that long-term memory requires an extensive encoding in the inner part of the temporal lobes of the brain. Most memories are lost, because they were never successfully encoded. Strong encoding of a memory may depend upon the individual’s interests, perception, and needs. Thinking and talking about an experience at the time it occurred will also assist in an encoding that may be recalled at a later time. Scientists believe that they may have dis- Although numerous anecdotal accounts covered a biological reason why two people claim that dreams are a vital element in the who witnessed the same event may, several process of encoding information absorbed dur- years later, have different memories of what ing the waking hours as memories, Dr. Jerome really occurred. According to research con- Siegel, a neuroscientist at the University of ducted at the Center for Neural Science at California, Los Angeles, released his findings New York University by Drs. Karim Nader to the contrary in 2002. He argued that there and Glenn Shafe, every time an older memory is no solid evidence to indicate that dreams is recalled and is brought into consciousness are needed to consolidate memories. In addi- by an individual, the brain reassembles it, tion, Siegel contested the hypothesis that the updates it, and makes new proteins before prevention of rapid-eye-movement sleep placing the memory back in long-term stor- blocked memory formation. age. Dr. Daniel L. Schacter commented that the research of Nader and Shafe had offered the first good neurobiological explanation of the method in which memories may be updat- MEMORY is the ability to retain and to recall ed. Schacter added that it is a mistake to personal experiences, information, and various skills believe that once the brain has recorded a memory it remains forever fixed. and habits. Some scientists have theorized that existing older memories may eventually be erased in the brain by a process that involves the generation Certain studies on memory show that peo- of new neurons. The clearing out of certain ple often construct their memories after the memories to make more room for newer ones fact and that they may be susceptible to sug- may be important in order to store more recent gestions from others as to the “truth” of what memories and information. Joe Tsien and his actually occurred. Therefore, it is possible to colleagues at the Department of Molecular create false memories in some people’s minds Biology at Princeton University reported their by suggesting that certain events have hap- discovery that the generation of new neurons is pened to them when, in fact, such circum- important for the memory-clearance process stances never occurred. and suggested that chronic abnormalities in the Closely related to false memories, which clearance process may contribute to the memo- may be instilled within certain individuals’ ry disorder associated with Alzheimer’s disease. minds, is source amnesia in which people accu-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 132 Mysteries of the Mind

rofessor Nathaniel Kleitman (1895–1999), a University of Chicago physiologist and co- conductor of the Kleitman-Dement dream Presearch findings, is known as the father of modern sleep research. Kleitman said that dreams are Keeping a hard to remember because the higher centers of the brain are deactivated during sleep—or are operating at a much slower pace than during hours of con- Dream Diary sciousness. Sources: The cerebral cortex is that portion of the brain Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. New York: Berkley Medallion Books that selects, abstracts, sorts, and memorizes when it Edition, 1973. is fully activated; but when the rest of the body sleeps, Hall, Calvin S. The Meaning of Dreams. New York: McGraw-Hill it, too, takes a nap, and that makes the memory of Book, 1953, 1956. dreams a bit difficult at best. Kramer, Milton, ed. Dream Psychology and the New Biology of Dreaming. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 1969. The memory of dreaming, then, must in some way Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decoding the awaken the cerebral cortex, on cue, so that individu- Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, als can better remember what they dream. The habit 1990. of writing a dream down immediately upon awakening Sechrist, Elsie. Dreams—Your Magic Mirror. New York: Dell will, to a degree, help set the cortex on the alert so it Publishing, 1969. can go into action on a moment’s notice.

rately recall an event, but forget the source of mation stored by the brain. Procedural memory the memory. People may remember the details is the facility of recollection that permits one of a terrible blizzard that their grandparents to learn new skills and retain habits. Episodic recounted so vividly to them when they were memory is the ability to remember those per- children that they later incorporate their sonal experiences that define one’s life and grandparents’ experience as a part of their own individuality. memories and tell the story to others as if it had happened to them. Likewise, children see- In addition, scientists recognize field memory, ing dramatic portrayals of hardships or disasters a process of recollection wherein one, as if in a in the theaters or on their television screens dream, sees oneself in the scene. Observer memo- may in their adult years remember those depic- ries are those memories in which the remem- tions as their own memories of enduring diffi- brance is perceived through one’s own eyes. cult times. Scientific studies indicate that such Researchers as early as Sigmund Freud memories of a memory that happened to some- (1856–1939) have theorized that the fact that one else is common—and suggest that one’s so many memories appear to be field memories memory of an event is not the most reliable is additional evidence that for many people record of what actually occurred. the process of recalling a particular memory Memory researchers, such as Schacter, list may be largely reconstructive. Freud also is several types of memory systems. Semantic famous for his theory of memory repression, in memory reveals conceptual and factual infor- which he asserted that unpleasant memories,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 133

r. John Lorber (1915–1996), neurology professor at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, recalled the time Din the when the campus doctor asked him to examine a student whose head was a bit Living without larger than normal. Instead of the normal 4.5-centime- ter thickness of brain tissue between the ventricles and the cortical surface, Lorber discovered that the a Brain student had only a thin layer of mantle measuring Sources: about a millimeter and his cranium was filled mainly “Is Your Brain Really Necessary?” Alternative Science News, with cerebrospinal fluid. September 9, 2002. [Online] http://www.alternativescience. The man had hydrocephalus, a condition in which com/no_ brainer.htm. the cerebrospinal fluid, instead of circulating around Lewin, Roger. “Is Your Brain Really Necessary?” Science 210 the brain, becomes dammed up inside the cranium (December 12, 1980). Also [Online] http://www.enidreed. and leaves no space for the brain to develop normally. com/serv01.htm. Such a condition is usually fatal within the first few Nolte, John. The Human Brain: An Introduction to Its Functional Anatomy. Philadelphia: Mosby Publishing, 2002. months of life. If individuals should survive beyond infancy, they are often severely retarded. In the case of the math major from the University of Sheffield, he had an IQ of 126 and graduated with honors. Lorber collected research data concerning sev- eral hundred people who functioned quite well with practically no brains at all. Upon careful examination, he described some of the subjects as having no “detectable brains.” Dr. Patrick Wall, professor of anatomy at Univer- sity College, London, stated that there existed “scores” of accounts of people existing without dis- cernable brains. The importance of Lorber’s work, Wall said, was that he had conducted a long series of systematic scanning, rather than simply collecting anecdotal material. Lorber and other scientists theorized there may be such a high level of redundancy in normal brain function that the minute bits of brain that these people have may be able to assume the essential activities of a normal-sized brain. David Bower, professor of neurophysiology at Liv- erpool University, England, stated that although Lor- ber’s research did not indicate that the brain was unnecessary, it did demonstrate that the brain could work in conditions that conventional medical science would have thought impossible.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 134 Mysteries of the Mind

especially those involving sexual abuse or mis- neyland with such cartoon creations as Mick- behavior, were pushed back or repressed by ey Mouse and Donald Duck. the psyche of the individual. Such repression Pickrell, a doctoral student in psychology, could in later years lead to phobias or neuroses stated that the study suggested how easily a that could be healed by psychoanalysis. false memory can be created and just how vul- In 2001 Michael Anderson, a psychologist nerable and malleable memory is. The experi- at the University of Oregon, conducted a ment also demonstrated how people might memory repression experiment with college create many of their autobiographical refer- students. The study supported Freud’s theory ences and memories. Even the nostalgic about the mind’s ability to repress thoughts, advertising employed by many commercial especially painful or disturbing ones, accord- companies can lead individuals to remember ing to Martin Conway, a psychologist at the experiences that they never really had. University of Bristol in England. Additional Loftus, professor of psychology and adjunct findings at the University of Oregon revealed professor of law at the University of Washing- the results of a study of children that disclosed ton, began her research into memory distor- that they were less likely to recall abuse at the tion in the 1970s. When she wrote an article hands of their parents or guardians than a on creating false memories for the September stranger, quite likely because the children had 1997 issue of Scientific American, Loftus and to forget in order to cope with their daily lives. her students had conducted more than 200 M Delving Deeper experiments documenting how exposure to Ashcraft, Mark H. Human Memory and Cognition. misinformation may induce memory distor- Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1994. tion. Loftus and her colleagues found that Loftus, Elizabeth F. Memory: Surprising New Insights memories are more easily modified when a sig- into How We Remember and Why We Forget. Read- nificant amount of time has passed between ing, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1980. the event and the recollection. The “New Memories Erase Old by Generating New Neu- researchers also found that individuals who rons,” UniSci—Daily University Science News. 6 have witnessed a particular event, such as an December 2001. [Online] http://unisci.com/ automobile accident, may have their recollec- stories/20014/1206014.htm. tions distorted when they are later exposed to Pinker, Steven. How the Mind Works. New York: W. new and misleading information concerning W. Norton, 1999. the event. Schacter, Daniel L. Searching for Memory—The Brain, While it is understandable that details of a the Mind, and the Past. New York: Basic Books, particular memory might change over time, 1996. Loftus and her research associate, Pickrell, decided to undertake the challenge of deter- False Memories mining how false memories could be implant- The ease with which a false memory could be ed in an individual’s mind. Over the course of created was demonstrated by an experiment a series of interviews, 29 percent of the 24 sub- conducted in 2001 by University of Washing- jects claimed to remember a fictitious event ton memory researchers Jacquie E. Pickrell that had been constructed for them by the and Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus. About one-third of researchers. In two follow-up interviews, 25 the 120 subjects in the experiment who were percent continued to insist that the event had exposed to a fake advertisement showing Bugs actually occurred to them. “The study pro- Bunny at Disneyland later said that they had vides evidence that people can be led to also met the cartoon character when they vis- remember their past in different ways,” Loftus ited Disneyland and had even shaken his said, “and they can be coaxed into ‘remember- hand. Such a scenario could never have ing’ entire events that never happened.” occurred in real life, because Bugs Bunny is a Loftus’s more than 30 years of research into cartoon character owned by Warner Brothers the various processes of memory have led her and would not be seen walking around Dis- to suggest that false memories are often created

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 135 by three common methods: yielding to social or professional demands to recall particular events; imagining events when experiencing difficulty remembering; and being encouraged MEMORIES are more easily modified when to abandon critical thinking regarding the a significant amount of time has passed between the truth of their memory constructions. event and the recollection. False memories, according to Loftus and her research colleagues, are most often con- structed “by combining actual memories with the content of suggestions received from oth- M Delving Deeper ers.” During such a process, individuals may Ashcraft, Mark H. Human Memory and Cognition. experience source confusion and forget how Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1994. much of the memory is valid and how much Associated Press. “Study of Mind’s Ability to Repress came from external sources. Backs Freud.” The New York Times, March 15, In March 1998, a report commissioned by 2001. [Online] http://www.nytimes.com/ the Royal College of Psychiatrists in England 2001/03/15/health/16ap-memory.html. accused its own members of having destroyed Loftus, Elizabeth F. “Creating False Memories.” Scien- innocent lives by implanting false memories by tific American, September 1997, 71–75. using irresponsible techniques of delving into ———. Memory: Surprising New Insights into How We patients’ childhood events. According to the Remember and Why We Forget. Reading, Mass.: report, nearly 1,000 parents stated that they Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1980. had been falsely accused of sexual abuse after Loftus, Elizabeth F., and Katherine Ketcham. The their adult children allegedly recovered such Myth of Repressed Memory. New York: St. Martin’s memories of the attacks during psychotherapy. Press, 1994. Dr. Sydney Brandon, emeritus professor of “New Memories Erase Old by Generating New Neu- psychiatry at Leicester University, warned his rons.” UniSci—Daily University Science News, colleagues that such incidents of alleged recov- December 6, 2001. [Online] http://unisci.com/ ered memories could bring the whole of psy- stories/20014/1206614.htm. chiatry into disrepute. When such memories of Pinker, Steven. How the Mind Works. New York: W. abuse are brought forth after long periods, W. Norton, 1999. sometimes decades of amnesia, Brandon said, Schacter, Daniel L. Searching for Memory—The Brain, there is a high probability that they are false. the Mind, and the Past. New York: Basic Books, In the November 1998 issue of the journal 1996. Psychological Science, Dr. C. J. Brainerd and Dr. ———. The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind For- V. F. Reyna of the University of Arizona in Tuc- gets and Remembers. Boston, Mass.: Houghton son published their findings that many individ- Mifflin, 2001. uals often believed more strongly in suggested, ———, ed. Memory Distortion: How Minds, Brains false memories than in actual recollections of and Societies Reconstruct the Past. Cambridge, events. Police interviews and psychotherapy Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997. sessions are structured around a theme that is University of Washington. “New Evidence Shows designed to help a witness or a patient remem- False Memories Can Be Created,” June 13, 2001. ber scenes of the past. Psychoanalysis is moti- [Online] http://www.washington.edu. vated by the task of uncovering a past trauma and may involve a series of questions that may lead a patient to accept a suggested, rather than an actual, truth. When strong themes are oper- Phobias ative in such explorations of memory, the researchers state, things that were not really phobia is a persistent irrational fear that experienced can seem more real to the individ- causes a person to feel extreme anxiety. ual than his or her actual experiences. A When people have a phobic reaction to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 136 Mysteries of the Mind

a situation, a condition, or a thing, they may el for their work, and many refuse to fly experience sweating, increased heart rate, diffi- regardless of the consequences to their liveli- culty in breathing, and an overwhelming desire hood. The “First Lady of Soul,” singer Aretha to run away. Sometimes they even fear that Franklin, refuses to fly, even if it means can- they are in imminent danger of dying. celing a concert date. Academy Award-win- ning screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton refuses Phobias are the most common of anxiety to commit to any appearance that requires disorders, and they affect men and women of him to board an airplane. Although science all ages, income levels, and ethnic groups. A fiction author Ray Bradbury has taken his phobia may develop from an unpleasant child- readers to outer space on numerous occasions, hood memory. For example, an individual may he avoids airplanes. Actors Tony Curtis, feel uneasy around cats because of being bit- Whoopi Goldberg, and Cher are also avio- ten or scratched as an infant. If over the years phobes. Prescription tranquilizers and other such an uneasiness develops into an unreason- medications have proven effective for most ing fear of cats that causes the person to individuals who suffer from aviophobia. scream, run, or faint at the very presence of a cat, that person has ailurophobia (from the Agoraphobia is considered the most dis- Greek words ailuro for cat, phobia for fear). abling of all the phobias. Treatment is difficult Those individuals who have this phobia may because those who suffer from this phobia fear take some comfort in knowing that a fear of being someplace outside of their home where cats also troubled such military conquerors as they will not be able to escape if they should Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and experience a panic attack—and that can be Napoleon Bonaparte. anywhere from a supermarket, the office, or a crowded street. Usually defined as a fear of Psychologists have categorized as many as open spaces and unfamiliar places, the phobia 500 phobias, and according to the estimates of takes its name from agora, the Greek word for some health professionals, as many as 50 mil- marketplace, and literally translates as “fear of lion individuals in the United States suffer the marketplace.” Some people develop this from some kind of phobia. While the causes of phobia so severely that they choose to leave phobias remain unknown and open to much their home and familiar surroundings as sel- speculation, some of the most frequent theo- dom as possible. Interestingly, Sigmund Freud ries name biological, chemical, cultural, and (1856–1939), the famous psychotherapist who psychological origins—or a mix of the four. sought to unravel the phobias of his patients, Health care professionals stress that the most suffered from agoraphobia. The wealthy and important thing for people with phobias to extremely eccentric aviator and investor remember is that phobic disorders respond Howard Hughes numbered agoraphobia well to treatment and a phobia is not some- among his fears. Academy Award-winning thing that they must continue to endure. actress Kim Basinger is another agoraphobic. Among the most common phobias is a fear Treatment generally consists of behavioral of flying, aviophobia (avio, Latin for bird; therapy combined with antianxiety or antide- avion, French for airplane). In 1980, a study pressant medications. conducted by Boeing Aircraft Corporation Psychologists generally agree that it is found that 25 million Americans readily common for children to have extreme fear expressed a fear of getting on board an air- reactions before the age of seven and to learn plane. Many individuals who suffer from this to distinguish between actual dangers and phobia break out into cold sweat and suffer legitimate fears as they mature. Those from difficulty in breathing even while board- researchers who delve into the origins of pho- ing the aircraft. Nearly all are consumed by an bic responses have theorized that as many as overwhelming conviction that the aircraft 40 percent of all those who suffer from specific will crash and they will die in the ensuing dis- phobias have inherited those fears from their aster. Such a phobia can make life extremely parents or close relatives. Whether one’s difficult for those professionals who must trav- mother jumped up on a chair and screamed at

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 137 a spider, one’s father went into a frenzy at the Because of a keen development of the fear sight of a rat, or one’s aunt fainted at the sight and flight response of humankind’s ancient of blood, the child who perceives such dra- ancestors over many centuries, millions of matic demonstrations of fear is likely to contemporary men and women have inherited remember them forever and to enact them in fears that may no longer be as valid and as life- his or her own life experiences. threatening as they once were. The common fear of snakes is an example of survival learn- Other experts state that childhood trau- ing that has been passed on from generation mas, such as being bitten by a cat, being stung to generation. Although the number of mod- by a bee, or becoming lost for a time in a dark, ern people who live in an environment wooded area, create more than enough memo- threatened by poisonous reptiles has been ries of fears to be lodged in the brain as phobic vastly reduced, millions of individuals retain responses to cats, bees, and forests. Individual an unreasoning fear of snakes. sensitivity may also play an important role in the development of a trauma. Two individuals may experience a similar trauma as children, but only the more emotionally sensitive person will develop a phobia because of the incident. A phobia is a persistent irrational fear that causes a Most experts identify phobias as falling person to feel extreme anxiety. into one of three basic kinds of fears: social phobias, in which the individual suffers from a paralyzing dread of social or professional Of those who suffer from a specific phobia, encounters; panic disorders, in which the suf- researchers state that as many as 90 percent ferer is periodically assailed by a sudden over- are women. According to the National Insti- whelming fear for no apparent reason; and tute of Mental Health, phobias were the most specific phobias, in which the person has a common psychiatric illness among women in horror of a single thing, such as spiders, all age groups and the second most common snakes, air travel, and so forth. Of the three, illness among men over 25. Perhaps more psychologists generally agree that specific women than men admit to having a phobia phobias are the easiest to treat because they because of hormones, genes, and being reared are the easiest to comprehend. In addition, in a culture in which men are not encouraged there are understandable reasons why individ- to acknowledge mental or physical problems. uals might not wish to encounter a poisonous snake or spider or why they might be fearful of Psychologists have made great strides in flying after the media has publicized a number understanding the nature of phobias and help- of airline crashes. Because some phobias have ing those vulnerable to such fears to overcome developed out of an appropriate response to a them. There are depressant or stimulant med- legitimate fear, it is sometimes difficult to ications that phobics can take to help over- draw clear distinctions between phobic reac- come their fears, and there are many kinds of tions and normal responses to danger that may treatment programs. There are exposure ther- have become exaggerated by imagination. apies that habituate phobic individuals to become nonresponsive to the thing that once Many experts believe that it is no coinci- terrorized them; virtual-reality programs that dence that specific phobias most often fall simulate the thing the phobic person most into one of four categories: fear of insects and fears in a safe environment; and various drugs animals; fear of the natural environment, such to treat anxiety that have been approved by as dreading what lies in the dark; fear of dan- the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. gerous situations, such as being trapped in a There are a number of other phobias that tight place or falling from a high place; and are quite common: fear of blood or being injured. Each of these categories reflect fears that have enabled the Acrophobia, a fear of heights, may have human species to survive. developed in an individual because of a child-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 138 Mysteries of the Mind

hood fear of falling. Some individuals are unable upon the shedding of blood in religious sacri- to ascend to the upper floors of buildings or are fices for thousands of years. Although medical even unable to climb up on ladders to hang pic- science has added knowledge to the definition tures in their home because of such a dread of of what constitutes a fully functioning human falling. The name of this phobia is derived from body, on the unconscious level it is likely that the Greek word acro to denote a great height. many people still regard blood as the physical Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, is an expression of the life force. Reinforcing such extremely common fear that undoubtedly has an ancient belief is the importance that is its basis in the reality that some spiders are poi- given to samples of blood in diagnosing ill- sonous or inflict painful bites. The name for this nesses and in identifying everything from cul- phobia comes from the Greek word for spider, pability in a crime to responsibility in parent- arachne. There is also the Greek myth of hood. The word comes from the Greek haima, Arachne, a woman from the ancient city of meaning blood. Lydia, who had the boldness to challenge the Mysophobia, a fear of germs or dirt, origi- goddess Athena to a weaving contest. As a pun- nates from the Greek myso, filth. This phobia ishment, Arachne was changed into a spider. is an environmental one that causes the suffer- Claustrophobia, a fear of being enclosed in ers constantly to wash their hands, to cleanse a small or tight place, was experienced by the the area around them, and to avoid any type of great escape artist Houdini, who often accept- dirt or any source that might breed bacteria. ed the challenge of freeing himself from very Many people with this disorder become house- small and tight boxes and trunks. Disciplining bound and often cause dermal harm to them- himself to conquer his phobia was one of his selves by constantly scrubbing and washing greatest feats. The name of this phobia comes their skin. Singer-songwriter Michael Jackson from the Latin word claustro, to shut or to has become well-known for his phobia regard- close. The word is also very close to cloister, in ing germs. Millionaire-eccentric Howard which individuals voluntarily shut themselves Hughes and actress Joan Crawford were among off from the world. The singer-actor Dean those who shared this fear. Martin tried to avoid elevators whenever pos- Necrophobia, a fear of dead people or ani- sible because of his claustrophobia. Edgar mals, is likely one of those phobias that has its Allan Poe (1809–1849), the writer and poet, roots in humankind’s earliest taboos and was a claustrophobic, and he is said to have reflects such commonsense reasoning as the drawn on such fears when he wrote such sto- danger of contracting diseases from the ries as “Premature Burial” (1844). deceased. All of the world’s religions have strict Glossophobia, a fear of public speaking, is rules about how the dead should be handled one of the most common of phobias and one and how a proper burial should be conducted. that must be overcome by many individuals And all world cultures have superstitions and who find themselves in the position of having legends about vampires, zombies, and other to make a speech to a group of people for busi- members of the undead who seek the blood of ness, professional, or educational reasons. From the living. Tales of the dead returning to com- the Greek word for tongue, glosso, many people municate with their relatives or exact revenge find themselves tongue-tied, feeling faint, their on their enemies are known to every society. heart pounding when they are placed in the With such a heritage of fear of the dead lurking position of speaking in public. Even profession- in the unconscious, it is to be expected that al entertainers can experience cold sweat, nau- some individuals would develop such a crip- sea, vomiting, and light-headedness when they pling dread of a deceased person that therapy or step before an audience. Extreme stage fright medications must be prescribed. The word kept singer-songwriter Carly Simon from per- comes from the Greek nekros, meaning dead forming live for many years. body or deceased person. Hemaphobia, a fear of blood, is likely Scotophobia, a fear of the dark, is another encouraged by the reverence that was placed basic human response to centuries of concern

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 139

placebo is a tablet or a liquid with no medical qualities that physicians will give to calm the anxieties of patients who A insist upon receiving drugs when none are deemed necessary. In other instances, pharma- cologists who wish to test the effects of a new drug may give placebos to a control group and the real drug to another as a method of gaining a more accu- with Placebos rate determination of the effectiveness of the drug Sources: under development. Czerner, Thomas B. What Makes You Tick? The Brain in Plain On April 30, 2002, researchers at the University of English. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Texas Health Science Center announced their find- Fox, Maggie. “Placebo, Drugs Both Activate Brain in Pain ings that depressed people given a placebo exhibited Relief.” Yahoo! News/Reuters, February 7, 2002. [Online] changes in their brain that were nearly identical to http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u/nm/20020 those produced by a popular antidepressant. The 207/sc_nm/science_pain_dc_1. leader of the research group, Dr. Helen Mayberg, Uni- Moore, Oliver. “Placebo Can Fool the Brain, Study Finds.” Globe and Mail, April 30, 2002. [Online] http://www.globeandmail. versity of Toronto Professor of Neurology and Psychi- com/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/realtime/ atry, said that patients who responded to the placebo ful. and those who responded to the actual antidepres- Shapiro, Arthur K., and Elaine Shapiro. The Powerful Placebo: sant showed similar metabolic changes in cortical From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician. Baltimore, Md.: (thinking) and limbic-paralimbic (emotional) regions of Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. their brains. Of the 15 men who completed the study at the health center, eight had experienced a noticeable improvement in their symptoms. Four had been admin- istered the drug, and four had been given a placebo. Volunteers in a pain relief experiment conducted by the Neurophysiology Research Group in Stock- holm, , also demonstrated that both placebos and powerful painkilling drugs activate the same areas of the brain. Brain scans indicated that both the true painkilling drug and a salt water placebo activat- ed the same two areas of the brain—the rostral ante- rior cingular cortex and the brain stem. Ingvar said that perhaps the most unexpected finding of the experiment was that those individuals who responded most strongly to the true drug also responded most positively to the placebo injection. Such a discovery may indicate that certain people have “stronger pathways in the brain for pain relief.” According to the researchers, pain relief may often lit- erally be a case of mind over matter.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 140 Mysteries of the Mind

for the dangers in venturing out after nightfall Stern, Richard. Mastering Phobias—Cases, Causes and where wild animals or savage people may lie Cures. New York: Penguin, 1995. in ambush, waiting to attack the vulnerable. While even in modern times it seems only an exercise of common sense to be cautious while out walking after dark, an unreasoning fear Altered States of and overwhelming dread of dark places can Consciousness cause individuals to be confined to their homes after nightfall. The word comes from n altered state of consciousness is a the Greek scoto, darkness. brain state wherein one loses the sense Aof identity with one’s body or with Xenophobia, fear of strangers or foreigners one’s normal sense perceptions. A person may and their customs, can be especially trouble- enter an altered state of consciousness some in modern times when the globe shrinks through such things as sensory deprivation or more every year, and cultures once far removed overload, neurochemical imbalance, fever, or from one another become closely involved in trauma. One may also achieve an altered state trade, tourism, or international tension. In by chanting, meditating, entering a trance primitive times when people encountered state, or ingesting psychedelic drugs. individuals from different tribes, a caution or fear of strangers was the most primitive kind of The testimonies of mystics and medita- protective device. Although few areas of the tors who claim that their ability to enter world remain isolated from the technology of altered states of consciousness has brought modern communications and few people are so them enlightenment or transcendence are isolated as to remain ignorant of people outside generally regarded with great of their own tribal boundaries, ancient beliefs, among the majority of scientists in Western superstitions, and fears concerning those dif- society. Other researchers, especially those in ferent from themselves perpetuate xenophobia the field of parapsychology, maintain that (from the Greek xenos, for stranger or foreign- Western science must recognize the value of er) even among certain individuals living in studying altered states of consciousness and modern society. Education and an encourage- face up to the fact that what scientists con- ment to learn about and to appreciate the sim- sider baseline or normal consciousness is not ilarities, rather than the differences, among all unitary. In the opinion of many parapsychol- people is the only cure for xenophobia. ogists, science must abandon the notion that waking, rational consciousness is the only M Delving Deeper form of any value and that all other kinds are Beck, Aaron, and G. Emery. Anxiety Disorders & Pho- pathological. bias: A Cognitive Perspective. New York: Basic Researchers who study aspects of human Books, 1985. consciousness have suggested that within the Dumont, Raenn. The Sky Is Falling: Understanding and course of a single day an individual may flicker Coping with Phobias, Panic, and Obsessive-Compul- in and out of several states of consciousness. sive Disorders. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. Some theorize that there are six states of Hovanec, Erin M. Everything You Need to Know About “nonreflective consciousness,” characterized Phobias. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2000. by the absence of self-consciousness. These Kahn, Ada P. Facing Fears: The Sourcebook for Phobias, states include: Fears, and Anxieties. New York: Bantam Books, 1. Bodily feelings, which are induced by nor- 1999. mal bodily functioning and are character- Kluger, Jeffrey. “Fear Not!” Time, April 2, 2001, 51–62. ized by nonreflective awareness in the Olshan, Neal, and Julie Wang. Everything You Wanted organs and tissues of the digestive, glandu- to Know About Phobias But Were Afraid to Ask. lar, respiratory, and other bodily systems. New York: Beaufort Books, 1981. This awareness does not become self-con- Online List of Phobias. [Online] http://www.phobialist. scious unless such stimuli as pain or hunger com. intensify a bodily feeling.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 141

2. Stored memories, which do not become 2. Hysterical consciousness, induced by rage, self-conscious until the individual reacti- jealousy, fear, neurotic anxiety, violent vates them. mob activity, or certain drugs. As opposed 3. Coma, which is induced by illness, epilep- to rapturous consciousness, which is gener- tic seizures, or physical injuries to the ally evaluated as pleasant and positive in brain, and is characterized by prolonged nature, hysterical consciousness is consid- nonreflective consciousness of the entire ered negative and destructive. organism. 3. Fragmented consciousness, defined as a 4. Stupor, which is induced by psychosis, nar- lack of integration among important seg- cotics, or over-indulgence in alcohol, and ments of the total personality, often results is characterized by greatly reduced ability in psychosis, severe neurosis, amnesia, to perceive incoming sensations. multiple personality, or dissociation. Such 5. Non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, which is a state of consciousness is induced by caused by a normal part of the sleep cycle severe psychological stress over a period of at night or during daytime naps, and is time. It may also be brought about tem- characterized by a minimal amount of porarily by accidents or psychedelic drugs. mental activity, which may sometimes be 4. Relaxed consciousness, characterized by a recalled upon awakening. state of minimal mental activity, passivity, 6. Rapid-eye-movement sleep, which is a and an absence of motor activity. This state normal part of the nighttime sleep cycle, of consciousness may be brought about by and is characterized by the mental activity lack of external stimulation, such as sun- known as dreams. bathing, floating in water, or certain drugs. The reflective, or self-conscious, states of consciousness are: 1. Pragmatic consciousness, the everyday, person may enter an altered state of waking conscious state, characterized by A alertness, logic, and rationality, cause-and- consciousness through such things as sensory effect thinking, goal-directedness. In this deprivation or overload, neurochemical imbalance, level of consciousness, one has the feeling that he or she is in control and has the fever, or trauma. ability to move at will from perceptual activity to conceptual thinking to idea for- mation to motor activity. 5. Daydreaming, induced by boredom, social 2. Lethargic consciousness, characterized by isolation, or sensory deprivation. sluggish mental activity that has been 6. Trance consciousness, induced by rapt induced by fatigue, sleep deprivation, feel- attentiveness to a single stimulus, such as ings of depression, or certain drugs. the voice of a hypnotist, one’s own heart- 3. Hyperalert consciousness, brought about beat, a chant, certain drugs, or trance- by a period of heightened vigilance, such inducing rituals and primitive dances. The as sentry duty, watching over a sick child, trance state is characterized by hypersug- or by certain drugs, such as amphetamines. gestibility and concentrated attention on Levels or types of consciousness with vary- one stimulus to the exclusion of all others. ing degrees of what could be considered an 7. Expanded consciousness, comprising four altered state might include: levels: A) the sensory level, characterized 1. Rapturous consciousness, characterized by by subjective reports of space, time, body intense feelings and overpowering emo- image, or sense impressions having been tions and induced by sexual stimulation, altered; B) the recollective-analytic level, the fervor of religious conversion, or the which summons up memories of one’s past ingestion of certain drugs. and provides insights concerning self,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 142 Mysteries of the Mind

work, or personal relationships; C) the the Varieties of Religious Experience that what is symbolic level, which is often character- called “normal waking consciousness” is but ized by vivid visual imagery of mythical, one special type of consciousness, while all religious, and historical symbols; D) the about it, separated by the slightest of barriers, integrative level, in which the individual “there lie potential forms of consciousness undergoes an intense religious illumina- entirely different.” While many individuals tion, experiences a dissolution of self, and may go through life without suspecting the is confronted by God or some divine existence of these states of consciousness, being. Each of these four levels might be “…apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch induced by psychedelic drugs, hypnosis, they are there in all their completeness…No meditation, prayer, or free association dur- account of the universe in its totality can be ing psychoanalysis. Through the ages, final which leaves these forms of conscious- many of humankind’s major material and ness disregarded.” spiritual breakthroughs may have come While skeptical psychological researchers from these virtually unmapped, uncharted continue to label claims of revelation and regions of the mind. transcendence through altered states of con- sciousness as delusional and self-deceptive, others call for a serious examination of various states of consciousness and ask for more SKEPTICAL psychological researchers research to learn the particular significance of label claims of revelation and transcendence each state on the totality of the human entity. Many parapsychologists firmly believe that through altered states of consciousness as delusional continued research into altered states of con- and self-deceptive. sciousness may well reveal that humankind’s most important discoveries, its highest peaks of ecstasy, and its greatest moments of inspira- tion occur in reverie, in dreams, and in states There are many reasons why the great of consciousness presently ignored by the pro- majority of scientific researchers remain doubt- fessional world and the general public. ful about the validity of altered states of con- sciousness, such as the misuse of hypnosis by amateur practitioners, the lack of understand- M Delving Deeper ing by professionals and public alike of the cre- Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New ative processes, and the disastrous results of the York: Basic Books, 1955. recreational use of LSD and other psychedelic Jung, C. G., ed. Man and His Symbols. London: Aldus drugs. Descriptions of mystical revelations Books, 1964; New York: Dell Publishing, 1968. become almost florid as self-proclaimed seers Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- and mystics attempt to translate their psyche- ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy delic drug or trance state experiences into the P. Tarcher, 1990. language of a technically oriented society. Krippner, Stanley, with Etzel Cardena and Steven J. Quite frequently, creative geniuses of Western Lynn. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examin- culture have compared their moods of inspira- ing the Scientific Evidence. Washington, D.C.: tion to insanity. The composer Peter Ilyich American Psychological Association, 2000. Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) once compared his Monroe, Robert A. Far Journeys. Garden City, N.Y.: behavior during creative periods to that of a Doubleday, 1987. madman. Such comparisons are regrettable, Ostrander, Sheila, and Lynn Schroeder. Psychic Dis- and it is unfortunate that modern culture has coveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Englewood Cliffs, few models other than madness to describe the N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970. throes of creativity. Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transformation: William James (1842–1910), the great pio- A Blueprint of the Human Spirit. Rochester, Vt.: neer of the study of consciousness, wrote in Inner Traditions International, 2002.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 143

Rhine, J. B. The Reach of the Mind. New York: metric shapes, quite likely induced by changes William Sloane Associates, 1947. in the retina or the visual pathway. Some Rhine, Louisa. Hidden Channels of the Mind. Clifton, researchers suggest that some of the visions N.J.: Sloane Associates, 1961. experienced by certain mystics and saints were Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- set in motion by migrainous hallucinations. entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- Some people have hypnopompic episodes, a corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. kind of hallucinatory experience, while either Tart, Charles T. Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Para- falling asleep or waking up. They may believe psychology of Spirituality. Hampton Roads, 1997. that some kind of supernatural being has ———, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New York: entered the room and settled on their chest. John Wiley & Sons, 1969. They may even hear the entity speaking to them in a peculiar language. Some researchers Hallucinations suggest that such hypnopompic hallucinations might explain the incubus and succubus phe- The term hallucination comes from the Latin nomena of nighttime demonic attacks that alucinari, meaning “to wander in the mind.” have been reported since medieval times. When a person sees, hears, smells, or feels something or someone that is not really there, he or she has experienced a hallucination. Although the hallucinatory state is commonly confused with that of an illusion, the latter is HALLUCINATIONS result when caused by real sense perceptions that have been misinterpreted, whether by natural phe- certain situations have altered one’s brain metabolism nomena or in the case of a stage illusion, by from its normal level. someone deliberately misdirecting and trick- ing an audience.

Hallucinations result when certain situa- Hallucinations caused by sleep or sensory tions have altered one’s brain metabolism deprivation require no medical treatment from its normal level. Common causes of hal- unless the individual continues to abuse the lucinations are a high fever, an adverse reac- normal bodily demands for rest. Those caused tion or side effect of a drug, the deliberate by substance and alcohol abuse may likely ingestion of a psychedelic or hallucinogenic need medical help to allow the individual to substance (LSD, peyote, opium), an adverse establish normality. Hallucinatory manifesta- reaction to alcohol, or a post-traumatic stress tions that continue without an individual’s disorder. The grief of suffering the recent being able to determine any physical or mental death of a loved one sometimes prompts hal- reason may require a psychiatric consultation. lucinations of hearing or seeing the relative or close friend. Those individuals experiencing M Delving Deeper psychosis or delirium are also susceptible to “Hallucinations.” Medline Plus. [Online] http://www. the manifestations of hallucinations. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003258. While people often associate a hallucina- htm. 18 November 2002. tion with dramatic circumstances, sleep depri- Krippner, Stanley, with Etzel Cardena and Steven J. vation can prompt the phenomenon, as can Lynn. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examin- boredom, fatigue, and the frightening experi- ing the Scientific Evidence. Washington, D.C.: ence of “highway hypnosis,” when people American Psychological Association, 2000. have been behind the wheel driving too long Sacks, Oliver. Seeing Voices. Los Angeles: University and the monotony of the road causes them to of California Press, 1989. see things that aren’t really there. ———. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Many individuals who suffer from migraine New York: Summit Books, 1985. attacks report certain kinds of hallucinations, Siegel, Ronald K. Fire in the Brain: Clinical Tales of especially those of colored, shimmering geo- Hallucination. New York: Dutton/Plume, 1992.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 144 Mysteries of the Mind

Three students cover Starker, Steven. Fantastic Thought: All About Dreams, them in recovering details that may result in a their faces with their Daydreams, Hallucinations, and Hypnosis. New speedier resolution of a criminal act. Increasing shoes while under York: Prentice-Hall, 1982. numbers of clinical or lay hypnotists employ hypnosis. (AP/WIDE Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New hypnosis to explore cases suggestive of past lives WORLD PHOTOS) York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. or accounts of alien abductions aboard UFOs. There are also show business hypnotists who induce the trance state in their subjects for the Hypnosis general amusement of their audiences. The process of hypnosis generally requires a hypnotist who asks a subject, one who has Skeptical scientists doubt that hypnosis is agreed to be hypnotized, to relax and to focus a true altered state of consciousness and con- his or her attention on the sound of the hyp- tend that the people who are classified as good notist’s voice. As the subject relaxes and con- subjects by professional or lay hypnotists are centrates on the hypnotist’s voice, the hypno- really men and women who are highly sug- tist leads the person deeper and deeper into a gestible, fantasy-prone individuals. While it trancelike altered state of consciousness. may be true that some psychologists and hyp- When the subject has reached a deep level of notherapists make rather extravagant claims hypnotic trance, the hypnotist will have regarding the powers inherent in the hypnotic access to the individual’s unconscious. state, what actually occurs during hypnosis with certain subjects remains difficult either Many clinical psychologists believe that to define or to debunk. hypnotherapy permits them to help their clients uncover hidden or repressed memories of fears Throughout the ages, tribal shamans, witch or abuse that will facilitate their cure. In certain doctors, and religious leaders have used hypno- cases, police authorities have encouraged the sis to heal the sick and to foretell the future. witnesses of crimes to undergo hypnosis to assist Egyptian papyri more than 3,000 years old

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 145

Fate magazine featuring its cover story on

hypnotism. (LLEWELLYN

PUBLICATIONS/FORTEAN

PICTURE LIBRARY)

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 146 Mysteries of the Mind

describe the use of hypnotic procedures by Those earlier psychical researchers were Egyptian soothsayers and medical practitioners. intrigued by the fact that the hypnotic state so In the early 1500s, Swiss physician/ closely resembles the state of consciousness in alchemist Paracelsus (1493–1541) released his which manifestations of ESP occur. Although theory of what he called magnetic healing. a description of the hypnotic state is difficult Paracelsus used magnets to treat disease, believ- to achieve, it appears to be much like that ing that magnets, as well as the magnetic influ- somnambulistic state between sleep and wak- ence of heavenly bodies, had therapeutic effects. ing. Somewhere within this nebulous region, Magnetic treatment theories went through sev- conscious mental activity ceases and deprives eral stages of evolution and many successive sci- the mind of its usual sensory impressions, entists. It was during the latter part of the eigh- thereby directing all attention to that one teenth century that Franz Anton Mesmer area from which psychic impressions presum- (1734–1815), acting upon the hypotheses of ably come. To the psychical researcher, there these predecessors, developed his own theory of seems scant difference between the trance of a “” and hypnosis. psychic and an individual in the hypnotic state. The only immediately discernible differ- According to Mesmer, hypnosis entailed ence is that the one is self-induced, while the the specific action of one organism upon other is induced by, and subject to, the control another. This action is produced by a magnet- of the hypnotist. The argument therefore pre- ic force that radiates from bodily organs and sented itself that if ESP can manifest under has therapeutic uses. Hypnotism makes use of trance, then why cannot a hypnotist so this force, or the vibrations, issuing from the manipulate the hypnotic state as to achieve hypnotist’s eyes and fingers. the proper state of consciousness and, thereby, literally, induce ESP? Research continued into the extrasensory YPNOTHERAPY aspects of hypnosis, despite hostility from the H permits psychologists established sciences. In 1876 Sir William Bar- to help clients uncover hidden or repressed memories rett, an English physicist, presented the results of fears or abuse. of his experiments in clairvoyant card reading to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. A number of Barrett’s colleagues rewarded the physicist’s extensive endeavor by When Mesmer reintroduced hypnotism to walking out during his presentation. the modern world, paranormal activities and Hypnosis arrived on the threshold of the occult beliefs were associated with his works. twentieth century under much the same cloud In the latter part of the nineteenth century, that had covered it since Mesmer’s day; and, in the British Society for Psychical Research spite of decades of research and experimenta- appointed a commission for the study of pain tion, the great majority of scientific researchers transference from hypnotist to hypnotized sub- maintain a solid skepticism toward hypnosis at ject. At the same time, psychologist Edmund the dawn of the twenty-first century. Gurney and his assistant experimented with the same area of research. The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility In the Gurney-Podmore experiments the hyp- Scales, a scientific yardstick by which to mea- notist stood behind the blindfolded subject. sure the phenomenon of hypnosis, was devel- The hypnotist was then pinched, and the sub- oped in the late 1950s by Stanford University ject told that he would be able to feel the pain psychologists Andre M. Weitzenhoffer and in the corresponding area of his own body. Ernest R. Hilgard. Scoring on the Stanford Gurney and Podmore reported substantial suc- scales ranges from 0 for those individuals who cess, although none of their experiments were do not appear to respond to any hypnotic sug- carried out with the hypnotist and researcher gestions, to 12, for those who are assessed as at any great distance from the subject. extremely responsive to hypnosis. Most peo-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 147

ple, according to extensive experimentation, automatons who would obey a hypnotist’s A patient is hypnotized place somewhere in the middle range, between commands to violate their moral or cultural into a state of rigidity. 5 and 7. ideals. Instead, the subjects remained active (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) Among the results of the studies of problem solvers while responding to the sug- Weitzenhoffer and Hilgard were demonstra- gestions of the hypnotist. tions that a person’s ability to be hypnotized is By using hypnosis, the scientists at Stanford unrelated to his or her personality traits. Earli- were able to create transient hallucinations, er suggestions that those individuals who could false memories, and delusions in some subjects. be hypnotized were gullible, submissive, imagi- By using positron emission tomography, which native, or socially compliant proved unsup- directly measures metabolism, the researchers ported by the data. People who had the ability were able to determine that different regions of to become absorbed in such activities as read- a subject’s brain would be activated when he or ing, enjoying music, or daydreaming did she was asked simply to imagine a sound or appear to be the more hypnotizable subjects. sight than when the subject was hallucinating Another objection by the skeptics that the under hypnotic suggestion. process of hypnosis was simply a matter of the The mechanisms by which the process of subject having a vivid imagination also hypnosis can somehow convince certain sub- proved to be a false assumption. Many highly jects not to yield to pain remain a mystery. imaginative people tested by the experi- Many researchers theorize some hypnotic sub- menters proved to be bad hypnotic subjects, jects and experienced meditators can allow and there appears to be no relation between the altered state of consciousness to bring the ability to imagine and the ability to about an analgesic effect in brain centers become a good hypnotic subject. higher than those that register the sensations The Stanford experiments also learned of pain. A 1996 National Institutes of Health that hypnotized subjects were not passive panel assessed hypnosis to be an effective

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 148 Mysteries of the Mind

method of alleviating pain from cancer and maintains that it is an effective tool in police other chronic conditions. Numerous clinical work. “Hypnosis doesn’t always lead to an studies demonstrated that hypnosis could also arrest,” Wester told Janice Morse of The reduce acute pain faced by pregnant women Cincinnati Enquirer in 2002. “But it almost undergoing labor or the pain experienced by always generates some additional investigative burn victims. In some instances, it was judged leads for the police to follow.” that hypnosis accomplished greater relief than Since 1991, Wester and John W. Kilnapp, a such chemical pain killers as morphine. special agent and forensic artist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, have teamed up to work on more than 50 rob- beries, rapes, kidnappings, and murders nation- EGYPTIAN soothsayers and medical wide. After Wester has hypnotized a witness or victim of a crime and assisted that person to practitioners used hypnotic procedures over describe minute details of the events, Kilnapp 3,000 years ago. works on a composite sketch of the perpetrator of the crime. While the team of artist and psy- chologist admitted that it was the police who solved the crimes, they estimated that in 95 While such experiments certainly indicate percent of their cases, they helped expand a that something is going on within a subject’s brief description of a suspect to fill several mind during the process of hypnosis, many pages for investigators to use. psychologists, such as Dr. Nicholas Spanos, The Society for Clinical and Experimental argue that hypnotic procedures merely influ- Hypnosis has stated that hypnosis should not ence behavior by altering a subject’s motiva- stand alone as the sole medical or psychologi- tions, expectations, and interpretations. Such cal treatment for any kind of disorder, but the influences have nothing to do with placing a society suggests that there is strong evidence person into a trance or exercising any kind of that hypnosis may be an effective component control over that person’s unconscious mind. in the broader treatment of many physical Hypnosis, in Spanos’s view, is an act of social problems and in some conditions may increase conformity, rather than a unique state of con- the effectiveness of psychotherapy. While the sciousness. The subject, he maintains, is only clinical use of hypnosis has not become an acting in accordance with the hypnotist’s sug- accepted means of treatment among medical gestions and responds according to the expec- personnel and psychologists, it has gained tations of how a hypnotized person is supposed many scientific supporters and evolved greatly to behave. from its occult and superstitious roots. Critics of hypnotic procedures during police investigations are concerned that too M Delving Deeper many law enforcement officers consider hyp- Baker, Robert A. They Call It Hypnosis. Buffalo, N.Y.: nosis as a kind of magical way to arrive at the Prometheus Books, 1990. truth of a case. The American Society of Clin- Bowers, Kenneth. Hypnosis for the Seriously Curious. ical Hypnosis has certified about 900 psychol- New York: W. W. Norton, 1983. ogists, only five of whom specialize in forensic Carroll, Robert Todd. “Hypnosis.” The Skeptic’s Dictio- hypnosis and assist in police work. Federal nary. [Online] http://skepdic.com/hypnosis.html. courts and about a third of the state courts 18 November 2002. allow testimony of hypnotized individuals on Fromm, Erika, and Michael R. . Contemporary a case-by-case basis. Hypnosis Research. New York: Guilford Press, Dr. William C. Wester, a nationally recog- 1992. nized psychologist, has used hypnotism to Morse, Janice. “Hypnosis Proves Valuable Police assist victims and witnesses of crimes to Tool.” , April 30, 2002. remember the details of more than 150 cases. [Online] http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/04/30/ Wester agrees that hypnosis is not magic, but loc_hypnosis_provides.html.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 149

Schacter, Daniel L. Searching for Memory—The Brain, Meditation. (FIELD MARK the Mind, and the Past. New York: Basic Books, PUBLICATIONS) 1996. Spanos, Nicholas P. Multiple Personalities and False Mem- ories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1996.

Meditation Meditation is generally defined as the act of extended thought or contemplation/reflection and is most often associated as being spiritual or devotional in nature. Interest in Eastern reli- gions from the 1960s through the 1980s brought about a vast amount of scientific research regarding the benefits of meditation, which as a result has broadened its definition into two main categories: mystical and secular. Either type can include any of a variety of disci- nary” or the “splendor in the simple” and plines of mind and body, and although the warns that such mystical, supernatural experi- techniques and desired goals of meditation are ences as those listed above are irrelevant to varied, the results are quite similar and include: the process of spiritual development and achieving a higher state of consciousness, psy- should they occur, they should not be given chic powers, self-discovery, self-improvement, any special attention at all, as the ultimate stress reduction, reduced anxiety, spiritual goal is to achieve the state of nirvana, which growth, better health, creativity, increased is defined as the complete release from all intelligence, and union with the Creator or physical limitations of existence. God. Meditation itself doesn’t directly provide or guarantee these benefits but somehow is believed to facilitate their cultivation. Many have said there are only two ways to THE two main categories of meditation are obtain a mystical state or altered state of con- mystical and secular. sciousness and that is either through drugs or meditation. Hoping to achieve that altered state, there are those who take up meditation as the safe means to the more spectacular psy- Although the founder of Buddhism, Sid- chic experiences of visions, voices, out-of- dhartha Gautama (c. 563 B.C.E.–486 B.C.E.), body experiences, and traveling to an astral himself found spiritual enlightenment while realm and to have the mystical “high” without meditating under a bodhi tree, the Buddhist inducing chemicals. approach to spiritual awakening does not only consist of meditation but of three ways Throughout time, mystics, saints, and believed to work together. Those ways are: gurus have reported these expansive occur- 1. Sila or Purification rences as commonplace amongst dedicated and longtime meditators; however, most of 2. Samadhi or Concentration them caution against entering meditation in 3. Punna or Insight order to seek such incidents. Ancient texts Sila, or purification, is simply cleansing the caution that whatever the mind meditates on, body, mind, spirit. Samadhi, or concentration, it eventually takes the shape of or becomes involves fixing one’s mind or attention on a the object habitually dwelled upon. single object that can be any object such as a Zen Buddhism urges meditation practi- colored wheel, a candle, reflections on attrib- tioners to see the “extraordinary in the ordi- utes of Buddha or the elements of nature, etc.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 150 Mysteries of the Mind

Punna, or insight, doesn’t come until the stu- cence, or the highest form of enlightenment dent masters mindfulness of the body, feelings, and the goal of Taoist meditation. mind, and mind objects, and even then it is The Upanishads of India give a detailed said that there are many states in between that description of the psychology of meditation as may trick one into rapturous states or feelings being the way to control the physical senses such as happiness, lucidity and the like, that and actions, thereby freeing oneself from the might make the student believe the state of bondage of the external world. The Upan- nirvana has been reached when in fact there ishads speak of the cultivation of a one-point- may be many other levels yet to be mastered. ed mind through meditation as being the pre- lude to attaining God consciousness. Kabbalistic literature and teachings, as well as biblical references to prayer and medi- THE Upanishads says meditation is the prelude tation throughout both the Old and New Tes- to attaining God consciousness. taments, cite setting self apart from the masses and going to a still, quiet place—within and without—as a source of mystical communica- tion with God. Once the three levels are achieved, medi- tation becomes effortless and consciousness The process of meditation, whether spiri- ceases to have a need of any object of any tual or secular, is most often described as sim- kind, thus all attachments to the material ply being a way of learning to still the mind— world are severed to the “wakened being.” to slow it down, enabling one to listen within, This final stage is said to only be able to last to the “voice within.” Although most individ- for seven days as the person’s pulse, metabo- uals are not aware of the myriad of thoughts lism, and all other physical functions drop so and chatter that rampage through the mind low that death would occur. like a wild, untamed horse at each and any given moment, that is the challenge—to slow In Tibetan Buddhism, training is composed down all thoughts to a single thought or even of three parts as well. Those three parts are: to no thoughts at all—complete stillness, the 1. Hearing, which includes reading and lis- unruly beast tamed at last. tening to lectures, or studying and the like. Another analogy often used to describe 2. Contemplation. the process of meditation is to compare the 3. Meditation. human mind to a lake that contains great Meditation dates back to antiquity as the treasures deep within, but an intense storm Ria Veda, the earliest recorded religious litera- agitates and stirs the waters—clouding the ture of Northern India, written about 1000 view of the treasures below. Even if an occa- B.C.E., in an Indo-European language, des- sional glimpse of the treasures is possible cribes in detail the ecstasy experienced in through the windswept waters, the view would meditation. be distorted. Here again, to gain mental con- In the Taoist work, Tao Teh Ching of trol and focus is the aim of slowing down the China, written four or five centuries B.C.E., raging storm or the “mental tapes” that con- formalized meditation is also recorded. The tinually play in one’s head. Taoists emphasized breath control in medita- Some say that even the descriptions them- tive practice and believed it to be a skill to be selves of meditation are a misnomer by defini- achieved in many stages. The ultimate stage tion. Experts say it is not a manipulation of or goal is to be able to breathe without inhal- the mind, but a going beyond mind, beyond ing or exhaling—to the point of the complete thought—to the total absence of thought. cessation of the pulse. If one were able to That “beyond mind” state—much like a calm, arrive at this stage successfully, it was said they clear reflective pool—that not only mirrors would transcend conscious thought to the the mind’s surface, but also reveals its depths. state of what they called the Great Quies- Accomplishing this mental/spiritual state isn‘t

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 151 something that occurs in a one-time medita- restoring balance in their lives. Mood swings, tion and sitting; it is an achievement of much depression, erratic energy levels, hectic sched- discipline and consistency. ules, unhealthy eating habits, and unstable In the early 1970s and 1980s, the National relationships are all signs of a life out of bal- Institutes of Health conducted a series of ance, which is a high disease factor. Weil and experiments to determine the efficacy of the many other doctors are advising and/or teach- reported abilities of gurus from India to slow ing a variety of meditation techniques with down their heartbeat, pulse rate, and even to great success in treating these and other afflic- raise and lower their body temperature to tions. Research and documentation continues extremes through meditative states. Medically, globally in the use of meditation to treat this had been considered impossible, as it was hypertension, pain, muscle tension, and even believed that the autonomic nervous system high cholesterol. was responsible and it could not be manipulat- ed or controlled by mind or thought. Research proved this to be untrue and a whole bevy of human possibilities began to emerge which CERTAIN types of heart arrhythmia or gave rise to the secular use of meditation. irregularities respond to meditation. As research continued, not only in the Insti- tutes of Health, but in universities worldwide, new and astounding data emerged and contin- M Delving Deeper ues to emerge on a regular basis. Scientists have proven the benefits of meditation in areas as far- Carrington, Patricia. The Book of Meditation: The reaching as crime reduction to improved health, Complete Guide to Modern Meditation. Worch- longevity of life, and stress reduction. The ester, Great Britain, UK: Element, 1998. National Institutes for Health and the National Leichtman, Robert, and Carl Japikse. Active Medita- Heart, Lung and Blood Institute now recom- tion: The Western Tradition. Columbus, Ohio: mend meditation as a viable treatment for mod- Ariel Press, 1982. erate hypertension. Their research also shows Levy, Jodi. The Healing Handbook: A Beginner’s Guide that certain types of heart arrhythmia or irregu- to Meditation. New York: Pocket Books, 1999. larities respond to meditation. Mason, Paul. The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the West. In his groundbreaking book, The Relax- London: Element Books, 1994. ation Response (1975), Dr. documents some interesting research on medi- Ozaniec, Naomi. Essential Meditation—101 Tips. Lon- tation. Benson found that by having a patient don: Dorling Kindersley Press, 1997. focus on a sacred sound, or a mantra, as used Rosenberg, Larry. Breath by Breath. Boston: Shambala in transcendental meditation, the person’s Press, 1998. heart rate decreased, as did their breathing West, Serene. Very Practical Meditation. Virginia rate and oxygen consumption. In fact, Ben- Beach, Va.: Donning, 1999. son’s findings were so convincing that the Mind/Body Medical Institute, of which Ben- Psychedelics—The son is president, received $2.7 million from Mind-Expanding Drugs the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- Throughout the tenure of the human species tion (CDC) to continue to investigate the sci- on Earth, certain mushrooms, extracts from entific basis of the relaxation response. cacti, various roots and herbs, and other Dr. Andrew Weil is an internationally rec- unlikely substances have been chewed and ognized graduate and ingested, not for the purpose of sustaining life, an advocate of alternative approaches to med- but for the physiological and psychological icine, including the use of meditation. In his effects that they have on the body and the book Spontaneous Healing (1995), he recom- brain. Cults of mystical expression have grown mends meditation to his patients as a means of up around the use of these mind-altering sub-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 152 Mysteries of the Mind

stances, for many shamans and priests In 1953, R. Gordon Wasson (1898–1986), a believed that they could open portals to high- vice president of the J. P. Morgan Company, er planes of consciousness and even to other and his wife observed a rite of the Mixtec worlds by ingesting certain plants. The Indians that involved the use of a sacred ancient Greeks held the mushroom sacred, mushroom by a curandero, or witch doctor, and some contemporary researchers have pos- who was said to have powers of prophecy after tulated that the famed Oracle at Delphi may he had consumed the mushrooms. have ingested some form of psychedelic drug, The curandero made extensive prepara- along with the fumes the entranced woman tions long before the all-night ritual began. inhaled. Other cultures have also held the For five days before and five after, he did not mushroom or the cactus sacred. The Mayan allow himself the company of a woman. He Indians of Central America erected stone explained his actions to the Wassons by saying monuments to the mushroom earlier than he feared he would go mad if he consorted 1000 B.C.E. These monuments have been with any female. He drank no alcohol for the found in the tombs of the wealthier citizens of same period and fasted for 24 hours before the the Mayan culture, and for many years were ceremony began. thought to be fertility symbols. The Wassons first became involved in the ritual at nine o’clock in the evening when the witch doctor called them to a small room con- taining articles of ceremonial religious obser- DR. Humphrey Osmond coined the word vance and asked them what information they “psychedelic” to describe the effects of the mind- sought. The Wassons answered that they wanted to know about their son, Peter, whom altering drugs. they had left in Boston. Then in the small, dark room, illuminated only by candles, the witch doctor began the Such drugs as mescaline from the peyote ceremony. By 10:30 P.M., he had eaten 14 pairs cactus, ibogaine from the root of a rain forest of the mushrooms. Other facets of the rite shrub, and the so-called “magic mushrooms” included the precise arrangement of the cere- came to be known as psychedelic, because they monial articles in the room and the rubbing of cause people to hallucinate, to see and hear green tobacco on the curandero’s head, neck, things that are not really there. Dr. Humphrey and stomach. Then the candles were extin- Osmond (1917– ) began studying hallucino- guished and they waited. gens at a hospital in Saskatchewan in 1952 At 1:00 A.M. the witch doctor claimed that when he was examining the similarities he was receiving a vision of the Wassons’ son. between mescaline and the adrenaline mole- He shocked them by saying that Peter needed cule. It was Osmond who coined the word “psy- them because of some emotional crisis in his chedelic” to describe the effects of the mind- life. The man continued, telling them that altering drugs, and it was also he who super- their son was no longer in the city they had vised the author Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) thought he was in and that he was either in the well-known series of experiments with going to war or joining the army. He ended his mescaline that Huxley recorded in his book string of predictions by stating that a close rel- The Doors of Perception (1953). ative of R. Gordon Wasson’s would become While modern research techniques focus seriously ill within a year. on psychedelics for purposes of learning more It was not long after this ceremony that about the human brain, relieving pain, finding reality bore out the witch doctor’s predictions. antidotes to drug overdoses, and other medical Peter Wasson had joined the army at the applications, the ingestion of such drugs in the unhappy end of a romance that had left him past was most often done to achieve transcen- emotionally distraught. He was only 18 at the dence or to accentuate mystical experiences. time, but he had joined the service and was

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 153 shipped to Japan before the Wassons could resembled sleep. They were both entranced protest. At the time of the ceremony, he had for 20 hours and awakened with mammoth been not in Boston but in New York. The last hangovers, complete with dry mouths, sore portion of the curandero’s prognostication throats, and headaches. Peuckert and his also came true when one of R. Gordon Was- friend both claimed that they had witnessed son’s first cousins died of a heart attack within the Black Sabbat of the witches. the one-year period the man had foreseen. In spite of the hangovers both men had Intrigued by the witch doctor’s perfor- upon awakening from the trance, they imme- mance, the Wassons became interested in try- diately set about writing separate accounts of ing the mushrooms themselves. They traveled what they had envisioned. Except for differ- the back trails of Mexican bush country until ences in wording, they described the same they found a village where the natives were scenes. Peuckert’s theory is that the Sabbat was willing to let them join a mushroom ceremony. often manifest with the use of such salves, and The Wassons were given explicit instruc- although the people involved actually had no tions on what and what not to eat before they physical experiences, they could be made to consumed the mushrooms. The gathering was confess to their witchcraft because they could held in the basement of one of the villager’s not separate hallucinations from reality. dwellings, and each person present consumed Dr. Sidney Cohen, a Los Angeles psychia- six pairs of the greasy-tasting mushrooms within trist-pharmacologist, author of The Beyond a half an hour. The scene was lit by the moon Within: The LSD Story (1972), commented, “It that shone through an opening in the wall. is hardly necessary to invoke supernatural About a half an hour later, Wasson said explanations for the mind’s more exceptional that he felt as if his soul had been scooped activities.…Intuition, creativity, telepathic from his body and had been projected to a experiences, prophecy—all can be understood point far away. He went on to describe scenes as superior activities of brain-mind func- resembling those commonly described by the tion.…The experience called hallucinogenic users of mind-expansion drugs. Yet, in his will play a role in leading us into the future. It case, there was no instance of any kind of points out the existence of unique mental prophecy or clairvoyance. states that must be studied and understood.” The question of whether psychedelic drugs can induce or enhance psychic phenomena or extrasensory abilities remains poised before researchers without an answer. Although the LYSERGIC acid is found naturally in ergot, a drug-induced experiences are similar qualita- fungus that grows on rye and other grains. tively to those described by mystics and medi- ums all over the world, they may be only an accompanying manifestation of the brain state On May 2, 1938, Dr. Albert Hofmann of of these sensitives. the Sandoz Research Laboratories in Basel, In 1960 Dr. Erick-Will Peuckert, professor Switzerland, first synthesized Lyserg-Saeure- at Germany’s Gottingen University, found a Diaethylamid (LSD). Lysergic acid is found formula for witches’ salve in an ancient book naturally in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye on witchcraft. Peuckert was aware that the and other grains, and throughout history it has salve was known to contain such psychedelic been used in various medications. Some drugs as the thorn apple, the Deadly Night- researchers have even attributed ingestion of shade, and other regional fruits and roots, but ergot to hallucinations that in the Middle he and an unnamed attorney friend decided to Ages may have caused people to believe that test the ancient recipe in the exact ritual they could fly through the air like witches or manner prescribed by the book of magic. transform themselves into werewolves. After the salve had been applied, both Five years after synthesizing the drug, Hof- men fell into a state of consciousness that mann accidentally inhaled a minute quantity

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 154 Mysteries of the Mind

while working with other ergot derivatives autistic withdrawal, alteration of personal- and experienced a kind of pleasant feeling of ity, impairment of conscience lasting from inebriation, which consisted of hallucinations one to eight hours; that lasted for several hours. Since Hofmann’s 3. Recovery, lasting for several hours and accidental discovery, scientists have been try- consisting of feelings of normality alternat- ing to fit LSD-25 and other drugs with hallu- ing with sensations of abnormality; cinogenic properties into biochemical 4. Aftermath, consisting of fatigue and ten- schemes of many kinds. In the 1960s and sion during the following day. 1970s, substances and chemicals that formerly had an aura of mystery around them were According to many researchers, LSD is not being broken down by chemical analysis and addictive. It is, in fact, self-limiting. If one were hailed by some individuals as “mind- were to take the drug for three days in a row, it expanders” and by others as recreational drugs would no longer produce a psychic effect. A that could be exploited for fast “trips” to “far- week or longer would have to pass before the out” places. drug would again expand the mind. During the 20 years following World War Long-term use of LSD has been known to II (1939–45), LSD was used to study brain cause permanent psychoses, schizophrenia, chemistry and to trace its effectiveness in and severe depression. Some researchers have treating patients with schizophrenia and other noticed a change in the aging process among mental disorders. It was also utilized in con- native shamans and diviners who steadily par- junction with cancer patients and alcoholics. take of their own home-brewed psychedelics. Rapid aging might be an as yet unforeseen LSD was found to create such primary result of extensive use of psychedelics. Some effects as the following: psychiatrists maintain that a psychotic distur- 1. a feeling of being one with the universe; bance can occur days, weeks, or even months 2. recognition of two identities; after receiving LSD. 3. a change in the usual concept of self; In 1963, Dr. and Dr. 4. new perceptions of space and time; Richard Alpert were discharged from their positions at Harvard University for their 5. heightened sensory perceptions; enthusiasm in advocating the mind-expanding 6. a feeling that one has been touched by a properties of LSD. Undaunted, the two went profound understanding of religion or phi- on to establish a number of colonies of their losophy; International Federation of Internal Freedom. 7. a gamut of rapidly changing emotions; Throughout most of the 1960s, Leary was the 8. increased sensitivity for the feelings of oth- primary and most well-known prophet of the ers; LSD movement, and he predicted that by 1970, as many as 30 million persons, most of 9. such psychotic changes as illusions, halluci- them young, would have embarked on voyages nations, paranoid delusions, severe anxiety. of discovery through the limitless inner space In 1966 the investigational drug branch of of their own minds. According to Leary, these the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voyagers would return much wiser and much distinguished four stages of LSD action: more loving than when they began. 1. Initial, lasting for about 30 to 45 minutes Years before Leary’s predicted voyages by after oral ingestion of 100 to 150 micro- millions through their inner space, law grams of LSD, producing slight nausea, enforcement officials had begun to regard traf- some anxiety, dilation of pupils; fic in LSD and other hallucinogens as just 2. Hallucinations, associated with significant another racket and feared that they would alteration of consciousness (confused soon have to contend with a black market in states, dreamlike revivals of past traumatic the drugs and that it would be aided and abet- events or childhood memories), distortion ted by the crime syndicates. The growing use of time and space perspective, anxiety, of psychedelics by the counterculture, the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 155

“hippies,” and those who felt alienated from mescaline, and psilocybine, critics of unre- Tim Leary portrayed in a mainstream American society because of their stricted use of the drugs demanded legislation piece of computerized anti-Vietnam War sentiments, all contributed that would curb the distribution of psyche- hallucinations artwork. to a growing traffic in illegal distribution of delics. In 1970 the U.S. Controlled Sub- (AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS) the drugs on the streets of cities throughout stances Act, responding to the unsupervised the United States. Physicians and psychia- use and abuse of psychedelic drugs by millions trists warned against the indiscriminate use of of young adults, made open distribution of LSD and other psychedelics and the possibili- such mind-altering substances illegal. Since ties that people could provoke otherwise hid- that time, however, the Food and Drug den psychotic processes within themselves. Administration has allowed projects by med- ical researchers to continue to explore the In 1966 further FDA research noted that potential of psychedelics, explaining that the extended use of the drug could lead to mood Controlled Substances Act was never intend- swings, including depression, which could in ed to hinder legitimate research, only the mis- turn lead to suicide. Those who had continued use and abuse of the drugs. to use LSD could also suddenly experience a sense of euphoria, which could lead to socially Because the drugs are now classified as con- embarrassing situations. Time and space distor- trolled substances, research scientists must tions could present obvious traffic dangers. A apply to the Drug Enforcement Administration sudden onset of hallucinations could endanger for a permit and file an application with the the users and those with them. National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Fed- eral Drug Administration. During the 1990s, Arguing the unpredictable results of researchers reported medical promise for the uncontrolled use of such drugs as LSD-25, use of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 156 Mysteries of the Mind

alcoholism, addiction to pain medications, and Kurtzwell, Paula. “Medical Possibilities for Psychedel- alleviation of pain in cancer patients. ic Drugs.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Individuals who continue to use psyche- [Online] http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/795_ delics obtained through various means other psyche.html. than the Drug Enforcement Administration Masters, R. E., and Jean Houston. The Varieties of Psy- have organizations of their own and are deter- chedelic Experience. New York: Dell/Delta, 1966. mined to meet what they consider a challenge McKenna, Terrence, and Tom Robbins. Archaic Revival to their personal freedoms. They claim that Speculations on Psychedelic Mushroom, the Amazon, the benefits gained from the psychedelic expe- Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the rience is valuable and should not be forbidden Rebirth of the Goddess & the End of History. San anyone who, of his or her own volition, would Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992. like to explore it. Merkur, Daniel. Psychedelic Sacrament Manna, Medita- tion & Mystical Experience. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions International, 2001. Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transformation: A Blueprint of the Human Spirit. Rochester, Vt.: FDA research noted that extended use of LSD Inner Traditions International, 2002. could lead to mood swings, including depression, Psychedelic Library. [Online] http://www.psychedelic- which could in turn lead to suicide. library.org/. Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. Although mind-expansion drugs have not Tart, Charles, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New been found to be narcotic in the sense that York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969. they set up a physical craving within the user, possible long-term effects of the drugs have Relaxation not yet been determined. If the drug is used as a means of escape from reality, it is possible Unlike hypnosis, in relaxation the subjects do that a user could become dependent upon it in not enter a sleep or trancelike state. Instead, the same manner that many people become they are deeply relaxed and helped by a practi- dependent upon alcohol. Psychedelics have tioner to achieve a positive state of mind been studied extensively since ibogaine was wherein they can visualize (imagine) the alle- isolated in the early 1900s, mescaline in the viation of an illness or perceive a means by 1920s, and LSD since 1943, but government which they might achieve a certain objective scientists state that it is still too early to deter- or goal in their life. Generally, subjects are mine whether or not the drugs have serious or relaxed and led on a guided meditation or cre- practical medicinal uses. ative visualization by someone who reads the process from a script. In some cases, the indi- M Delving Deeper vidual may have prerecorded the script in his Albert Hofmann Foundation: The Homepage of the or her own voice and may thereby repeat the Inventor of LSD. [Online] http://www.hofmann. process as often as desired for reinforcement of org. 18 November 2002. the technique. Often, soft, soothing music is Council on Spiritual Practices. [Online] http://www.csp. played in the background as the individual org/. undergoes the relaxation process. Hayes, Charles. Tripping: An Anthology of True Life Relaxation and creative visualization utiliz- Psychedelic Adventures. New York: Penguin-Put- ing symbolic imagery became increasingly pop- nam, 2000. ular among those in the Movement Krippner, Stanley, with Etzel Cardena and Steven J. in the 1970s, and seminars and workshops fea- Lynn. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examin- turing such techniques continued to draw large ing the Scientific Evidence. Washington, D.C.: audiences into the 1990s. Basically, the philos- American Psychological Association, 2000. ophy behind the relaxation process is quite

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 157

Yoga is used as a form of

relaxation. (THE

GALE GROUP)

likely as old as the first healers in ancient Extrasensory Perception: Babylon, Egypt, and Greece, who believed that The “Sixth Sense” the evil spirits within the ill could be replaced by good spirits if the patient concentrated on xtrasensory perception—ESP—is defined positive images of benevolent entities. New by parapsychologists as the acquisition Age practitioners believe that in order to Eby a human or animal mind of informa- achieve a complete healing of body, mind, and tion it could not have received by normal, sen- spirit, one must counter the negative input sory means. Some researchers, however, take that the individual has placed in his or her issue with the term “extrasensory perception.” mind over decades of negative reinforcement. They protest that the phenomena may not be The individual must fill himself or herself with “perception” at all, as the receiver of this infor- positive memories and images. Phobias, com- mation does not know if the knowledge is right pulsions, and unresolved feelings of guilt can or wrong when he or she first perceives it. It all be removed by relaxation techniques and takes a corroborating incident to convince healing miracles can be accomplished. anyone that he or she has perceived anything Generally, the person undergoing the via extrasensory means. Some parapsycholo- relaxation process lies or sits in a comfortable gists prefer to say “paranormal cognition,” but position, undergoes a brief breathing exercise, this term is subject to the same sort of criticism then relaxes further by visualizing a peaceful if the receiver is not instantly certain of the scene. Once the individual appears to be as validity of the information. Besides, the relaxed as possible, the practitioner guides researchers insist that the material in their him or her on a symbolic journey of discovery, field will eventually merge with present-day in which valuable insights will be acquired. physics, so the adjective “paranormal” may be considered a misnomer. M Delving Deeper Contrary to common usage, a parapsychol- Denning, Melita, and Osborne Phillips. The Llewellyn ogist is not a psychic, a mentalist, an Practical Guide to Creative Visualization: The astrologer, or one who gives psychic readings. Dynamic Way to Success, Love, Plenty & Spiritual A parapsychologist is generally a member of Power. St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn, 1985. the Parapsychological Association, which was Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization. Mill Valley, founded in 1957 and elected an affiliate of the Calif.: Whatever Publishing, 1979. American Association for the Advancement Soothing Yourself, Relaxation Techniques. [Online] of Science in 1969. A parapsychologist is a http://www.soothingyourself.com/. 18 November scientist who is seriously interested in the 2002. paranormal (or anomalous phenomena), WildMind. “Guide to Meditation Techniques, Relax- which includes telepathy, clairvoyance, pre- ation, and Stress Management. [Online] http:// cognition, psychokinesis, hauntings, reincar- www.wildmind.org/. 18 November 2002. nation, and out-of-body or near-death experi-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 158 Mysteries of the Mind

Telepathy is the transference of thought from one mind to another. Distance and time seem unable to affect this phenomenon. Even from these brief definitions, it becomes apparent that many attributes of parapsychological, or psi, phenomena overlap. It has long been a contention of serious para- psychologists that each of these types of phe- nomena is but a single aspect of the life and the universe of which humans are a part. If such parascientific phenomena as the projec- tion of the astral self, the ability to glimpse the future, and the facility to convey telepathic impressions are established, the boundaries of humankind’s universe become limitless. Bruce Willis and Haley ences. Here are brief definitions of the areas of Nearly everyone has at one time or another Joel Osment in the film ESP that are studied by parapsychologists: received what seemed to have been a glimpse “The Sixth Sense”. Clairvoyance is the awareness, without into the world of ESP: Dreaming of a friend (AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS) physical aids or normal sensory means, of what from whom one has not heard in months, then is going on elsewhere. In recent years, clair- receiving a letter from that person in the next voyance has sometimes been called remote morning’s mail; hearing a telephone ring and viewing. being so certain of the identity of the caller that one calls him or her by name the instant Out-of-body experience (also called astral one lifts up the receiver. These incidents are so projection) is the apparent projection of the common that they receive little more than mind from the body, often with the seeming half-joking comment. It is only when a para- ability to travel great distances in a matter of normal event of shocking or dramatic impact seconds. startles the emotions that one relates it to oth- Precognition (premonition) is the obtain- ers and, perhaps, even records it. ing of information about the future that could According to parapsychological laboratory not have been gained through normal means. work with such phenomena, nearly everyone has some degree of ESP. Perhaps many people utilize extrasensory perception to a consider- able degree as children, but as they mature, EXTRASENSORY perception is defined tend to inhibit these subconscious faculties or the acquisition by a human or animal mind of allow them to atrophy. Many parapsycholo- gists, psychologists, anthropologists, and psy- information it could not have received by normal, choanalysts, including Sigmund Freud sensory means. (1856–1939), have theorized that telepathy may have been the original archaic method by which individuals understood one another. As Psychokinesis (telekinesis) is the move- a better means of communication evolved— ment of objects, seemingly caused by some one that could be readily intelligible to the force unknown to physical science. The direct sensory organs—the original archaic methods action of mind on matter is the parapsycholo- were pushed into the background of the gists’ current nominee as the energy involved human subconscious where they may still per- in poltergeist cases—those bizarre occurrences sist, waiting to manifest themselves under cer- when bottles and crockery float through the air, tain conditions. fires break out on living room tables, or disem- It is obvious to psi researchers that some bodied voices cackle threats and obscenities. individuals, functioning largely according to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 159

n opinion poll conducted in Canada in October 2002 discovered that 40 percent of Canadians believe that certain individu- Paranormal Aals have extrasensory perception that enable them to see into the future. The poll also Beliefs and revealed that 30 percent of the respondents had con- sulted with a medium, a psychic, or an astrologer. Brain Chemistry In the United States, the National Science Foun- dation’s biennial report on the state of science under- Brugger theorized that the improvement in the standing, research, education, and investment con- skeptics’ performance suggests that paranormal ducted in April 2002 found that 70 percent of adults do thoughts are associated with high levels of dopamine not understand the scientific process. According to in the brain. The dopamine allows people to see pat- their poll, 60 percent of the respondents believed that terns and to become less skeptical regarding the per- there were individuals who possessed psychic pow- ception of relationships between events. ers or extrasensory perception. Sources: Peter Brugger, a neurologist from the University “Of Soothsayers and Skeptics.” , October 27, Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, has suggested that 2002. [Online] http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ whether or not one believes in the paranormal RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/realtime/fu. depends entirely upon one’s brain chemistry. As an Philips, Helen. “Paranormal Beliefs Linked to Brain Chemistry.” experiment, Brugger gathered 20 individuals who NewScientist.com, July 24, 2002. [Online] http://www. believed in the paranormal and 20 who said that they newscientist.com/news/print.jsp?id=ns99992589. were skeptical. The subjects were asked to distinguish “Survey Finds Few in U.S. Understand Science.” CNN.com, April real faces from scrambled images flashed briefly on a 30, 2002. [Online] http://cnn.technology. screen. The second phase consisted of the volunteers forming real words from made-up ones. In his July 2002 report, Brugger stated that during the first stage of the experiment the individuals who believed in the paranormal were much more likely to see a face or a word when there was none. The skep- tics were more likely to miss the real words and faces when they appeared on the screen. Next, the volunteers were given L-dopa, a drug that increases levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical utilized in the brain’s system of reward and motivation and in deciding whether information received is relevant or irrelevant. Under the influence of L-dopa, both groups had difficulty in distinguishing real faces and words from the scrambled ones—but interestingly, the skeptical individuals developed a greater ability to interpret the jumbled images as the real thing.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 160 Mysteries of the Mind

their moods and psychic needs, are able to almost completely spontaneous in nature, and draw upon their latent ESP abilities. Some ungovernable elements of mood and emotion gifted individuals are even able to make regu- play enormously important roles in any type of lar and practical use of the seemingly rare paranormal experience. As researcher G. N. powers of psi. M. Tyrrell commented, a percipient is never It is interesting to note how many psi activ- aware of a telepathic, clairvoyant, or precog- ities are experienced while the percipient is nitive process at work within him. He is only either asleep or in the sleeplike states of trance aware of the product of that process. In fact, it or hypnosis. This may indicate that each indi- seems apparent from laboratory work that vidual, in his or her subconscious, has the fac- conscious effort at determining any psi process ulties necessary to focus on the consciously at work within oneself will either completely unperceived world of ESP. Dr. Montague Ull- destroy it or greatly diminish its effectiveness. man has observed that many persons who are Therefore, laboratory experiments have some- incapable of effective communication in nor- times established, by incredibly laborious tests mal ways can communicate at a telepathic and veritable mountains of statistics, only level and surprise the therapist with a telepath- slightly better-than-chance evidence of the ic dream of rich awareness even of the physi- validity of telepathy, clairvoyance, precogni- cian’s problems. The same laws of psychody- tion, and psychokinesis. namics that apply to the dream also appear to Parapsychologists suggest that their col- apply to psi phenomena. Both the dream and leagues in the physical sciences resist becoming psi are incompatible with currently accepted dogmatic. Each generation seems to forget that notions of time, space, and causality. scientists have had to admit some seemingly impossible facts in the past. Electricity, for example, was unknown except through a few sporadic events completely devoid of explana- ELEPATHY tion, such as lightning and the mysterious T may have been the attraction of bits of paper to rubbed amber. As original archaic method by which individuals facts became gradually accumulated, the theory understood one another. of an electromagnetic field pervading all space was evolved. Perhaps one day, psi phenomena will be recognized as another kind of energy that pervades time, space, and matter. More conventional scientists, who work within the confines of those currently accept- M Delving Deeper ed boundaries of known physical laws, insist Consciousness Research Laboratory. “Frequently that parapsychologists satisfy the requirements Asked Questions About Parapsychology.” demanded of all other sciences and that they [Online] http://www.psiresearch.org/para1.html. do the following: (1) produce controlled and Krippner, Stanley, with John White. Future Science: repeatable experiments; (2) develop a hypoth- Life Energies and the Physics of Paranormal Phenom- esis comprehensive enough to include all psi ena. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Books, 1977. activity from telepathy to poltergeists, from Krippner, Stanley, with Montague Ullman and Alan water dowsing to materializations. Vaughan. Dream Telepathy: Experiments in Noctur- The enormous difficulty in fulfilling these nal ESP. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland Publishers, requirements can be immediately grasped by 1989. anyone with the slightest knowledge of psi Rhine, J. B. The Reach of the Mind. New York: phenomena. It would be impossible, for exam- William Sloane Associates, 1947. ple, to repeat the apparition of a man’s father Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- as it appeared to him at the moment of his entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- father’s death. This sort of crisis apparition corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. occurs only at death, and the man’s father is Tyrell, G. N. M. Science and Psychical Phenomena. going to die only once. Psi phenomena is New York: Harper & Brothers, 1938.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 161

ESP Researchers

n their biennial report on the state of sci- ence understanding released in April I2002, the National Science Foundation found that 60 percent of adults in the United States agreed or strongly agreed that some people possess psychic powers or extrasensory perception (ESP). In June 2002, the Con- sumer Analysis Group conducted the most extensive survey ever done in the United Kingdom and revealed that 67 percent of adults believed in psychic powers. Report author Jan Walsh, commenting on the statis- tics that found that two out of three surveyed tion for the Advancement of Science. He J. B. and Louisa Rhine. believed in an afterlife, said that as far as the became the founding president of the Parapsy- (DR. SUSAN British public was concerned, “the supernatur- chological Association in 1957 and saw that BLACKMORE/FORTEAN al world isn’t so paranormal after all.” group admitted to the American Association PICTURE LIBRARY) Michael Shermer, author of Why People for the Advancement of Science in 1969. In Believe Weird Things (2002) and publisher of McConnell’s opinion the adamant denial of Skeptic magazine, was among those scientists the existence of extrasensory perception by who deplored the findings that such a high materialist scientists can best be explained by percentage of Americans accepted the reality their fear of the consequences that might fol- of ESP. In Shermer’s analysis, such statistics low in the event of their acceptance. posed a serious problem for science educators. Complaining that people too readily accepted the claims of , Shermer con- cluded his column for Scientific American CERTAIN psychic-sensitives might have the (August 12, 2002) by writing that “for those lacking a fundamental comprehension of how ability to direct random energy at subatomic levels. science works, the siren song of pseudoscience becomes too alluring to resist, no matter how smart you are.” According to McConnell in Joyride to Ever since he entered the field of parapsy- Infinity (2000), “all general textbooks of psy- chology full time in 1947, Dr. Robert A. chology and physics would have to be rewrit- McConnell, holder of a doctorate in physics ten.” In the field of physics, recognition of psy- and the leader of a radar development group at chic phenomena might require no more than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dur- an acknowledgement that there is a nonphysi- ing World War II (1939–45), has primarily cal realm “with which the physical realm can devoted his efforts to answering the question of interact, both spontaneously and experimen- why so many scientists reject ESP. As early as tally.” In psychology, however, McConnell 1943, after reading the literature on British states that “the fallout from a universal recog- and American scientific psychical research in nition of the reality of [ESP] would be cata- the Harvard library, he came to the conclusion strophic.” Experimental psychology as it is cur- that ESP did occur, although presently beyond rently practiced would be destroyed as a “scien- explanation by known physics and psychology. tific enterprise.” Psychiatry would have to go McConnell is a life senior member of the Insti- back to its beginnings and start all over again. tute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, a The prevailing contemporary worldview of fellow of the American Psychological Society, materialist science would shatter, McConnell research professor emeritus of Biological Sci- says, and “any attempt by a thoughtful scientist ence, and a fellow of the American Associa- to reconcile the established facts of parapsy-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 162 Mysteries of the Mind

ESP researcher Harold that went beyond the ordinary, as phenomena Sherman. (ARCHIVES OF that was outside of the usual processes of the BRAD STEIGER) inner life. The study of this unknown area between ordinary and pathological states, this “paraphysical” phenomena, he suggested, should be called parapsychology. William James (1842–1910), the foremost American psychologist of the nineteenth cen- tury, explored the nonphysical realm of psychic phenomena and in his classic work The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). Sir William Barrett (1844–1925), professor of physics and fellow of the Royal Society of London, became convinced of the reality of telepathy and was one of the founders of the British Society for Psychical Research in 1882. Frederic Myers (1843–1901), a classical lecturer at Cambridge, wrote Human Personal- ity and Its Survival of Bodily Death, which was published posthumously in 1903. Psychologist William McDougall (1871– 1938), fellow of the Royal Society, provided sponsorship to Drs. J. B. (1895–1980) and Louisa E. (1891–1983) Rhine, which allowed chology with his understanding of his philo- them to conduct parapsychological research at sophic commitment to his profession would Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, in encounter an emotional block.” 1927. In September 2001 physicist Brian Joseph- Gardner Murphy (1895–1979), an Ameri- son of Cambridge, England, winner of the can psychologist, championed the early ESP Nobel Prize for physics in 1973, provoked an experiments at Duke University and served as academic controversy when he declared that the editor of the Journal of Parapsychology for there was a great deal of evidence to support two years. the existence of telepathy, but scientific jour- nals censored such research and would not L. L. Vasiliev (1891–1966), professor of publish articles on the paranormal. Josephson Physiology at the Institute of Brain Research expressed his belief that certain psychic-sensi- in the University of Leningrad, holder of the tives might have the ability to direct random Order of Lenin, carried out experiments in energy at subatomic levels and that develop- ESP from 1921 to 1938, focusing on the theo- ments in quantum physics “may lead to an ry that ESP was a form of electromagnetic explanation of processes such as telepathy still radiation. not understood within conventional science.” By 1930, Drs. J. B. and Louisa Rhine Serious-minded scientists have been expanded their investigations of ESP beyond researching ESP since the mid-nineteenth college courses at Duke University and estab- century. It was Max Dessoir (1867–1947) who lished the first scientific laboratory dedicated first coined the term “parapsychology” in an to research of psychic phenomena. It was article he wrote for the German periodical Rhine who first coined the term “extrasensory Sphinx in 1889. Although he would later perception” (ESP) to describe the ability of become a distinguished professor of philoso- some individuals to acquire information with- phy, Dessoir was a student when he defined out the apparent use of the five known senses. “parapsychologie” (in German) as something He also applied the term “parapsychology” to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 163 distinguish research in psychic phenomena Dr. Stanley Krippner. from the pursuits of mainstream psychology. (DENNIS STACY/FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) Considered by many to be the “Father of Modern Parapsychology,” Rhine first collabo- rated with Professor McDougall, chairman of the Department of Psychology at Duke Uni- versity, on a series of experiments in the area of extrasensory perception. Most of these tests involved the use of , a specially designed deck of 25 cards that include five cards each of five symbols—a cross, star, wavy lines, circle, and square. The Rhines enlisted hundreds of volunteer subjects to guess the symbols of the cards or to determine the num- ber of dots in rolled dice. Louisa Rhine became a leading parapsychologist as a result of her own studies in spontaneous psychic phenomena, exploring such areas of ESP as clairvoyance, precognition, and telepathy. Louisa Weckesser and Joseph Rhine had to Rhine’s New Frontiers of the Mind (1937), been teenaged friends who married in 1920. which became a Book-of-the-Month Club Although they had both earned doctorates in selection. Within a short time after achieving botany from the University of Chicago and such a level of celebrity, Rhine had a prime- had embarked on promising careers in the time radio program and was focusing attention field, a lecture by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the work in psychical research that was (1859–1930) on his research into psychic being conducted at Duke. Such attention did phenomena changed their lives. The young little to earn the approval of many of the pro- couple were so inspired by the prospect of fessors in the material sciences at the universi- conducting serious investigations into the ty, who were dismayed that Duke was becom- world of mediumship and the afterlife, that ing known as a center for pseudoscience and they made the decision to abandon botany for weird research projects. psychical research. Some of their early experiences sitting with spirit mediums were discouraging, for the DRS. J. B. and Louisa Rhine expanded their Rhines felt that they caught the individuals employing trickery to delude others into investigations of ESP and established the first accepting their abilities to contact the realm scientific laboratory dedicated to research of of spirit. In their opinion, psychical research would best be examined in the laboratory psychic phenomena. under controlled conditions. Learning of Dr. William McDougall’s interest in the paranor- mal, the Rhines contacted him at Duke Uni- After decades of conducting controlled versity, and Professor McDougall invited them experiments in ESP, the Rhines offered their to join him at Durham. conclusion that such psychic abilities as telepa- thy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokine- In 1934, after they had established the sis did exist. Many scientists were unimpressed parapsychology laboratory, J. B. Rhine wrote a by the Rhines’ accumulated research and ques- monograph entitled “Extra-Sensory Percep- tioned the validity of their statistical analyses. tion,” which managed to get noticed by the media and subsequently gained wide attention In the summer of 1957, J. B. Rhine sug- for the ESP lab at Duke. The monograph led gested that parapsychologists form an interna-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 164 Mysteries of the Mind

tional professional society in parapsychology, Dr. Stanley Krippner (1932– ) at the Dream and on June 19, 1957, the Parapsychological Lab at the Maimonides Medical Center in Association was founded with R. A. New York. Krippner received a doctorate in McConnell, president; Dr. Gertrude R. Educational Psychology from Northwestern Schmeidler, vice president; and Rhea White, University, and he has done pioneering work secretary-treasurer. in the scientific investigation of human con- sciousness, especially such areas as the rela- For six years during the 1950s, Dr. Karlis tionship of creativity to parapsychological Osis (1917–1997) worked with J. B. Rhine at phenomena and altered states of conscious- the parapsychology laboratory at Duke Uni- ness. Extremely prolific and diverse in his versity. Born in Latvia, Osis received his doc- interests in investigating the mysteries of psy- torate in psychology from the University of chic phenomena, Krippner has written more Munich in 1950. His dissertation topic, “A than 500 articles and many books, such as Hypothesis of Extrasensory Perception,” Human Possibilities (1980), Dream Telepathy reflected an interest in the field of parapsy- (with Montague Ullman and Alan Vaughan; chology prompted by an experience as a 1989), and Healing States (with Alberto Villol- teenager in which he had undergone a mysti- do; 1986). cal encounter with a mysterious light source that had filled him with sublime joy. In the 1970s, Dr. Russell Targ and Dr. Harold Puthoff conducted some of the best- known experiments on the connections between ESP “senders” located at a distance from the “receivers” of the psychic communi- ESP research remains a source of cation. The designated receiver was placed in constant controversy. a sealed, opaque and electrically shielded chamber, while the scientists would situate the sender in another room where he or she was subjected to bright flashes of light at regu- Osis had a long and distinctive career in lar intervals. Each of the experimental sub- parapsychology, and he worked in such areas jects was connected to an electroencephalo- as animal ESP, distance effects on extrasensory graph (EEG) machine that registered their perception, psychokinesis, out-of-body experi- brain-wave patterns. After a brief period of ences, and life after death. In the 1960s, Osis time, the receiver began to produce the same did a pilot study of deathbed visions for the rhythmic pattern of brain waves as the sender, American Society for Psychical Research, who was exposed to the flashing light. Targ which was later verified across several differ- and Puthoff also carried out experiments in ent cultures. Osis was a past president of the what came to be known as “,” Parapsychological Association, director of in which sender and receiver were separated research for the Parapsychology Foundation by distances that eliminated any possibility of from 1957 to 1962, and the author of more any form of ordinary sensory communication than 70 scientific articles. between them. In 1962 the Rhines dissociated their Dr. Charles T. Tart (1937– ) studied elec- research with Duke and established the Foun- trical engineering at the Massachusetts Insti- dation for Research on the Nature of Man. tute of Technology before deciding to become Although the foundation remained in a psychologist. He received his doctorate in Durham, J. B. Rhine felt that their controver- psychology from the University of North Car- sial work required the scientific freedom of olina in Chapel Hill in 1963 and while a becoming a privately funded, independent member of the faculty at the University of research organization. California at Davis for 28 years became inter- In 1964 experimental methods for study- nationally known for his research on the ing ESP during dreams was pioneered under nature of consciousness, particularly altered the directorship of Dr. Montague Ullman and states. Tart is one of the founders of the field

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 165 of transpersonal psychology and has authored “Belief in Supernatural Is ‘Bigger Than Jesus,’ Says such classic books as Altered States of Con- New Report.” PR Newswire on Behalf of Living TV, sciousness (1969), Transpersonal Psychologies June 10, 2002. [Online] http://www.prenewswire. (1975), and Learning to Use Extrasensory Per- co.uk/cgi/release?id=86400. ception (1976). Tart considers his primary Krippner, Stanley. Dreamtime and Dreamwork: Decod- goals as being able to build a bridge between ing the Language of the Night. Los Angeles: Jeremy the scientific and the spiritual communities P. Tarcher, 1990. and to help accomplish an integration of Krippner, Stanley, Fariba Bogzaran, and Andre Percia Western and Eastern approaches for knowing De Carvalho. Extraordinary Dreams and How to the world. Work with Them. Albany, N.Y.: State University In 1995, in honor of the 100th anniversary of New York Press, 2002. of J. B. Rhine’s birth, the Foundation for Krippner, Stanley, with Etzel Cardena, and Steven J. Research on the Nature of Man was renamed Lynn. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examin- the . On June 8, 2002, ing the Scientific Evidence. Washington, D.C.: the Rhines’ daughter, Sally Feather, welcomed American Psychological Association, 2000. well-wishers to the Rhine Research Center McConnell, R. A. Joyride to Infinity: A Scientific Study when it officially opened its first new building. of the Doomsday Literature. Washington, D.C.: Feather had worked with her parents at the Scott-Townsend, 2000. facility at Duke and later at their ESP labora- McKie, Robin, ed. “Nobel Guru in Telepathy Row.” tory when they left the university in 1964. The Observer, September 30, 2001. [Online] The new building, said to be the most http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903, advanced parapsychological facility in the 560604,00.html. United States, was declared by Feather as “the Ostrander, Sheila, and Lynn Schroeder. Psychic Dis- culmination of a dream that my parents had, coveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Englewood Cliffs, but it’s my dream now.” N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970. ESP research remains a source of constant Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transformation: controversy between parapsychologists and A Blueprint of the Human Spirit. Rochester, Vt.: their colleagues in the material sciences. Dr. Inner Traditions International, 2002. Robert Morris, director of the Koestler Para- Radin, Dean I. The Conscious Universe: The Scientific psychology Unit at the University of Edin- Truth of Psychic Phenomena. San Francisco: burgh, Scotland, told New Scientist magazine HarperEdge, 1997. (March 3, 2001) that he recognized the skep- Rhine, J. B. New Frontiers of the Mind. New York: Far- tics’ mocking accusation that ESP stood for rar & Rinehart, 1937. “Error Some Place” and he understood that ———. The Reach of the Mind. New York: William parapsychology needed two things to satisfy Sloane Associates, 1947. the critics: “One, effects of sufficient strength Rhine, J. B., and J. G. Pratt. Parapsychology: Frontier and consistency, so you know something is Science of the Mind. Springfield, Ill.: Charles going on that isn’t readily understood by other Thomas, 1957. means…[Two]…coming up with a mecha- Rhine, Louisa. Hidden Channels of the Mind. Clifton, nism. One big question is whether we are talk- N.J.: Sloane Associates, 1961. ing simply about one mechanism or three or four.” Morris stated that he is convinced that Schwarz, Berthold E. A Psychiatrist Looks at ESP. New ESP is presently “above and beyond what pre- York: New American Library, 1968. sent-day science could account for,” but he Shermer, Michael. “Smart People Believe Weird remains confident that future scientists will Things.” Scientific American,August 12, 2002. one day figure it out. [Online] http://www.sciam.com/print_version. cfm?articleID=002F4E6-8CF7-ID49-90FB809EC5. M Delving Deeper “Survey Finds Few in U.S. Understand Science.” Auerbach, Loyd. “A Farewell to Dr. Karlis Osis.” Fate, CNN.com, April 30, 2002. [Online] http://cnn. April 1, 1998. [Online] http://www.llewellyn. technology.printthis.clickability.com/pt/printThis? com/archive/fate/62. clickMap=printThis&fb=Y&u.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 166 Mysteries of the Mind

“Tales of the Paranormal.” New Scientist, March 3, personality and even certain emotional diffi- 2001. [Online] http://www.newscientist.com/ culties that the subject may have been experi- opinion/opinion.jsp?id=ns22805. encing at the time. Sometimes Croiset saw the Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- subject’s past and was able to predict things entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- about the person’s future. corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. In June of 1964, Croiset was consulted in Tart, Charles T. Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Para- the murder case of the three Mississippi civil psychology of Spirituality. Charlottesville, Va.: rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Good- Hampton Roads, 1997. man, and Michael Schwerner. Via transat- ———, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New York: lantic telephone wire, Croiset accurately John Wiley & Sons, 1969. described the area where the three young Wise, Jim, and Julian Pecquet. “Rhine Research Cen- men’s bodies would be found and correctly ter Opens Building.” The Herald Sun, June 8, implicated the local law enforcement officers 2002. [Online] http://www.herald-sun.com/tools/ as participants in the slayings. Although the printfriendly.cfm?StoryID=235501. FBI later made no formal acknowledgment of the clairvoyant’s aid in the case, according to writer Jack Harrison Pollack, the federal Clairvoyance agents actively sought information from the The Netherlands’ (1909–1980) Utrecht sensitive. was claimed to be a gifted clairvoyant. Perhaps Another famous Dutch clairvoyant, Peter the most remarkable of the many experiments Hurkos (1911–1988), manifested latent pow- conducted with Croiset was an endless series of ers after he had suffered a fractured skull in chair tests that had been devised for him by June of 1943. After the Second World War Professor Tenhaeff of the Dutch Society for (1939–45), Hurkos began to devote most of Psychical Research. From the outset of the his time to psychic crime detection. In one of tests in October of 1947, the results were star- his first cases as a psychic sleuth working with tling and Croiset repeated the experiment sev- police, Hurkos had only to hold the coat of a eral hundred times in front of scientists in five dead man to be able to describe the man’s European nations. murderer in detail that included the assailant’s eyeglasses, mustache, and wooden leg. When police admitted that they already had such a man in custody, Hurkos told them where the CLAIRVOYANTS have been cooperating man had hidden the murder weapon. with law enforcement agencies for years, but usually Clairvoyants have been cooperating with law enforcement agencies for years, but usual- in an unofficial capacity. ly in an unofficial capacity, the Dutch police being among the few official agencies who openly consult clairvoyants for assistance in The test itself was conducted quite simply. crime detection. In the United States, Eng- Croiset was taken to a theater, an auditorium, land, and Canada, in spite of some astonishing or a meeting house, where a chair number was results achieved with the help of such psychics selected completely at random by a disinter- as Irene F. Hughes, Dorothy Allison, and Bevy ested third party. Croiset then predicted, any- Jaegers, the official policy is to discuss such where from one hour to 26 days, who would sit important cooperation only in “off the record” in the chair. The descriptions given by the interviews and unofficial statements. paragnost (as such sensitives are called in Hol- In an attempt to determine the amount of land) were never vague and generalized but clairvoyance the hypnotic state might pro- quite exact and astonishingly detailed. Often, duce, extensive laboratory tests have been not only was the individual’s appearance deliberately designed to allow the subject to described but also characteristics of his or her achieve a hypnotic state amenable to manifes-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 167 tations of ESP. In one experiment Dr. Jarl at the garden gate. But the hypnotist bade her Fahler, a Finnish psychologist, had four sub- subject to simulate entering the house and jects go through 360 runs of an ESP deck, per- continue in her pursuit of Mr. de Morgan. forming half of them in a waking state, and The girl said that she was inside the house the other half in a hypnotic state. and could hear voices upstairs. She “walked” The results of this experiment showed up the stairs and gave a detailed description of scoring at chance level in the waking state the people assembled, the furniture, objects, with significantly higher scoring in the hyp- pictures in the room, and the colors of the notic state. The subjects did much better on drapes and curtains. De Morgan, admittedly the part of the experiment that tested clair- awed by the clairvoyantly gained information, voyance than on the precognition portion. verified that each detail was precise and exact. He was even more astonished when the girl Experiments combining clairvoyance and repeated the conversations she had overheard hypnosis go back for centuries. In 1849 the and described the dinner menu. famous mathematician, Augustus de Morgan (1806–1871), wrote of his first experience with what came to be known as “traveling clairvoy- ance.” The early mesmerists (hypnotists) car- ried out many experiments during which the EXPERIMENTS combining clairvoyance subjects would be asked to “go somewhere” and hypnosis go back for centuries. mentally and to describe what they saw. In the particular experiment of which de Morgan wrote, the mathematician told of dining at a friend’s house that was about a mile from his Dr. Milan Ryzl, a Czechoslovakian chemist own. De Morgan’s wife was not present, having and physicist who became interested in the remained at home to treat a young epileptic field of parapsychology in the 1960s, devel- girl with mesmeric therapy. When de Morgan oped the working hypothesis that if a hypnot- returned to his home, his wife greeted him ic trance could produce the proper level of with the words: “We have been after you.” consciousness for manifestation of ESP, then While in a hypnotic trance the girl—whose these extrasensory abilities could be not only clairvoyant abilities had been demonstrated on induced hypnotically but eventually brought numerous previous occasions—had been forth spontaneously by the subject without instructed to “follow Mr. de Morgan.” the aid of hypnosis. Ryzl’s experiments involved three major phases: 1) achievement When the girl’s mother had heard the of the proper level of consciousness through name of the street on which the mathemati- hypnosis; 2) perfecting the manifested ESP by cian could be located, she told Mrs. de Mor- a long and intense training period; 3) self- gan that her daughter could never find her induction by the subject for the state of con- way there, for she had never been so far away sciousness receptive to psi manifestation, with from home. But in a moment, the girl encouragement for the subject to use his other announced that she stood before the house. ESP faculties independently of the experi- Mrs. de Morgan told her that she should menter who trained him or her. knock at the door and go in. The hypnotized clairvoyant answered by saying that she could Ryzl originated his experiment with 463 not knock at the door until she had entered subjects, mostly university student-volunteers the gate. Mrs. de Morgan was puzzled at this, between the ages of 16 and 30. Out of this and it was only upon Mr. de Morgan’s return large group only three individuals had suffi- that the mystery was explained. Having never cient patience and diligence to complete the been to this particular friend’s house, Mrs. de extensive training period with any degree of Morgan was not aware of the fact that the proficiency. The parapsychologist’s most tal- house stood in a garden and that the front ented subject was Pavel Stepanek, a man who door was reached only after one had entered came to Ryzl’s laboratory at the age of 30 and

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 168 Mysteries of the Mind

who had the tenacity to stay with the program Several parapsychologists began accepting for three years. Ryzl’s invitation to come to Prague to take part in the experiments. Among those who came When he began the experiment, Stepanek were British psychologist John Beloff, American demonstrated no extrasensory abilities and was parapsychologist John Freeman, Indian parapsy- evaluated as psychologically normal. Stepanek chologist B. K. Kanthamni, and American para- was given a standard test throughout the psychologist J. G. Pratt. Each of these men sug- experiment. He was asked to tell whether the gested variations of the test; and from these green or the white side of a two-color card was variations, additional observations were devised facing up. Under these conditions a chance for the steadily growing body of research. score would have been 50 percent. Stepanek consistently scored above chance. To test the repeatability of Stepanek’s At one point, however, his abilities did above-chance scoring and to confirm to visit- begin to deteriorate. To help him regain his ing researchers that the subject was free from ability, Ryzl gave Stepanek a deck and told him any dependency on Ryzl, the testing procedure to go home and try to rebuild his psychic pow- involved three phases. In the first, or control, ers himself. Ryzl suggested that he return when phase of the experiment, Ryzl handled the he once more felt confidence in his abilities. proceedings with the visitors observing. In the second phase, Ryzl was present to stimulate This Stepanek did, and eventually he the subject with the procedure in the hands of returned to the lab, stating that he once more the guests. The third phase was conducted felt assured of successful high scoring. The entirely by the visitors, with Ryzl in no way tests were resumed and Stepanek immediately present or participating. regained his former high level of accuracy. Ryzl interpreted Stepanek’s ability to retrain In the actual procedure of the experiment, his ESP ability by himself, without any outside Pavel Stepanek was to ascertain the color of help, as indicative of the fact that the subject the face-up card from a series of ten two-color exerted at least some conscious control over cards completely enclosed in opaque covers. his extrasensory process. As the experiment progressed, even more pre- cautions were taken. The cards were shut up In a review of the total experiment, Ryzl in packs of opaque cardboard and wrapped in concluded that there had been a number of layers of blue wrapping paper. Enclosed in the obstacles to be overcome. The first of these pack was a strip of sensitive photographic film, obstacles occurred during the initial phase of which was examined after each test for further the experiment, when the subject was first assurance that the deck had not been opened. brought to a hypnotic trance corresponding to the proper level of consciousness in which In an adjoining room Mrs. Ryzl prepared ESP manifests. At this stage the subject was in the cards, determining their order by astro- an extremely suggestible state. Unfortunately, nomical data available for the day of the the maintenance of such a state requires the experiment. She handed the cards to Ryzl, suspension of critical thinking. Without this then sat in a corner of the room. Ryzl and discriminatory aid the subject makes mistakes, Stepanek were separated by an opaque screen as he or she is unable to determine the differ- through which there was no possibility of see- ence between true impressions and other sen- ing the cards or the envelopes. sory impressions. To overcome this difficulty, The first test of 200 sets was run, giving a Ryzl juggled the different levels of hypnosis. total of 2,000 individual cards. For this test Thus, while the subject was in deep sleep, he Stepanek performed under hypnosis, not hav- was more receptive to extrasensory impres- ing achieved a high enough degree of profi- sions, and while in the lighter stages, he could ciency to function without it. He scored 1,144 use his critical faculties and memory. In this hits and 856 misses. In all successive tests the way the subject was able to progress by cor- subject brought himself to the level of con- recting his own mistakes and by learning to sciousness in which ESP manifests. rely upon, and trust, his own judgment.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 169

An interesting difficulty that arose con- the test, providing additional indication that cerned the resistant aspect of psychic impres- attitude influences psi performances. sions. Psi impressions do not seem to occur in Masters and Houston learned from this the same set patterns and symbology as do experience to make their tests more compati- sensory impressions. Extrasensory perceptions ble to the psychedelic state. The testing fur- are usually perceived subjectively and mani- ther revealed that a subject was more likely to fest most frequently through the physical sens- manifest ESP during the leveling-off segment es as hallucinatory experiences. This means of his “trip” than during the core of the expe- that a color may manifest itself as a texture, rience. The attention span was much greater sound, or temperature. and more easily motivated toward taking part Ryzl learned that one of the difficulties in in the experiment. testing for ESP lies in the fact that psychically On the basis of these developments, Mas- received impressions, manifesting as false sen- ters and Houston designed a test utilizing 10 sory hallucinations, are frequently indistin- emotionally charged images of historic or guishable from conventional hypnotic hallu- aesthetic content in place of the ESP cards. cinations. ESP subjects must double their These pictures attempted to trigger the sub- energy for they must constantly be assessing jective, visual impressions a subject would their impressions against what they know to receive while in the drug state. The agent be reality. opened the envelopes containing the target images in an adjoining room. In the room In addition to tests for clairvoyance and containing the subjects, an assistant attempt- other manifestations of ESP conducted under ed to elicit verbal responses from the 62 indi- hypnosis, numerous experiments have been viduals who had volunteered for the test. Of conducted with the subjects under the influ- the 62, 48 described approximate images at ence of various psychotropic or psychedelic least two times out of 10. Of the 62, only 14 drugs. In 1966 R. E. L. Masters, a psychologist, were unable to give descriptions correspond- and Jean Houston, a philosopher, were run- ing to at least two of the images, and these ning LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin experi- poor performers were either unknown to the ments at the Foundation for Mind Research. experimenter, anxiety-ridden, or “primarily While engaged in this study, a number of sub- interested in eliciting personal psychological jects reported instances of telepathy and clair- material.” The full results of this experiment voyance. These consistent reports were were published in 1966 by Masters and responsible for Houston’s and Masters’ inaugu- Houston in their The Varieties of Psychedelic ration of a specific ESP experiment. Their Experience. goal was to elicit extrasensory impressions during the psychedelic sessions. M Delving Deeper The original setup of the experiment Grof, Stanislav. Realms of the Human Unconscious: required 27 subjects to run through a Zener Observations from LSD Research. London: Sou- ESP deck (five cards for each of the symbols venir Press, Ltd., 1995. circle, square, cross, wavy line, star) ten times. Masters, R. E., and Jean Houston. The Varieties of Psy- The cards were reshuffled after each run of 25. chedelic Experience. New York: Dell/Delta, 1966. This procedure proved boring to the subjects, Ostrander, Sheila, and Lynn Schroeder. Psychic Dis- who were more interested in following the sub- coveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Englewood Cliffs, jective impressions being triggered in their N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970. Reprint, Park Street minds by the drug. The majority of the subjects, Press, 2000. 23 of the 27, scored consistently at chance or Rhine, J. B. The Reach of the Mind. New York: below-chance levels. They averaged a score of William Sloane Associates, 1947. 3.5, which is below chance. The other four sub- Rhine, Louisa. Hidden Channels of the Mind. Clifton, jects averaged a score of 8.5—considerably N.J.: Sloane Associates, 1961. above chance—and were personal friends of Schwarz, Berthold E. A Psychiatrist Looks at ESP. New the guide. They were cooperative throughout York: New American Library, 1968.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 170 Mysteries of the Mind

Spraggett, Allen. The Unexplained. New York: New studied astral projection extensively, stated that American Library, 1968. he found it highly improbable that so many Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World. New people who were apparently psychologically York: Citadel Press, 1959. healthy were having hallucinations of leaving Stevens, Jay. Storming Heaven: Lsd and the American their bodies. Bernard estimated one out of Dream. New York: Grove Press, 1988. every 100 persons has experienced some sort of Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- out-of-body projection and stated that his study entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- indicated that such projections occurred most corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. often during times of stress, such as undergoing natural childbirth or minor surgery, and at Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) times of extreme fear. In addition to these kinds of spontaneous instances, Bernard stated he To primitive humans, a dream was an actual also had encountered a number of individuals experience enacted by the soul as it wandered who seemed to be able to have out-of-body pro- about during sleep. Today a great deal is still jections almost at will. Acknowledging that unknown about the mysteries of sleep and there was still much that remains unknown dreams, but electroencephalograph records of about the mind and its abilities, he expressed brain waves and the study of rapid-eye-move- his opinion that the astral projection theory ment patterns have convinced psychologists can be proved and controlled. and dream scientists that the action of a dream (for most people) takes place within In Human Personality and Its Survival of Bod- the individual dream machinery and is con- ily Death, his classic work published in 1903, fined within the brain. However, some indi- psychical researcher Frederic W. H. Myers viduals have experiences in which they feel (1843–1901) believed out-of-body experiences certain that their soul, their mind, truly did to be the most extraordinary achievement of leave the body during sleep or an altered state the human will. What, he wondered, “could be of consciousness and travel to other dimen- a more central action—more manifestly the sions or other geographical locations on Earth. outcome of whatsoever is deepest and most Are such out-of-body experiences (OBEs) unitary in man’s whole being—than the ability actual journeys of the soul or are they only to leave one’s body and return to it?” Such an vivid dreams or hallucinations? ability, this self-projection, Myers said, was the most significant of all vital phenomena. And, even more wondrous, astral projection “appeared to be the one profound act of the TO primitive humans, a dream was an actual spirit that one might perform equally well before and after physical death.” experience enacted by the soul. Here are some of the most common types of out-of-body experiences, or situations in which OBEs might occur: Dr. Hornell Hart’s investigation of out-of- 1. Projections that occur while the subject body experiences (also known as astral projec- sleeps. tion) and psi phenomena led him to theorize that the brain was but an instrument by which 2. Projections that occur while the subject is consciousness expressed itself, rather than a undergoing surgery, childbirth, tooth generator that produced consciousness. Hart extraction, etc. contended that the available evidence strong- 3. Projections that occur at the time of an ly supported the testimonies of those individu- accident, during which the subject suffers als who claimed that their personal conscious- a violent physical jolt that seems, literally, ness had observed scenes and acted at long to catapult the spirit from the physical distances away from their physical bodies. body. Dr. Eugene E. Bernard, professor of psychol- 4. Projections that occur during intense ogy at North Carolina State University, who physical pain.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 171

5. Projections that occur during acute illness. Ecclesiastes 12:5–7). In Tibetan Buddhist tra- 6. Projections that occur during near-death dition, out-of-body experiencers have also experiences (NDEs), wherein the subject long observed that a strand exists between the is revived and returned to life through astral double and the physical body. In diverse heart massage or other medical means. cultures, many individuals who have under- gone out-of-body phenomena have noticed 7. Projections that occur at the moment of that their “silver cords” were highly elastic. In physical death when the deceased subject the oft-cited case of the Reverend Bertrand, appears to a living percipient with whom the French clergyman saw that his etheric he or she has had a close emotional link. double was attached to his physical body by “a In addition to these spontaneous, involun- kind of elastic string.” An American student tary experiences, there are also those volun- of OBE, Sylvan Muldoon, reported “an elas- tary and conscious projections during which tic-like cable” linking his two bodies. the subject deliberately endeavors to free his or her mind from the physical body. On many occasions, out-of-body experi- encers have commented that the silver cord Dr. Robert Crookall, the British geologist appeared to be luminous, like a beam of light. and botanist who was also a pioneer in the study Others state that it was not really any kind of of out-of-body experience, stated in the intro- actual physical cord, but a stream of light that duction to his More Astral Projections (1964) continued to connect them to their physical that the astral, the etheric, body “is normally bodies. Crookall mused from his gathering of enmeshed in, or in gear with the familiar physi- accounts of OBE that the so-called silver cord cal body” so that most people are not aware of corresponds “to the umbilical cord in child- its existence. “But many people have become birth (where an old body gives birth to a new aware of it, for . . . [their] Soul Body separated or body)”; and if such is the case, its severance projected from the physical body and was used, may mean death. temporarily, as an instrument of consciousness.” Dr. Alexander Cannon saw the various Crookall perceived this “Soul Body” as strata of physical and nonphysical human consisting of matter, “but it is extremely subtle beings a bit differently. In his Sleeping Through and may be described as ‘super-physical.’” In Space (1938), Cannon related the view of the his view the physical body is animated by a Master-the-Fifth of the Great White Lodge of semi-physical “vehicle of vitality” that bridges the Himalayas, Kushog Vogi of Northern the physical body and the Soul Body and is the Tibet, who believed that the astral body sur- “breath of life” to which the book of Genesis rounds the physical body “like an eggshell sur- refers. Crookall suggests that some projections rounds the egg within it and is linked up with “involve the Soul Body only; others merely the physical body by invisible vibrations on represent an extrusion of part of the vehicle of the ether in the air being carried to the mind vitality; most are a combination of the two— centers on the plexuses of the involuntary the Soul Body goes out accompanied by a tinc- nervous system.” In Cannon’s view, the astral ture of substance from the vehicle.” body is the scriptural “golden bowl” and the Many individuals who have undergone etheric body is the linking “silver cord.” out-of-body experiences have made mention of a kind of cord of silver color that seems to “The astral body,” he wrote, “is mainly the attach their soul or mind to the physical body. emotional body and has to do with emotions, Such glimpses of the silver cord have prompt- moods, and feelings. The astral body is not ed those experiencers and researchers of a reli- only linked up with the physical body through gious orientation to recall the verses in the the solar plexus, but also linked up with the book of Ecclesiastes which refer to the time of etheric body through vibrations passing from death when “the silver cord is loosed and the it through the physical body between the golden bowl be broken.…Then shall the dust eyes…to the top of the etheric body.” return to the earth as it was: and the spirit Cannon compared the etheric body to a shall return unto God who gave it” (KJV “streak of light running down the front of the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 172 Mysteries of the Mind

spinal cord of the physical body but indepen- a considerable number of case histories that dent of either the astral or physical body, proved beyond reasonable doubt that astral whereas the physical body is dependent, projection is a fact, that humans can leave through the involuntary sympathetic nervous their physical bodies spontaneously and pro- system, on the astral body, and in turn the ject to considerable distances at will. Muldoon astral body is dependent on the etheric body.” and Carrington were certain that such a fact According to Cannon, the East has long represented an important truth to all believed that when the physical body dies, the humankind: individuals are not their material astral body containing the etheric body sepa- brains, nor are they a product of their brains’ rates from the physical body after three days, functional activities. Muldoon and Carring- and that after years, perhaps centuries, the ton argued that if humans are here and now astral body dies and leaves only the etheric spiritual entities, then the prospect of another body to become a spirit. The Eastern schools life in a spiritual world becomes not only a of , Cannon informed, teach the possibility but nearly a certainty. chela (student) how to withdraw his or her There is nothing new about the belief in astral body under the direction of a master. To immortality and in humankind’s possession of achieve such control of the spirit, the student a nonphysical capacity that remains aloof to must subject himself or herself to a rigorous the physical considerations of time, space, and and prolonged period of highly intensive and matter. But just how could science go about specialized training. Such esoteric knowledge, proving out-of-the-body experiences? Can an Cannon reminded his readers, had been astral, or soul, body be weighed and measured? acquired by centuries of effort and experimen- Can it be seen as it rises from the host body of tation by Eastern adepts. The Western world a laboratory volunteer? Certainly it cannot be is only beginning to be made aware of the followed to determine the validity of the existence of the spiritual self. experience, nor can it disturb carefully arranged flour dusted on the floor. Dr. Charles T. Tart (1937– ), a core fac- ulty member of the Institute of Transpersonal STUDENTS of astral projection, , Psychology in Palo Alto, California, is respon- sible for pioneer work in bringing the soul out and OBE have commented on the phenomenon of of the body and into the laboratory. His books dual consciousness. Altered States of Consciousness (1969) and Transpersonal Psychologies (1975) are consid- ered classics in the field of consciousness stud- ies and scientific parapsychology. The first of Students of astral projection, bilocation, Tart’s experiments with OBE were conducted and OBE have frequently commented on the in the electroencephalography laboratory at phenomenon of dual consciousness, i.e., hav- the University of Virginia Hospital during the ing complete awareness of one’s body, its func- early 1960s. At that time, Tart was primarily tions, and the room in which it is lying at the concerned with spontaneous OBEs during the same time that one is traveling astrally to visit sleep state, as this appears to be the most com- a faraway person or place. The lines between mon state in which such projection occurs. out-of-body travel and other psi phenomena His two subjects, a man and a woman, were are nebulous and may overlap a great deal. individuals who claimed knowledge of leaving In 1951 Sylvan Muldoon, who was accom- their bodies in sleep. To test the validity of the plished in seemingly leaving his body almost out-of-body experience, the two subjects were at will, collaborated with Hereward Carring- asked to read a five-digit numeral placed on ton (1880–1958), a psychical researcher of the shelf of the equipment room in the labora- international reputation, to produce The Phe- tory. The number was so placed that the sub- nomena of Astral Projection. In this book, the jects would be unable to see it under normal authors felt confident that they had presented conditions, but in a state of conscious disen-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 173 gagement from the body, they could supposed- drowsiness, but totally during the dream state, ly read it off with ease. Tart labeled the experiment “inconclusive.” Even though there was objective evidence that In the experiment, electrodes were the technician was not at the controls when attached to each subject’s head for electroen- the subject said she was not, and she had been cephalograph (EEG) readings. (The EEG in the office with her husband, whom the sub- records brain waves.) Additional equipment ject was able to describe, Tart did not feel he was used to measure the subjects’ rapid eye could offer irrefutable evidence that an actual movements (REMs). A great deal of study in OBE had occurred. recent years has indicated that REMs accom- pany dreams and early sleep stages, but are The female subject was tested for four non- absent in later stages. Finally, an electrocar- successive nights over a period of two months. diogram was made, recording heart action. This woman was subjected to even stricter Tart hoped, with such equipment, to provide laboratory controls and physiological response psychophysiological substantiation to each measuring devices. Her efforts were concerned subject’s out-of-body projection. He also mainly with attempts to read the test numeral wished to learn from bodily responses more of Tart had placed on the shelf. On the third the nature of an OBE. night of the experiment, the subject claimed that she had visited her sister in another city, The male subject was tested on nine differ- and although this astral flight could not be ent nights. Although he claimed he could pro- verified, her EEG pattern sequence was ject himself at will, he was unable to do so, by “unusual.” On the fourth and final night of his own account, until the next to the last the experiment, the subject correctly identi- night of the experiment. On that evening he fied the number on the shelf as 25,132. reported leaving his body twice within a few minutes. The subject’s first OBE found him in Tart termed the experiment a “conditional the presence of two men and one woman, all success,” but he refused to call it conclusive. unknown to him. He tried to arouse their Jumping ahead of the skeptics’ disclaimers, awareness of him by pinching and touching, Tart said that the subject could possibly have but he was unsuccessful in his attempts. The seen the number high on the shelf reflected in validity of this experience could not be verified. the black plastic case of a clock. Although he During his second OBE, he reported walking did not himself believe this to be the case, he through the doorway into the equipment room. deemed it necessary to make due note of it. Not finding the technician on duty, he contin- Tart, who for 28 years was professor of psy- ued on his way to the office section of the chology at the Davis Campus of the Universi- building. There he found the technician, talk- ty of California, has stated that to him the ing with a man whom he did not know. Again most significant aspect of his early experimen- he tried to attract attention to his presence. tation was not the tentative findings that they When he was once more unsuccessful, he produced, but the fact that such traditionally returned to his body, awakened, and called out “occult” manifestations as astral projection, to the technician. She confirmed that she had OBEs, can be subjected to scientific study. A been in the office with her husband. The sub- considerable number of scientists have ject’s description of her husband was exact. become convinced of the reality of out-of- It was determined by the EEG record with- body travel because of such pioneering experi- in the few minutes before he awakened— ments as those conducted by Tart, but it which was the time the subject indicated he remains extremely difficult to satisfy the more had been out of his body—that he had been in material sciences’ demand for controlled and a state of Stage One dreaming. It is in this state repeatable laboratory proof. Science is the art that sleep is lighter and dreams are accompa- of definition; therefore, the intangible must nied by rapid eye movements. Since the sub- somehow be made tangible. ject’s experience had occurred not in the later “Once we rid ourselves of the stubborn and or deeper stages of sleep and not in a state of conventional notions that man is separate

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 174 Mysteries of the Mind

Precognition from his universe, that external reality is sepa- rate from internal reality, and that the study of , visions of future events to consciousness is a waste of time, the taboos come, have been noted regularly not only in against imaginative investigation in creativity, the literature of psychical research but in that parapsychology, hypnosis, and the psyche- of science itself for more than 2,000 years. delics will diminish,” Dr. Stanley Krippner has The Bible includes a collection of divinely observed. “To perceive and understand reality inspired and promises. Over the in its totality, we will want to utilize the centuries, an argument that time is not an insights obtained in altered states of con- absolute has been building up. A great number sciousness, as well as those available to us in of psi researchers have suggested that the the everyday, waking state.” common concept of time might be due to the special pattern in which humankind’s sensory In the assessment of many parapsycholo- apparatus has evolved. One thing seems cer- gists, the thousands of anecdotal cases of spon- tain about true precognition: whether it taneous out-of-body projection and laboratory comes about through a dream or the vision of experiments in controlled mind travel demon- a seer, the percipient does not see possibilities strate that the human psyche is not to be held but actualities. in thrall by the limitations of time and space. Even while humans’ physical bodies exist in In 1934, H. F. Saltmarsh issued a report to this physical world, wherein the limitations of the London Society for Psychical Research in mass, energy, space, and time shape and con- which he had made a critical study of 349 trol the environment, the human essence is cases of precognition. In the report, and later capable of extending outside of itself. in his book Foreknowledge (1938), Saltmarsh established the following conditions that M Delving Deeper would, in his estimation, make a case of pre- Cannon, Alexander. Sleeping Through Space. cognition wholly satisfactory: Woodthorpe, Nottingham, England: Walcott 1. It should have been recorded in writing or Publishing, 1938. told to a witness or acted upon in some sig- Crookall, Robert. More Astral Projections. London: nificant manner before the subsequent Aquarian Press, 1964. incident verified it. Hart, Hornell. The Engima of Survival. Springfield, 2. It should contain a sufficient amount of Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, Publishers, 1960. detail verified by the event to make Krippner, Stanley, with Etzel Cardena and Steven J. chance coincidence unlikely. Lynn. Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examin- 3. Conditions should be such that the follow- ing the Scientific Evidence. Washington, D.C.: ing phenomena may be ruled out as expla- American Psychological Association, 2000. nations: telepathy, clairvoyance, auto-sug- Monroe, Robert A. Far Journeys. Garden City, N.Y.: gestion, inference from subliminally Doubleday, 1987. acquired knowledge and hyperaesthesia. Muldoon, Sylvan. The Case for Astral Projection. Saltmarsh used the above criteria to pro- Wehman, 1969. claim 183 of the 349 cases as being wholly sat- Muldoon, Sylvan, and Hereward Carrington. The isfactory cases of precognition. One of these, Phenomena of Astral Projection. London and New the “Case of the Derailed Engine,” will serve York: Rider, 1951. as an illustration of the sort of experience that Ostrander, Sheila, and Lynn Schroeder. Psychic Dis- Saltmarsh assessed as truly precognitive. coveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Englewood Cliffs, A minister’s wife and daughter were stay- N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970. ing at lodgings at Trinity, near Edinburgh, Tart, Charles T. Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Para- Scotland, on July 15, 1860. It was a bright psychology of Spirituality. Charlottesville, Va.: Sunday afternoon, and between three and four Hampton Roads, 1997. o’clock, Mrs. W. told her daughter to go out ———, ed. Altered States of Consciousness. New York: for a short walk on the “railway garden,” the John Wiley & Sons, 1969. name that she had given a strip of ground

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 175 between the seawall and the railway embank- meaning. The foreknowledge of the future, of ment. The daughter had only been gone a few which some level of the subconscious is aware minutes when Mrs. W. distinctly heard a voice and of which it sometimes flashes a dramatic within her say: “Send for her to come back or bit or scene to the conscious in a dream or something dreadful will happen to her.” trance, is founded on the knowledge of how Mrs. W. was seized by a sense of foreboding the individual will use his or her freedom of that progressed into a feeling of terror that choice. The “future event” conditions the sub- soon had her trembling and physically upset conscious self. The level of the subconscious over the nameless dread. She ordered a ser- that “knows” the future does not condition vant to go and bring her daughter home at the “future event.” The transcendent element once. The servant, seeing her mistress visibly of self that knows what “will be” blends all distraught, set out immediately. Mrs. W. paced time into “what is now and what will always the floor, more upset than ever, fearful that be.” For the conscious self, what is now the she would never again see her daughter alive. past was once the future. One does not look upon past events and feel that one acted with- In about a quarter of an hour, the servant out freedom of will. Why then should one returned with the daughter, who was safe and look at the future and feel that those events well. Mrs. W. asked the child not to play on are predetermined? That a subconscious level the railroad embankment and obtained her in the psyche may know the future, these promise that she would sit elsewhere and not researchers insist, does not mean that the con- on the spot where she usually played. scious self has no freedom of choice. Simply Later that afternoon an engine and tender stated, if the future could be changed it would jumped the rails and crashed into the wall not be the future. In a true precognitive expe- where her daughter had been playing before rience when one perceives the future, he or the servant brought her home. Three men out she has glimpsed what will be and what, for a of five who were there, were killed. Much level of subconscious, already exists. later, Miss W. and her brother visited the scene of the tragedy and saw that the smashed engine had crashed into the precise spot where she had spent two hours with her PRECOGNITIONS are visions of brother on the previous Sunday afternoon. Saltmarsh theorized that what is called the future events. “present moment” is not a point of time, but a small time interval called the “specious pre- sent.” According to his theory, the human The fact that precognitive dreams that tell subconscious mind has a much larger “spe- of future events, accomplishments, dangers, cious present” than the conscious level of and deaths appear to be so common has per- being. For the subconscious, all events would suaded many psi researchers that somehow, in be “present.” If, on occasion, some of this sub- a way that is not yet understood, every individ- conscious knowledge were to burst into the ual is aware of the future at an unconscious conscious, it would be interpreted as either a level of his or her mind. Such knowledge usu- memory of a past event or a precognition of a ally lies imprisoned at a subconscious level, out future event. The past is neatly cataloged of the grasp of the conscious mind. Occasion- somewhere in the subconscious. Some psi ally, however, in especially dramatic dreams, researchers, such as H. F. Saltmarsh, believe bits and snatches of scenes from the future that all events—past, present, and future—are bubble up to become conscious memories. part of the “present” for the deeper transcen- Then, later, as the experience is lived through dental mind. in waking reality, it is astonishing to have the In view of such concepts as Saltmarsh’s, dream play itself again before conscious eyes. some researchers maintain that the age-old Psychiatrist Dr. Jan Ehrenwald has theorized query, “Can the future be changed?” has no that at the lower level of the subconscious—

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 176 Mysteries of the Mind

which Freudian analysts refer to as the “id”— she felt there was little need to warn him to be time and spatial relationships may be all mixed wary of traffic. Nonetheless, it was his little up. Here and there, past, present, and future Kathy who was killed that same day when a may all be interlocked and interchangeable. township truck backed into her. Is it possible to avoid foreseen danger? The To take a final example from Louisa question is probably as old as humankind Rhine: A young mother in Washington State itself. Can one change the course of future awakened her husband one night and related events or is everything inexorably preor- a horrible dream. She had seen the large orna- dained? It is perhaps not so much a question of mental chandelier that hung above their free will as it is a matter of what constitutes baby’s crib crash down into the child’s bed and time. “In any attempt to bridge the domains of crush the infant to death. In the dream, as experience belonging to the spiritual and they ran to discover the terrible accident, she physical sides of our nature, time occupies the noticed that the hands of the clock on the key position,” mused A. S. Eddington in Sci- baby’s dresser were at 4:35. ence and the Unseen World (1929). The man laughed at his wife’s story, rolled There is a general consensus among psi over, and went back to sleep. Although she researchers that there are five types of precog- felt foolish for doing so, the young woman slid nitive experiences. At the most elementary out of bed, went into the nursery, and returned level is subliminal precognition, or the with the baby. Placing the sleeping child gen- “hunch” that proves to be an accurate one. tly between them, the woman fell at once into Next would come trivial precognition, which a deep sleep. takes place only a short time before the actual A few hours later, the young couple were occurrence of a rather unimportant event. awakened by a loud, crashing noise. The Then, in the area of full-blown, meaningful sound had come from the nursery, and the precognitions, which indicate a power of mind couple found that the chandelier had fallen not limited by space or time, there are benefi- into the baby’s crib. The clock on the baby’s cial, non-beneficial, and detrimental pre- dresser indicated the time as 4:35. visions. In a beneficial premonition, the tran- For the young woman’s deep level of sub- scendent self may over-dramatize a future conscious, the falling of the chandelier was a event in such a way that it proves to be a present fact that was still a future fact for her warning that is acted upon by the conscious conscious self. The absence of the baby in its self’s characteristic reaction to such a crisis. crib was also a present fact to the transcendental On a July morning in 1952, according to a self because it was aware of how the conscious case in the files of Louisa E. Rhine, a woman self of the young mother would react if she knew in New Jersey attempted to avoid the death of the safety of her child were threatened. To stim- a child as she had foreseen it in a precognitive ulate the woman to action, the deep level of her “vision.” In this glimpse of the future, which psyche formulated a dramatic precognitive had occurred as she lay resting in a darkened dream with an attached tragic ending. The room, she envisioned the aftermath of a future, therefore, had not been altered by the dreadful traffic accident. A child had been woman’s action, only implemented. killed and lay covered on the ground. Because In his book the child was covered, the woman could not (1938), J. W. Dunne gave many examples of his identify the victim. own precognitive dreams, which he recorded In the morning, she told her next-door over a period of several years. Dunne firmly neighbor of the strange dream and begged her believed in sleep and dreams as the prime open- to keep close watch on her five-year-old child. ers of the subconscious and formulated a philos- Next she phoned a son, who lived in a busy ophy, which he called “Serialism,” to account section of the town, and admonished him to for precognition. In Dunne’s view, time was an keep an eye on his two small children. She “Eternal Now.” All events that have ever had another son who lived in the country, but occurred, that exist now, or that ever will, are

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 177 everlastingly in existence. In a person’s ordi- might better regard the experience as an exam- nary, conscious, waking state, his or her view is ple of the subconscious mind being much more only of the present. In sleep, however, the indi- aware of the condition of the inner body than vidual’s view might be sufficiently enlarged to the superficial conscious mind. allow several glimpses of the future. In other cases, a keen intellect and a great Although Dunne’s theory is considered too awareness of one’s environment will enable deterministic by the majority of psi researchers one to make predictions. Much of the afflu- and has been generally discredited, one of his ence of the contemporary economy, from theories in regard to deja vu, the sense of the stock market juggling to hemline raising, is already seen, is quite intriguing. Dunne sug- based upon the ability of certain knowledge- gested that this curious experience (which able people to make predictions concerning almost everyone has had at one time or anoth- the preferences of a mass society. er) of “having been here before” is due to the In contrast to these “explainable” predic- stimulation of a partially remembered precog- tions, however, are the many examples of men nitive dream. When the conversation and women who seem beyond any doubt to becomes familiar or the new location becomes have experienced precognitions. Parapsychol- suddenly recognizable, one may, according to ogists will state that this “power of prophecy” Dunne, simply be remembering a precognitive rested not in some occult knowledge, but dream, which had been driven back into the within the transcendent self, which seems to subconscious. be aware of events that belong in the realm of the future for the superficial self. For those researchers who study precogni- tion, the conventional idea of time existing as Some psi researchers have presented time some sort of stream flowing along in one in an analogy that has a man riding on the dimension is an inadequate one. In this linear rear platform of a train. The man looks to the view of time, the past does not exist: it is gone left and to the right. As the train chugs along, forever. The future does not exist because it has he is able to see a panorama of new scenes as not yet happened. The only thing that exists is they come into his view. As the train contin- the present moment. But the present does not ues, these scenes fade into the distance and really exist, either, since it is no sooner “now” are lost to view. They have become the man’s than that “now” becomes part of the past. If the past. But these scenes do continue to exist past completely ceased to exist, one should after they have passed from the man’s view, have no memory of it. Yet each individual has a and they were in existence before the man large and varied memory bank. Therefore, the perceived them, even though he was only able past must exist in some sense—perhaps not as a to see them at the time that they were his pre- physical or material reality, but in some sphere sent. However, if another man were flying of its own. Similarly, certain psi researchers high above the train in an airplane, he would maintain, the future must also exist in some be able to see what has become the train pas- way in a sphere of its own. The subconscious senger’s past and present, as well as foreseeing does not differentiate between past, present, future scenes that lie beyond the man’s limited and future but is aware of all spheres of time as ground level view. All scenes for the man in part of the “Eternal Now.” the airplane exist as an “Eternal Now.” There are certain kinds of precognitive M Delving Deeper experiences that can be easily identified as part Dunne, J. W. An Experiment with Time. New York: of the normal process of the subconscious. A Macmillan, 1938. woman dreams of coming down with the Rhine, J. B. New World of the Mind. New York: measles and laughs it off. She did not succumb William Sloane Associates, 1953. to the disease as a child; why should she weak- Rhine, Louisa. Hidden Channels of the Mind. Clifton, en as an adult? In two days, she is in bed with N.J.: Sloane Associates, 1961. the annoying rash covering her body. Rather Saltmarsh, H. F. Foreknowledge. London: G. Bell & than judge this to be a prophetic dream, one Sons, 1938.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 178 Mysteries of the Mind

Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- The Danish psychical researcher and pho- entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- tographer Sven Turck conducted repeated tests corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. of Jonsson’s psychokinetic powers, guarding against any possible trickery by creating strong Psychokinesis controls in his laboratory. In Turck’s laboratory in Copenhagen, the researcher photographed Apart from the uncontrolled eruptions of psy- Jonsson, together with a select group of psy- chokinetic power examined in the cases of chic-sensitives, performing feats of psychoki- poltergeist hauntings described in chapter ten, nesis. Turck set up three cameras at different there are individuals who have demonstrated angles, so that one always showed the action the ability to discipline psychokinesis (PK). from behind, one from underneath, and one Professional gamblers have long alleged that from above. After a series of sittings with the they can “make the dice obey” or make the lit- sensitives, chairs and objects began to move. A tle white ball in the roulette wheel stop wher- large worktable rose up on one leg and began ever they wish. to whirl around its own base, pirouetting faster Parapsychologist Dr. J. B. Rhine began his and faster. Turck’s greatest wish was that they experimental lab work in PK in 1934. Using might get the table to soar freely in the air so dice-throwing experiments and utilizing sev- that he might photograph the phenomenon of eral volunteers who claimed to have been able . A few evenings later, the photogra- to use “mind over matter” to bring in tangible pher was able to capture the fulfillment of his rewards at the gaming tables, Rhine and his wish on the film of three cameras. associates conducted tests and accumulated These phenomena were repeated often data until 1943 before they made any during the course of several months’ of sittings announcement of their results. In his The in Turck’s laboratory and were always dutifully Reach of the Mind (1947), Rhine set forth an recorded by the trio of cameras that had been analysis of this data and concluded that psy- loaded with infrared film. On one occasion, a chokinesis had been established beyond all large commode, of such a weight that two men question. could not lift it without great effort, was In 1964, when Loyola University professor moved soundlessly out into the middle of the James Hurley was contemplating writing a laboratory floor. book on ESP, he contacted Rhine, the dean of academic parapsychologists, and was told Author Stig Arne Kjellen said that Turck about the remarkable psychic-sensitive Olof had never been able to believe in such dra- Jonsson (1918–1998), who had the ability to matic displays of psychokinetic force until he produce psychokinetic effects, as well as had become a participant in the sessions held demonstrate clairvoyance and telepathy. One in his own laboratory. In principle, the psy- night in the summer of 1964, Hurley and Jons- chokinetic moving of a candlestick is just as son were finishing dinner in a Chicago restau- remarkable as the moving of a heavy table. rant when Jonsson demonstrated PK by caus- Both feats are quite impossible in the view of ing an individual globe to move in a chande- orthodox science. The series of photographs lier located across the dining room. taken during Turck’s experiments in Copen- hagen were carefully examined by five of Den- Two Swedish doctors, Anders Perntz and mark’s foremost photographic technicians, Sven Erik Larsson, conducted numerous psy- among them the director of the Danish photo- chokinetic experiments that they conducted graphic professional school, Theodore with Jonsson under full control. In one test, Andresen, who had full access to the photo- Jonsson turned a pewter candlestick weighing graphic negatives. Each of the photographers 1.25 kilograms 180 degrees while standing three agreed that no manipulations whatsoever had yards away. In another experiment, Jonsson been worked upon the negatives. stood in front of a table and caused a piece of wood sculpture to slide at an even speed across Kjellen recorded 140 carefully controlled the table top before it fell down to the floor. experiments in psychokinesis before Jonsson

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 179 left Sweden in 1953 at the invitation of M Delving Deeper Rhine, who asked him to come to Duke Uni- Rhine, J. B. The Reach of the Mind. New York: versity for a series of parapsychological tests. William Sloane Associates, 1947. Kjellen tells of how without any previous Rhine, Louisa. Hidden Channels of the Mind. Clifton, preparations whatsoever, accompanied by N.J.: Sloane Associates, 1961. people he had never met before and in places Schwarz, Berthold E. A Psychiatrist Looks at ESP. New so distracting and mundane as restaurants and York: New American Library, 1968. hotel vestibules, Jonsson got bottles, flowers, Spraggett, Allen. The Unexplained. New York: New jars, ashtrays, toothpick holders, and candle- American Library, 1968. sticks into motion, while talking to others Steiger, Brad. The Psychic Feats of Olof Jonsson. Engle- with an altogether untroubled smile. Fre- wood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1971. quently such demonstrations took place with Steinour, Harold. Exploring the Unseen World. New Jonsson situated a great distance away, and yet York: Citadel Press, 1959. he was able to exert such force that, on some Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- occasions, objects were moved several yards in entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- one direction or another, sometimes directly corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. up into the air. Telepathy In Rhine’s view, clairvoyance and telepa- thy are sensory types of phenomena, matter In his The Psychopathology of Everyday Life affecting mind; PK is a motor-type phenome- (1904), Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) had dis- non, mind affecting matter. In his opinion, cussed several alleged supernormal occur- the existence of one implies the existence of rences and expressed a profound skepticism the other and he maintained that they are about prophetic dreams and telepathic phe- closely related phenomena. nomena. However, in 1922, he published his article “Dreams and Telepathy” and publicly In his series of tests, Rhine noted that proclaimed that he admitted the possibility of dice-throwers with marked control over the telepathic phenomena. He had written a dies were much more successful at the begin- much less cautious full-length essay, “Psycho- ning of a run. The same sort of “decline” effect analysis and Telepathy,” which he would have that has been noted by agents testing tele- read to the International Psychoanalytic Con- pathic percipients in card-guessing tests was in gress of 1922 if Ernest Jones, founder of the evidence in testing for PK. British Psychoanalytical Society, had not per- Other similarities existed between ESP suaded him to consider the damaging reper- and PK tests as observed in the Duke Univer- cussions his outspoken attitude might have on sity parapsychology laboratories where Rhine the whole fledgling psychoanalytic move- and his colleagues conducted the tests. For ment. Consequently, the article did not see example, mechanical devices made no differ- print until 1941, after Freud’s death. ence in the effectiveness of PK, and neither In 1924 Freud wrote a letter to Jones in did distance. Once again, as in ESP testing, a which he remarked how strongly he had been relaxed, informal atmosphere produced the impressed with a report on telepathic experi- best PK results. Another important similarity ments that Gilbert Murray had prepared for between the two paranormal abilities is the the Society for Psychical Research. Freud con- fact that the person who expects success and fessed that he was ready to give up his opposi- “believes” in his or her ability to produce the tion to the existence of thought-transference desired result will always score much higher and said that he would even be prepared to than the individual who is indifferent to ESP lend the support of psychoanalysis to the mat- or PK. ter of telepathy. Once again, the skeptic Jones, It appears that psychokinesis as well as fearful of the damage that such a public decla- extrasensory perception is a talent that can be ration might deliver to psychoanalysis, con- developed and encouraged and is an ability vinced Freud not to publish any such offer of present, to a certain degree, in all people. support to parapsychological research.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 180 Mysteries of the Mind

Today psychiatrists and psychoanalysts to a lesser extent, fraternal twins, have vary greatly in their attitudes toward psi remarkable ability to communicate with one research. Those who profess nothing but an another through ESP. adamant skepticism say that the illustrations At the behest of Dr. J. B. Rhine of Duke of ESP brought forward by their colleagues University, Olivia Rivers, a psychologist at express nothing but the analyst’s own desire to Mississippi State University, conducted tests believe in their validity. Those who consider with identical twins, Terry and Sherry Young. psi research to be a serious and valuable con- The Jackson, Mississippi, twins were able to tribution to human understanding insist that pass entire sentences to each other via telepa- paranormal activities, particularly those of thy. The girls seemed to be in constant rapport; telepathy and clairvoyance, are too numerous and even when separated, each knew if the to be dismissed by an arched eyebrow and a other had turned an ankle, gotten a toothache, cursory examination. or developed a cold. Sherry was better as the receiver; Terry as the sender. Their school- teachers despaired of ever receiving an accu- rate test from either girl. Even when placed in IN 1922, Freud publicly admitted the possibility of separate classrooms the girls still used similar telepathic phenomena. phrases and got similar marks. They made no secret of the fact that they helped one another in their school work, but insisted that it was by telepathy alone. It was not cheating to them, Many psychiatrists have developed a nor could anyone consider it as being unfair or respect for psi research when, during the dishonest of the girls. It was not their fault if course of analysis, a close relationship that can their minds functioned as one. only be described as psychic, has developed between a doctor and his or her patient. Some Remarkable experiments have been con- doctors have reported patients who have ducted with nontechnological traditional peo- related dreams that have dramatized actual ples to test the hypothesis that telepathy is an incidents that the analysts themselves have archaic means of communication, which, experienced that day or even the week before. although remaining as a vestigial function of In several cases, the key to a patient’s mental the mind, was once the sole method for con- disturbance has been located in a dream expe- veying ideas. It has been observed that the rience of the analyst. Reports have even been bushmen in Australia can accurately transmit made of several patients of the same analyst thoughts, feelings, and ideas to friends and rel- sharing dreams or reenacting group or individ- atives several miles away. They also use psi ual experiences, as if some strange circle of abilities to locate missing objects, straying cat- telepathic dreams had been established. tle, and thieving enemies. In many cases, even Parapsychologists have long contended today some bushmen live a virtual Stone Age that telepathy (and ESP in general) functions existence. Their normal sensory abilities have best between individuals who have a strong been heightened by their struggle for survival. emotional link. This particular level of the Their eyes can identify objects at great dis- human mind seems to operate best sponta- tances without the aid of field glasses. Their neously, especially when a crisis situation powers of smell are incredible. Their ESP tal- makes it necessary to communicate through ents are even more remarkable. other than the standard sensory channels. Dr. A. P. Elkin, an anthropologist from Syd- For quite some time, psi researchers have ney University, was forced to rearrange some of been aware that twins show unusually high his scientific thinking after he conducted stud- telepathic rapport. A series of tests conducted ies among the bushmen. In his Aboriginal Men by psychologists at the University of Alberta, of High Degree, Elkin writes that although his Canada, confirmed this theory by establishing arrival was never announced by messenger, statistical evidence that identical twins, and drums, or smoke signals, each village was pre-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 181 pared for his arrival, knew where he had just come from, and was aware of the purpose of his wilderness trek. Whenever the anthropologist heard of a case where a native claimed to have gained personal information telepathically from a faraway village, subsequent investiga- tion proved the knowledge to be accurate. Whether the information concerned a dying parent, the birth of a nephew, or the victory of a successful hunt, the recipients’ knowledge of the event was completely in accordance with the actual happening. Laboratory tests have indicated a number of interesting facts concerning the conditions under which telepathy—and, in general, all testable psi phenomena—work. Distance pathic functioning is a state of inadequacy or Twins being tested for seems to have no effect on telepathy or clair- deficiency such as loss or clouding of con- telepathy capabilities. voyance. Equally remarkable results have been sciousness (sleep, hypnosis, trance, fever, (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) achieved when the percipient was a yard away brain defects).” from the agent or when the experimenters The psi researcher faces another risk in the were separated by several hundred miles. Dr. laboratory when he is engaged in the long- S. G. Soal, the British researcher who has term testing of a percipient: the decline effects conducted extensive tests with “mind-read- in ESP that can be brought on by sheer bore- ers,” has written: “In telepathic communica- dom in the method of testing. The exercise of tion it is personality, or the linkage of person- psi ability does sap psychic energy and even alities, which counts, and not spatial separa- excellent performers invariably score higher tion of bodies. This is what we might expect when they are fresh. Once the novelty of the on the assumption that brains have spatial test has worn off, the interests of the percipient location and spatial extension, but that minds wander elsewhere, and so, apparently, does his are not spatial entities at all…we must consid- or her ESP. It is difficult to force psi into the er brains as focal points in space at which laboratory for the controlled and repeatable Mind produces physical manifestations in its experiments demanded by orthodox science. interaction with matter.” It is interesting to note that, on the aver- Parapsychological researchers have learned age, a man is more effective as an agent, a that the percipient’s attitude is of great impor- sender, and a woman is more effective as a per- tance in achieving high ESP scores. Personali- cipient, a receiver. This seems to apply to ties do enter into psi testing even as they do spontaneous instances of telepathy and other into other aspects of human relationships. It functions of psi as well as to roles assumed has also been demonstrated that those who under laboratory conditions. believe in their psi powers score consistently In 1930 the novelist Upton Sinclair higher than those who are skeptics and who (1878–1968) published a record of experi- regard it all as a lot of nonsense. ments in telepathically transmitted drawings, Although the staff in a parapsychology which had been conducted with his wife and laboratory must be careful to create and foster his brother-in-law, R. I. Irwin. Mrs. Sinclair a friendly and cheerful atmosphere, sponta- was always the percipient, the receiver, and neous psi seems to work best under conditions when Irwin was the agent, the sender, he that Dr. Jan Ehrenwald terms a “state of psy- “transmitted” from more than 40 miles away. chological inadequacy.” Naming this state of The agent would make a set of drawings of psi readiness the “minus function,” Ehrenwald such simple items as a nest with eggs, a flower, believes that “a necessary condition for tele- or a tree, and enclose each sketch in an opaque

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 182 Mysteries of the Mind

envelope. At the agreed-upon time, or later, subject or the hypnotist. As long as the sub- Mrs. Sinclair would lie down on a couch and ject was screened electromagnetically from allow her mind and body to enter a state of the hypnotist, none of the man’s telepathic complete relaxation. Experience soon taught suggestions were followed. When the door was her that other levels of mind would attempt to opened, the subject responded to his sugges- “guess” the sketch and thereby often confuse tions with a high degree of accuracy. the true information that would come from a These and other experiments (one of deeper level of authentic knowledge. which even attempted to direct the telepathic Mrs. Sinclair commented that for best signals with the use of a metal mirror) seemed results in such tests, one must develop the abil- to confirm the hypothesis that telepathy was ity to hold in consciousness, without any sense basically electromagnetic in character. This of strain, a single idea, such as the petal of a school of Russian parapsychology was under flower. Association trains must not be allowed the influence of the Italian neurophysiologist to develop, and, above all, no thinking about F. Cazzamalli, whose conclusions also pointed the idea must take place. A completely relaxed to an electromagnetic wave character for tele- state of body and mind must be achieved. pathic signals. Cazzamalli’s experiments have been criticized several times since the 1920s It is difficult to measure the success of such when they were performed, since they were tests with drawings, because often an idea not conducted under rigid controls. associated with the drawing would come across rather than the actual sketch. In the Even while these experiments were being Sinclair experiments of 290 drawings, 65 were carried out, one of Bekhterev’s pupils, Leonid judged successes, 155 partial successes, and 70 L. Vasiliev (1891–1966), was disturbing this were failures. Professor William McDougall pet theory with some astounding results of his (1871–1938), a fellow of the Royal Society, a own. Vasiliev’s original experiments were also brilliant British-American pioneer of parapsy- conducted with volunteer subjects and hypno- chology, said of the Sinclairs’ experiments tists, but his concern was not to solicit with their “mental radio,” that the degree of responses from the suggestion of the hypno- success and the conditions of the experiment tists via telepathic means, but to induce the were such that they could not be rejected and trance state itself by the use of telepathy. should be accepted as evidence of “some mode The subject was given an inflated rubber of communication” not presently explicable ball that was attached by a hose to a pressure- in accepted scientific terms. sensitive recording device. He was then While acknowledging the existence of instructed to squeeze the ball with his hand. telepathy, many parapsychologists became These contractions were recorded as notches interested in proving that far from simply on the moveable graph. When the subject was being a “mental radio,” telepathy must be hypnotized, the rhythmic contractions would some form of electromagnetic radiation that stop, and the notches would no longer appear could be measured and understood. Russian on the graph. The subject and the hypnotist parapsychologists, especially, seemed con- were separated by two intervening walls. The cerned with demystifying telepathy and ESP room between housed the recording equip- in general. In the 1920s, Vladimir M. ment and those in charge of monitoring it. Bekhterev worked with subjects who had been Time for each attempt of this telepathic hyp- hypnotized and enclosed in an electromagnet- nosis was determined by the use of a roulette ically screened chamber known as a Faraday wheel, and was thus completely random. cage. The hypnotist, who was stationed in a In 1932, Vasiliev was fortunate enough to separate room, mentally suggested that the find three very sensitive subjects with whom subject perform certain tasks. This experiment the goal of long-distance hypnosis was attain- was carefully planned so that the door to the able. When the hypnotist was instructed to screening chamber could be opened and induce a trance on the person he could not closed without the knowledge of either the see, he was able to perform the feat. Later,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 183 when instructed to bring the subject out of the from the theory that telepathic signals are trance, the hypnotist was again able to accom- electromagnetic waves. Even more than in plish this by the force of his will, without once other scientific endeavors, parapsychologists coming in contact with the subject during the must be certain to eliminate all prejudice from entire course of the test. their minds. It is possible that a researcher’s brain state may have as much effect on a sub- As work in this series of experiments con- ject as an intended telepathic signal. The tinued, a few unforeseen problems began to early Soviet experiments may have shown develop. After a number of trials, the subjects that telepathy was electromagnetic in charac- became so accustomed to the surroundings and ter because the investigators, under the heavy the preparations for the tests, that they would influence of the Italian Cazzamalli, wanted or automatically fall into trance. Such auto-hyp- expected them to show it. A prejudice that nosis is not uncommon, even when the hypno- cannot be separated from the mind may be a tist is not trying to induce the trance state via decisive factor in any experiments involving telepathy. But even when this occurred, the psychic phenomena. These possibilities only effect of a telepathic impulse was striking. A add to the difficulty of conducting experi- subject could be put in a trance state two or ments, but they cannot be ignored. three times faster when the hypnotist attempt- ed to send a telepathic signal than when the Research into the nature of telepathy con- auto-hypnosis was allowed to occur. As these tinues in parapsychological laboratories around tests with the same subject continued, it the world. While telepathy is commonly became more difficult to bring the subject out thought of as mind-reading, psi researchers of the trance state with the use of telepathy. have commented that instances of telepathy in Yet telepathy was still a factor as the hypnotist the laboratory seldom involve the actual per- could revive the subject momentarily before ception of another’s actual thoughts. And he would fall back into a trance. sometimes the information that the percipient receives from the agent does not really seem to Because these results were consistently have been an instance of mind-to-mind com- good, Vasiliev was able to devise even more munication, but rather an example of clairvoy- interesting tests. He placed the subjects within ance. Once again it must be recalled that there chambers that were heavily sealed from all is a great deal of “bleed-through” from one forms of electromagnetic radiation. In this test parapsychological phenomenon to another. the subjects responded exactly as they had with- out the shielding, contradicting the results of M Delving Deeper the other Soviet experimenters. Vasiliev’s rigid- Garrett, Eileen J. Telepathy. New York: Berkley ly controlled experiments showed that there Medallion Books, 1968. was more to telepathy than electromagnetic Krippner, Stanley. Human Possibilities: Mind Research waves. A Russian physicist, V. Arkadev, sup- in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Garden City, ported Vasiliev’s contention by saying that the N.Y.: Anchor Books, 1980. intensity of the waves that could be spawned by Krippner, Stanley, with Montague Ullman and Alan the electric currents in the brain is so low that Vaughan. Dream Telepathy: Experiments in Noctur- dissipation occurs very close to the skull. Even nal ESP. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland Publishers, though it has been proven that electromagnetic 1989. radiation can affect the central nervous system, Ostrander, Sheila, and Lynn Schroeder. Psychic Dis- the electromagnetic waves generated by the coveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Englewood Cliffs, electric currents that are constantly surrounding N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970. modern men and women are of a much higher Rhine, J. B. The Reach of the Mind. New York: intensity than any kind of electromagnetic radi- William Sloane Associates, 1947. ation the brain could muster. Sinclair, Upton. Mental Radio. New York: Macmillan, These contradictory results have not yet 1971. been explained, but former Soviet scientists Soal, S. G., and F. Bateman. Modern Experiments in and psi researchers have since leaned away Telepathy. London: Faber and Faber, 1954.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 184 Mysteries of the Mind

Soal, S. G., and H. T. Bowden. The Mind Readers: electromagnetic Of or pertaining to the char- Recent Experiments in Telepathy. New Haven, acteristics of an electromagnet, which is a Conn.: Yale University Press, 1954. device having a steel or iron core and is Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. Mind-Reach: Sci- magnetized by an electric current that entists Look at Psychic Ability. New York: Dela- flows through a surrounding coil. corte Press/Eleanor Friede, 1977. encode To convert a message from plain text into a code. In computer language, to con- vert from analog to digital form, and in Making the Connection genetics to convert appropriate genetic data. false memory Refers to situations where some amnesia The loss of memory which can be therapies and hypnosis may actually be temporary or long term and usually planting memories through certain sugges- brought on by shock, an injury, or psycho- tions or leading questions and comments; logical disturbance. Originally from the thereby creating memories that the patient Greek word amnestos, literally meaning or client believes to be true, but in reality not remembered and from a later alter- they are not. ation of the word: amnesia: forgetfulness. Gestalt therapy A type of psychotherapy that banal Boring, very ordinary and common- puts a great deal of emphasis on a person’s place. From the French word ban, original- feelings as revealing desired or undesired ly used in the context of a mandatory mili- personality traits and how they came to be, tary service for all or common to all. by examining unresolved issues from the clairvoyance The ability to see things beyond past. the normal range of the five human senses. hallucination From the French word clairvoyant, mean- An experience of something or ing clear-sighted and voyant, the present someone being present when it is not, or participle of voir to see. when one imagines hearing, seeing or sens- ing an occurrence vividly, but it is not real. consciousness Someone’s mind, thoughts or feelings, or can be referring to the part of the hypnagogic Relating to or being in the state mind which is aware of same. The state of between wakefulness and sleep where one being aware of what is going on around you, is drowsy. From the French hypnagogique either individually or the shared feelings of meaning literally leading to sleep. group awareness, feelings or thoughts. hypnopompic Typical of or involving the state ecstatic Intense emotion of pleasure, happi- between sleeping and waking. Coined ness, joy or elation. from hypno and Greek pompe, meaning a sending away. electroencephalographic dream research Researching dreams using a electroen- hypnosis The process of putting or being in a cephalograph to aid the researcher in the sleeplike state, although the person is not brain activity of the one being studied. sleeping. It can be induced by suggestions or methods of a hypnotist. electroencephalograph A device or machine that through the use of electrodes placed hypothesis An explanation or assumption for on a person’s scalp, monitors the electrical a phenomenon that sets the basis for addi- activity in various parts of the brain. These tional investigation. From the Greek are recorded and used as a diagnostic tool hupothesis meaning foundation or base. in tracing a variety of anything from brain ions An atom or group of atoms that are elec- disorders, tumors or other irregularities to trically charged through the process of dream research. gaining or losing one or more electrons. electrodes Two conductors through which From the Greek ion meaning moving electricity flows in batteries or other elec- thing; and from the present participle of trical equipment. ienai meaning to go —from the movement

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Mysteries of the Mind 185

of any ion toward the electrode of the treating ailments and disease, as well as opposite charge. any known side effects. narcolepsy A condition where a person physiology The study of the functioning and uncontrollably falls asleep at odd times internal workings of living things, such as during daily activities and/or for long metabolism, respiration, reproduction and extended periods of time. Hallucinations the like. From the Latin word physiologia and even paralysis might also accompany and the Greek phusiologia, and phusis this condition. Coined from narco and meaning nature. lepsy, from the model of epilepsy. psi The factor or factors responsible for para- psychological phenomena. Derived from neuron The basic functional unit of the ner- the Greek letter psi which is used to denote vous system: a cell body that consists of an the unknown factor in an equation. axon and dendrites and transmit nerve impulses. A neuron is also called a nerve psyche The soul or human spirit or can refer cell. Via German from Greek neuron, to the mental characteristics of a person or meaning sinew, cord, nerve. group or nation. Via Latin from Greek psukhe meaning breath, soul, mind and parapsychology The study or exploration of from psukhein: to breathe. mental phenomena that does not have a psychiatrist A doctor who is trained to treat scientific explanation in the known psy- people with psychiatric disorders. chological principles. psychoanalysis The system of analysis regard- pharmacologist The study of or science of ing the relationship of conscious and drugs in all their aspects, including unconscious psychological aspects and their sources, chemistry, production, their use in treatment in mental or psycho neurosis.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 187

Chapter Exploration

Superstitions Cats Days of the Week Dogs The Evil Eye Four-Leaf Clover Gems Horseshoes Knocking on Wood Ladders Numbers Rabbit’s Foot Sneezing Spitting Strange Customs and Taboos Courtship and Marriage Chapter 13 Hospitality and Etiquette Superstitions, Burials and Funerals Urban Legends and Beliefs Strange Customs, Deadly Reptiles in the Imported Carpets The Fabulous Cookie Recipe Taboos, and Green M&Ms The Hook on the Car Door If Your College Roommate Commits Urban Legends Suicide.… Jesus on the Freeway The Phantom Hitchhiker Proctor & Gamble Is a Satanist Company Out of the fears and feelings of The Scuba Diver in the Tree Snakes in the Toilet helplessness, there arose accounts of Spiders in the Hairdo personal rituals of survival. Superstitions and religions evolved into accepted rules for appropriate human behavior (customs) and forbidden behavior (taboos). Many of these societal customs, and religious and cultural taboos, are perpetuated in the urban legends of today. 188 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

Introduction the people of the tribe or community from impending punishment. erhaps the oldest and most basic of Magical words and spells were created, and human instincts is that of fear. Early talismans, amulets, and good luck charms P humans experienced an array of bewil- were invented. dering hostility lurking all around them. In In ancient times, the amulet or talisman was addition to predators from the animal kingdom a charm intended to exert a magical influence who pursued them as prey, there were such upon evil spirits and frighten them away. In the frightening and unexplained natural phenome- twenty-first century, the good luck charm is na as the rumbling terror of thunder and light- intended to attract good rather than to repel ning, the glowing eyes of the stars in the night evil. The transition has given rise to the custom sky, and the deadly volcanic craters that shot of accepting certain objects and certain happen- fire into the air. Equally as terrifying as the ings as good luck omens. The word “luck” itself physical threats of their world were the fiendish appears to have been derived from an old creatures that sprang from their imaginations, Anglo-Saxon verb meaning “to catch.” specters that could come to life from their own shadows on the walls of their caves or huts. Magic practices were divided into two dis- tinct kinds—black magic and white magic. Simply stated, the term “black magic” applied to all those practices that caused evil and harm N to others, and the practices termed “white A amulet or talisman was a charm intended to magic” were intended to counter the influences exert a magical influence upon evil spirits. of black magic, achieving good instead of evil. As human society continued to evolve into cities with a hierarchy of rulers, a class system Out of these primitive fears and feelings of of the citizenry, and respected priests to guide helplessness, certain beliefs and practices arose group worship of gods and goddesses, what had that helped to ease the terrors of existence. once been superstitions became formalized The experiences of those who had faced great social customs and established religious prac- dangers and lived to tell the tale were ritual- tices. Identification with a particular nation ized by others who listened carefully to such and its borders continued to grow among the accounts and took note of what the survivors people. The more primitive forms of religions had worn, thought, said, or did to escape evolved into large and organized systems of death. As the sharing of the survivors’ stories faith. Distinctive and unique customs repre- spread, highly individualized personal rituals sentative of specific religions or identified with grew out of the methods by which these heroes ethnic groups became more firmly fixed in the had been able to ward off evil or the deadly mass consciousness. Because what is custom attack of predators or human enemies. These and what is taboo—forbidden or improper personal rituals became the beginning of what behavior—depends so much upon the individ- is called superstition and evolved over time ual’s cultural, societal, and religious orienta- into systems of magic and religious practices. tion, it is difficult to judge between what may As the belief in magic and superstition be harmless conduct in one group and an act of grew stronger, witches, wizards, and magicians evil intent in another. were increasingly regarded with awe and great This chapter will examine those universal respect. Everyone, rich and poor alike, sought social occasions of courtship, marriage, hospi- their counsel and advice, for it was believed tality, and the respect of the dead that are prac- that the magicians were in direct communica- ticed by all societies and religious institutions. tion with the spirit world and were able to The chapter concludes with a review of a num- foretell the future. They could prevent storms ber of so-called urban legends—those remark- or make the rain to fall in time of drought. able experiences that the storytellers always They could pacify angry deities and thus save insist really happened to “a friend of a friend.”

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 189

Superstitions of the wonders of contemporary technology, still feel a great sense of helplessness as they hroughout the centuries, the early attempt to chart their individual fates in a superstitions that brought solace to the hostile environment. In many instances, the T fear-stricken primitive mind have terrors of the modern world surpass the hor- spawned thousands upon thousands of magic rors that lurked in the shadows in that time practices and beliefs—all with the goal of ward- long ago when primitive humans first dared to ing off danger, of placating angry deities, or of venture out of their caves. Even the most summoning good fortune. Since humankind’s sophisticated of today’s men and women may earliest awareness of the final destiny of the still knock on wood and carry a rabbit’s foot in grave that awaits all individuals, people have their pockets for luck. feared death and they have imagined omens, or Niels Bohr (1885–1962), the Danish warnings, in the simplest things, such as the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, kept a horse- appearance of a black cat, the spilling of salt, shoe nailed over the door to his laboratory. the number 13. When someone once asked him if he really In a broad sense, superstitions are a kind of believed the old superstition about horseshoes white magic in that people will believe that bringing good luck, he replied that he didn’t their observing or practicing the personal ritu- believe in it, but he had been told that it al will bring them good luck, prevent illness, worked whether one believed in it or not. and ward off evil. And many superstitions offer procedures for overcoming the negative acts threatened by these omens, such as cast- ing a pinch of salt over the shoulder or whis- SUPERSTITIONS are a kind of pering a blessing after a sneeze. white magic. Out of these early forms of magic and super- stition grew many curious customs that remain to this day. For example, in time of illness the David Phillips, lead author of an extensive medicine man applied his lips to the part that study of the effect of superstitions on the lives issued pain and “sucked out the evil spirit.” of those who believe in them, has stated that Mothers around the world still kiss the bruised superstitions of any kind can raise stress and finger or knee of their crying children to “kiss it anxiety levels. The scientists who conducted and make it well.” Many people still “knock on the study, which was published in March wood” to guard against their words or thoughts 2002, concluded that it is as if superstitions having been misunderstood by eavesdropping are hard-wired into the human brain, for they spirits who might wish to punish them by affect all people, regardless of educational bringing bad luck upon them. Some believe level or ethnicity. While numerous studies that the howling of a dog during the full moon have demonstrated that positive attitudes and predicts the death of its owner. To place three certain religious practices, such as prayer and chairs in a row accidentally means a death in meditation, can reduce stress, superstitions the family. If a sick person is changed from one that have become ingrained in someone’s room to another it is a sure sign that he will die. belief system can become extremely harmful. One who counts the number of automobiles in a funeral procession will die within the year. An open umbrella, held over the head indoors, Cats indicates approaching death. Perhaps no animal has inspired as much super- Scores of superstitions such as these still stition as the cat. Throughout history, cats have exist among people everywhere. Centuries been worshipped as gods by certain cultures ago, human beings entered into a superstitious and abhorred as demons by others. In European bondage from which they have never wholly folklore, the black cat is the traditional com- escaped. Many men and women today, in spite panion of witches. Because of this old belief,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 190 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

If a black cat crosses versal human cry for mother. Cats came to be one’s path, it is also worshipped with such intensity that the wan- considered a sign of bad ton killing of a cat was punishable by death. things to happen. Because the old Egyptians had a great fear of the dark, they observed with awe that the cat, a creature of the night, walked the shad- owed streets with confidence. Carefully con- sidering the import of the cat’s midnight vig- ils, the Egyptian sages decided that the cat was solely responsible for preventing the world from falling into eternal darkness. At the same time, the cat’s nocturnal excursions made it a symbol of sexuality and fertility. It seems quite likely that long before Cleopatra worked her magic on Caesar and Antony, the sirens of the Nile used makeup that mimicked the hypnotic eyes and facial markings of the cat. the black cat has become an omen of misfor- Bubastis, a city in Lower Egypt, dedicated tune and ill luck, and a popular notion is that itself to the worship of the cat. Each May unhappiness will follow quickly in the wake of some 700,000 pilgrims journeyed to the city to the black cat that crosses one’s path. participate in the festival of the cat. An old book called Beware the Cat (1584) During the Persian invasion of 529 B.C.E., gives warning that black cats are witches in the Egyptians’ deification of the cat proved disguise, and that killing a cat does not neces- their undoing. Knowing of the of the sarily mean killing the witch, for a witch can Egyptian people with the divinity of felines, take on the body of a cat nine times. In the Cambyses II, king of the Persians, made a cat Middle Ages, the brain of a black cat was con- part of the standard issue to each of his sol- sidered an essential ingredient in all recipes of diers. The Nile-dwellers led by King Psamtik the witches and witch doctors. III laid down their spears and bows for fear of harming the cat that each enemy soldier car- ried, and the Persians conquered the city of Pelusium without shedding a drop of blood. THROUGHOUT history, cats have been Some people believe that the unwavering stare of the cat can bring about illness or worshipped as gods by certain cultures. insanity or even cause death. Such an unrea- soning, fearful response to cats is known as ail- urophobia. Henry III of England (1207–1272) The old belief that a cat has nine lives goes would faint at the sight of a cat. Adolf Hitler back to ancient Egypt. The cat-headed god- (1889–1945) had plans to dominate the world dess, Bast (or Ubasti), was associated with the with his Third Reich, but the sight of a cat set benevolent aspect of Hathor, the Lioness, and him trembling. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769– was said to have nine lives. The Egyptians did 1821) arrogantly snatched the crown of the not fear the cat, but rather reverenced it, and Holy Roman Emperor from the pope and con- they elevated cats far above the role of domes- quered nearly all Europe, but when he spotted tic pet. To the Egyptians, the cat was trans- a cat in his palace, he shouted for help. formed from mouse catcher to supreme deity, Such dread of cats may be genetically the “Sayer of Great Words.” The Egyptian transmitted: when Joseph Bonaparte (1768– word for cat was Mau, which is at once an imi- 1844), King of Naples, visited Saratoga Springs tation of the animal’s call and the nearly uni- in 1825, he complained just before he fainted

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 191 that he sensed a cat’s presence. Although his ered entitled to a holiday on Monday. On hosts assured His Majesty that no such animal Monday, therefore, while others were back at was anywhere present, a persistent search work, the people who worked on Sunday had revealed a kitten hiding in a sideboard. a day of rest. Because the churches throughout Besides a glance that can bring on terror, Europe were decorated with blue on the first folklore also empowers the cat’s eyes with the Monday before Lent—which was a holiday or ability to see in the dark. Since all other crea- “lazy day” for everyone—the day of rest tures can see only in the daylight, to see at throughout the rest of the year for the Sunday night reverses the natural order of things and workers came to be known as “Blue Monday.” is perceived as sinister and satanic. Although the term is still used, now when people speak of a “Blue Monday,” they most Today the cat is not feared as it was in ear- often wish to convey that they feel lazy, tired, lier times, and it is now the most popular pet or would rather be on holiday than at work. among people in the United States, Australia, and France. However, many superstitious peo- The origin of the superstition concerning ple still regard a cat as an unlucky omen and Friday is traced by most authorities to the cru- believe that not only the black cat, but all cifixion of Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) cats, have nine lives. on that day. But some writers advance the the- ory that Friday is regarded as an unlucky day because, according to ancient tradition, it was Days of the Week on Friday that Adam and Eve partook of the The belief in lucky and unlucky days is very forbidden fruit and were cast out of paradise. old and appears to have been originally taught by the magicians of ancient Chaldea. The natives of Madagascar have since the earliest times believed in lucky and unlucky days of THE custom of marking unlucky days with birth, and in previous times if a child was born charcoal started the phrase “black-letter day.” on what they considered the unlucky day, it would be killed. The ancient Greeks believed that the 13th Followers of Islam try to avoid beginning day was unlucky for sowing, but favorable for any new enterprise on Wednesdays. For rea- planting. Many early peoples harbored the sons long forgotten, Wednesday is seen as a superstitious belief that it was best to sow seed bad day. Even today, many Muslims avoid at the full of the moon. Others maintained that even getting their hair cut on that day. And it was best to gather in the harvest when the such important occasions as weddings are moon was full. Still others regarded the cres- never scheduled for a Wednesday. cent moon as a fortunate omen. Even today in South Africa, many people consider it unlucky A familiar old rhyme preserves the old to begin a journey or undertake a work of superstitions concerning the personalities of importance during the last quarter of the moon. various children on various birthdays: “Mon- day’s child is fair of face,/Tuesday’s child is full of The Romans marked their lucky days with a grace,/Wednesday’s child is sour and sad,/Thurs- piece of chalk, their unlucky days with char- day’s child is merry and glad,/Friday’s child is coal. From this custom of marking unlucky days loving and giving,/Saturday’s child must work with charcoal started the phrase “black-letter for a living,/But the child that is born on Sun- day.” Today, “black-letter days” are generally day/Is blithe and bonny, good and gay.” ones remembered with regret because of some unfortunate occurrence connected with them. Dogs “Blue Monday” is an old phrase still in general usage. In early days those whose busi- Dogs, “man’s best friend,” do not have any of ness circumstances forced them to work on the kind of sinister superstitions that surround Sunday, the official day of rest, were consid- the cat, their domesticated companion and

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 192 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

A witch riding a from the 1926 book La Vie Execrable de Guillemette Babin by M.

Carron. (FORTEAN

PICTURE LIBRARY)

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 193 competitor in hundreds of thousands of house- associated the dog with the moon and the sun. holds around the world. Not only have dogs Such an association with the moon may have been humankind’s most consistent and consid- stemmed from the dog’s howling at the moon erate animal friend, but certain scientific on shadowy nights. The connection with the research now suggests that the human species sun may derive from the dog’s habit of walking might not be here today if it hadn’t been for an around in a small circle before it lies down. To ancient linkup with the canine family. In his early people, the making of such a circle was book Evolving Brains, biologist John Allman of to create a symbol of the sun. the California Institute of Technology stated In ancient Persia, dogs were believed to be that canines and humans formed a common able to protect the dying soul from possession bond more than 140,000 years ago and evolved by evil spirits. When a person was dying, a dog together in one of the most successful partner- was stationed by the bedside to keep away the ships ever fashioned. negative spirits that hovered near newly To the Native American tribes, as well as released souls. to all aboriginal people throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the wolf was the great teacher, and the social structure of early humans was largely patterned after the exam- CANINES and humans formed a common ples set by their canine instructors. Although among the vast majority of mammals the care bond more than 140,000 years ago. of the young is left solely to the mother, human tribes soon adopted the cooperative rearing strategy employed by the wolf, with The Greeks believed that dogs had the both parents participating in the rearing ability to perceive the presence of Hecate, the process. goddess of darkness and terror. While this According to the legends of several Native malign entity remained invisible to human American tribes, the first humans were creat- eyes and was thus able to work her evil unde- ed in the shape of wolves. At first these wolf tected, dogs were able to see her and warn people walked on all fours; then, slowly, began their human companions by barking and to develop more human characteristics until growling at her unseen presence in darkened they became men and women. corners. There is an old superstition that good luck Among the superstitions associated with will be granted to a person who is followed by the dog is the ancient belief that the howling a stray dog. If the dog should follow someone of dogs portends death and calamities. This on a rainy night, however, such action brings appears to be a relic of the time when humans bad luck. made deities of animals, and as a deity, the dog was supposed to be able to foresee death and give warning of it by howling or barking. This The Evil Eye superstition became perpetuated among the Among many people and cultures, the fear of Egyptians, who depicted the god that presided the evil eye persists as strongly today as in over the embalming of the dead as Anubis, ancient times. In the contemporary world of the jackal-headed deity. It was also Anubis’s superstitious beliefs, both men and women task to lead the spirits of the deceased to the can possess the evil eye and direct its negativi- hall of judgment. ty toward those who invoke its wrath. A vast Among many Native American tribes, it is array of charms, spells, and incantations for the dog who awaits the spirit of the newly the purpose of warding off evil influences has deceased on the Way of Departed Spirits and been passed down from generation to genera- who accompanies the entity to the Land of tion. In ancient times, the amulet intended the Grandparents. In addition to its role as a for protection against the evil eye was usually guide to the other side, a number of tribes just a bit of stone, a shell, or an image carved

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 194 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

Basket of evil eye on wood or bone. Today these amulets have against the evil eye, then the prescribed anti- charms for sale at an taken the form of good-luck charms and are dote is to spit as quickly as possible over the outdoor market in offered in such forms as miniature wishbones shoulder—preferably the left. Istanbul. (CORBIS or horseshoes, little china pigs or elephants. Even today among the country people of CORPORATION) The Dutch, the Irish, the Italians, the Greece, people with blue or green eyes are Egyptians, and the Chinese all fear the evil eye believed to be capable of matiasma, the evil and have charms for the purpose of warding off eye. Those people whose eyebrows are con- its evil influence. The Dutch place broad strips nected are also under suspicion, as well as of black paint upon their farmhouses; the Irish those individuals who, when they were babies, have special charm phrases; the Chinese had their breastfeeding interrupted. Most employ the universal means of fighting off the Greeks believe that those who possess matias- evil eye by spitting over the shoulder to fright- ma are not necessarily evil or malicious peo- en away the Evil One. Italians, especially the ple, but may simply have the uncontrolled men, wear a charm shaped like a small horn power to kill or injure livestock, cause around their necks as a deterrent to malocchio, mechanical breakdowns in machinery, and the evil eye. Some individuals may also spit precipitate various accidents. over their shoulder and cross themselves when The belief in the evil eye remains powerful they feel they have been the victim of maloc- among the Muslim and Christian Arabs of the chio. Even more effective than the sign of the Middle East. Mothers purposely leave their cross, many Italians feel, is to make the sign of children unwashed and shabbily clothed so the devil’s horns by extending the index and they will not attract the attention of malignant little finger. Ever since ancient times, if one men and women who might curse them with does not have a special amulet to defend the evil eye if their offspring should appear too

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 195 healthy or attractive. If one should ever inquire protection against throat problems if it is worn about her child’s health, the affectionate moth- on a ribbon around the neck. er will hastily emphasize any defect or illness Coral also is said to change color accord- the child has. Poor mothers dress their baby ing to the state of one’s health. An old tradi- sons as girls to counter the evil eye. Some give tion instructs mothers to hang an amulet of their children nonsensical names, such as “san- coral around an infant’s neck to save it from dal” or “toy marble,” so the possessor of the evil falls and illness. During the Middle Ages, eye will overlook them. Any compliment that coral amulets were worn as protection from may be directed at a woman’s child will quickly evil wrought by witchcraft. prompt the exclamation, “Mashallah!” (by the grace of God) from the wary mother. For centuries, opals have been thought to be lucky gems and to possess supernatural powers. Four-Leaf Clover The sapphire has also been a symbol of The superstition that the finding of a four-leaf good luck since the most ancient of times. clover can bring good luck is so old that its ori- The Greeks believed that to wear the sapphire gin is lost in antiquity. One of the oldest legends was to invite the favor of the gods. The dia- has it that Eve, upon being ejected from the mond was also considered lucky, particularly Garden of Eden, took a four-leaf clover with among the Romans. her. Because the clover was a bit of green from paradise, its presence in one’s own garden came to be looked upon as an omen of good luck. According to some traditions, a young woman seeking a husband should go in search AMBER is one of the oldest of all gem amulets. of a four-leaf clover. If she is fortunate enough to find one, she is to eat it. The first unmarried man she encounters after eating the clover will In many Arabian countries the favorite be the one she will wed. Another tradition of good-luck amulet is turquoise, which is often gaining a husband or wife is to find a four-leaf engraved with the name of Allah or a verse clover and place it in one’s shoe first thing in from the Koran. the morning. The first unmarried member of While certain people believe that pearls the opposite sex encountered that day will be bring bad luck, the Romans and Greeks wore one’s future spouse. pearls to win the favor of the goddess Venus. Asians generally esteem pearls to have medic- Gems inal properties and believe that to wear them The popular superstitions concerning gems are greatly improves the clearness and beauty of survivals of the ancient custom of wearing the skin. amulets. An amulet (from the Arab word The custom of wearing one’s birthstone hamala, “to carry”) is anything hung around the as a lucky gem still exists. Following are the neck, wrists, ankles, or in any way attached to birthstones that are traditionally believed to the person for the purpose of warding off evil or bring good luck to the wearers: January, gar- protecting against illness. For many individuals, net; February, amethyst; March, bloodstone; the gem amulets of modern times carry the same April, diamond; May, emerald; June, agate; powers to deflect the evil eye or other negative July, ruby; August, sardonyx; September, forces as they did in the days of the pharaohs. sapphire; October, opal; November, topaz; Amber is one of the oldest of all gem December, turquoise. amulets. Because it is said to change color with the state of one’s health, it is an excellent Horseshoes indicator of one’s physical condition. There is also a belief that amber has the power to pre- There is no greater symbol of good luck than vent illness, and that it will provide a special finding a horseshoe with the open hoof space

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 196 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

facing toward the fortunate discoverer. No ill domesticated horses and shod their hooves. omens seem to be connected with this partic- Many prehistoric stone monuments and struc- ular superstition. Even if a person merely tures, such as Stonehenge, are set in a horse- dreams of finding a horseshoe, good luck will shoe shape, quite likely associated with the come to him or her. In the modern world, it is early humans’ attempt to trace the move- not quite as easy to find a discarded horseshoe ments of the sun. as it was in the days before the automobile Nailing a horseshoe to the threshold of became the principal means of transportation, one’s home helps to bring good fortune to the so perhaps the horseshoe is even luckier in the family. The horseshoe, tacked in place with twenty-first century than it was in the past. three nails and the open end down, wards off According to one application of the old evil. superstition, the individuals who find a horse- In the old days, sailors used to see to it that shoe must first examine it to see how many a horseshoe was nailed to the foremast of their nails still remain in the holes. They must next vessels to keep witches and wizards from curs- count the number of holes, which then deter- ing the voyage or damaging the ship. mines how many weeks, months, or years Some traditions prescribe the hanging of (depending upon the beliefs of the region) it a horseshoe in the bedroom to prevent will be before they will become rich or will be nightmares from invading one’s sleep. If the married. In a variation on this process, it is the horseshoe is tacked points upward, the number of nails remaining that must be sleeper’s masculine powers will be increased. counted to determine the length of time If the sleeper is female, her latent powers before good luck arrives. According to yet will be awakened if the points are facing another interpretation, the number of nails downward. remaining in the horseshoe indicates the number of years of good luck that the finder will enjoy. Some traditions advise that one Knocking on Wood shouldn’t even bother with a found horseshoe unless it still has some nails remaining in it. The old superstition of knocking on or touch- ing wood to ensure continued good health or Some old accounts advise that one toss the fortune remains common today. One often horseshoe over the left shoulder and spit after it hears the expression used after someone has to increase the good luck that will soon arrive. stated something like, “I’ve never had a toothache,” then quickly adds, “knock on wood.” Many authorities on folklore and tra- ditions believe that the custom may have orig- THE last letter in the Greek alphabet, Omega, inated in the practice of touching wood upon is shaped like a horseshoe. every occasion of happiness or good fortune in gratitude and veneration to Christ who died upon a wooden cross. Others state that their research indicates The last letter in the Greek alphabet, that the ancient Druids of Great Britain and Omega, is shaped like a horseshoe, and per- Northern Europe began the practice with haps the ancient Greeks used reverse psychol- their belief that the trees housed deities. ogy when they tacked a symbol of “the end” Touching the trees in a respectful manner on their walls to protect themselves from the encouraged the gods and goddesses within to plague. The Romans must have thought the grant one’s physical selves health and prosper- horseshoe was an able defender against the ity and one’s spirit eternal life. Through the terrible disease, for they followed the Greek process of cultural evolution within the mass custom of placing a horseshoe on their walls. consciousness, the custom of touching or The U-shaped image of the horseshoe was knocking on wood came to be looked upon as undoubtedly revered even before humans a means of warding off ill luck.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 197

Ladders cipient is about to achieve a transition to a Ladders are among humankind’s earliest tools higher state of awareness. and constitute one of its most universal sym- bols. But where did the superstition originate that bad luck would dog one’s path if he or she walked under a ladder? It would seem to make LADDERS are among humankind’s great sense not to walk under a ladder while a carpenter is standing on it pounding in nails earliest tools. with a heavy-headed hammer. Is this supersti- tion just plain common sense? Going back to ancient Egypt, when the The archetypal ladder vision or dream for priests placed ladders in the tombs for the Christians and Jews is the one received by dead so they might ascend upward if they Jacob at Bethel when he perceived angels chose to do so, it was believed that spirits col- descending and ascending a ladder and giving lected in the space that formed in the area assurance to him that he would be the chosen between the ladder and the wall that it leaned vessel to extend the Jewish people into a against. When a ladder leans against a wall, it great nation (Genesis 28:11–19). Since that forms a natural triangle, and that particular seminal experience, dreams or visions of lad- geometric shape has been regarded as sacred ders have been associated with communica- since the most ancient of times. And since it tion with a higher source or with the rites of is a region to be venerated, it is also a space to passage. be avoided. Evil, as well as benign, spirits may be resting there. Numbers Those people who have somehow walked One of the most widespread of superstitious under a ladder can placate the disturbed spirits beliefs is that the number 13 is unlucky. So by immediately placing their thumb between pervasive is this notion that many hotels and their index and middle finger. This is an age- office buildings in Europe and the United old method of warding off bad luck. States do not have a room number 13. In Christian Europe in the Middle Ages, In Scandinavian mythology there were 12 individuals who inadvertently walked under a Aesir or gods living in relative harmony until ladder would cross their fingers on both hands, the god Loki came among them, making the calling upon the sign of the cross to protect 13th. Loki was cruel and evil, and according them from any evil entities lurking in the to the myths, he took special delight in caus- shadows existing between wall and ladder. ing human misfortunes. Because he was evil, Others would employ the always-reliable and because he was the 13th member of the method of spitting to banish the negative hierarchy of the gods, the number 13 came to beings, for best results, three times—one for be looked upon as an omen of ill luck. Anoth- the Blessed Virgin, one for the Son, and one er explanation for the origin of this supersti- for the Holy Ghost. tion also comes from Scandinavian mytholo- More optimistic folks altered the supersti- gy, which states the winged Valkyries, who tion to state that if a person was, through unusu- waited to escort the heroes fallen in battle to al circumstances, forced to walk under a ladder Valhalla, were 13 in number. against his or her will, he or she might receive The most popular explanation for the anything wished for. This is much preferable to superstition surrounding the number 13 is that the superstition that to tread under a ladder is to there were 12 apostles and their master Jesus foreshadow one’s being hanged. (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) who partook of the Last On the symbolical level, the ladder often Supper, Judas Iscariot being represented as the represents an individual’s spiritual quest as it 13th guest. According to Christian tradition, moves from a lower to a higher level. Seen in Judas betrayed his master after they had dreams, the ladder may symbolize that the per- observed the Passover meal. Judas later hanged

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 198 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

himself because of his guilt, and he was said to unlucky in China and Japan that many build- be damned for all time as his punishment. ings don’t list a fourth floor, the Chinese air It has long been a matter of etiquette in force will not assign the number to any of its France to avoid having exactly 13 guests at a aircraft, and even cartoon characters that have dinner or party. Napoleon (1769–1821) only four fingers are deemed bad luck. wouldn’t allow a dinner to begin if there were Among many Jews, even numbers are con- 13 guests at the table. There is a custom of the sidered unlucky, even dangerous. While there “quartrozieme,” a professional guest who can are no official Christian teachings regarding be called on short notice to avoid having only any numbers being lucky or unlucky, many 13 people dining at a dinner party. Although people believe that the number 12 has signifi- the superstition of 13 guests is not quite so cance because of the 12 apostles. And then strong in the United States, President Herbert there is the unholy number 666, which many Hoover (1874–1964) would not permit a gath- Christians attribute to Satan or the Antichrist. ering of 13 while he was in the White House. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) Rabbit’s Foot had the same superstition, and it is said that Experts cannot agree why the rabbit’s foot has his personal secretary was often called upon to become synonymous with good luck. The be the 14th guest at a dinner party. superstition that a front paw—or a hind paw— of a rabbit can bring good fortune is so old that its origins are lost in the mists of time. While it may be forgotten exactly why the furry little A professional guest, “quartrozieme,” can be called foot is lucky, the rabbit’s foot remains one of on short notice so a host can avoid having only 13 the most common of good-luck charms throughout Europe and North America. people at dinner party. Those who believe in the superstition don’t seem to be able to agree if the foot should be carried in the right pocket or the The number seven has been regarded with left. Some insist that it must be the right foot superstitious awe for centuries—some consider of the rabbit carried in the left pocket or the seven to be lucky; others, unlucky. Rather than left foot tucked into the right pocket. The foot being viewed as bringing good fortune or mis- may also be secured in a purse, a makeup kit, fortune, the number seven has long been con- or the door pocket of an automobile. sidered a digit of great power. For example, Wherever one carries the rabbit’s foot, the there are seven ecstasies of Zoroaster, the sev- general procedure is to stroke it three or four enth day that celebrates the Sabbath, the seven times before entering into any kind of social days of the week, the seven golden candlesticks event, athletic contest, or gambling effort. of Solomon’s temple. Among various early peo- Actors take out their rabbit’s foot before going ples, the seventh son of a seventh son was on stage or filming a big scene. Lecturers believed to be born with supernatural powers, a stroke their bunny’s paw before approaching boy who would become a wizard when he grew the lectern and making the speech that will to manhood. Likewise, the seventh daughter of inspire the audience. Athletic coaches likely a seventh daughter was believed to be born wear out several rabbit’s feet during a single with gifts of prophecy and healing. season of sporting contests. Chinese and Japanese people have a super- Some experts suggest that the most likely stitious fear of the number four, because the origin of the rabbit’s foot bringing good luck is word for death, shi, sounds just like the word for the gentle creature’s association with the holi- four. Even in the contemporary United States, day of Easter, which for Christians celebrates cardiac deaths for Chinese and Japanese Amer- the resurrection of Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 icans spike 7 percent higher on the fourth of C.E.). In actuality, there is nothing to connect each month. The number four is considered so a rabbit with any scriptural references to the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 199 death or resurrection of Jesus. Christian tradi- ing attack. Therefore, when they themselves tion borrowed the symbols of a rabbit and col- sneezed they cried, “God help me!” Because of ored eggs for children to hunt on Easter morn- this prayer they were allowed to live, and they ing from an even older religious tradition in spread the story of the healing benediction to all Northern Europe that portrayed the rabbit as the inhabitants of the district. The Icelanders the escort of the fertility goddess Eastre (East- have continued the custom of saying, “God help er). As Christianity spread through Europe, me!” when they themselves sneeze and “God the adaptation and incorporation of the rites help you!” when others sneeze. and symbols of Eastre into the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection transferred to the rabbit the dubious distinction of people attributing good fortune to the act of removing one of his hind PEOPLE believe a sneeze is a sign that the soul legs and carry it on their person. was giving them an omen. Sneezing

Many people believed that the soul was located In England during the seventeenth centu- inside the head, so they regarded the sneeze as a ry, it was the custom for all those within sign that the soul was giving them an omen, earshot of someone who sneezed to remove which some interpreted as a lucky omen, others their hats, bow, and shout, “God bless you!” In as unlucky. The Greeks, Romans, and Egyp- nineteenth-century England, someone origi- tians considered the sneeze a kind of internal nated a rhyme regarding the consequences of oracle that warned them in times of danger and sneezing on certain days of the week: foretold future good or evil. Sneezing to the Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for dan- right was considered lucky; to the left, unlucky. ger. Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger. An old Flemish belief maintained that a Sneeze on Wednesday, sneeze for a let- sneeze during conversation proved the truth ter. Sneeze on Thursday, something of a remark. Such a superstition was also better. Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for prevalent among the Greeks, the Romans, woe. Sneeze on Saturday, a journey to and the Egyptians. go. Sneeze on Sunday, your safety The custom of uttering a benediction, a seek—for Satan will have you for the “God bless you,” after the sneeze is universal, rest of the week! and each country has its own particular super- Many people believe that the custom of stition concerning it. The Romans believed uttering the benediction “God bless you!” after that the sneeze expelled evil spirits; therefore, a sneeze dates from the Great Plague that swept the act of sneezing was considered an effort on London in 1665. Other traditions are firm in the part of the person to rid his or her system stating that the practice began much earlier of evil spirits, and those present at the time during the pontificate of Gregory the Great (c. would say, “Good luck to you.” 540–604; pope 590–604). During this period a There is an old legend that before the time deadly pestilence raged throughout Italy that of the Old Testament patriarchs, people proved fatal to those who sneezed. The pope sneezed only once, and died. But the patriarch issued prayers to be said against the plague, Jacob interceded on behalf of humankind and accompanied by signs of the cross. It was during obtained a cessation of this law on the condi- this era, according to some scholars, that the tion that the benediction “God bless you!” custom of crying “God bless you!” to persons follow every sneeze. who sneezed became definitely established. In Iceland, according to legend, there was once a dreadful epidemic in which many people Spitting died. In a certain household, a brother and sister observed that everyone around them who suc- Since ancient times, one’s spittle has been val- cumbed to the disease was first seized by a sneez- ued as a charm against all evil. Spitting is a

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 200 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

way of consecrating or anointing. To spit on rubbing them with the spit of someone who anything has been accepted as a method of had been fasting. On occasion, mothers world- ensuring good luck or success in an undertak- wide use their spittle to rub over their child’s ing for so long that no one can determine bruise or cut to make it heal faster. when the practice began. M Delving Deeper Sailors spit on their ships for luck. Fisher- Bradley, John R. “The Evil Eye.” Arab News, April men spit over the edge of their boats to guar- 27, 2002. [Online] http://www.arabnews.com/ antee a good catch. Schoolboys spit on their Article.asp?ID=1472. shooter marbles for luck in knocking the other Gordon, Stuart. The Encyclopedia of Myths and Leg- players’ marbles out of the circle. In the old ends. London: Headline Books, 1993. days, those about to engage in a fistfight spit Hendrick, Bill. “Superstition Can Be Hazardous to on their knuckles to increase the power of Health, Researchers Find.” Cox News Service, their blows. Even today, some people who are March 8, 2002. [Online] http://www.news- about to undertake a difficult physical task journalonline.com/cgi-bin/printext.pl. first spit on their hands to make the job easier. Opie, Iona, and Moira Tatem, eds. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1989; New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1999. Shermer, Michael. Why People Believe Weird Things. SINCE ancient times, one’s spittle has been New York: W. H. Freeman, 1998. valued as a charm against all evil. Spencer, Linda. Knock on Wood. New York: Gramercy Books, 1995. Vyse, Stuart A. Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition. Oxford, UK: Oxford University In many cultures, if people accidentally Press, 1978. drop their money, they must spit on it for luck Walker, Barbara A. The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths after they retrieve it. Others spit on their and Secrets. New York: Harper & Row, 1983. money for luck before placing a bet on a sport- Waring, Philippa. A Dictionary of Omens and Supersti- ing event. Some individuals spit on their pay- tions. London: Souvenir Press, 1978. check to bless it before cashing it. Modern postal employees are used to seeing people spit on the envelopes containing contest entries before the hopeful contestants drop them in Strange Customs the mail slot. and Taboos Almost universally, if people feel that a per- n 2001, bits of stone etched with intricate son with evil intent has put the evil eye on patterns were found in the Blombos Cave them, they must spit immediately to protect Ieast of Cape Town on the southern African themselves from the curse. Whenever individu- shores of the Indian Ocean. Scientists were sur- als sense that a spell of witchcraft for sorcery has prised when the chunks of stone were dated at been directed toward them, they must spit over 77,000 years old, indicating that ancient their left shoulder. If one should awaken from a humans were capable of complex behavior and frightening nightmare, one must spit over the abstract thought thousands of years earlier than left shoulder three times to be certain that it previously expected. In Europe, thousands of doesn’t come true. Even if one should encounter sites have been excavated and artifacts Satan himself, the Prince of Darkness can be unearthed that prove that what would be con- made to disappear if one spits between his horns. sidered modern behavior existed there about In the gospel accounts of the ministry of 40,000 years ago. From everything that we Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.), the miracle worker understand about human evolution, certain from Nazareth healed people of blindness and forms of behavior were already being accepted deafness with his spittle. The ancient Greeks as customs and certain actions judged as taboos believed that eye troubles could be cured by even in those earliest of times.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 201

ome stories of alleged supernatural occur- rences cannot really be classified as either urban legends or hoaxes, but as accounts Sthat have been told so often that the truth of the original report has become obscured over the The Curse years. Perhaps a classic story of this type would be the curse of King Tut. of King Tut The following individuals have been linked to Tut’s curse: • Sir William Garstin • Howard Carter’s canary • A. Lucas • Lord Carnarvon • Arthur E. P. Weigal • Sheik Abdul Haman • The Honorable Mervyn Herbert • Jay Gould • Richard Bethel •Woolf Joel Sources: • Sir Archibald Douglas Reid Curse of King Tut’s Tomb. [Online] http://www.mummytombs.com/ • Lady Carnarvon egypt/kingtut.htm. “Howard Carter and the Mummy’s Curse.” The UnMuseum. • Professor Cisanova [online] http://www.unmuseum.org/mummy.htm. • Georges Benedite Wilson, Colin, and Damon Wilson. The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2000. • Albert M. Lythgoe

Customs are those activities that have even the most innocent of hand gestures in been approved by a social group and have their home culture may be considered offen- been handed down from generation to genera- sive in another. It must soon become apparent tion until they have become habitual. Howev- to any fairly objective observer that the tradi- er, many customs vary from culture to culture, tional values and customs of one culture may and those who visit other countries may sud- be considered very strange by another. denly discover that the simplest of customary When an action or activity violates behav- actions in their own society may be misinter- ior considered appropriate by a social group, it preted as improper in another. For example, is labeled a “taboo,” a word that we have bor- whether they are being introduced to some- rowed from the Polynesian people of the South one for the first time or greeting an old friend, Pacific. An act that is taboo is forbidden, pro- men and women in western nations are accus- hibited, and those who transgress may be ostra- tomed to shake hands. While the clasping of cized by others or, in extreme instances, killed. hands is intended as a gesture of friendship by While the marriage of near-blood relations Westerners, the people of many Asian coun- is prohibited in contemporary civilization, in tries may be alarmed by the boldness of a earlier societies it was quite common. The stranger who extends a hand, for they prefer to ancient gods of Egypt, Isis and Osiris, brother bow as a sign of goodwill. and sister, provided an example for royal cou- Some travelers to foreign countries have ples, as pharaohs commonly married their sis- also discovered much to their dismay that ters. The Hebrew patriarch Abraham took as a

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 202 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

wife his half-sister, and Abraham’s nephew There are few universal taboos, for soci- Lot committed incest with his own daughters. eties continue to evolve. Acts that were con- Polygamy, the marriage of one man and sev- sidered forbidden at one time have developed eral women or one woman and several men, is into an acceptable social activity. For exam- prohibited in modern civilization, but there are ple, seeing a couple kissing in public would still religious groups in nearly every nation who seldom raise an eyebrow today, but in the justify plural marriages as being ordained by the Puritan New England of the 1690s, such a deity they worship. The history of every modern harmless act would have sent the man and culture is replete with accounts of kings, caliphs, woman to the stocks and public humiliation. emperors, and patriarchs who had numerous On the other hand, kissing a woman in public wives. The great Solomon, the prototype for the might still get a man jailed or fined in many of wise ruler and credited with writing some of the the Islamic nations in the Mid-East. world’s greatest love poetry, is said to have had As the world grows smaller because of mod- 700 wives and 300 concubines. ern transportation and its diverse inhabitants encounter people from different cultures more often than ever before in the history of the human species, it becomes increasingly difficult HINDU religious doctrines order both man and to condemn one person’s custom as another’s taboo. Within a nation, such as the United woman involved in infidelity, humiliated, mutilated or States, which has always endeavored to main- killed, depending upon their caste. tain a democratic, pluralistic society, an influx of immigrants from Asia and Africa, which began in the 1970s, has made the task of bal- ancing cultural variety with traditional Ameri- Adultery, an act of infidelity on the part of can mainstream values more and more difficult. a married individual, is one of the most univer- Barbara Crosette, writing in the March 8, sal of the taboos. The code of Moses con- 1999 issue of The New York Times, tells of a demned both parties involved in the act to be refugee from Afghanistan who was arrested in stoned to death. The Hindu religious doctrines Maine when he was seen kissing his baby boy’s order both man and woman, humiliated, muti- genitals. The father was exhibiting a tradi- lated or killed, depending upon their caste. In tional expression of love that had long been ancient Egypt, the male offender was castrated, practiced in his culture, but to his neighbors and the woman’s nose was cut off. In ancient and the police, he was abusing his child. In Greece, the guilty pair might be killed by being another instance, Cambodian parents were dragged behind horses or starved. As the accused of child abuse by teachers and social Greek civilization matured, adulterers were workers because of their traditional cures of seldom killed, but they were deprived of all placing hot objects on their children’s fore- public privileges and sometimes covered from heads during an illness. head to foot with wool to render their guilt In this section, the fascinating evolution of easily visible by others. The laws in Old Scan- the customs and taboos surrounding courtship dinavia permitted the offended husband to and marriage, hospitality and etiquette, and castrate his wife’s lover and to kill his spouse. burials and funerals is explored. While some of While adulterers may still be dealt with the customs of the past may seem amusing or quite harshly in many societies around the quaint, primitive or savage, certain elements of world, in most Western nations the act of infi- such barbaric acts as capturing one’s bride have delity is regarded with great tolerance. Men been preserved in many traditions is still prac- and women who have been unfaithful to their ticed in the modern marriage ceremony. spouses are seldom ostracized by the public at large, and adultery by one of the marriage M Delving Deeper partners is no longer considered necessary as Armand, Denis. Taboo: Sex & Morality Around the grounds for divorce. World. London: W. H. Allen, 1996.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 203

Crossette, Barbara. “When One’s Custom is Another’s ples even today, a marriage is not solemnized Taboo,” The New York Times on the Web, March 6, until the first child is born, and if no child is 1999. [Online] http://www.nytimes.com. born the man is at liberty to leave the woman. Fielding, William J. Strange Customs of Courtship and Biologists have long noted that among the Marriage. London: Souvenir Press, 1961. lower animals the natural instinct is to protect Gelber, Carol. Love and Marriage Around the World. the young and supply food for their subsistence. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1998. Before humankind began to gather in Hunt, Morton M. The Natural History of Love. New clans and tribes, what passed for courtship York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. was likely a raid on a distant group of humans Walker, Barbara G. The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths that resulted in the capture of a woman who and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983. was forced to participate against her will in an instant marriage. True courtship practices Courtship and Marriage between the sexes did not exist to any great extent, and feelings of fondness or affection, Many anthropologists and social historians have if they entered into the equation at all, expressed their views that early humans prac- resulted from compatibility extended over a ticed polygamy (one man with several women period of time. As the human species became in the marriage union) or polyandry (several more mannered and various religious rites men with one woman). In either case, quite began to be observed, young men and women likely the women involved in the union proba- sought to make themselves attractive to non- bly had been captives before they were wives. family members of the opposite sex who Although these marital circumstances may resided near them in the same village or have existed for quite some time among early series of villages. Rules of exogamy, which humans, there are a number of reasons why denied marriage between persons of the same neither polygamy nor polyandry could have bloodline, and the laws of endogamy, which survived as universal or general practices. For prohibited marriage with any persons except one thing, some societies practiced infanti- those of the same bloodline, arose to define cide, killing primarily female infants, and cre- the pool of eligible mates from which young ating a scarcity of women. For another, among people could choose. those tribes and nations who were constantly at war with each other, there would inevitably be a scarcity of men in proportion to the women. And even though the women of the FROM the earliest tribal gatherings, young conquered foe were usually considered among the spoils of war, more were killed in the people have hoped to attract favorable attention to bloody battles than were dragged off as unwill- themselves as potential marriage partners by spending ing mates of the victors. Regardless of the rea- sons for the disproportion between the sexes, time in ornamenting, mutilating, painting, and they would lead to monogamy, the marriage of tattooing themselves. one man to one woman—marriage as it most commonly exists in modern civilized societies. In communities where men were scarce, a Anthropologists and various scientists of woman would try to hold the affections of one social behavior theorize that from the earliest man to be assured of his protection and a con- tribal gatherings, young people have hoped to stant supply of food. In those tribes or societies attract favorable attention to themselves as where women were in short supply, a man potential marriage partners by spending a would want to be assured of at least one great deal of time in ornamenting, mutilating, woman whom he would not have to share. painting, and tattooing themselves, much as Some social historians argue that children they do in contemporary times. presented the greatest incentive toward In the early developmental stages of monogamy. Among many primitive tribal peo- courtship, those tribal cultures that permitted

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 204 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

their young to have some role in the selection Buying a Bride. Marriage through purchase of their mates might dictate that if there were was quite likely the next stage in the evolu- two or more suitors for the hand of a woman, tion of courtship. The transition from mar- the men would have to wrestle and fight for the riage by capture was much more peaceful a opportunity to become the victorious husband. manner to gain a bride for a young man. In These struggles were seldom to the death, but earlier times when a bride was stolen from a were in keeping with the custom among vari- village by men from another tribe, members of ous peoples of forcing young men to undergo the captured woman’s clan would set out to tests of endurance before granting them permis- avenge their loss. Perhaps after centuries of sion to marry. The underlying principle was such violent reprisals, some unidentified wise that no man should have a wife until he has man or woman suggested that instead of fight- proved that he is able to protect her. ing and chancing people being killed, why not have the bridegroom offer compensation to the parents of the daughter that he had stolen from them? Perhaps after a few more centuries THE screams, tears, and struggles of the bride had passed, another wise man or woman sug- gested that the potential bridegroom simply shows her bashfulness and modesty. buy the bride without going through all the effort of kidnapping her. In the traditions of a wide variety of peoples from the nomadic Jews Capturing a Bride. Courtship by capture and Arabs to the Native American tribes, a contributed its share of customs to the rituals beautiful daughter became a valuable asset. In of modern marriage. The screams, tears, and later years, a variation on marriage by pur- struggles of the bride among various peoples chase united the feudal kingdoms of Europe. are known to be merely a part of the marriage Perhaps even more common than buying a routine; yet they are considered absolutely bride was the ancient custom of gaining a wife essential to show her bashfulness and modesty. by working for her father for a certain period The conscious or unconscious simulation of of time. Such an exchange of a prized daugh- capture as retained in later systems of marriage ter for an agreed-upon term of labor was prac- appears to be due to a much earlier concept of ticed among many of the early societies and modesty and delicacy. Even after the estab- tribes of America, Africa, and Asia. Many are lishment of Christianity had abolished mar- familiar with the Old Testament story of how riage by capture throughout all of Europe, the Jacob worked 20 years for his uncle Laban to Anglo-Saxons persisted in simulating the cap- gain Leah, a bride whom he did not want, and ture of the bride. Rachel, whom he loved (Genesis: 29, 30). Among the Arabs of the Sinai peninsula, a Among many early peoples, valuable pre- girl acquires a permanent reputation of chasti- sents were given to the parents by the bride- ty and modesty in proportion to her tears and groom instead of a monetary payment. In her struggles of resistance on her marriage day. Japan, it was the custom of a suitor to send cer- In many Irish traditions, a marriage is consid- tain previously stipulated gifts to the parents of ered scarcely legal unless the bride attempts to the young woman whom he wished to marry. If escape and the bridegroom overtakes and the initial gifts were accepted, negotiations “captures” her. A custom in Wales requires the would begin to discuss the marriage agreement. relatives of the bride to grab her as she reaches the church door and run off with her, forcing The prospective groom in many Native the bridegroom and his party to follow in pur- American tribes exchanged horses for his bride. suit. When the stolen bride is recaptured, she The fathers in African tribes considered it is at once handed over to the groom. A popu- proper to exchange cattle for their daughters. lar superstition arising from this tradition is The word “wedding” hearkens back to the that whoever of the groom’s friends caught her time when men purchased their wives. The wed will be married within the year. was the money, horses, or cattle that the groom

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 205 gave as a pledge to acquire his bride from her Mutual Love. Mutual love, wherein mem- father. From wed is derived the later idea of bers of the opposite sex are able to determine wedding or pledging the bride to the man who their marriage partner based upon emotional promises to provide her future security. feelings, could not develop until the time The spread of Christianity throughout when humans began to establish themselves Europe dealt a fatal blow to the custom of in tribes and clans and attained a certain marriage by purchase and brought about a amount of stability in their social environ- more wholesome attitude toward women, as ment. While the primary impetus of tribal well. But it required several generations before humans was still survival, periods of leisure the civilized world was largely freed from the time developed by the process of banding demeaning customs of wife purchase and together and developing divisions of labor. It woman barter, although it is known that in was at that level of civilization that men seek- some more primitive regions of the world, ing a mate began to abandon courtship by kid- such practices continue today. napping or conquest. It was no longer neces- sary to steal a bride from another tribe and risk Infant Betrothals. Among early tribal cul- retaliation and death. Villages were growing tures, betrothals were commonly arranged by larger, and there were eligible women avail- parents between their infant daughters and able from clans with which political or reli- their future husbands, sometimes even before gious alliances had been formed. the girls were born. Infant males also had their brides selected for them by their families, most In those early days of building permanent often with a girl from a family with whom an social structures, men and women began to alliance would be profitable. Among those devise various ways of making themselves societies in which people arranged the mar- attractive to the opposite sex by ornamenting, riages of their children in infancy, the mutilating, painting, and tattooing them- betrothals were considered absolutely binding. selves. It is also likely this elementary level of romance consisted of two people sneaking For most of the Polynesian people, the away from their clans at night for some priva- father had absolute power of life and death cy; such forms primitive expressions of mutual over his children, and he could promise his attraction began to alter in dramatic ways the infant children in marriage to whomever he ancient customs of courtship. wished to suit his own ambitions. Many African tribes practiced infant betrothal. The Fiji islanders arranged for their chil- dren to be married when they were three or IT was an ancient custom of gaining a wife by four years old. A ceremony was performed for the children at that time that remained binding working for her father for a certain period of time. upon the bride and groom when they became mature. Such types of infant marriages were also common in India and among the tribes of Since primitive times, the underlying prin- New Guinea, New Zealand, and Tahiti. ciple of courtship has been that no man may In the old traditions of certain Eskimo have a wife until he can prove that he is able to tribes, as soon as a girl was born, a man who protect her. If two men were attracted to the wanted her for a wife went to her father and same woman, the one who won her hand might made an offer of marriage. If the husband-to- first have to win a competition of physical be was a child, his father acted on his behalf prowess. In many societies, the potential groom and made the offer of marriage to the infant was forced to undergo tests of endurance to girl’s father. If the offer was accepted, a prove his ability to guard his wife and their betrothal promise was given that was consid- family from danger. Such customs survived in ered as binding as the marriage ceremony, and many cultures for centuries, and while few suit- the girl would be delivered to her husband ors today engage in feats of endurance to win when she had reached the proper age. their brides, it is not uncommon for contempo-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 206 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

rary women to select the stronger suitor, per- of a spouse whether or not her parents, clan, or haps yielding on an unconscious level to the church approved, the practice of a couple run- ancient instinct of self-preservation. ning off together (eloping) was born. In the early days of transition from mar- Quite likely, however, the tradition of a riage by abduction to relationships developed young woman eloping with the man of her by individuals with a mutual attraction for choice began when marriage by purchase was one another, most marriages were arranged still a grim reality. To avoid marrying a man and wives could be purchased. The evolution who was able to pay the bride-price her parents of romance would create great conflicts with demanded but who personally disgusted her, a these old traditions. young woman would run away from her par- ents and elope with the man she really loved. Obviously elopement could never have thrived in primitive societies. Women were THE dowry was a way of compensating the guarded too closely, and their parents husband as the newlyweds began their life together. arranged marriages to suit their own purposes, caring nothing about the wishes or happiness of the girl. Hope Chest and Dowry. The “hope chest” According to many social historians, the that many modern young women still main- Greeks “invented” love in the Golden Age of tain is largely a social relic that hearkens back Greece (about 480 to 399 B.C.E.). The Greeks to the old custom of the dowry. The dowry gave love two names: eros (physical love) and derived from the even older custom of mar- agape (spiritual love). Yet for all its familiar riage by purchase and was a way of compensat- aspects, love in classic Greece was still quite ing the husband as the newlyweds began their different from the concept of mutual attrac- life together. tion between man and woman that serves as the standard for marriage in the modern West- In ancient Greece, once a betrothal had ern world. Marriages were still arranged by been announced, the dowry amount of the parents, and a solemn betrothal almost invari- bride was settled, and her social position as a ably preceded the actual marriage. married woman depended largely upon the value of her dowry. On some occasions, the For centuries, marriages in Europe contin- daughters of poor parents in Athens were ued to be arranged for monetary, religious, and granted dowries by the city-state or by wealthy political advantages. Those couples who private individuals. found themselves attracted to individuals other than the mate chosen by their parents Among many European cultures, it was tra- were forced to take matters into their own dition that a young woman should make every hands and defy family, society, and sometimes bit of household linen that went into her hope their religious traditions. chest to ensure happiness for her marriage. In old Romania, it was once customary for girls as Elopement. It was not until the ninth cen- young as five to begin working on their bridal tury that women in Europe began to gain the finery. As each article was completed, it was privilege of choosing or refusing their husbands placed carefully away in the hope chest until according to their own judgment. Although it the time when a proper suitor appeared. is known from biblical accounts, mythology, and legends that love between man and In the Europe and Great Britain of only a woman existed long before this period, there few generations ago, wardrobes and closets in had been little chance of mutual love existing which to hang clothes were uncommon, so when marriage by capture and marriage by pur- chests of various sizes were used to store away chase were the prevailing methods of household linens and wearing apparel. In most courtship. Once women began to accept the homes there would be one chest set aside for idea that they could have a say in the selection the daughter, and into this chest she would

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 207 place the handmade linens and other items she the world by means of Western motion pic- would use one day in “the home of her hopes.” tures and military personnel, a kiss in Samoa The Lovers’ Kiss. Some anthropologists was a sniff in the air beside a sweetheart’s theorize that the origin of the kiss of affection cheek. Polynesians showed affection by rub- is to be found in a mother’s caresses and gentle bing noses together—as did the Laplanders nibbles on her child’s body. Out of these and the Eskimo. Neither the Chinese nor the maternal caresses grew the kiss of feeling and Japanese kissed on the lips. Until quite recent- reverence as known today. However, the act ly in the evolution of the customs and taboos of kissing one’s sweetheart on the mouth as a of love and marriage, it was only in North form of affection did not develop until com- America and Europe that the kiss was an paratively late in the evolution of love. important element in courtship. Among Semitic people, a kiss on the Exchanging of Gifts. Throughout all of the cheek has been considered a traditional form history of courtship, it is likely that the pre- of blessing or greeting for centuries. Some sentation of gifts by the groom-to-be to the ancient Romans kissed a person’s eyes or object of his affections or to her father is one mouth as a form of greeting, but it was done in of the surest methods of winning approval— a cursory manner. Roman husbands kissed and in earlier cultures the idea of a lavish their wives on the mouth at the end of the betrothal gift meant a great deal more than it day, but their motive was not at all romantic. does today. In times past, the suitor felt that They were checking their spouses’ breath to part of himself was being given to his beloved see if they had been sitting around drinking and her family. wine all day. Kissing the hand or the foot or even the ground on which some royal personage would walk was deemed a mark of respect and AMONG Semitic people, a kiss on the cheek homage in ancient times, but scholars of social has been considered a traditional form of blessing or customs cannot trace the kiss on the lips as a form of affection between lovers ever occur- greeting for centuries. ring in antiquity. One of the earliest definite instances of kissing as a form of love and affection appears In Japan, the sending of presents to the to have developed in Tours, France, in the bride by the groom is one of the most essential sixth century, when it became fashionable for aspects of the marriage ceremony. Once the a young man to give his betrothed a ring as a gifts have been received by the bride and symbol that he was bound to her. In addition, accepted, the marriage contract is considered he would gift her with a pair of shoes, to indi- complete and neither party can withdraw cate his subjection to her, and a kiss on the from the union. lips as a seal of his affection. Among many Native American tribes, the In France, the kiss as a form of affection suitor was expected to bring gifts of horses, between sweethearts developed rapidly and hides, or any item that might be esteemed to soon found a permanent place in courtship the woman’s father as an indication of his and love. When social dancing become popu- prosperity and his ability to care for the man’s lar, almost every turn on the dance floor daughter in a marital relationship. ended with a kiss. From France the kiss spread A certain aura of romance has centered quickly all over Europe. around flowers since early humans began to Until after World War II (c. 1945), kissing notice the beauty of nature and developed the one’s sweetheart on the lips was largely a aesthetic sense necessary to draw correlations Western habit, and most Asians were between the appeal of a flower and the attrac- strangers to the practice. In the years before tive qualities of one’s beloved. It was a custom the lovers’ kiss was demonstrated throughout among the ancient Greeks for two lovers to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 208 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

wear flowers in full bloom to indicate a love engaged couple may not see each other or talk newly awakened. Once the lovers had to each other until the day of the wedding. exchanged their engagement vows, they wore In old Russia, it was considered a great dis- the same kind of flower in their hair as a pub- grace for a man to propose directly to his lic emblem of their betrothal. sweetheart. Until the two sets of parents had In Indonesian Timor, a woman bestows the settled the amount of the dowry and selected highest mark of attachment upon her lover the exact day of marriage, the prospective when she gives him the flower garland from her bridegroom was strictly forbidden to see his hair. Among the Polynesians, men and women betrothed or even venture near her home. alike wear flowers behind their ears when they Some scholars have suggested that customs are in love. The flower, it seems, has been the such as these forbidding the interaction of the quintessential gift between lovers in many cul- intended marriage partners before the day of tures for many centuries, and it is the consider- the wedding hearkens back to even earlier ate suitor of today who remembers to call upon times when the bride’s parents might have his sweetheart bearing a bouquet of flowers. feared that they would be cheated of her bride-price if their daughter decided to elope with her betrothed before the wedding day. While most modern couples continue to see FLOWERS have been the quintessential gift one another until the day of the wedding, the old superstition persists that if the bride permits between lovers in many cultures. herself to be seen by the groom before the actu- al time of ceremony on the day of the wedding, the marriage will be blighted with bad luck. The Engagement Announcement. While it is The Bridal Shower. Many consider the cus- still considered good relations for a young man tom of the bridal shower to be one of the more to obtain the formal consent of his sweet- charming of the old traditions handed down to heart’s parents before asking for her hand in modern brides from centuries past. In contem- marriage, for most modern couples in the porary times, the bridal shower is essentially a United States, Great Britain, and Europe that social occasion during which friends and rela- particular old custom is seldom observed. tives of the bride wish her well on her approach- Today, once a man and woman have decided ing marriage and present her with gifts. to marry, there is usually the presentation of The custom of the bridal shower grew out of an engagement ring to the woman, and as a earlier times when a poor woman’s family might couple they simply make an announcement of not have the money to provide an acceptable their intentions to family and friends. dowry for her, or, in some circumstances, when While it is not uncommon in contempo- a stubborn father refused to give his daughter rary society to celebrate an engagement with a her dowry because he did not approve of the dinner party, in many earlier societies the marriage. In such situations, friends of the occasion of a betrothal required a feast of great woman would gather together and bring her festivity and celebration. Among certain peo- gifts that would compensate for the dowry and ples, the betrothal was not considered binding allow her to marry the man of her choice. until a feast had been given and both families The Bridal Dress. The bride in the West- had eaten together. ern world traditionally wears a gown of white, Among many of the Afghan tribes, no man as an emblem of purity. In many Asian coun- may even see or speak to his promised wife tries, however, the bride may wear a black from the time of betrothal until marriage. In bridal dress. Greece, the rings for betrothal are exchanged Even before it denoted purity, white repre- in the priest’s presence, and the engagement sented the color of joy. The early Romans may then not be broken without the consent always wore white on occasions of rejoicing, of the priest. Following the betrothal, the such as birth and feast days. The white rose

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 209 was an emblem of joy among the Greeks. The The bridesmaids enter after the guests and aboriginal inhabitants of Patagonia in south- family members have been seated, walking ern Argentina painted their bodies white on down the aisle most often one at a time, every joyous occasion. The whole bodies of though some traditions favor them approach- the bride and groom were covered with white ing the altar two by two. The bridesmaids may paint on the eve of their wedding ceremony. wear colorful gowns, often similar in design to Some social historians believe that the tra- the bride’s, but they may never wear white, a dition of the bridal veil originated in the cov- color reserved for that of the bride. ering of the bride in ancient times to show her Flower girls may precede the bridesmaids, submission. Others believe that the veil origi- or they may walk just in front of the bride. In nated in sexual shyness in women and the medieval times, it was customary to have two attempt to hide from view. Among some early little girls, usually sisters, dressed exactly alike, peoples, the bride was draped completely in a carry garlands of wheat and walk in front of shroud that she wore during the marriage cer- the bride. The bouquets of wheat symbolized emony. Once the wedding ritual ceremony the wish of family and friends that the union was completed, she was uncovered and the between bride and groom would prove fruitful. shroud was placed in a chest. It would be Later, flowers carried in small ornamental bas- taken out again only when the woman was kets replaced the garlands of wheat, and petals ready to be buried. were often strewn from these baskets in the It is well known that among various path of the bride. ancient peoples it was customary to keep the bride hidden from her future husband until the day of the wedding. In Egypt, for instance, the groom was not permitted to see the face of THE custom of the bridal shower grew out of his bride until the marriage ceremony when he engaged in the solemn ritual of uncovering earlier times when a woman’s family might not have her visage. The same sort of custom was the money for a dowry. observed among the Arabs, the Indians, and among other European and Asiatic peoples.

It has been a custom for brides to wear The maid or matron of honor, who is unat- gloves since the time of ancient Egypt. In tended, comes next, followed by the bride. The Egyptian hieroglyphics, the glove is the sym- bride is always the last to enter, and she walks bol of the hand. The word itself signifies to down the aisle leaning on the arm of her father give, to honor. or whoever is to give her away at the altar. A The “something blue” that brides are told page or pages, usually a young boy closely relat- to wear during their wedding is a tradition bor- ed to either bride or groom, may be added to rowed from the ancient Israelites when young the group to bear the train of the bride’s gown. women were advised to place upon the borders It has been suggested by some historians that of their fringed garments a ribbon of blue, the the tradition of the bride carrying a bouquet of color of purity, love, and fidelity. According to flowers began as a precaution against body the old bridal saying, the bride is to wear: odor. In the Middle Ages, according to these “Something old and something new, Some- scholars, most people planned to be married in thing borrowed and something blue.” June because they took their yearly bath in The Wedding Procession. Most of the tradi- May and were still smelling good. Brides car- tional wedding observances that are honored ried a bouquet of flowers to guard against any today in North America originated in Europe offensive odors that might have developed and the United Kingdom during the Middle since their annual bathing ritual. Ages. Then as now, the ushers enter first, The “best man” who attends the groom is escorting guests and relatives to appropriate quite likely a relic of marriage by capture. seating before the altar. When a young man in those ancient times set

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 210 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

out to capture a bride, he was usually accom- mony. The position of the bride reflects a much panied by a strong-armed friend who helped earlier period when the groom needed to have defend the groom against the pursuing father his sword arm free in case he had to defend and relatives of the stolen woman. In them against an attack by a jealous rival or a medieval times, the groomsmen were known family member who violently objected to the as bride knights, whose duty it was to guard union. The best man is positioned on the and protect the bride on her way to the groom’s right, immediately behind him, hear- church, accompany her down the aisle to the kening back to those same earlier times when altar, and after the ceremony had been con- he might have to help the groom fight off more ducted, relinquish her to the groom. than one assailant while the couple were The origin of the bridesmaids also hear- attempting to declare their marriage vows. kens back to marriage by capture. As that The gift of a small item of personal jewelry form of brutal courtship was fading into that the groom presents to his groomsmen is a humankind’s memories of ancient ways better survival of primitive courtship when the forgotten, it remained the custom for the bride prospective groom set out to capture a bride to pretend that she was being carried away with the help of his friends. If they were suc- against her will and wished to escape from the cessful in catching a suitable wife for the groom’s clutches. During the transition time groom, he would reward them with gifts. Dur- between courtship traditions, it was consid- ing a later time period, when the bride knights ered modest and maidenly for the bride to kept watch over the bride, it was she who pre- feign a struggle before being led down the sented the gifts, rather than the groom. aisle. To add to the fray, the bride’s friends and family would rush the groom and his party in a The Wedding Ceremony. As the methods of mock attempt to rescue her. As the bride- courtship and the subsequent marriage rites groom’s defending clansmen developed into evolved in various ways, it was inevitable that the groomsmen, the bride’s attacking family an element of religion should enter into the evolved into the bridesmaids, who remain at ceremonies. As humankind progressed from the her side during the ceremony. primitive stalking of a bride, to the purchase of a wife, to mutual love between bride and groom, the linking together of two lives grew in importance to the community at large. Even in the early stages of civilization, the dissolution IN the Middle Ages, most people married in June of a marriage, especially one that had produced because they took their yearly bath in May and were children, was troublesome and upsetting to the entire tribe or village. In order to help avoid a still smelling good. couple separating after marriage, a religious ele- ment entered the process and a divinity or a deity was invoked to help strengthen the ties The question, “Who gives this woman to that bound bride and groom. this man?” asked by the officiating clergyper- There are many different individual son in contemporary wedding ceremonies is a denominations under the general theological relic of marriage by purchase. It is at this point umbrella of Christian and under the two main in the ceremony that the father of the bride divisions of Roman Catholic and Protestant. responds to the question by offering the arm of There may be many distinctive elements his daughter to the groom and telling the cler- involved in what may be termed a Christian gyperson, “I do.” In recent years, some cere- wedding, but most of the ceremonies are simi- monies include both the mother and father of lar. In most circumstances, the wedding takes the bride responding “we do,” to the question place within about three or four months of the of who gives the bride to the groom. couple’s engagement announcement. Although Custom also dictates that the bride always Christian weddings need not take place in a stands to the left of the groom during the cere- church before an altar, most marriage cere-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 211 monies are performed in a church familiar to After the wedding ceremony, the newly- either or both the bride and groom. weds leave the church as the guests throw rice On the day of the wedding, the groom or pieces of confetti over them. There is a arrives at the church in the company of his reception in the church basement or in a hall best man. The bride awaits them in the com- where dinner is served to the invited guests pany of her attendants, her bridesmaids, and, and gifts are presented to the newlyweds. on occasion, a matron of honor, perhaps an Depending upon the beliefs of the individual older sister or some other relative. When the denomination or congregation, a dance may ceremony begins, the groom, his best man, follow the dinner and the gift-giving. After and his groomsmen enter at the front of the the party, the couple leaves their family and church and join the priest or pastor at the friends and departs on their honeymoon. altar. Once they are in position, the organist, Jewish weddings are always events of great orchestra, or other musical accompaniment, celebration and are usually performed on Sun- begins to play a piece of music that signals the days. On the Sabbath before the wedding, the entrance of the bridesmaids, who one by one groom must go to the synagogue and read from walk down the aisle to stand opposite the the Torah. As in other traditions, the bride is groom and groomsmen. When their proces- attired in a white gown, symbolizing purity sional is completed, the musicians play anoth- and joy, and the groom stands beside her wear- er selection that announces the arrival of the ing a dark suit. The wedding couple is attend- bride and her father. ed by their parents, and the group stands before the rabbi under a canopy known as a After the bride and her father have walked chuppah, which represents the future home of down the aisle, the clergyperson asks who the bride and groom. gives the woman to the man who awaits her at the altar. Traditionally, it has been the father who designates that he is the one who gives the bride to the groom, but in recent years, the mother may also stand with her husband JEWISH weddings are usually performed and say that together they give the bride to on Sundays. the groom. The bride approaches the altar and stands beside the groom. The clergyperson reads pas- The rabbi hands the couple a glass of wine sages from the Bible that speak of the harmo- that has been blessed. After the bride and ny of the marriage state and God’s pleasure in groom share the wine, the rabbi and the the union of man and wife. The clergyperson groom read the marriage contract. When the may also deliver a brief sermon that encour- reading is completed, the groom places a plain ages the couple to remain true to one another gold ring on the first finger of his bride’s left and adhere to Christian teachings. The couple hand and announces to all assembled in the may then offer pledges to one another that synagogue that she is his wife. After making they have written themselves. such a declaration, he moves the wedding ring In most Christian ceremonies, the bride to the third finger. and groom place the wedding band on one A second glass of wine is offered to the another’s left hand ring finger and repeat the couple. The rabbi says the Seven Blessings vows of marriage as the clergyperson reads and praises God for marriages and asks for the them aloud. The clergyperson asks God to newlyweds to be happy. After both drink from bless them and help them remain with one it, the glass is smashed under the heel of the another until death parts them, then pro- groom. The breaking of the glass is a reminder nounces them man and wife. In some denomi- of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. nations, after the newlyweds have stated their An old tradition adds that the glass is broken vows, they and the assembled guests will cele- to symbolize that the bride and groom will be brate mass or holy communion together. joined in happiness and love until the glass is

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 212 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

made whole again, which is another way of is set by a priest who carefully examines the saying forever. couple’s horoscope for the most favorable day. Before a Buddhist wedding can occur, a Before the marriage ceremony, the bride Buddhist monk must check the horoscope of takes a ritual bath and her female friends in the prospective bride and groom to be certain attendance paint distinctive patterns on her that they are compatible. If the stars indicate hands and feet with henna. Once the ornate that the couple will be able to adjust to one designs decorate the bride, she is attired in a another’s personalities throughout their lives red sari that has been adorned with gold together, the monk next determines the best thread, a symbol of good fortune. Often the day for the wedding ceremony to occur. bride also wears gold bracelets and anklets. Just Buddhist weddings are not conducted in before the formal ceremony begins, representa- temples or in religious sites, but in hotels or tives of the groom’s family approach her and public halls and are generally regarded as civil place a small dab on red paint on her forehead. ceremonies. The bridal couple are clothed in When the bride and groom arrive at the robes and sit side by side on silk cushions beside temple, hotel, or private home where the cer- another Buddhist couple, who serve as their emony will take place by mutual agreement of sponsors. The monk performing the wedding their respective families, both of them have ceremony wraps a silk scarf about the wrists of their faces hidden by veils. The ceremony the bride and groom, and the two eat rice from begins with prayers to Lord Ganesha, the ele- a silver bowl to symbolize that they vow forever phant-headed god, who is beseeched to bless to share everything between them. They the couple with success in all their future promise to love and respect one another, to be plans. The bride’s family officially gives her to frugal with their incomes, and to welcome their the groom, and the priest introduces them to friends and family to their home. There may be assembled guests as man and wife. The couple a brief reading from Buddhist scriptures and a then sits before a sacred fire, facing each period of meditation, followed by a few words other under a canopy. A cord is placed over from the officiating priest. After the ceremony their shoulders to signify that they are joined is concluded, most Buddhist couples visit the together forever. nearest monastery to be blessed by the monks and to pay respect to Buddha. At this point in the ceremony, the couple rises, holds hands, and walks around the sacred fire seven times, promising to honor and respect one another and vowing to respect the gods. Prayers for happiness and MOST traditional Muslim weddings are good fortune are said or chanted by the priest, arranged by the parents. and the assembled relatives of the couple and their guests join the newlyweds in a wedding dinner provided by the bride’s family. Traditional Hindus continue the ancient Most traditional Muslim weddings are practice of arranged marriage and infant arranged by the parents, who indicate to their betrothals. The primary concern of Hindu children that they have been judged suitable parents is that their child marry within his or to marry each other. Although (especially in her caste or social structure. For even less tra- contemporary times) the children have a right ditional Hindus, the kind of dating and to decline their parents’ choice of spouse, courtship practices that exist among Ameri- many Muslims still consider open courtship as cans and Europeans are discouraged. When undesirable and believe that the arranged families have agreed upon a future marriage marriage is much more morally acceptable. between their children, there follows a long Most Muslim families prefer that their chil- period of betrothal, during which gifts are dren marry within the faith of Islam, but in exchanged during chaperoned meetings of the such countries as the United States, unions engaged couple. The date of a Hindu wedding with non-Muslims have become more accept-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 213 able and common. The exchange of the hieroglyphics a circle represents eternity, and dowry, the ancient custom of the bride-price, the circular form became symbolic of a marriage is observed in most Muslim families. Once the that would be binding throughout all time. amount of the dowry, which the groom will The early Anglo-Saxon groom gave a pay to the bride’s parents, is agreed upon, that pledge or wed to his intended at the betrothal sum becomes the property of the bride. ceremony. At this time he also placed a metal The nikah (marriage ceremony) is usually ring around her right hand, where it remained performed in private homes or in the prayer until the marriage ceremony, at which time it hall of the mosque. Brides often wear a tradi- was transferred to her left hand. tional khameez(tunic) and shalwar(pants), The ring was used in Christian marriage decorated with a great deal of gold jewelry. ceremonies as early as 860. When a marriage The groom may also choose traditional cloth- settlement had been properly sealed, rings ing or a dark suit. bearing the names of the bride and groom On the day selected for the wedding, the were handed around to the guests to be couple are kept apart, separated in different approved by them. rooms, the bride with the female guests, the groom with the male guests, until the ceremony is over. Either the imam, the officiating priest of the mosque, or a Muslim judge, called a qadi, ANCIENT Egyptians were the first to use the presides over the ceremony and generally offers a brief series of reflections upon the sacredness wedding ring. of the marriage contract. The bride says that she wishes to marry the groom, and he signs the contract. Two witnesses attest to the marriage In the past, wedding rings have been made agreement, and the union is documented in the of every conceivable material. In addition to records of the mosque and by whatever license various metals, such as gold, silver, iron, steel, is required by the civil authorities in the state and brass, wedding rings have been made of or nation in which the marriage has been sol- leather and wood. emnized. After the ceremony, a reception hon- Old traditions state that the wedding ring oring the couple is held, and the bride’s family is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand hosts a large wedding feast. because a certain vein of blood, passing direct- The Wedding Ring. The origin of the wed- ly from this finger, flows directly to the heart. ding ring may have begun in primitive Probably the true reason for wearing the ring humankind’s belief in the magic of a circle. on this finger is that it is the least used of all Social historians inform that early suitors the fingers, and therefore ornaments worn on wove a cord with their fingers and bound it it are not inconvenient. around the waist of the woman they wanted. The Wedding Dinner. The simplest and Such an action, both the man and the woman most universal of all marriage ceremonies is believed, allowed her spirit to enter his body that of eating and drinking together. Eating and thus the two were bound together forever. together, among many early people, constitut- Other scholars have made the unpleasant ed marriage. There was little or no additional suggestion that the earliest form of wedding ceremony. rings were the fetters bound around a woman’s In the Fiji Islands the marriage ceremony wrists and ankles to indicate that she had was considered complete as soon as the bride been captured and become the property of a and groom had eaten out of the same dish. In man in the tribe. Madagascar as well, all that was necessary to From what can be ascertained from histori- become man and wife was to eat out of the cal records available, it would appear that the same bowl. In ancient Rome, a marriage was ancient Egyptians were the first to use the wed- dignified and solemnized once the bride and ding ring in taking their marriage vows. In groom had eaten together. The Navajo mar-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 214 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

riage couple ate maize pudding together. To Some authorities state that people began some extent, eating and drinking together still throwing rice after newlyweds for the pur- forms an essential part of the marriage cere- pose of giving food to the evil spirits that mony in Japan, Russia, and Scandinavia. were always present at any festive gathering Until recent times, a Serbian woman ate only of humans. It was to appease these spirits and once in her life with a man, and that was on keep them from doing injury to the bridal her marriage day, when she shared a meal with pair that the custom of rice-throwing was her husband. originated. The wedding cake is a direct descendant of Another old tradition states that unless a particular kind of cake used in Roman times somehow bribed, the soul of the bridegroom is among the highest members of the patrician likely to fly away at marriage and never return. families. During the wedding feast, the cake To prevent this, rice is scattered over him to was broken over the bride’s head as a symbol induce the soul to remain. of abundance. All guests then partook of a The throwing of the bridal bouquet origi- portion of the cake to ensure plentifulness for nated with the old custom of scrambling for themselves. This custom survives in the belief the bride’s garter. In fourteenth-century that single women who take home a piece of a France, it was considered good luck to win the wedding cake and place it under their pillows bride’s garter, and everyone rushed for it at the will dream of the man whom they will marry. conclusion of the marriage ceremony. According to legend, the many-tiered In the fifteenth century, the garter gave wedding cake with which most people are way to the stocking, and brides began tossing familiar today originated in Old England their stockings to the wedding party. However, when it was the custom to pass a basket of bis- the removal of one’s stockings in public some- cuits to the guests during the wedding feast. A times proved to be awkward and embarrassing, Frenchman who was in attendance at such a so somewhere during the fifteenth century, a feast got the idea to pile a number of biscuits modest and wise bride conceived the idea of into a mound and pour icing over the top. throwing her bridal bouquet. The custom has According to some sources, the name endured, along with the tradition that the for- “bridegroom” was given to the new husband tunate maiden who catches the bouquet will because among various peoples it was custom- be the next to marry. ary for him to serve his bride a meal on his wedding day. “Groom” signified one who M Delving Deeper served in an inferior station, and the “bride- Armand, Denis. Taboo: Sex & Morality Around the groom” was the one who served the bride. World. London: W. H. Allen, 1996. Fielding, William J. Strange Customs of Courtship and Throwing Rice and Tossing the Bouquet. Marriage. London: Souvenir Press, 1961. When wedding guests throw handfuls of rice Frazer, Sir James George. The Golden Bough. New after the bride and groom, they are enacting York: Collier/Macmillan, 1950. an ancient ritual that expressed wishes for the couple’s fruitfulness and abundance. However, Gelber, Carol. Love and Marriage Around the World. rice was not always the grain used to throw Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1998. after departing newlyweds. Among some early Hunt, Morton M. The Natural History of Love. New peoples wheat symbolized productivity, so York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. grains of wheat were used in the marriage rites Lewinsohn, Richard. A History of Sexual Custom. to symbolize fruitfulness and plenty for the New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958. couple. The ancient Greeks poured flour and Spencer, Linda. Knock on Wood. New York: Gramercy sweetmeats over the bride and groom to repre- Books, 1995. sent a wish for an abundance of all that is Taylor, G. Rattray. Sex in History. New York: Van- sweet and desirable. The Romans began the guard Press, 1954. custom of throwing, rather than pouring, Turner, E. S. A History of Courting. London: Michael sweet meats at the fleeing couple. Joseph, 1954.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 215

Walker, Barbara G. The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths classes who could share their bread only when and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983. they had some to spare. The poorer people could celebrate their marriages and births as Hospitality and Etiquette best they could within their own family struc- tures, but they were too vitally concerned In primitive times, hospitality most often with the daily task of survival to develop the found expression in great feasts in honor of art of hospitality. some momentous event or to pay homage to an important visitor. The Egyptians of 4,000 However, as the major world religions years ago feasted in great halls, offering food to developed into powerful forces that shaped their gods before they themselves touched a human society, hospitality and charity became morsel. The Egyptians were fond of elaborate virtues. In order to establish a more complete dinners as a form of entertainment, the serv- relationship with the Divine, according to the ing of food continuing for several hours. Both prophets and teachers of Judaism, Christiani- men and women were invited, and dining ty, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, and other faiths, couches and small tables were provided for the it is important to recognize all people as guests, who regaled themselves with dishes of brothers and sisters and to minister to their fowl, game, fish, bread, and wine. needs when the opportunity to do so presents itself. The Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 15 In Homer’s Iliad, the Greeks are portrayed (Islam) admonishes those who believe in as hosts of magnificent banquets who cele- Allah and in the Last Day to be generous to brated with sumptuous feasts all important their neighbors and to their guests. In the events in their lives, such as births, marriages, Apastamba Dharma Sutra 8.2 (Hinduism) it is holidays, and victories in warfare. written that the husband and wife of the During the days when the Roman Empire house should never turn away those who come flourished, the feasts in Rome surpassed any to their door asking for food. And Hebrews others, because the wealthy had the food prod- 13:2 (Christianity) offers the provocative sug- ucts that enabled them to dine in lavish style, gestion that people should not neglect to and what delicacies they might have lacked, show hospitality to strangers, “for thereby they sent for, sending their representatives some have entertained angels unawares.” throughout the known world to obtain choice fruits and viands. The Romans were noted for their hospitality. Nothing was too rich or too costly for the entertainment of their guests. IN Homer’s Iliad, the Greeks are portrayed as The ancient Israelites gave great feasts on special occasions, but their hospitality extend- hosts of magnificent banquets. ed to strangers and to the poor as well as to important guests and to friends who would be likely to reciprocate. “When the Holy One Table manners, even those considered the loves a man,” states the Zohar, Genesis 104a, most basic rules of etiquette, were a long time “He sends him a present in the shape of a poor in coming to human forebears. When a meal man, so that he might perform some good was simply an assortment of food set before deed to him, through the merit of which he hungry individuals, men and women ate to sat- may draw to himself a cord of grace.” In isfy themselves as quickly as possible—and let Deuteronomy 15:11, it is written that “You the bones and bits of food fall where they may. shall open wide your hand to your brother, to As food and the serving thereof became the needy, and to the poor in the land.” more elaborate and began to assume more of a Based on a cursory examination of hospi- social significance, the eating manners of the tality from the historical perspective, it may diners changed also. When forks and knives and appear that for centuries there were only two other eating utensils first made their appearance strata of society—the wealthy and the power- on the dinner tables of the wealthy and the ful who entertained lavishly and the laboring powerful, the process of eating a meal entered

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 216 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

the early stages of becoming transformed into the offer of food or drink. Around the world, more of a ceremony. Soon, arbiters of fashion to accept such an offer is considered an act of were instructing others how to use their eating common politeness, whether one wants it or utensils and informing those men and women not. Among the nomadic Bedouins of the who were becoming conscious of the social sig- desert, it has always been considered a serious nificance of dining that some eating practices breach of etiquette to ride up to the front of a were correct and others were incorrect. family’s tent without stopping and eating their Later, when the use of knives and forks bread. According to the Bedouin code of man- became more general, the common people ners, the man in the tent will consider himself began to pattern their behavior at the dinner insulted by such rudeness and will from that table after the wealthy and powerful who had time on regard the other man as an enemy. grown accustomed to using the implements. Courtesy Toward Guests. Historical records Although it was much easier to eat with their indicate that all important guests at the hands and a knife in the primitive manner of pharaoh’s palace in Egypt had their names and their ancestors, the lower social classes have symbols engraved on the “guest wall,” just as always wished to pattern themselves in as modern guests inscribe their names in their many ways as possible with the wealthier hosts’ guest book. Among the wealthy of classes. The new ways of eating with knife and Egypt, lunch was served at midday and dinner fork, dinner plates and cups, and a certain cer- at night. When invited to dine in ancient emony in the dining process slowly left the Egypt, people brought along their servants, courts and the dining rooms of the wealthy and it wasn’t considered impolite for guests to and eventually established themselves in the bring with them whatever items of comfort humblest of homes. that they might need during their stay. Food Kinship. From the earliest times, eat- ing and drinking together has provided an ele- The Egyptian hosts anointed their guests mentary form of hospitality. Anthropologists with oil upon their arrival. The host and host- have recorded that even in the most primitive ess, together with their guests, dined while of tribal cultures, once people have broken seated in long halls and were served by house- bread with strangers or taken a drink with hold slaves. The Egyptian hosts supplied one them, they considered one another on peaceful whole chair for each single guest, but a mar- terms. Once that relationship has been estab- ried couple had to share one between them. lished, the people are under an obligation to The highest in rank among the guests sat with protect one another if they are in danger. the host at the head of the table. Everyone dipped bread into a common dish of oil and In many of the villages on the Philippine helped themselves to other food placed in the Islands, hospitality and friendship are center of the table. expressed by eating together. On Sumatra, a large island in western Indonesia, a guest is As soon as guests arrived in the home of presented with betel nut as a gesture of friend- an ancient Greek host, servants brought in liness. On Java, the main island of Indonesia, vases of water so they might freshen them- hosts of higher social rank pay their inferiors a selves. After the guests had washed their high compliment if they offer them their half- hands and feet, they were given goblets of chewed betel nut. wine and stood around gossiping until sum- Throughout Tahiti, the standard formula moned to dinner. for hospitality is “Come and eat with us.” The Greeks ate three meals daily. Their Among the tribespeople in Kenya, visitors to tables were uncovered, and they ate while villages are presented with a cup of water as a reclining on couches, using their fingers in ceremonial mark of hospitality, and the wel- primitive fashion. Water was provided several coming salutation is, “Let us be friends.” times during the course of the meal for wash- Among all cultures, in ancient or modern ing the hands. The highest in rank had their times, it has never been good form to refuse hands washed first; the lowest, last.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 217

Among the Romans there was usually a host to take the first bite to prove that the place of honor at the dining table. The high- food was safe or free from poison. Among the est in rank sat at the head, the next in rank at aboriginal people of New Guinea, it is a mark the upper end, and the third highest in social of courtesy and hospitality to offer water to a position sat at the lower end. All guests stranger, but before doing so, the hosts drink a washed their hands at the table before eating, little of the water themselves to prove it is not a ceremonial washing that began with the dangerous in any way. Similar customs are to highest in rank and ended with the lowest. be found in many tribes of Africa, where the Wealthy Romans rarely invited guests to wife of the host is assigned the position of their homes for the midday meal, but they fre- always taking the first drink of any beverage to quently had visitors over in the evening for prove that it has no evil in it. In medieval the most important meal of the day, consisting Europe, it was also the courteous hostesses of from three to seven courses. The host and who had the obligation to serve themselves hostess gave each guest an exact list of the first to prove that the food and drink was safe. courses and all the individual dishes of the feast, and then they led their guests into the dining hall. As they were being seated, ser- vants draped the members of the dinner party IT was the custom for the host to take the first bite with a wreath of flowers and offered them a to prove the food was free from poison. goblet of wine. After a period of Roman history when chairs or stools were used around a table, the The Dinner Table. Quite likely the first din- Romans adopted the dining couch. Generally, ner table was a fairly flat slab of rock on which three couches were at a table, with one side whatever game or fish had been caught was left open to receive the service. Four people placed by a primitive hunter to be shared with could dine comfortably from one couch. They his family. If such an early table did exist in a were low, without backs, and covered with cave occupied by early humans, they probably rich fabrics. The host and his wife sat at the sat on the floor or, at best, smaller rocks for head table with the guest of honor. The rest of chairs. The development of the dinner table the guests took places at the other tables and eating utensils grew along with the culi- according to rank. nary arts when food was no longer eaten raw In many of the old Arab nations, the host without preparation of any sort. and hostess welcomed their guests by pouring In ancient Rome, men and women reclined melted butter on their heads. While the idea on couches while eating from beautifully deco- might seem repugnant to modern guests arriv- rated tables. Most of these dinner tables were ing at a home in a hot climate, the melted square with four legs or oval with three con- butter was deemed fashionable and refreshing nected legs, much like modern tables, except in earlier times. positioned lower for the convenience of diners In Europe during the Middle Ages, favored who were reclining. The materials used for con- guests always sat at the right of the host and structing such elaborate tables were at first were helped to the choicest cuts of meat, the wood, most commonly maple, and later bronze rarest fruits, the costliest wines. The custom of with inlaid ivory designs. Often the carpenter “coupling” guests, that is, placing them at the or metalworker fashioning the table shaped its table in pairs of men and women, was intro- legs to imitate those of various animals, com- duced about 1455 when it became fashionable plete with claws. Such a peculiarity remains to place a gentleman and a lady together to popular today, for tables and other items of fur- share a single cup and plate. niture are frequently made with clawed legs, Whom to serve first may be a problem of often gripping a ball. some concern for the modern hostess, but By around 400 C.E., it was an established among early people it was the custom for the custom among the people of the “civilized”

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 218 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

European countries to eat from some kind of XIV (1638–1715), forks for eating purposes table. The dinner table existed in various were unknown. forms, however, and often was simply a board Although both knives and forks have been running around the side of the house. The in existence since early times and were used as mantelpiece is said to have originated with effective tools for many different purposes, it this old dining board. took centuries before anyone thought of using Even by the 1700s, the dinner table in them at the dinner table. Some authorities many of the poorer homes consisted only of a suggest that the first “fork” early humans used long wide board that was folded down from the was quite likely a long, two-pronged twig that wall and used at meal time. Many homes was used to hold meat over the fire while it was owned only one decent chair, and the head of cooking. Later, such prongs were made of iron the household, the father, was the one who got or bone and were used for the same purpose. to sit in it while the rest of the family ate while The fork was not entirely unknown in sitting on the floor. On special occasions when medieval France, but it was used only on occa- a male guest was invited to share the meal, the sion for bringing large chunks of hot meat father would relinquish his chair to him. from the fire to the table. In England, the fork Although the chair reached a high degree had been used through the Middle Ages as a of development among most of the European utensil for eating fruits and preserves, but not nations, it failed to gain much of a foothold at the table to eat one’s dinner. among various other peoples. Based on the evidence of primitive cutting Eating Utensils. Humankind’s first eating implements in archaeological digs dating back utensil was some form of the spoon or the nearly a million years, even humankind’s ear- ladle. Museums display spoons of wood, stone, liest ancestors used some kind of cutting and ivory that were found in ancient Egyptian implement. Perhaps those elementary tools tombs. Spoon-like implements belonging to were originally fragments of flint or other the Paleolithic Age have been found in caves stone, but it seems clear that the knife, or in France and other European countries, some kind of cutting tool, was one of the first thereby indicating that early humans used implements to be devised by early humans. such eating utensils as far back as 100,000 or The knife took many forms and was made more years. of many materials during the course of its development. The first knives were made of flint and bone and used for all cutting purpos- es. For centuries, whether the knife was made HUMANKIND’S first eating utensil was of flint, bronze, or steel, both men and women carried a knife in their belts or knapsacks. some form of the spoon or the ladle. Whenever large portions of food were served, they sliced off a piece for themselves with their knives, and then returned the cutting The Greeks and Romans used spoons of implement to their belt or knapsack. But there bronze and silver, some exquisitely wrought by was no such thing as a special knife to be used the hands of master craftspersons. During the while eating dinner, whether seated at a table Middle Ages in Europe, the wealthy ate with or on the floor. elaborate spoons of beaten silver, but the As with the development of the dinner fork, materials used for making spoons by the poor- the greatest advance in the history of the table er classes were bone, wood, and tin. The Chi- knife took place after the seventeenth century. nese, in addition to their chopsticks, ate with Silver knives for table use were introduced in little painted porcelain spoons. England and became popular. Sheffield, Eng- The use of the knife and fork did not land, became one of the greatest cutlery manu- become widespread until about 300 years ago. facturing centers in the world and has retained Even at the magnificent French court of Louis such a position with few challengers.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 219

The earliest dinner plates were undoubted- ill-mannered to attempt to recline at the din- ly formed by nature, rather than humans. Per- ner table before visiting with the other guests haps primitive humans used a broad leaf, a and washing one’s hands. Servants brought in halved gourd, or a sea shell in the same man- vessels of water so that the custom of hand ner that one uses a cup or bowl. However, washing could be observed by all the guests, even in early prehistory, humans discovered and not until they had done so were they per- the vast uses of clay and made for themselves mitted to dine. jars, jugs, and drinking vessels. The Romans washed their hands before Among the Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, and after dinner. Small basins were provided and Egyptians, pottery developed into a fine for guests for this purpose, and it was a com- art, and some of the examples still in existence mon practice to drop a flower into the water today are in museums. The ancient people of to make it fragrant. This custom has survived Mexico and Peru, the Mayans and the Incans, today in many homes and restaurants in also made beautiful pottery. which a finger bowl with a flower petal in the Although the human ancestors may have water is brought to guests between courses of boasted many pots, jugs, plates, and even cups the meal or after they have finished eating. and saucers, the use of separate dishes for each person is comparatively recent. For many cen- turies, among rich and poor alike, food would be brought to the table on large platters and EGYPTIANS servants anointed the guest’s placed on the bare table. In wealthy homes, a steward or the host used a double-pronged head with oil and washed their hands. fork and a large knife to carve the meat on the platter, and then, whether in a banquet hall or in a home, the assembled diners used their fin- Egyptians were welcomed to a dinner party gers to pick up the pieces they wished. Fruit by a special servant who anointed their head and bread loaves were placed in baskets on the with oil and washed their hands. Sometimes floor by the tables, and people helped them- the process was repeated during the course of selves as they liked. the dinner; and before guests left the table, Eventually, those families with money in their hands were washed again. Europe and England bought dinner plates The Hebrews made of a special ceremony made of pewter. However, food with a high of hand washing, and it was strictly observed acid content caused some of the lead used in that all people washed their hands before eat- the process of creating pewter to be absorbed ing a meal, after returning from a funeral, and into the meal, causing lead poisoning and before making a burnt offering or a sacrifice at often death. The more observant began to the temple. notice that these terrible consequences after A combination of superstition and misap- eating from pewter plates occurred most often plied religious fervor concerning nudity, mod- with tomatoes, so for hundreds of years the esty, and the frequency of bathing made tomato was considered poisonous. medieval Europe a place where personal The poorer families could not afford pewter hygiene almost became a forgotten practice of plates, but they used trenchers, a piece of wood the ancients. Even the more well-to-do fami- with the center scooped out, as bowls to hold lies took “all-over” baths only twice a year, in their food. Unfortunately, in those days hygiene May and October. was virtually unknown, so the trenchers were The biannual bath would take place in a seldom cleaned, and often worms and mold got large tub filled with hot water. The father, the into the wood and spread diseases called “trench head of the household, would be the first to mouth” to unsuspecting diners. bathe, enjoying clean, warm water. The sons Hand Washing and Bathing. It is known would be next. After all of the men, including that among the early Greeks it was considered any visiting male relatives or guests, had their

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 220 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

turn, the woman of the house, followed by any ing before every meal became a custom that female children, would get to splash in water would eventually be practiced by the followers that had become quite cool and dirty. Babies of all major world religions. of the household would be the very last to be The Israelites appear to have been among dunked in the tub, and by then the water was the first to offer prayer before eating out of so dark that mothers were warned not to gratitude for having food to eat. “Surely it is of throw their babies out with the bath water. what belongs to God that you have eaten. So Women kept their hair covered at all praise and bless Him by whose word the world times. Men shaved their heads and wore wigs, was created,” Father Abraham admonished but only the wealthy could afford wigs of good (Talmud, Sota 10b). quality. Rather than washing the wigs, it was Born into the Jewish tradition before his fashionable to place the wig in a hollowed-out conversion to Christianity, Paul writes to the loaf of bread and bake it in the oven. The heat church in Ephesus that “God created foods to would make the wig puff up and become fluffy, be received with thanksgiving by those who which gave birth to the expression of “Big believe and know the truth… nothing is to be Wig” to describe a person of power or wealth. rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for Because they seldom washed their faces, then it is consecrated by the word of God and many women and men had developed unsight- prayer” (I Timothy 4:3–5). ly acne scars by the time they had reached In the Koran, the holy book of Islam, it is adulthood. It became customary to spread bee’s written, “Eat of the good things that We have wax over the facial skin to smooth out rough provided for you, and be grateful to God” complexions. (Koran 2:172). The Toast. Most authorities agree that the custom of drinking to the health of a person originated with the practice of the host or EARLY peoples offered a prayer as an exorcism hostess drinking first to show that the drink before eating to distract any negative spirits that might was not harmful. As the tradition progressed, it came to indicate a gesture of friendship and have infested the food. good will to the guest. The Roman and the Greek hosts drank to the health of their guests, and both customs Asking the Blessing. The custom of saying a were likely to have originated as a means of prayer before eating did not originate as an proving that the wine was not poisoned. Nei- expression of thankfulness or gratitude to a ther a Greek nor a Roman gentleman would deity. Early peoples offered a prayer that was a pass a cup of wine to a friend without having kind of exorcism before eating in order to dis- first tasted of it to prove its safety. It was such a tract any negative spirits that might have custom that developed through the ages into infested the food. Rather than thanking a the tradition of men drinking together as a deity for the blessing of giving them food to pledge to friendship, fraternity, and good cheer. satisfy their hunger, the diners exhorted any It was also a custom among the young men of negative entities to leave their food alone and Rome to drink as many glasses of wine as there to satisfy their hunger elsewhere. were letters in their sweethearts’ names. Before a feast of celebration for a victory Controversy exists over how the gesture of over their foes or the rewards of a successful taking the first drink to prove it was safe or to hunt, primitive peoples often made sacrifices salute one’s friendship to a guest became known to their gods to be certain that the foods upon as a “toast.” Some believe that sometime during which they intended feasting would not poi- the reign of Charles II of England (1630–1685; son them. From this custom of sacrifice and reigned 1660–85), a piece of toasted bread was prayer before a feast, it seems likely that the accidentally dropped in a large pitcher of wine practice of offering a prayer or asking a bless- while guests were being served at a royal ban-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 221

Burials and Funerals quet, and a witty courtier remarked that although he was unable to drink any more No one can possibly derive an exact date wine, he could at least have the toast. when early humans first began to bury their Others believe that the word, in connec- dead. Controversy continues on the question tion with drinking to one’s health, originated of whether or not certain skeletal remains in eighteenth-century England in the custom found in the caves of Neanderthals indicate of gentlemen sitting around a fireside, drink- that some kind of burial ceremony was con- ing and toasting bread on the hearth. A sip of ducted for the dead around 200,000 years ago. drink and a bite of warm toast combined to Neither can anyone pinpoint for certain offer a gesture of good will, friendship, and when the concept of an afterlife first occurred good health to one’s companions. to primitive humans. It might be conjectured Drinking toasts from a lady’s slipper dates that when early humans had realistic dreams of back to the eighteenth century. In certain friends or relatives who were dead, they might parts of Hungary it was the custom for a groom have awakened convinced that the departed to drink a toast to his bride out of her slipper somehow still existed in some other world. on the wedding night. The slipper was Such an idea, whenever it first occurred, was removed from the bride’s foot in front of all the undoubtedly taken as reassuring and comfort- assembled guests, filled with wine, and given to ing. The belief that there was something with- the groom. He made a toast to his bride, drank in them that survived physical death was an the wine, and threw the slipper to the guests. exciting promise that eventually spread to humans everywhere throughout the planet. M Delving Deeper Anthropologists and other scientists of Armand, Denis. Taboo: Sex & Morality Around the human evolution relate that the early humans’ World. London: W. H. Allen, 1996. concept of the soul or the spirit was often that Baker, Margaret. Folklore and Customs of Rural Eng- of either a miniature or a full-sized reproduc- land. Devon, UK: David & Charles, 1974. tion of the person who had died. The Huron, a Caldwell, Mark. A Short History of Rudeness, Manners, Native American tribe, believed that the spirit Morals and Misbehavior. London: Pan Macmillan had arms, legs, head, and torso just like the Publishers, 2000. person from whom it had been released by Elias, Norbert. The History of Manners. Translated by death. The Nootka, a tribe that occupied Van- Edmund Jephcott. New York: Random House, couver Island, British Columbia, conceived of 1982. the soul as a tiny person who lived within a Fielding, William J. Strange Customs of Courtship and person’s head and who was set free when its Marriage. London: Souvenir Press, 1961. host body succumbed to death. Frazer, Sir James George. The Golden Bough. New York: Collier/Macmillan, 1950. Grant, Michael. The World of Rome. Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing, 1960. THE Nootka conceived of the soul as a tiny Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. Cam- person who lived within a person’s head and was set bridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1994. Hazlitt, W. C. Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. Lon- free when its host body succumbed to death. don: Bracken Books, 1995. Jones, Prudence, and Nigel Pennick. A History of Pagan Europe. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. Many native people in Peru, Brazil, and Power, Eileen. Medieval People. Garden City, N.Y.: other South American countries think of the Doubleday Anchor Books, 1955. soul as a birdlike entity that can fly from the Rees, Nigel. Best Behavior. London: Bloomsbury, 1992. body at will and often does so during sleep. Walker, Barbara G. The Woman’s Encyclopedia of When the soul returns, the sleeper awakens. Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Should the soul neglect to return, the sleeper 1983. enters the long sleep of death.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 222 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

As more members of the early human formed by the living to expedite the spirit’s communities began to believe that the spirit travels and to lessen the dangers of the jour- was to continue in another life and might ney. Among the earliest type of structured bur- some day return to the body it had once occu- ial observances are people dancing for purposes pied, it began to occur to many cultures that it of stamping upon the ground to frighten away was necessary to take every precaution to pro- evil spirits and to keep them from harassing tect their dead from being desecrated either by the soul of the dearly departed. Great feasts humans or by animals. There have been many were given to please the spirit of the deceased, kinds of coffins, just as there have been many who watched over the lavish dinner given in customs of burial. Clay, stone, wood, even his or her honor and who was able to absorb iron coffins have been used to protect the the energy of the food. Large fires were built body from predators and grave robbers. around the place of feasting in order to present One of the earliest types of coffin was a an additional barrier to evil spirits that might tree that had been cut down and hollowed out wish to seize the soul of the dead. to accommodate the body. Depending upon The fear of evil spirits also gave rise to the the people and the environmental conditions universal dread of cemeteries and the belief under which they existed, tree coffins bearing that burial grounds are haunted. As shall be the dead were sometimes set adrift in a river, shown in this section, many early funeral sometimes left upon the ground, sometimes observances were transformed into aspects of buried in the ground. For many ancient peo- religious ceremonies that still exist today. ples, the custom of placing the dead in a tree Preserving the Body. As early religions began trunk was symbolical of being returned to the to teach that there was a spirit within each per- Great Mother, the tree of life. son who died that might some day wish to return to its earthly abode, it became increas- ingly important that efforts be made to preserve the body. Burial ceremonies, which had at first IN Africa, many native people smoke their corpses been intended solely as a means of disposing of to preserve them. the dead, came to be a method of preserving the physical body as a home for the spirit when it returned for a time of rebirth or judgment.

As the belief in a spirit and in an afterlife Today, in many countries such as the Unit- grew, people began to develop fixed concepts ed States, Canada, Great Britain, and the Euro- about where it was exactly that spirits went to pean nations, bodies are embalmed and every dwell after their life on Earth was completed. effort is made to preserve the body as long as In the ancient Greek afterlife beliefs, the dead possible. Coffins are sold to the bereaved fami- were ferried over the river Styx by Charon, lies as dependable containers that will be able who charged a fee for his services. If the dead to preserve and protect the body of their did not have the fee, they would be detained beloved for centuries. Crypts and vaults to con- for a hundred years before being permitted to tain family coffins are placed above ground and proceed. Therefore, when the Greeks buried constructed of concrete or granite. their dead, they placed a small coin in their Embalming the body of the deceased was hands so they might be able to pay Charon. A practiced in ancient Egypt where the warm, similar idea of the dead needing some ready dry climate assured its success. The Egyptians currency for their advent to the other world is anointed, embalmed, and buried their dead, found among the Chinese, who furnish the and made mummies of the men and women of dead with paper money and passports. power, rank, and importance. The religious service associated with many To mummify, the Egyptians extracted the modern funerals quite likely originated in the brain and the intestines, cleaned out the body belief that death is but a journey to another through an incision in the side, and filled the world and that certain ceremonies may be per- body cavities with spices. The body was then

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 223 sewn up and set aside to lie in salt for a period (worldly existence) and returns it to the path of 70 days. Then it was placed in gummed that leads to nirvana, where all misery and mummy cloth and fastened into its ornamen- karma cease. The coffin of one who has died tal case. The poorer classes were not mummi- in the Buddhist belief system is taken to the fied but merely salted. funeral hall in a brightly decorated carriage. In Africa, many native people smoke their The coffin is carried three times around the corpses to preserve them. In the Congo, tribes Buddhist temple or funeral hall and then build fires above the graves of the dead and brought in where it is set down in the midst of keep the fires burning for a month. After that the flowers and gifts that friends and family of period, the bodies are unearthed, smoked, and the deceased have placed around it. wound in great swaths of cloth. The smoked A Buddhist monk leads the people in a corpse is placed upright in the hut where the prayer known as the Three Jewels that helps person died and remains there for years. the soul find refuge in the Buddha, the dhar- Laying the Body to Rest. The followers of ma (the true way of life that a devout Bud- Tao, a Chinese belief system, envision the soul dhist seeks to lead), and the sangha (the uni- of the deceased crossing a bridge to the next fied faith of the Buddhist monks). Together life. Ten courts of judgment await the new with the people in the funeral hall, the monk soul, and if it passes this series of trials, it may recites the Five Precepts, the rules by which continue on the path to heaven. If it fails Buddhists strive to live. because of bad deeds during the person’s life- time, the soul must be punished before it is allowed to go to a better place. The family and friends of the deceased FOR Buddhists, funerals are happy occasions, for place the body in a wooden coffin and carry it they believe in reincarnation. to the graveyard. Well aware of the trials awaiting the soul of their friend or relative in the afterlife, they pound drums, clang cym- bals, and shoot off fireworks to frighten away Throughout the ceremony, food is served any evil spirits that might attempt to catch and music is played. There are few tears of the soul even before it reaches the 10 courts of mourning, for the family and friends are judgment. Beside the grave as the coffin is reminded by the monk that the soul will be being lowered into the ground, paper repre- reborn many times in many bodies. After the sentations of houses, money, and other materi- service, the body is cremated, and the ashes al objects are burned, symbolically providing are buried or kept in the temple in a small urn. the soul of the deceased with property with Because Christians believe that Jesus (c. 6 which to pay the judges. B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) is the son of God who died on After 10 years have passed, the coffin is dug a cross on Good Friday and who rose from the up, and the remains are cleaned and placed in dead on Easter Sunday, the followers of this an urn, which is then sealed. A Taoist priest religion believe that if they have faithfully fol- assesses the home of the person’s immediate lowed the teachings of Jesus, they, too, will be family and decides the most harmonious spot physically resurrected on a future day of judg- for the urn of bones to be placed. It is of utmost ment. Generally, the body of the deceased is importance that the priest find a place where embalmed in a funeral home, then taken in a the spirit of the deceased will be happy among coffin to a church for a religious service before its surviving family members, or the spirit may burial or cremation. In many churches, the return to punish those it deems disrespectful of deceased is displayed for mourners to pay their its physical remains. last respects until the formal service begins. For Buddhists, funerals are happy occa- The minister or priest conducts a service sions, for they believe in reincarnation. Death during which selections from the Bible that in the present life frees the soul from Dukkha speak of the resurrection of the dead are read,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 224 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

prayers are offered, and hymns are sung. If it is The first actual coffins, as they are known a Roman Catholic funeral, the priest will cele- today, probably originated in ancient Egypt brate the Mass in remembrance of the last where the people believed that the body of meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before the deceased must be kept safe until a future his crucifixion. After the service is concluded, time of resurrection. The Egyptian word for pallbearers carry the closed coffin to a hearse, “coffin” is from kas, which means “to bury.” which carries it to the place of burial. Family Another form of the word became kast, indi- and friends follow on foot or in automobiles in cating the receptacle into which the body is a funeral procession to the cemetery where placed, the coffin. the coffin is lowered into the ground. In the Hindu faith, the deceased are given During an earlier period of Christianity, a ceremonial washing; then the body is the priest used to place a pass to the next wrapped in a burial cloth and placed in a cof- world on the chests of those who had died in fin. If at all possible, within one day of death, the faith as they lay in the coffin. Such a pass the coffin is to be carried to a place of crema- also provided the deceased person’s Christian tion by six male relatives. The coffin is placed name, the dates of birth and death, and a cer- on a stack of wood and covered with flowers. tificate of baptism, piety of his or her life, and Melted butter is poured over the coffin to help a testimonial that the person had taken the it to burn, and the eldest son or nearest male sacrament of communion before death. relative of the deceased lights the funeral pyre. There is an old legend that Jesus was Traditionally, the cremation takes place placed in the tomb facing toward the west. outdoors and the ashes are collected and scat- While some Christian traditions bury their tered in the waters of a holy river, such as the dead facing west, many other churches within Ganges. In other countries, Hindu dead are Christianity place their dead looking toward taken to a crematorium. Followers of the the east, because of the old custom of facing Hindu religion believe that the soul, the the east when praying. Interestingly, the abo- atman of each individual, is reborn many times riginal people of Australia believe that the sun in a cycle of spiritual evolution before it can will rise late in the morning if the dead are not become one with God. buried with their faces to the west. The people Those who follow the path of Judaism of the islands of Samoa and Fiji bury their bury their dead in a plain coffin after the body dead with their faces directed toward the west, has been washed and dressed. If possible, the where, according to custom, their souls have funeral takes place on the day after the death preceded them. has occurred. The coffin containing the Many scholars believe the Christian min- deceased is taken first to the synagogue and ister’s tradition of throwing handfuls of dirt on then to the place of burial. Mourners often the coffin lid while intoning “from ashes to cut a portion of their outer clothes as a sign of ashes, from dust to dust,” is a survival of a cus- grief; but no flowers are allowed, for it is tradi- tom in ancient Egypt in which relatives and tion that the service should be kept as simple friends of deceased persons ceremonially cast as possible. sand three times upon the body before it was At the grave site, the rabbi says a few entombed or buried. words of remembrance about the deceased, The coffin has taken many shapes and and the coffin is placed in the grave. The forms in its evolution as a final resting place closest male relative of the deceased says a for the deceased. Many authorities attribute prayer called the Kaddish to help the soul the presence of trees in the churchyard or travel to the Olam Ha’ba, the world to come, cemetery to ancient notions concerning a hol- and the family of the dead person fill in the lowed-out tree as a dwelling place for the spir- grave with earth. its of the dead. In Babylonia, great boxes of Muslims prefer not to use coffins for their clay were baked to form a kind of coffin in dead unless they are residing in a country that which the dead were buried. requires such a containment for the deceased.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 225

If it is possible to do so, the dead are buried on The party would last until dawn so there the day following their death. The deceased is would always be someone who was awake to washed, perfumed, and wrapped in three cot- watch the body and keep the soul from doing ton burial cloths. mischief. Those who follow the religion of Islam Yet another theory of the origin of the believe that the soul of the deceased is guard- wake has it that because lead cups were often ed by the angel of death in a place called used to drink ale or whiskey, the potent com- Barzakh until the Day of Judgment. If at all bination would sometimes literally knock a possible, friends and relatives gather around a person out for a couple of days. A friend walk- dying person and read verses from the Koran. ing along the road from the tavern might With his or her last breath, the dying person come upon an unconscious person and assume always tries to say the Shahadah: “There is no that he was dead. The apparently deceased God but Allah, and Muhammad is his mes- would be carried home and laid out on the senger.” kitchen table for a day or so before being pre- Large graves and headstones are not per- pared for burial. Family and friends would mitted to mark a Muslim burial site, but the gather around the body, eating, drinking, and grave itself is to be raised above ground level. talking, as they waited to see if the corpse on As the body is being taken to the burial the table was going to “wake up.” ground, the Salatul Janazah, a prayer for the Marking the Burial Place. The marking of deceased, is read. The body is buried facing graves goes back into remote antiquity. Pale- Mecca, the sacred city toward which all Mus- olithic humans (c. 250,000 B.C.E.) placed lims turn when they pray. stones and other markings on graves, but it In times of death, the human tendency cannot be determined for certain whether seems to be to relieve in some way the tension they did so to keep evil spirits from rising from caused by fear, superstition, and the dread of the burial place or to be able to distinguish the unknown. Among the most well known of one grave from another for the purpose of such traditions of holding a celebration to mourning. In the Neolithic time period honor the deceased is the Irish wake. Accord- (c. 8000–9000 B.C.E.,) humans set up great ing to an old legend, when St. Patrick (fifth stone megaliths above burial mounds; these century) was dying he requested his weeping protected the dead from desecration and quite and lamenting friends to set aside their grief likely had certain religious significance. and to rejoice at his comfortable exit from a world of sadness, sin, and confusion. In order to better shift the emotions from sorrow to joy, St. Patrick is said to have instructed each per- A Muslim’s body is buried facing Mecca. son gathered around his deathbed to take a drop of something to drink. This last request of the saint is observed in deep reverence at every Irish wake. The ancient Hebrews buried their dead and used stone pillars to mark the graves. The The charming story of St. Patrick aside, Greeks often placed gravestones and various some authorities believe that the Irish wake kinds of ornate sculpture on their burial sites. was intended originally to prevent the dead person’s restless soul from prowling around the Not everyone who died in ancient Egypt homes of the surviving family members. was buried in a tomb. Although the Egyptians Friends and relatives would gather in the fam- believed firmly in an afterlife, they were also of ily home as the body of the deceased lay in its the opinion that only the powerful and impor- coffin awaiting burial. Once respects were said tant in the earthly life would have any notable and memories of the deceased were shared, status in the world to come. According to rank the mourners would eat, drink, and dance to and wealth, those who were great in Egypt and relieve the tensions and fears of the bereaved. therefore likely to be important in the next life

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 226 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

were laid to rest in magnificent tombs with Cremation. Because early humankind so treasure, servants, food, and weapons to feared the evil spirits that caused death and accompany them and the ordinary people were believed that they continued to dwell in the buried in rude stone compartments. corpse awaiting new victims, it is not surprising The rulers of the ancient city of Thebes, that cremation, the burning of the body, once capital of upper Egypt (1580–1085 B.C.E.), became one of the earliest methods of disposing and their subjects never constructed massive of the dead. Cremation appears to have been pyramids to house their coffins, but cut their practiced widely in the ancient world, except tombs from rock. As soon as a pharaoh would in Egypt, in China, and among the Hebrews. ascend the throne, his loyal subjects began the In ancient Greece only suicides, infants preparation of his tomb. Excavation went on who had not yet grown teeth, and persons uninterruptedly, year by year, until death ended who had been struck by lightning were denied the king’s reign and simultaneously the work on the privilege of cremation and were buried. his tomb—which also became a kind of an When cremation was conducted, the cere- index revealing the length of his reign. These monies were elaborate and solemn and the tombs, cut from the rock in the mountains in ashes of the deceased were placed in urns of Upper Egypt, are still to be seen. burned clay and buried. Later, when burial

The Assyrians (c. 750–612 B.C.E.) dug became the custom in Greece, the bodies were huge excavations that sometimes reached a enclosed in elaborate stone caskets, similar to depth of 60 feet into which they cast the bod- the Roman sarcophagi. ies of their dead, one upon the other. Even The Vikings of old Scandinavia sometimes when they began to place their dead in buried their kings and queens in their ships, coffins, the Assyrians continued to pile one but the traditional Viking funeral was to set above the other in great excavations. the dragon-headed longboat afire and send it The Iberians, the original people who out to sea to burn. On the Danish colony of inhabited the peninsula where modern-day , the Vikings who settled on its Portugal and Spain exist, buried their leaders shores believed that there was danger of pollu- with great pomp and ceremony in chambers tion from the evil spirits that lurked around made of huge stones, covered over with earth. the corpse until the smell of death had passed The bodies were placed in these megalithic away. They burned the dead body almost chambers in a sitting posture. The Aryans, an before it became cold and tried to avoid inhal- Indo-European people, burned their dead and ing any of the fumes from the fire. They also placed the ashes in urns shaped like rounded burned every object in the dead person’s house. huts with thatched roofs. The Zulu tribe of Africa always burns the Decorating graves with flowers and wreaths property of the dead to prevent evil spirits is an old custom that appears to date back to the from remaining in the person’s home. Many earliest human burial observances. Wreaths Native American tribes followed the same made of thin gold have been found in Athenian custom of burning the possessions of the graves during archaeological excavations. The deceased, and it is not uncommon to hear of Egyptians adorned their mummies with flowers, contemporary men and women who, after the and paintings on the walls of tombs depict the funeral of a relative, superstitiously burn the mourners carrying flowers in their hands. individual’s clothes and other belongings. A custom in sixteenth-century Europe was Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs employ cre- to make wreaths of flowers from ribbon and mation as a standard method of disposing of paper and give them to the church in memory the dead. In India the body is cremated on a of the deceased. These artificial wreaths of funeral pyre whenever possible, and in ancient long ago evolved into the contemporary times widows were sacrificed alive on the mourning wreath of living flowers, usually burning pyres with their husbands. brought by friends or relatives of the deceased For many centuries, the Christian doctrine and placed upon the grave. of the resurrection of the body discouraged the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 227 custom of cremation. The early followers of members are practiced for purposes of indicat- Christianity feared that if the body were to be ing that one of their loved ones has been taken burned after death there would be nothing but by death. The people of the Andaman Islands, ashes to be resurrected on Judgment Day. in the eastern part of the Bay of Bengal, disinter Although cremation is not popular among the body after it has been buried long enough contemporary Christians, many theologians to decompose, then wear the bones of the dead have argued that the same power of Christ that to indicate mourning. While they wear these can resurrect the body that has decomposed in bones, it is considered taboo to approach them the grave could also resurrect the body that has and to interfere with their grief. been cremated and reduced to ashes. Remembering the Dead. Among the original people of Patagonia in South America, it was the custom to open the coffins of the dead and BLACK is considered the universal color redress them each year on the anniversary of of mourning. the person’s death. The same custom is found among the Eskimo, who annually take new clothes as a gift to the dead. Among many Native American tribes in earlier times, the In earlier times, it was customary for the widow was obligated to remain beside the Hindu widow to throw herself upon her tomb of her deceased husband for a year, while deceased husband’s funeral pyre. Today, she other family members brought food daily for may shave her head, give away her valuable her and for the spirit of the dead man. possessions, retire from social life, and spend the rest of her life performing menial duties The ancient Egyptians shaved their heads in for the family of her late husband. Among time of mourning, and for a certain period some Native American tribes of North Amer- abstained from mixing with any other than their ica it was customary to cut the hair of widows immediate family. When it came to looking after and forbid them to remarry until the hair had the needs of their deceased in the afterlife, the grown again to its original length. The Chick- Egyptians provided weapons, food, drink, furni- asaws decreed that the widow was obliged to ture—all went into the tomb with the mummy. live a single life for three years. Navajo beliefs Wealthy Egyptians were buried with their slaves stated that a widow must live in retirement for so they might be certain of good service in the a certain period before she could marry. next life. Frequently, a child was buried alive with a dead parent so the parent would not miss Although many early humans in various the child left behind on Earth. societies around the world observed the responsibility of providing the necessities of In ancient Rome, those who had lost a life for their dead until they felt the soul had loved one to death remained at home and become accustomed to its new spiritual envi- avoided all feasts and amusements. The men ronment, there are a number of religions and cut neither their hair nor their beard. For sev- cultures today that continue to remember eral weeks, those who mourned did not social- their dead by conducting certain rituals that ize with friends or relatives, remaining only extend far beyond a few weeks of bringing with their immediate family. food and drink to the grave. Today, black is considered the universal On the day after a follower of the Hindu color of mourning, because of the age-old tra- faith has been cremated, friends bring various ditions of somberness associated with it. How- gifts to his or her relatives. On the 11th or ever, in Japan and in China, pure white is 12th day after the cremation, all those who worn when mourning. In some sections of attended the funeral service gather once again Africa, red is the color of mourning, with red to offer a meal of rice balls and milk to the paint applied to the naked body. spirit of the deceased. This custom is a form of Among various tribes of equatorial Africa, reciprocity to the departed for all the acts of tattooing and mutilating of the bodies of family kindness that he or she performed during life.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 228 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

For the next week after a member of the Opie, Iona, and Moira Tatem, eds. A Dictionary of Jewish faith has died, the family mourns, “sit- Superstitions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ting shiva,” conducting religious services in 1989; New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1999. the home. During this time, friends bring Quigley, Christine, and Christ Wuigley. The Corpse: them food and express their condolences. The A History. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1996. next month, a period known as sheloshim, the Walker, Barbara A. The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths family does not go out to any type of enter- and Secrets. New York: Harper & Row, 1983. tainment. For the next 11 months (shanah), Waring, Philippa. A Dictionary of Omens and Supersti- they say the prayer of Kaddish every day. Each tions. London: Souvenir Press, 1978. year on the anniversary of their loved one’s death, they pray the Kaddish and burn a can- dle for 24 hours in memory of the deceased. Urban Legends Muslim people mourn for their dead for three months after the burial service. It is cus- and Beliefs tomary for families to read aloud from the rban legends are unverifiable stories Koran and to pray for the deceased loved one. about outlandish, humorous, frighten- Each year the Taoist Chinese hold the fes- Uing, or supernatural events that have tival of Ching-Ming to honor the memory of achieved wide circulation. In some instances, the dead. Many Christian Hispanic nations the stories are based on actual occurrences celebrate an annual Day of the Dead, and in that have in their telling and retelling been the United States, All Hallow’s Eve, Hal- exaggerated or distorted. Other urban legends loween, rather than a night of trick-or-treat, is have their origins in people misinterpreting or traditionally a time to pray for those loved misunderstanding stories that they have heard ones who are deceased. or read in the media or heard from actual wit- nesses of an event. The one commonality that all urban legends share is the claim that the M Delving Deeper story always happened to someone else, most Arnold, Caroline. What We Do When Someone Dies. often “a friend of a friend.” New York: Watts, 1987. On March 30, 2002, the Pennsylvania Crim, Keith, gen. ed. The Perennial Dictionary of State Police issued a warning to citizens of World Religions. San Francisco: HarperSanFran- that state, advising them to question unsub- cisco, 1989. stantiated allegations and accounts of various Davies, Jon. Death, Burial and the Rebirth in the Reli- criminal acts, because a large number of hoax- gions of Antiquity. London and New York: Rout- es had achieved wide circulation due to e- ledge, 1999. mail, various websites, and faxes. The police Dickerson, Jr., Robert B. Final Placement. Algonac, illustrated their point by showing how the Mich.: Reference Publications, 1982. of the “Knock-Out Perfume,” Elias, Norbert. The History of Manners. Translated by which originally told of several women who Edmund Jephcott. New York: Random House, had been rendered unconscious and robbed as 1982. a result of criminals giving them phony per- Frazer, Sir James George. The Golden Bough. New fume samples, became transformed after Sep- York: Collier/Macmillan, 1950. tember 11, 2001, into terrorists having killed Grant, Michael. The World of Rome. Cleveland, Ohio: women by sending poison perfume samples World Publishing, 1960. through the mail. The poisonous perfume Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. Cam- story eventually became accounts of anthrax bridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1994. that was supposedly being sent by terrorists to Hazlitt, W. C. Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. Lon- Pennsylvania residents on a mass scale. don: Bracken Books, 1995. Folklorists and other experts who collect Jones, Prudence, and Nigel Pennick. A History of Pagan urban legends point out that such accounts of Europe. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. allegedly true occurrences differ from actual

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 229 news stories or historical events in that they hoaxes are investigated, in the wake of the have a completely developed storyline—an terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, nearly actual beginning, middle, and end. Urban every story concerning poisons, anthrax, or beliefs are most often accusations, claims, or other noxious substances sent through the frightening assertions that are directed at indi- mail was taken seriously and checked. viduals, religious groups, corporations, or Many urban legends are recycled stories political organizations. and continually updated. A story that was in To illustrate the difference between an wide circulation in the 1950s will achieve a urban legend and an urban belief, take the new birth in the twenty-first century and fool example of the terrorists and the poisonous people all over again. Barbara Mikkelson, perfume. An urban legend would begin by who maintains the Urban Legends Research affirming that the story is true and that it hap- Centre, theorizes that such revisions of old pened to a woman who was known by a friend. stories are done by people who heard them It would go on to give her name and describe years ago and were frightened or amused by how she innocently opened a package sent to them and thereby wish to retell the old leg- her through the mail and how she sampled the ends in a way that puts their own imprint perfume that she found inside. The story upon the stories. In other instances, she com- would conclude with a recounting of the trag- ments, many legends were originated by peo- ic demise of the victim. An urban belief, ple who wished “to appear more knowledge- rather than providing an illustrative anecdote, able or more informed on a subject than would simply state that all women must be might truly be the case.” suspicious of any package sent to them by a perfume company, because it is known to be true that terrorists are targeting American women with poisoned perfume. MANY urban legends are recycled stories and The Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of continually updated. Criminal Investigation issued certain guidelines to aid people in detecting an urban legend: • If the story has a beginning, middle, end, Mentioned here are the more familiar and a punchline, it is likely to be an urban urban legends and beliefs, all of which have legend. been told and retold as true occurrences that • If the story begins with the affirmation that happened to real people. it is true and happened to a friend, it is Deadly Reptiles in the probably not an account of an actual event. Imported Carpets • If one has heard the same or similar story from several different sources, but with dif- The story: A woman went shopping in a new ferent names and details, it is probably an department store that had recently opened urban legend. near her home. As she was admiring the vast display of imported carpets and running a • If there is no real evidence to support the hand over the fabric, she felt a sudden sharp story or its allegations, it is likely to be prick in the hand that was holding the false. bunched material. Thinking the small wound While most urban legends and Internet on her hand to have been caused by the bris- myths are basically a nuisance to law enforce- tles of the new carpet, she continued to ment officers who are often called to investi- examine the display. A few moments later, gate the truth of such accounts, such false sto- she felt dizzy and faint and collapsed in the ries and hoaxes do consume time, energy, and carpet department. Judging by her wan color finances. Although spokespersons for the Fed- and her difficulty in breathing, the store eral Bureau of Investigation have stated that called an ambulance, fearing that she suffered no statistics are maintained on how many a heart attack.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 230 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

Fortunately for the stricken woman, a doc- Marcus” cookie. The cookie was so excellent tor at the hospital had experience in Asia and that the woman asked if she might have the recognized her symptoms as having been recipe. The waitress rather haughtily informed caused by a poisonous snake indigenous to her that the recipe could not be given away that part of the world. When employees of the freely, but it might be bought for two-fifty. department store cautiously checked the new The woman was thrilled, considering “two- shipment of imported carpets, they discovered fifty” to be $2.50 and a great deal. However, a number of the deadly snakes that had some- when she received her credit card statement, how unknowingly been shipped with the mer- she was shocked to see that the Neiman-Mar- chandise. The woman recovered from the bite cus charge was $285.00 with “Cookie Recipe: and sued the department store for negligence. $250.00” clearly marked on the bill. A variation of this urban legend has the The woman called the Neiman-Marcus woman handling some imported baskets that accounting department to complain, and she have just arrived at the department store. She was soundly rebuffed. She was told that the screams and drops to the floor. She is rushed waitress had duly informed her that the recipe to the hospital but is dead upon arrival. The could be bought for “two-fifty” and she was doctors recognize the symptoms of snake bite, naive to think that such a treasured list of and when the employees of the store investi- ingredients could be purchased for $2.50. She gate, they find a deadly poisonous snake coiled was warned not to call the Better Business at the bottom of the last basket the woman Bureau or the Texas Attorney General’s office, was examining. and not even to think of trying to get even or Yet a third version of the snakes at the to get her money back. department store has a woman trying on some “All right,” the woman told them, hatch- clothes that have just arrived from an Asian ing a scheme to get revenge for such an exor- nation. She pulls on a coat and stands before bitant bill, “you’ve got my $250.00, now I’m the mirror, evaluating the fit. Deciding against going to have $250.00 worth of fun. I’m going the purchase, she places the coat back on the to send your famous cookie recipe to every hanger and returns home. That night, she cookie lover in the United States who has an experiences a strange swelling on her shoulder e-mail account.” and begins to feel ill. When her husband takes An alleged recipe for Neiman-Marcus her to the emergency room, the wound is diag- cookies is then provided to the e-mail recipi- nosed as a bite from an unknown kind of ent with the instructions that it should be sent snake. The next day she returns to the store, on to every person he or she knows who has picks up the same coat that she had tried on an e-mail address. the previous evening, and in the presence of the store manager finds a small snake nestled While many recipients of such an e-mail in a shoulder pad. undoubtedly follow the recipe included and produce a good-tasting cookie, the recipe does This urban legend was first circulated in not come from Neiman-Marcus. There is no the early 1970s and has continued to be “Neiman-Marcus cafe” at any of the famous repeated in its several versions. Some believe department store’s three Dallas-area outlets. that the myth was begun as a way of discour- In its restaurants, named the Zodiac, Zodiac at aging shoppers from patronizing the large dis- North Park, and The Woods, the staffs do not count department stores that featured mer- sell recipes, but give them away free to any chandise imported from overseas markets. customer who may inquire about a particular item on the menu. The Fabulous Cookie Recipe There wasn’t even a “Neiman-Marcus The story: A woman and her daughter finished cookie” until quite recently when, in a good- their salad at a Neiman-Marcus cafe in Dallas, natured response to the widespread urban leg- Texas, and because they were both such cook- end, the company developed a chocolate chip ie lovers, they decided to try the “Neiman- cookie and freely gives away its recipe.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 231

This popular urban legend of an ordinary ents were advised to write their congressper- woman getting revenge on a corporate giant sons and demand that the product be taken off has been around in one form or another since the market. the late 1940s. It began shortly after the end of It is difficult to trace the origins of this World War II (1945) with a woman being urban legend about the green candy with the charged with an exorbitant bill after requesting bizarre erotic stimulant mixed into its coating, the recipe for fudge cake from a railroad diner but it appears to have begun sometime early in car. In the 1960s, the legend evolved to a 1993 on the Internet with e-mails informing woman customer receiving a bill for $350.00 parents to insist upon legal action against Mars, from New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for a Inc., for becoming participants in the insidious dessert known as “Red Velvet Cake.” In the child porn business. Some researchers have 1970s, Mrs. Fields became the villain for hav- theorized that the rumor may have begun when ing sold the recipe for chocolate chip cookies Mars, Inc., actually did appear in court in 1992 to a customer for $250.00. The story regarding to obtain a cease and desist order against Cool Mrs. Fields became so widely circulated that in Chocolate, Inc., a competitor that had started 1987 the company issued a public denial, to manufacture a green-coated chocolate that it insisting that all of their cookie recipes was calling “The Green Ones.” The attorneys remained trade secrets. In each of the fictional for Mars, Inc., argued that the product was too instances, the urban legend had it that an ordi- similar to M&Ms, and the court ruled in favor nary person who had been taken advantage of of the long-established makers of the popular by a haughty big business had gleefully taken colored-coated chocolate. Cool Chocolate, her revenge by distributing the once-sacro- Inc., was ordered to cease producing its rival sanct recipes to whomever wished to use them. line of candies. Since the urban legend began Sometime in the 1990s, the story shifted shortly after the court case had concluded, it is from Mrs. Fields as the malefactor to a cafe in a possible that the purpose of Mars, Inc.’s, day in Dallas-area Neiman-Marcus store. The advent court became woefully distorted into an outra- of the Internet caused the story of the vengeful geous accusation associating the candy compa- woman and her defiant distribution of the ny with child pornography. cookie recipe to become one of the most popu- The origin of the claim that Mars, Inc., lar of all the widely circulated urban legends. also created a series of erotic commercials to promote further the ingestion of the aphro- disiac-coated green M&Ms among children Green M&Ms remains a mystery. True to the tradition of The story: Mars, Inc., the makers of M&Ms, urban legends, no one can actually recall see- was brought into court and heavily fined ing any scantily clad models in the familiar when it was discovered that the candy coating commercials promoting the candy that “melts on the green-colored M&M chocolate candies in your mouth, not in your hands,” except, of contained an aphrodisiac. The candy compa- course, for a “friend of a friend.” ny was involved in an insidious plot to stimu- late innocent children sexually with the sub- The Hook on the Car Door stance in the green M&Ms and drive them into the hands of pornographers. In addition The story: A young couple were parked on a to the aphrodisiac in the candy coating, Mars, lonely lovers’ lane by a river, listening to Inc., had launched a series of television com- dreamy, romantic music on the car radio. Sud- mercials featuring scantily clad models whose denly the mood was shattered by a news bul- poses were designed to arouse the children letin. An escapee from a hospital for the crim- even further and suggest how they themselves inally insane had escaped. People are told that might pose for the child pornographers. Con- they should be on the lookout for a tall, gaunt scientious consumers were urged to cease sup- man with a pronounced limp and a hook porting a candy company that was in league instead of a left hand. The announcer con- with the manufacturers of child porn, and par- cluded the bulletin by warning the radio audi-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 232 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

M&M Candies.

(THE GALE GROUP)

ence that the man with the hook was a serial demands and peeled out of the parking place, murderer and was last seen making his way out tearing off the killer’s hook in the process. of town. This is a classic urban legend, dating back The thought of a mass murderer with a at least to the 1940s. The familiar tale is most hook for a hand coming upon them as they sat often told as having happened to a friend’s there in lovers’ lane completely destroyed the college roommate or high school classmate, romantic interlude for the young woman, and and the story of the murderer’s hook on the she asked to be taken home. Her boyfriend car door has long been a favorite at slumber was decidedly unpleased with her decision. He parties and around campfires. argued that the murderer was undoubtedly far away and would certainly never wander out to a lovers’ lane. Although he persisted and tried If Your College Roommate to dissuade his frightened sweetheart, she Commits Suicide.… once again repeated her wish to leave the dark The story: It is a standard regulation at all col- and lonely place at once. leges that a student whose roommate commits Angered and frustrated, the young man start- suicide will automatically receive a 4.0 grade ed the engine and roared out of the parking point for the current school term. place by the river. Pouting and disappointed, he Although this myth has become popular refused even to speak to his girlfriend as he drove enough to be the subject of two motion pic- directly to her home. Stubbornly, he remained tures (Dead Man on Campus and Dead Man’s seated behind the wheel and silent while she got Curve, both 1998), it is not true. Nor will any out of the car to walk to her front door. of the variations of this legend—such as a Just as she was about to slam the car door, roommate being murdered, killed accidentally, she screamed in horror. Jolted from his pique, or dying from a terminal disease—earn the the young man got out to see what had caused surviving roommate a 4.0 grade point. his girlfriend to go into hysterics. Persistence has led to other versions of this As he walked to the passenger side of the story becoming a bit more believable, with ver- car, he, too, is startled to see a prosthetic fore- sions stating the death of a parent, a close rela- arm dangling from the door handle, a steel tive, or a betrothed guaranteeing a straight “A” hook gleaming in the light from a street lamp. report card. While many academic institutions The murderer had been about to open the do offer some kind of bereavement considera- door on the passenger’s side of the car when tions to those students who suffer the loss of the young man had given into his girlfriend’s someone deemed especially important to their

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 233

very Filipino family knows someone who has been killed by the “bangungot.” In Filipino folklore, bangungot is personified as a fat Eman who creeps into the bedroom of sleep- ing men and sits on their faces to suffocate them. Asian Men Killed It isn’t a fat man that kills them, but an unexplained illness that kills young, healthy Asian men and was first by Fat Man reported in the Philippines in 1917 and has since been identified in Thailand, Japan, India, and Singapore. Sources: Chokroverty, Sudhansu, ed.; Robert B. Daroff, introduction. Sleep Known as Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Disorders Medicine: Basic Science, Technical Syndrome (SUNDS) by medical researchers, the vic- Considerations, and Clinical Aspects. Burlington, Mass.: tims of the disease have been males in 99 percent of Butterworth-Heinemann Medical, 1999. Lyall, Kimina. “Stranglers in the Night.” The Australian, May 2, the cases, and 80 percent of those men were between 2002. [online] http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ the ages of 22 to 45. The death usually occurs during o,5942,4240606,00.html. the first third of the sleep cycle and results from a “Odd Syndrome Targets Asian Males.” Wired News, April 2, miocardial infraction in the lower left ventricle of the 2002. [Online] http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/), heart, thereby causing a heart attack. The victims are 1286,51473,00.html. found lying on their backs in bed, often with a frozen expression of what appears to be terror on their faces, thus giving rise to the folktale of the fat man having smothered them.

lives, no college is known to award grade day of judgment that will soon be at hand for points for such tragic circumstances. all of humankind and the entire world. The backseat became a makeshift pulpit as he Jesus on the Freeway advised the couple that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was at hand. The story: A couple was driving across the Unit- ed States on vacation when they spotted a long- At this point in the narrative, the story haired, bearded hitchhiker standing at the side has two equally popular endings: of the road. Although he appeared somewhat 1. The couple looked around and discovered disheveled and his clothes were a bit ragged, to their astonishment that their passenger they decided to take a chance that he was not a had disappeared. Then they realized that serial murderer and they picked him up. the man was Jesus himself, warning them After they had driven for a few miles, the to prepare for Judgment Day. hitcher, in answer to their inquiries regarding 2. Just before he disappeared before their aston- his destination, began to speak of heaven. His ished eyes, the hitchhiker revealed himself words touched their hearts and the relieved to be Jesus, who left them with a blessing and couple realized that they had picked up a very a final warning to be prepared for his return. spiritual fellow. The stories of Jesus on the freeway seem to The hitchhiker then shifted his comments be a variation of the urban legend of the phan- to issue a number of warnings concerning the tom hitchhiker combined with the gospel

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 234 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

account of the risen Christ appearing to very beautiful young woman, probably about Cleopas and another disciple as they walked on his own age. She gestured into the darkness the road to Emmaus, about seven miles north- ahead and said that the house was only a few west of Jerusalem. At first the two do not recog- miles ahead. nize Jesus—and when they do, he disappears. As he was getting up his courage to ask her The tale of the contemporary hitchhiking for her name, she pointed to a house down a Jesus is still repeated, but it was in very wide very short lane. She asked him to stop, and she circulation in 1998–99, just before the year got out of the car. He protested that he would 2000 and the period of time that many Christ- be happy to drive her the rest of the way, but ian fundamentalists believed would be the she was already running away into the night. advent of the end times, Armageddon, the As he drove on, he berated himself for not ask- last great battle between the forces of Good ing her name, but then he remembered that and Evil. From their perspective, it seemed to she still wore his sweater. That would be his be in the order of things that Jesus could excuse to drive back to her parents’ home and return in disguise, then reveal himself to cer- formally make her acquaintance. tain individuals so that they might be pre- Two days later, after his afternoon classes pared for the opportunity of the Rapture, had ended, the student drove to his mystery which they believe will deliver all true believ- girl’s home and knocked on the door. He was ers from the planet. surprised when an elderly woman opened the door and invited him to step inside. As he The Phantom Hitchhiker looked about the interior of the front parlor, he noticed a framed portrait of the beautiful The story: A college student was driving on a young girl, and he asked the woman if her lonely country road late one rainy night when granddaughter was home. he was startled to see a young woman walking Following the student’s gaze to the por- along the shoulder. Immediately he pulled over, trait, the woman began to weep. Her darling leaned across the front seat to open the passen- daughter, she said, was still trying to come ger door, and asked her if she wanted a ride. home. The student listened incredulously as Without a word, she got inside. It was the woman told him that her daughter had obvious that she was cold and soaked to the been killed in an automobile accident more skin. The college student reached behind him, than 40 years before. grabbed his sweater from the backseat, and By the time he managed to leave the old offered it to the lovely hitchhiker. woman, he had concluded that she must be She smiled her thanks and draped the crazy. The hitchhiker he had picked up that warm sweater over her shoulders, informing night was no more than 19 years old. And she him that she had to get home that night to see was very much alive. her parents. As he passed a small rural cemetery, some- In the light from the dashboard, the stu- thing blowing in the wind caught his eye. dent noticed for the first time that her face When he entered the graveyard to investigate, and hands were scratched and bleeding. he found his sweater draped over a tombstone When she caught him looking at her injuries, that marked the final resting place of a young she explained that her car had slid off the road woman who had died 40 years ago. and into a ditch. She had stood there for what Some version of the above account of a had seemed like hours, hoping for help; then phantom hitchhiker has been told and retold she decided to walk the rest of the way to her with variations for at least the past 70 years. In parents’ home. many areas, there are no shortages of witnesses The student told her that there was no who say that they themselves have stopped to problem taking her right to her parents’ front pick up the ghost—nearly always a lovely door. In spite of her bedraggled appearance, it young woman—and they swear that their was becoming apparent to him that she was a encounter is true.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 235

Chicago’s “Resurrection Mary” has been hitching rides and spooking motorists since the 1930s. Said to be the spirit of a beautiful, blond Polish girl, Mary has been picked up by smitten young men at dances and asked to be taken home. The problem is, “home” always turns out to be Resurrection Cemetery on Archer Avenue on the South Side of Chicago. On occasion, Mary has been bold enough to open car doors and get in, explaining to the startled driver how she desperately needs a ride into the city. Once again, as the car approaches the cemetery on Archer, Mary bolts from the car and vanishes at the gates. For many years, taxi drivers in Naha, Oki- nawa, have claimed that an attractive woman in her 20s, with short-cropped hair and dressed in black slacks, often hails them for a ride on the road to the U.S. Marine Camp. When the cab drivers turn to ask for a specific destination, she disappears. The phantom has been dubbed the “Nightwalker of Nago,” because she most often appears on the moun- tain road leading from the fishing village of had applied to their products for generations It was rumored that the Nago to the marine camp. was a satanic symbol. The logo pictures the Proctor & Gamble logo of moon with a smiling face and 13 stars, repre- the moon and stars was Since 1965, dozens of drivers have senting, according to the urban belief, the a satanic symbol. slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting a number of satanists in a coven, the negativity (AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS) pretty young woman in a flowing white dress of the number 13, and the devilish activities standing in the road on Blue Bell Hill in that evildoers commit in the moonlight. Maidstone, England. The phantom is said to be that of a woman who was to have been a Representatives of Proctor & Gamble had bridesmaid for her best friend when she died issued disclaimer after disclaimer, assuring the in a car crash the night before the wedding. public that none of its executives or employ- Her spirit appears still dressed in her flowing ees were satanists, but in 1994, a call to action bridesmaid’s gown, still attempting to get to was issued by alleged Christian fundamental- the wedding on time. ists demanding that all good Christians boy- Stories of phantom hitchhikers constitute cott all P&G products. According to the man- a category of urban legends that have been ifesto that was widely circulated, the president reported around the world and show no signs of P&G had appeared on the Phil Donohue of ceasing. Motorists, truckers, and taxi drivers television program on March 15, 1994, and by the hundreds have a “friend of a friend” announced without hesitation that he was a who really did give a ghost a ride. satanist. What was even more upsetting to the author of the pronouncement was that the president of P&G had openly declared that he Proctor & Gamble Is a had been using the products of his company to Satanist Company raise money to support his charity, The The story: Sometime in the 1960s, when many Church of Satan. Then, defiantly, the presi- people were announcing that the Age of dent stated that there weren’t enough Chris- Aquarius was dawning and New Age beliefs tians in all 50 states combined that would were beginning to receive wide circulation, the make any difference to him or to his compa- rumor started that the logo Proctor & Gamble ny’s profits.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 236 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

The anonymous author of the declaration huge buckets, the unfortunate scuba diver that went out over the Internet and in postal had been dumped along with the sea water in mailings titled his piece, “You Can Make a an attempt to put out the forest fire as quick- Difference,” and he challenged all Christians ly as possible. to show the president of Proctor & Gamble While this story has been told many times that he was wrong. They could make a differ- since the late 1980s, there has never been a ence by ceasing to buy any P&G products. record of a diver in a scuba outfit being acci- “Let him know what Christians think of his dentally dumped by helicopter tankers on a kind,” the e-mail demanded. “Stop buying his forest fire. Authorities point out that while products! Now! Today!” water is sometimes taken from lakes and ocean No president of Proctor & Gamble ever areas in an effort to extinguish forest fires as appeared on the Donohue television talk rapidly as possible, the helitankers suck up the show. No one from the firm has ever claimed water by means of a hose only a couple of inch- to be a satanist or commented on the number es in diameter. No one could be drawn into of Christians residing in the United States. such a small opening and pulled into the tank. The accusations of satanic allegiance and worship levied at Proctor & Gamble are com- Snakes in the Toilet pletely fabricated. Yet, in spite of P&G’s legal A fear of snakes is among the oldest of all of representatives winning nearly a dozen court humankind’s basic fears, so it is likely that this decisions declaring that the rumors had no urban legend grew out of the ancient warnings basis in truth, the urban legend about Satan of primitive people to be cautious about the profiting from Proctor & Gamble’s many places they selected to relieve themselves products continues to rear its horned head. when obeying a call of nature. As civilization progressed, the outdoor toilet was a place that The Scuba Diver in the Tree often harbored snakes that would scare or bite The story: While assessing the damage done by a person, which would possibly lead to death. a forest fire in California, authorities were With centuries of apprehension about snakes startled to discover the body of a man dressed it seems a natural progression to bring such in a wetsuit, complete with a dive tank, flip- primitive fear into man’s modern plumbing pers, and face mask, in the branches of a tree. and toilet facilities. The strangely placed victim had suffered The story: Perhaps the most common ver- severe burns from the forest fire, but an autop- sion of this urban legend has someone with an sy revealed that he had not died from the enormous pet python moving into an apart- flames, but from massive internal injuries. ment building. In order not to alarm his neigh- Dental records provided the victim’s identifi- bors, the individual keeps the nature of his pet cation, and investigators contacted his family a secret from everyone. (Sometimes the story in an attempt to learn how a man who was states that he or she is with a traveling circus dressed for scuba diving could possibly have and is only staying in the apartment for a few ended up in the branches of a tree in the midst nights.) of hundreds of acres of charred forest. One day, the snake fancier carelessly According to the horrified family, the leaves the toilet lid up in his bathroom, and victim had been diving in the ocean some 30 the big serpent wiggles its way into the bowl, miles away from the forest on the day that enters the drain pipe, and emerges in the toi- the fire had gotten out of control. As the let of the next door apartment. The startled investigators pieced together the grim details individual is horrified to see a monstrous of the man’s death, it became apparent that snake suddenly rear its head from the toilet he had been accidentally scooped up along bowl, and as he runs from the bathroom, the with thousands of gallons of water by one of a mammoth python begins to slither its way fleet of helitankers that had been called in to into his apartment. This account usually ends help the firefighters. Caught up in one of the with the frightened apartment dweller calling

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 237 the zoo or the animal control center and a woman’s sprayed hair and had bitten her when crew of men arriving to wrestle the monster the beautician began to shampoo her hair. python of 15 to 20 feet out of the building. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, male Another popular version of the story has a “hippies,” who wore their hair shoulder-length big snake somehow making its way into the or longer, became the most oft-cited victims of plumbing system of an apartment house and the “spider in the hair” folktale. The long hair moving through the pipes until it comes up for made it possible by the suspicions of the gen- air in someone’s toilet just as the person is eral public that “hippies” seldom bathed, thus about to use it. In some legends, the victim allowing a deadly spider to remain undetected either dies of a heart attack or is bitten to in their hair until somehow provoked. death by the deadly reptile. The Internet continues to resurrect both Spiders in the Hairdo the female victim with her beehive hairstyle or the poisoned hippie with his uncombed, As man watches primates grooming one unwashed shoulder-length hair. However, another in the zoo or in a nature film, one can sometime in the late 1970s and early 1980s, clearly see that the process of checking one’s the urban legend was updated by substituting hair for insects is a procedure that has been a man or woman with dreadlocks as the unsus- inherited from the most primitive ancestors. pecting host for the poisonous spiders. In some Combine this instinctual grooming practice versions, the victim is bitten when he or she with the fear of poisonous insects and there is attends a barbershop or beauty parlor and the the likely origin of the urban legends about barber or beautician uncovers the insect. In the spiders in the hairdo. other legends, both the wearer of the dread- Although tales of the unwanted presence locks and the hair-stylists are bitten by a nest of bees, wasps, and other annoying insects in of spiders. someone’s long hair had been popular since at least the late 1800s, the urban legend of the poisonous spider in the hair continued M Delving Deeper through the twentieth century. This legend Bronner, Simon J. Piled Higher and Deeper. Little started up again with the introduction of the Rock, Ark.: August House, 1990. popular beehive hairdo in the early 1960s. Brunvand, Jan Harold. Curses! Broiled Again! New Because women sprayed their hair to create a York: W. W. Norton, 1989. rounded “beehive” appearance, it seemed pos- ———. Too Good to Be True. New York: W. W. Nor- sible—and terrifying—to those wanting such ton, 1999. a fashionable style that a spider could take res- Craughwell, Thomas J. Alligators in the Sewer and 222 idence in the raised hair atop their heads. Other Urban Legends: Absolutely True Stories That The Story: As the legend goes, a woman, Happened to a Friend of a Friend. New York: Black wearing a beehive hair style, walks into a Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 1999. beauty shop and asks for a trim. She tells the ———. Baby on the Car Roof & 222 Other Urban Leg- beautician that she has not touched her hair ends: Absolutely True Stories That Happened to a for days—other than to add spray—because Friend of a Friend. New York: Black Dog & Lev- she felt she had achieved the perfect shape to enthal Publishers, 2000. her hairdo. As the beautician begins to sham- Dickson, Paul, and Joseph Gouldon. Myth-Informed. poo the woman’s hair, the customer screams in New York: Perigee Books, 1993. awful pain. She grimaces, gasps, and collapses. Genge, N. E. The As-Complete-As-One-Could-Be The beautician, horrified and confused, Guide to Modern Myths. New York: Random calls an ambulance as the other customers House, 2000. look on in disbelief. As the paramedics are Glantz, George. “Cops Out to Quell Urban Legends.” lifting the woman onto a stretcher, a black Times Herald, March 30, 2002. [Online] http:// widow spider crawls from the woman’s hair. www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=3705584& The poisonous insect had been nesting in the BRD=1672&PAG=461&dept-id=.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 238 Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends

Holt, David, and Bill Mooney. Spiders in the Hairdo— Egypt. From the Hebrew word pesa, mean- Modern Urban Legends. Little Rock, Ark.: August ing to pass without affecting. House Publishers, 1999. pharaoh An all-powerful person in a position Urban Legends Research Centre. [Online] http://www. of authority and who expects unquestion- ulrc.com.au/html. ing obedience, such as the ancient Egypt- ian rulers of Egypt. From the Hebrew paroh and Egyptian pr-o, meaning great house. Making the Connection predator Any organism or animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals. Can refer to a barter The exchange or the process of negoti- ruthless person who is extremely aggressive ating certain goods or services for other in harming another. From the Latin goods or services. praedator and praedari, meaning to seize as Bedouin A nomadic person who is an Arab plunder. from the desert areas of North Africa and Sabbath A day set apart as one of religious Arabia. Via Old French beduin, ultimately worship and rest from work—observed on from Arabic badw, or desert, nomadic Sunday for Christians, Saturday in Judaism desert people. and some Christian denominations. From betrothal The act of becoming or being the Greek sabbaton, via the Latin sabba- engaged to marry another person. tum, and Hebrew sabba, meaning rest. birthstone Each month of the year has a par- spittle Something that looks like or is saliva, ticular precious gemstone or a semi- which is secreted from the mouth. precious stone associated with it. It is superstition The belief that certain actions believed that if a person wears the stone and rituals have a magical effect resulting assigned their birth month, good fortune in either good or bad. From the Latin stem or luck will follow. superstition, and superstes, meaning stand- deity A divine being, god, or goddess or some- ing over or in awe. thing or someone that is treated like a god. From the ecclesiastical Latin deitas, mean- taboo Something that is forbidden. In some ing divine nature. cases can refer to something being sacred, therefore forbidden, such as in Polynesian Deity When capitalized refers to God in societies. From the Tongan tabu, said to monotheistic belief or religions. have been introduced into the English exorcism The act, religious ceremony, or ritu- language by Captain James Cook in the al of casting out evil spirits from a person late eighteenth century. or a place. talisman An object such as a gemstone or omen A prophetic sign or occurrence or some- stone, believed to have magical powers or thing that gives an indication of the course properties. From the Greek telesma, mean- of future events. ing something consecrated, telein, to com- plete, and telos, result. oracle Either someone or something that is the source of wisdom, knowledge or Valhalla In , when the souls prophecy. Can also refer to the place of heroes are killed in battle, they spend where the prophetic word would be given. eternity in a great hall, which is called Via French from the Latin oraculum, from Valhalla. From the Old Norse valhall, liter- orare to speak. ally meaning hall of the slain. Passover The seven or eight days of a Jewish Valkyrie One of the 12 handmaids of Odin in festival that begins on the fourteenth day Norse mythology who ride their horses of Nissan and commemorates the exodus over the battlefield as they escort the souls of the Hebrews from their captivity in of slain heroes to Valhalla. From the Old

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Superstitions, Strange Customs, Taboos, and Urban Legends 239

Norse Valkyrja, meaning literally chooser religion called Zoroastrianism whose prin- of the slain. cipal belief is in a supreme deity and of the existence of a dualism between good and Zoroaster A Persian prophet (c. 628 B.C.E.–c. evil. Derived from the Greek word Zarat or 551 B.C.E) and the founder of an ancient Zarathustra, meaning camel handler.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 241

Chapter Exploration

UFOs in Ancient Times Space Visitors in the Bible and Other Holy Books The Modern UFO Era Begins The Air Force and Project Blue Book The Condon/University of Colorado Report Hangar 18 Roswell, New Mexico Socorro, New Mexico UFO Contactees and Abductees George Adamski Daniel W. Fry Betty and Barney Hill The Men in Black (MIB) Whitley Strieber Chapter 14 George Van Tassel Invaders from The Influence of the Media Close Encounters of the Third Kind Outer Space The Day the Earth Stood Still War of the Worlds The X-Files The UFO Mystery Grows Are humans alone in the universe? Area 51 and Reverse Engineering Cattle Mutilations Throughout history, humankind’s religions Crop Circles Majestic-12 have probed the unknown to provide an The Philadelphia Experiment answer to what occurs after death, and its sciences have attempted to scan the cosmos for clues to the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the stars. 242 Invaders from Outer Space

Introduction at the inefficiency of the military. Others, however, wondered how highly trained air n June 24, 1947, at 2 P.M., Kenneth force personnel could possibly mistake a few Arnold took off from the Chehalis, thin sticks and scraps of cloth for any kind of OWashington, airport in his personal aeronautical vehicle, to say nothing of an plane and headed for Yakima, Washington. He extraterrestrial craft capable of traversing the hadn’t been in the air for more than three min- universe. Thus was born the seed of nearly utes when to the left and north of Mount every UFO government cover-up conspiracy Rainier he observed a chain of nine peculiar- theory that still thrives today. From the looking objects flying from north to south at moment those initial startling headlines of approximately 9,500 feet. He estimated the the U.S. Air Force having discovered the size of the objects to be approximately two- debris of a crashed flying saucer, millions of thirds that of a DC-4, and he timed the objects people have remained convinced that between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams humankind is being visited and/or invaded by and determined that they crossed this 47-mile aliens from outer space. stretch in 1 minute and 42 seconds. This was In many ways, the year 1947 provided the equivalent to 1656.71 miles per hour. ideal time for such theories to grow. It had been almost exactly two years since the Japan- ese had surrendered and the days of World War II (1939–45) had at last come to a close KATHLEEN May described the alien being amid the fiery destruction of the nuclear bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasa- that she and seven other residents saw as looking more ki. Atomic power frightened the great majority frightening than the Frankenstein monster. of Americans, and many doomsayers were frightening newly attentive audiences with their grim message that the world was about to In an interview subsequent to the sighting, come to an end. Adding to the stress was the Arnold described the objects as appearing like fact that the Soviet Union had erected the so- saucers skipping on water. This description was called Iron Curtain, and the free nations of the shortened to “flying saucers” by newspapermen world had to start worrying about the Commu- and resulted in the popular use of that term. It nist menace before they had really had time to was the U. S. Air Force’s conclusion that the recover from the Nazi’s Third Reich. In fact, objects of this sighting were due to a mirage, some people said that the flying saucers were a but for many individuals around the world, the new secret weapon launched against the Unit- mysterious objects that Arnold sighted that ed States by diehard Nazis hiding in South day were extraterrestrial spacecraft. America. Other people in “the know” claimed that the bizarre circular craft were new On the night of July 2, 1947, eight days weapons that had been created by the German after Kenneth Arnold’s sighting of mysterious scientists who had been kidnapped by the unidentified flying objects, another UFO was Soviets during the last days of the war. Para- reported to have crashed on ranchland about noia ran rampant and while some scientists 60 miles north of Roswell, New Mexico, and laughed at the notion of spaceships, others the air force had recovered the wreckage. The who seemed to be just as knowledgeable made next day, however, those startling media pro- convincing arguments for an invasion from nouncements were suddenly transformed into outer space. It wasn’t long before people were puzzling accounts that the air force had been seeing alien invaders on the silver screen in mistaken. The supposed UFO was merely the such motion pictures as The Day the Earth scattered debris from a fallen weather balloon. Stood Still (1951), The Thing from Another For many people reading the stories of the World (1951), Invaders from Mars (1953), and air force’s denial of having captured a flying It Came from Outer Space (1953)—and then saucer, the matter was ended with a wry smile they were seeing them in their own backyards.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 243

Kathleen May described the alien being that she and seven other Flatwoods, West Vir- ginia, residents saw on September 12, 1952, as looking more frightening than the Franken- stein monster. May had her attention called to the saucer by a group of excited boys, includ- ing her sons, who were at a nearby playground when they sighted a flying saucer emitting an exhaust that looked like red balls of fire. According to the boys, the UFO had landed on a hilltop in back of the May house. May later told reporters that she kept telling the boys that it was just their imagina- tion, but they continued to insist that they had seen a flying saucer land behind the hill. Finally, a husky teenaged boy found a flash- light and said that he was going to investigate. At the urging of her son, May agreed to accompany him, and the other boys fell in behind them. About halfway up the hill, she began to change her mind about whatever the boys had seen being in their imaginations, for she could see a strange, reddish glow emanat- ing from somewhere near the top. After about be rather conservative, reserved individuals, Kenneth Arnold with a half an hour of tramping through the brush, the kind of people unlikely to have invented drawing of a UFO. their flashlight beam spotlighted an immense, such a wild and incredible adventure for the (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) humanlike figure with a blood-red face and sake of sensational publicity. greenish eyes that blinked out from under a According to the Sutton family, when pointed hood. Behind the monster was a their teenaged son, Billy Ray, left the farm- “glowing ball of fire as big as a house” that house that Sunday evening to get a drink grew dimmer and brighter at intervals. The from the well he saw a bright object land intrepid band of flying saucer-hunters fled in about a city block away from the farmhouse. panic from the sight. Billy Ray’s report of the strange aerial phe- Later, May described the monster as hav- nomenon was met with a pronounced lack of ing “terrible claws.” Estimates of the monster’s interest by the others until they saw little height ranged from seven to ten feet, but men, less than four feet tall with long arms everyone agreed about one characteristic of and large, round heads approaching the farm- the alien—it had emitted a sickening odor, house. The smallish invaders looked like like sulphur. monsters with their nickel-plated jumpsuits, their glowing, yellow eyes, and their other- On the evening of August 21, 1955, a worldly appearance. UFO touched down in a rural area outside of Kelly-Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and set loose Fearing for their lives, the farmers picked alien invaders on the eight adults and three up the Suttons’ rifles and shotguns and began children who had gathered for some Sunday to fire upon the alien creatures. But they told evening fellowship. Representatives of the air investigators that such a counterattack on the force, local police, and area newspapers con- monsters was to no avail. The bullets just ducted an extensive and well-documented seemed to bounce off the little beings’ nickel- investigation of what has become a classic plated armor. Although the Suttons and their encounter in the annals of UFO research. The neighbors were positive that they had made adults involved in the incident were found to direct hits on the creatures, the little mon-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 244 Invaders from Outer Space

sters just jumped right up and ran off into the Stories such as these fueled the fears of darkness, only to regroup for another charge men and women across the United States that toward the farmers in the house. According they would be powerless in the face of an alien to the farmers’ observations to various inves- invasion from outer space. In the late 1960s, tigators of the shootout, the alien beings’ Harold D. Lasswell, professor of law and polit- extremely large eyes appeared to be very sen- ical science at Yale University, offered his sitive to light. In retrospect, they all felt that speculations on what would happen if human it had been the farmhouse’s outside lights, civilization were to be confronted by extrater- rather than the farmers’ bullets, that had truly restrial aliens. If that alien culture were tech- prevented the invaders from advancing into nologically superior to human culture—which the home. it would be if it had successfully conquered space to land on Earth—Lasswell stated that The Suttons and their neighbors battled the human race would be in the same rela- the seemingly invulnerable little monsters for tionship to another planet that folk societies nearly four hours before they managed to get in human history had often occupied when into their motor vehicles and drive in panic to faced by an industrialized nation of western the Hopkinsville police station to get rein- Europe or an empire that possessed advanced forcements. Chief Greenwell was convinced weaponry. He went on to say that human reli- by the hysteria of the three children and the gions, arts, and sciences would be judged infe- obvious fear of the eight adults that they had rior to whatever doctrines and formulas were definitely been battling something very held by the invaders, and in such an event as strange out there in the country. an extraterrestrial invasion, there would be With Chief Greenwell in the lead, more the grim possibility that the superior culture than a dozen state, country, and city law might select the brightest, healthiest, and enforcement officers arrived to investigate most promising Earth children and separate the farmers’ claims and, if necessary, do battle them from their families so they might be with the alien invaders. On the way to the reared in the aliens’ greater intellectual and farm scene, the officers noticed what technological environment. However, such a appeared to be a peculiar shower of meteors culture might also be somewhat benign and coming from the direction of the Sutton paternal and force humans to abandon all farmhouse. One officer later said that the aggressive pursuits and devote their time to meteors had made a “swishing sound” as they aesthetic endeavors. passed overhead. If the invading extraterrestrial culture Although the small army of law enforce- should be generally comparable to human cul- ment officers found no traces of extraterrestri- ture in scientific advancement and technolog- al aliens or their spaceship, they found several ical development, perhaps superior only in the “peculiar signs and indications” that some- area of space flight, for example, then Lasswell thing mighty strange had taken place that saw earthlings in a situation similar to the evening on the Suttons’ farm. For one thing, Cold War rivalry, as various Earth nations the teetotaling, conservative Suttons and would strive to win the favor of the new domi- their neighbors had thought that whatever nant civilization on the scene. If the extrater- they perceived to be real was threatening restrial invaders arrived on Earth as unified enough to cause them to put bullet holes in and powerful, Lasswell concluded, then earth- the walls of every barn and outbuilding on the lings would be at a great disadvantage. place. Sutton claimed that he had blasted one Millions of fearful men and women around of the beings point-blank with his shotgun, the world feel that humans are at a great disad- only to have the creature simply do a somer- vantage when it comes to dealing with the sault and roll off into the darkness. Taylor, one strangers in the skies. Although there is no of the other men at the Sutton place that proof that any of the mysterious craft seen by night, told investigators that he had used up these concerned people originate from an four boxes of shells on the little men. extraterrestrial source, a large percentage of the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 245 population believe that alien invaders circle In addition to the fear of invasion or the planet Earth. abduction by extraterrestrials, many individu- In June 1998, a CNN/Time poll found that als fear the terror on the ground, the infamous 27 percent of all Americans believe that Men in Black (MIB), threatening strangers aliens have already visited Earth, and 80 per- who appear to have a great deal to do with the cent maintain that the government is con- UFO mystery—but nothing to do with the ducting a cover-up to keep the truth of humorous motion picture series starring Will extraterrestrial visitation from the general Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. In many population. On June 8, 1999, a National Insti- instances, those individuals who have been tute of Science/Roper Poll surveyed a nation- witnesses of UFO activity have claimed to wide sampling of men and women and found have suffered a peculiar kind of personal that 25 percent believed UFOs to be alien harassment. At first, there are often sinister spacecraft and another 12 percent thought voices that whisper threats on the telephone them to be vehicles of a secret government and warn researchers and witnesses of unusual agency. When the pollsters asked the respon- phenomena to terminate specific investiga- dents how they felt the general public would tions or to forget entirely what they have seen. deal with the matter if it were proved that Those who have taken photographs or videos UFOs were extraterrestrial craft, 25 percent of UFOs or obtained any kind of physical evi- felt that the majority of people would panic; dence of paranormal phenomena have been 10 percent feared their fellow citizens would called upon by rather mysterious men dressed behave irrationally; 14 percent guessed the in black—often claiming government affilia- general public would act in strange ways; 36 tion—who confiscate the pictures, the nega- percent believed that vast numbers of citizens tives, the videotape, or whatever proof the would be concerned about the prospects of an witnesses may have had of their sighting. imminent alien invasion; and only 13 percent estimated that most U.S. citizens could deal with the confirmation of alien visitation in a calm and rational manner. A CNN/Time poll found that 27 percent of Thousands of men and women are handling all Americans believe that aliens have already the prospect of alien visitation by insisting that they have been abducted and physically exam- visited Earth. ined by extraterrestrial beings. In the opinion of many UFO researchers who believe that such abductions are truly occurring, the aliens are attempting to use their advanced technology to In the majority of such instances, those accomplish an intergalactic experiment in who received an “unwelcome” from the MIB species crossbreeding. The beings responsible described their inquisitors as rather short men, for such physical examinations are referred to as often five foot six or less, with dark complex- the “Grays,” and are smallish beings somewhat ions and somewhat Asian features. When reptilian in appearance. The abductees and pressed for more complete descriptions and contactees who have encountered these UFO- details, the witnesses have stated that the MIB nauts stated that they stood between four and a usually wore dark glasses, but if the glasses half to five feet tall and their skin color was gray were ever removed, they had large eyes that or greenish-gray. Their heads were round, large, were noticeably slanted, but slanted in a man- disproportionately oversized by human stan- ner somehow different from Asians. dards, and their facial features were dominated Beginning in 1947, shortly after the by large, lidless, staring eyes, often with reptil- alleged UFO crash outside of Roswell, New ianlike pupils. They had no discernible lips, and Mexico, and continuing into the twenty-first where one might expect to see a nose, the wit- century, thousands of UFO witnesses, investi- nesses cited only nostrils, nearly flush against gators, abductees, and contactees claim to the smooth texture of the face. have been visited by ominous strangers

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 246 Invaders from Outer Space

dressed in black who made it frighteningly what they thought was a new celestial mys- clear that they represented a powerful and tery. However, in their efforts to interpret this everywhere-present “someone” who would phenomenon, a band of scholarly individuals violently enforce their orders to discontinue dug through old documents and musty records research or to surrender all artifacts, video- and discovered that the UFO phenomenon tapes, and photographs. Often such threats had appeared periodically throughout history. have been punctuated with the allegation that Gradually, some UFOlogists believed such cooperation was essential for “the good humankind’s gods, angels, devils, and demons of your family, your country, and your world.” were nothing more than alien visitors from While some investigators of the UFO mys- some superior civilization on some far planet tery and a good number of skeptics believe in a dark corner of the universe. such accounts of alien invaders, extraterrestri- The hypothesis of al abductors, and Men in Black to be fanciful received its most popular expression in Erich folklore made fearful by human paranoia, the von Daniken’s Chariots of the Gods? (1970), question of invaders from outer space very which led to the formation of an international much belongs in the examination of the Ancient Astronaut Society in 1973. While unknown and the unexplained. many find the premise that “gods” from outer M Delving Deeper space may have guided developing humankind in its evolutionary ascent, critics find fault in Bowen, Charles, ed. The Humanoids. Chicago: Henry the propensity of such theorists to attribute any Regnery, 1969. ancient, unexplained mystery to extraterrestri- Edwards, Frank. Flying Saucers—Serious Business. New als who supposedly seeded, propagated, and still York: Lyle Stuart, 1967. maintain watch over the planet. Despite these Fawcett, Lawrence, and Barry J. Greenwood. Clear shortcomings, certain researchers have amassed Intent: The Government Coverup of the UFO Expe- an impressive stack of evidence to support their rience. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, beliefs that ancient astronauts visited Earth in 1984. prehistory, and old historical accounts, ancient Good, Timothy. Above Top Secret—The Worldwide legends, and myths are brought forth and given UFO Coverup. New York: William Morrow, 1988. fresh interpretations. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- trial Encounters. New York: New American The possibility of ancient space visitations Library, 2001. was explored by Dr. Carl Sagan (1934–1996) as early as the 1966 convention of the Ameri- can Astronautical Society. “Our tiny corner of the universe may have been visited thousands UFOs in Ancient Times of times in the past few billions of years,” Sagan stated in Intelligent Life in the Universe ince primitive humans first crawled out (1966), coauthored with I. S. Shklovski. “At of their caves and gazed up in awe at the least one of these visits may have occurred in Sstar-filled night, humankind has been historical times.” Sagan, both an exobiologist intrigued by the unexplained mysteries of the and an astronomer, theorized that Earth may universe. Early myths and legends tell of mys- have been visited by various galactic civiliza- terious objects roaring across the heavens. tions many times during prehistoric times and Scraps of ancient documents reveal phenome- that it is not out of the question that artifacts nal, unexplained manifestations in the skies. of such extraterrestrial visits might still exist, Virtually every religion relates visitations from or even that some kind of alien base is main- angels, demons, devils, and gods who descend- tained within our solar system to provide con- ed to Earth in ancient times. tinuity for successive expeditions. With the highly publicized arrival of the Such a hypothesis coming from a respected “flying saucers” in the earth’s atmosphere in scientist encouraged many UFO researchers to 1947, modern humans were confronted with theorize that Homo sapiens may have been

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 247

seeded on Earth, for despite the many theories tion of this last resting place for the pharoah Alien footprint. put forth by conventional scientists, it is still Cheops, c. 2800 B.C.E. The Pyramid of Khafre, (ARCHIVES OF not known how humans originated on this near Cheops, stands 442 feet high and covers BRAD STEIGER) planet. The Darwinian theory of evolution 12 acres. The third pyramid in the massive tri- remains a fascinating, yet unproved, hypothe- umvirate, Mycerinus, is 215 feet tall and 346 sis, simply because the elusive “missing link” feet wide on each side. Those researchers who remains undiscovered. The alleged link favor the ancient astronaut hypothesis protest between humans and their anthropoid cousins that the classic picture of teams of men roped may have been provided by visitors from together and tugging away at moving the mas- another world. sive stone blocks up the ramps, tier by tier, may be feasible, but such a method of con- Some believe that not only did the ancient struction would call for such unlikely figures astronauts carefully guide the evolution of as 100,000 slaves struggling in torment for 20 humankind, they also assisted early builders in years to shape one pyramid. It seems illogical erecting great monuments as testimony to to such theorists that any governing agency, their presence. For instance, there is the no matter how tyrannical and all-powerful, Cheops Pyramid, the tallest structure in antiq- could ever conscript that many workers over uity, which, discounting a number of skyscrap- that long a period of time without causing a ers in the United States, still ranks as the revolt or draining off too much manpower ninth tallest architectural marvel in the world from other tasks, such as raising food. In addi- today. It has been estimated that more than tion, it seems unlikely that the government 2,300,000 stone blocks of an average weight of would be able to convince the populace that two and one-half tons went into the construc- the pyramid was necessary in the first place.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 248 Invaders from Outer Space

this quantum leap in humankind’s intellectual development occurred in Sumer 6,000 years ago when cuneiform writing was developed to record a dramatic starburst. Literally overnight in evolutionary terms, the Sumerians gave the world the first love song, the first school sys- tem, the first directory of pharmaceutical con- coctions, a law code, and the first parliament. The roots of the Judeo-Christian religious beliefs grew from the “tree of knowledge,” the Garden of Eden, which tradition places in that same area. The origins of Western culture were nursed in Sumer, and it has come to be acknowledged as the cradle of civilization—all because of a starburst. Astronomers recognize that the nearest and brightest supernova that has ever been wit- Petroglyph allegedly Would supplying tombs for dead pharoahs be nessed by humankind was Vela X, now a faintly identified as an considered a worthy task on which to expend flashing pulsar about 1,300 light-years from our “astronaut.” (KLAUS so much time and manpower? Would ancient solar system. George Michanowsky, a specialist AARSLEFF/FORTEAN Egypt, with a population of only a few million, in Mesopotamian astronomy, saw how the first PICTURE LIBRARY) stand such a drain of numbers for long periods and most fundamental symbol of Sumerian of 10 or 20 years? script was one which represented “star.” He To those who espouse the ancient astro- went on to show how the very first word ever naut theory, such massive works as the pyra- written by a human hand soon became linked mids of Egypt were built by intervening with the symbol for “deity,” thus communicat- extraterrestrials, who used the power plants of ing “star god.” Michanowsky saw the death- their flying saucers to hoist such tonnage into blaze of Vela X to have been such a dramatic place. Spaceships of vast proportions may sky show that it became a profound cultural have brought extraterrestrial colonists to vari- organizing principle that forced human knowl- ous parts of Earth and may also have supplied edge to take a giant leap forward. But was there the heavy lift power for erecting great stone something more that took place at that time? works before returning to the home planet. The Babylonian priest-historian Berossus chronicled the coming of Oannes, an entity described as being half-man, half-fish, who sur- faced from the Persian Gulf to instruct the early SOME UFOlogists believed humankind’s gods, inhabitants of Mesopotamia in the arts of civi- lization. Before the advent of Oannes, Berossus angels, devils, and demons were nothing more than stated, the Sumerians lived like beasts in the alien visitors. field, with no order or rule. The Sumerians lived exactly as their primitive forefathers had existed until Oannes, the bizarre “beast with reason” appeared in their midst. The gifted The earliest civilization of which contem- alien entity was endowed with superior intelli- porary science has any records flowered among gence, it is written, but its appearance was the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. For frightening to behold. Oannes had the body of many years the reason for this sudden onset of a fish with humanlike feet—and a head that culture in Sumer had remained a mystery. It combined the features of fish and human. wasn’t until the 1980s that science determined just how such a miracle of seemingly instant Berossus explained that the Fishman progress had occurred. Now it is known that walked about on land during the day, counsel-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 249 ing the Sumerians, but returned to the ocean restrials constructed so many of the architec- each evening. Oannes gave the Sumerians tural wonders of the ancient world and may insight into letters and sciences and every even have guided the evolutionary path of kind of art. He taught them to construct hous- humankind, the great question remains es, to found temples, to compile laws, and whether the “gods” of old have returned in explained to them the principles of geometri- their chariots as our benefactors or our owners. cal knowledge. He made them distinguish the seeds of the earth, and showed them how to collect fruits. In short, he instructed them in everything that could tend to soften their MANY ancient cultures have legends of manners and humanize them. amphibians or serpent people. Sumerian astronomers became so accurate in their science that their measurements on the rotation of the Moon is off only 0.4 from modern, computerized figures. One pictograph M Delving Deeper depicts the planets revolving around the Drake, W. Raymond. Gods and Spacemen in the Sun—something that Copernicus and Kepler Ancient West. New York: New American Library, postulated only 500 years ago. At the height 1974. of the Greek civilization, the highest known Shklovski, I. S., and Carl Sagan. Intelligent Life in the number was 10,000. After that sum, the Greek Universe. New York: Dell Books, 1968. mathematicians could only fall back on Sitchin, Zecharia. The 12th Planet. New York: Avon, “infinity.” A tablet found in the hills near 1978. ancient Sumer some years back contained a Von Daniken, Erich. Chariots of the Gods? New York: 15-digit number:195,955,200,000,000. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970. Many ancient cultures have legends of ———. Gods from Outer Space. New York: G. P. Put- amphibians or serpent people who, like nam’s Sons, 1971. Oannes, the half-human, half-fish, instructed the early inhabitants of Mesopotamia in the Space Visitors in the Bible and Other arts of civilization. There was Quetzalcoatl, Holy Books the feathered serpent of the Aztecs, who One of the most beloved stories in the Christ- descended from heaven in a silver egg, and ian tradition concerns the Star of Bethlehem there are the Nagas, the handsome, semidi- that hovered over the stable where lay the vine Serpent People with supernatural powers infant Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.). In recent who figure in the Hindu and Buddhist tradi- years, some UFO researchers have suggested tions. Throughout the dim corridors of history, that the “star” was actually a spaceship from there are frequent mentions of legendary “sky another world, thus raising the controversial people,” who were considered to have been question of whether the Holy Bible, the most emissaries of the “flying serpent.” The snake- revered book in the Western world, contains worshiping Aztecs and Mayans are not far references to UFOs and alien visitors. Provok- removed from the Chinese, who worshiped a ing even greater controversy are those celestial dragon. Both cultures may have been researchers who make reference to the Christ- contacted by emissaries from another world, a ian Apocrypha, books banned by church cen- highly advanced extraterrestrial reptilian sorship from services and religious reading, species that has been observing the evolution and the claim that Jesus was brought to Earth of Earth for millions of years and has returned in the Star of Bethlehem, which is described in the “Grays,” the UFOnauts of modern in the ancient texts as being winged, with var- times, who are described by contactees and ious colored rays shooting out from behind it. abductees as reptilian in appearance. According to those UFO researchers who If, as those researchers who champion the scour the Scriptures for descriptions of ancient astronaut hypothesis believe, extrater- extraterrestrial visitations, the writers of bibli-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 250 Invaders from Outer Space

cal times were at a disadvantage in describing of cloud to lead them the way and by night in sophisticated spacecraft. For lack of a better a pillar of fire.” The prophet Daniel was term, they resorted to their own known word another who described the use of a cloudy for a vehicle of transporation—“chariot.” chariot for cosmic transportation. Those UFO researchers who have conducted a Other UFO researchers say that if one careful analysis of biblical texts have found were to read the creation story in Genesis three types of cosmic conveyances employed as from the historical perspective of our current vehicles of transportation for celestial beings: awareness of genetic engineering, the interac- 1. The wheel, or disc-shaped object described tion between the Sons of God and the fair by Ezekiel; daughters of men assumes a rather different 2. the chariot of fire mentioned in the second interpretation: “And it came to pass, when book of Kings; men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, that the 3. the cloudy chariot found in the writings of sons of God saw the daughters of men were Moses, Daniel, David, Matthew, Paul, and fair; so they took them wives of all whom they John. chose.…There were giants on the earth in In II Kings 2:11–12, 6:17; Psalms 68:17; those days; and also after that, for the sons of and Habakkuk 3:8, the Old Testament writers God came in unto the daughters of men, and describe cosmic craft identified as a “chariot of they bore children to them, and they became fire” powered by engines called “horses of fire” giants who in the olden days were men of with “charioteers” (pilots). The chariot’s lift- renown” (Genesis 6:1–4). off is described as a “whirlwind.” In II Kings is written: “And it came to pass, when the Lord If those fallen angels of Genesis should actu- would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirl- ally have been extraterrestrial scientists con- wind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gil- ducting experiments on female members of the gal…and…behold, there appeared a chariot of developing strain of Homo sapiens, they were fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both carrying out a directive of the Star Gods to pro- asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind vide early humankind with a genetic boost. The into heaven…” Hebrew word to describe demigods—or men of great renown, those who were said to be the off- spring of the Sons of God and the daughters of men—is Nephilim. Interestingly, the word used to denote true giants, as far as great stature was THE Hebrew word to describe demigods, or concerned, was rephaim. The Israelites found men of great renown, is Nephilim. such giants among the Canaanite inhabitants of Palestine. Among these were the Anakims of Philisa and the Emims of Moab. Goliath was a Gittite, a man of great stature and bulk, but he In Zachariah 6:1–7, four cosmic pilots are was not a Nephilim. dispatched in as many chariots (spacecraft), which come out from between two mountains. In the apocryphal Book of Enoch (7:12), The prophet Zachariah is informed that each one learns more of the nonterrestrial entities charioteer had flight orders to go to a different who desire the daughters of men for their own part of the country. According to the Scrip- interests: “It happened after the sons of men had ture, the four UFOnauts had been ordered to multiplied in those days, that elegant, beautiful “walk to and fro through the earth.” The Con- daughters were born to them. And when the fraternity Version of the Bible reports that the angels, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they orders were to “Go patrol the Earth.” became enamored of them, saying to each other: Moses frequently mentioned the presence Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the of the cloud chariots: “The Lord descended in progeny of men, and let us beget children.” the cloud”; “The Lord came down in a cloud”; Those researchers who believe that the “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar Bible contains many passages relating to

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 251 extraterrestrial visitations often state that of ancient cities that had been destroyed by “gods” from other worlds may have prompted what appears to have been extreme heat—far the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, sug- beyond that which could have been scorched gesting that the two cities were devastated by by the torches of primitive human armies. an ancient nuclear blast. They also mention Even conventionally trained archaeologists other ancient texts that describe flying who have encountered such anomalous finds machines, advanced technology, and awesome have admitted that none of these catastrophes weapons wielded by the gods. have been caused by volcanoes, by lightning, by crashing comets, or by conflagrations set by The sacred Hindu hymns, the Rig-Veda, humankind. constitute some of the oldest known religious documents. The splendid poetry tells of the achievements of the Hindu pantheon of gods, and one passage tells of Indra, a god-being, who was honored when his name was turned THE Rig-Veda constitutes some of the oldest into “India.” Indra, who became known as the known religious documents. “fort destroyer” because of his exploits in war, was said to travel through the skies in a flying machine, the Vimana. This craft was equipped with awesome weapons capable of destroying M Delving Deeper a city. The effect of these weapons seems to Downing, Barry. The Bible and Flying Saucers. New have been like that of laser beams or some York: Lippincott, 1968; Avon, 1970; Marlowe, kind of nuclear device. 1997. Drake, W. Raymond. Gods and Spacemen in the Another ancient Indian text, the Mahab- Ancient West. New York: New American Library, harata, tells of an attack on an enemy army: 1974. “It was as if the elements had been unfurled. The sun spun around in the heavens. The Ginsburg, Irwin. First Man, Then Adam! New York: world shuddered in fever, scorched by the ter- Pocket Books, 1978. rible heat of this weapon. Elephants burst into Jessup, M. K. UFO and the Bible. New York: Citadel flames.…The rivers boiled. Animals crumpled Press, 1956. to the ground and died. The armies of the Von Daniken, Erich. Chariots of the Gods? New York: enemy were mowed down when the raging G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970. elements reached them. Forests collapsed in splintered rows. Horses and chariots were burned up.…The corpses of the fallen were The Modern UFO mutilated by the terrible heat so that they looked other than human.…” Era Begins Many old traditions speak of a war between fter takeoff from the Chehalis, Wash- the forces of light and darkness that raged in ington, airport in his personal plane on humankind’s prehistory. Perhaps there were AJune 24, 1947, Kenneth Arnold head- rival extraterrestrial forces that fought for ed for Yakima, Washington. As he flew direct- dominance over prehistoric Earth. According ly toward Mount Rainier at an altitude of to some traditions, the Sons of Light van- approximately 9,500 feet, a bright flash quished certain Dark Magicians who sought to reflected on his airplane. To the left and north enslave developing humankind. Whatever of Mount Rainier he observed a chain of nine may have caused such a violent conflict, physi- peculiar-looking objects flying from north to cal evidence exists on Earth indicating that south. They were approaching Mount Rainier someone was exercising power of formidable rapidly, and he assumed that they were jet air- energy. There are accounts of sand melted into craft. Every few seconds two or three of the glass in certain desert areas, of hill forts with objects would dip or change course slightly, vitrified portions of stone walls, of the remains just enough for the sun to reflect brightly off

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 252 Invaders from Outer Space

Picture of a UFO sighting them. As they approached Mount Rainier he room rumors had classified the “foo fighters” in 1964. (DEZSO observed their outline quite clearly. Arnold as another of the Nazis’ secret weapons, but STERNOCZKY/FORTEAN stated that he found it peculiar that he could- not a single one of the glowing craft was ever PICTURE LIBRARY) n’t find their tails, but nonetheless assumed shot down or captured. Neither is there any they were some type of jet aircraft. record of a “foo” ever damaging any aircraft or harming any personnel—outside of startling the wits out of pilots and crew members. The “foos” were spotted in both the Euro- AN alleged flying saucer had crashed outside of pean and Far Eastern theaters, and it came as no Roswell, New Mexico, in early July 1947. surprise to these pilots when waves of “foos” were sighted over Sweden in July 1946. A kind of hysteria gripped Sweden, however, and the mysterious “invasion” was reported at great After numerous sightings of unidentified length in the major European newspapers. Some flying objects had been reported by commer- authorities feared that some new kind of Ger- cial and military pilots and an alleged flying man “V” weapon had been discovered and saucer had crashed outside of Roswell, New unleashed on the nation that had remained neu- Mexico, in early July 1947, army air force tral throughout World War II. Others tried to pilots were reminded of the weird “foo fight- explain the unidentified flying objects away as ers” that several Allied personnel had seen in meteors, but witnesses said that the “ghost rock- World War II (1939–45). Often while on ets” could maneuver in circles, stop and start, bombing missions, crews noticed strange and appeared to be shaped like metal cigars. lights that followed their bombers. Sometimes the “foos” darted about. Other times they were It may have been an air force officer who seen to fly in formation. Barracks and locker- remembered the “foo fighters” who gave the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 253

order on July 26, 1952, to “Shoot them down!” had already sent out word that for a time the “Star Trek: The Motion when dozens of UFOs suddenly converged over air force officials had been jittery enough to Picture.” (THE KOBAL Washington, D.C. Several prominent scien- give a “fire at will” order. COLLECTION) tists, including Albert Einstein (1879–1955), protested the order to the White House and urged that the command be rescinded, not only in the interest of future intergalactic peace, but OTHERS tried to explain the unidentified also in the interest of self-preservation: Extraterrestrials would certainly look upon an flying objects as being meteors. attack by primitive jet firepower as a breach of the universal laws of hospitality. The hostile order was withdrawn on On May 15, 1954, air force chief of staff White House orders by five o’clock that after- general Nathan Twining told reporters that the noon. That night, official observers puzzled “best brains in the Air Force” were trying to over the objects, visible on radar screens and solve the problem of the flying saucers. “If they to the naked eye, as the UFOs easily outdis- come from Mars,” Twining said, “they are so far tanced air force jets, whose pilots were ordered ahead of us we have nothing to be afraid of.” to pursue the objects but to keep their fingers However, the general’s assurances that a tech- off the trigger. Although the air force was nologically advanced culture would automati- denying the Washington flap within another cally be benign did little to calm an increasing- 24 hours and attributing civilian saucer sight- ly bewildered and alarmed American public. ings to the usual causes (hallucinations, seeing And on December 24, 1959, after important planets and stars), the national wire services people and politicians had begun to demand

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 254 Invaders from Outer Space

Donald Keyhoe. The official air force directive indicated (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) the remarkable dual role the air force appeared to play in the unfolding UFO drama. From then on, the unidentified flying objects— sometimes treated lightly by the press and referred to as “flying saucers”—had to be rapid- ly and accurately identified as serious USAF business. As AFR 200-2 pointed out, the air force concern with these sightings was three- fold: “To determine if the object was a threat to the defense of the United States; to assess whether continued research in the matter of flying saucers would contribute to technical or scientific knowledge; to explain to the Ameri- can people what was going on in their skies.” AFR 200-2 stated that the responsibility that the air force end its policy of secrecy, the for handling UFOs should rest with either much-discussed Air Force Regulation 200-2 intelligence, operations, the Provost Marshal, was issued to all air force personnel. or the Information Officer—in that order of Briefly, AFR 200-2 made a flat and direct preference, dictated by limits of the base orga- statement that the air force was definitely con- nization. In addition, it was required that cerned with the reporting of all UFOs “as a pos- every UFO sighting be investigated and sible threat to the security of the United States reported to the Air Technical Intelligence and its forces, and secondly, to determine tech- Center at Wright-Patterson AFB and that nical aspects involved.” In the controversial explanation to the public be realistic and paragraph 9, the secretary of the air force gave knowledgeable. Obviously, in spite of official specific instructions that air force personnel dismissals, the air force was much aware of the were not to release reports of unidentified UFOs and was actively investigating. objects, “only reports…where the object has Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, retired been definitely identified as a familiar object.” Marine Corps Major Donald E. Keyhoe charged the U.S. Air Force with deliberately censoring information concerning UFOs. As a director of the National Investigations Com- THE U.S. Air Force maintained a policy of mittee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), Key- officially debunking saucer stories for the press. hoe regularly repeated his accusations that, while the air force was seriously analyzing UFO data in secret, it maintained a policy of official- ly debunking saucer stories for the press and On February 27, 1960, Vice Admiral ridiculing all citizens who reported sightings. Rosco H. Hillenkoetter, USN, Ret., former head of the Central Intelligence Agency, star- The official air force response was that the tled air force personnel when he released to reason for the top secret and classified designa- the press photostatic copies of an air force tions on UFO investigations was solely to pro- directive that warned air force commands to tect the identities of those individuals who regard the UFOs as “serious business.” The air made reports of mysterious, unidentified “some- force admitted that it had issued the order, but things” in the skies. The essence of all research, added that the photostatic copy that Hil- air force spokesmen insisted, was always lenkoetter had released to the press was only released to the communications media. Noth- part of a seven-page regulation, which had ing of national interest was being withheld. been issued to update similar past orders, and But men like Major Keyhoe and the mem- made no substantive changes in policy. berships of numerous additional civilian UFO

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 255 research groups (of which there were once as many as 50) never accepted the air force’s claims of serving the greater public interest by releasing all pertinent details of their studies and investigations. On March 28, 1966, after a saucer “flap” in Michigan, Keyhoe was once again repeating his charges that the Pentagon had a top-level policy of discounting all UFO reports and over the past several years had used ridicule to discredit sightings. On March 30, 1966, spokesmen for the air force called a press conference to tell the Amer- ican public that they kept an open mind about UFOs and they categorically denied any “hush- ing” of saucer reports. In the case of recent Michigan sightings, a spokesman said, “marsh gas” had been pinpointed as the source of col- ored lights observed by a number of people. Staff of Project Blue But by 1966, public-opinion surveys indi- “flying saucers.” The U.S. Air Force immedi- Book. (FORTEAN cated that more than 50 million Americans ately denied that they had any such craft, and PICTURE LIBRARY) believed in the existence of UFOs. Perhaps in at the same time officially debunked Arnold’s 1947 the majority of men and women had claim of having spotted unidentified flying been willing to laugh along with official dis- objects. Donald H. Menzel, Professor of Astro- claimers and professional flying saucer physics at Harvard, who became an unyielding , but 20 years later the UFO climate saucer-skeptic and , said that Arnold had become considerably warmer. had been fooled by the tilting snow clouds or dust haze reflected by the sun. Arnold, howev- M Delving Deeper er, stuck fast to his story, and the item made Edwards, Frank. Flying Saucers—Serious Business. New the front page of newspapers across the nation. York: Lyle Stuart, 1967. For UFOlogists, it was the birth of an era. Fawcett, Lawrence, and Barry J. Greenwood. Clear Intent: The Government Coverup of the UFO Experi- ence. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1984. Good, Timothy. Above Top Secret—The Wordwide PROJECT Grudge completed its evaluations of UFO Coverup. New York: William Morrow, 1988. 244 UFO reports in August 1949. Hynek, J. Allen, and Jacques Vallee. The Edge of Real- ity. Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1975. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- During the period June through December trial Encounters. New York: New American 1947 there was no specific organization Library, 2001. responsible for investigating and evaluating UFO reports. At this time everyone had an The Air Force and Project Blue Book expert opinion. Even within the military structure, there were those who expressed On June 24, 1947, when civilian pilot Ken- their own feelings and beliefs as to what UFOs neth Arnold sighted nine discs near Mount actually represented. Rainier in the state of Washington and described the motion of the unidentified flying The wide news coverage of public reports objects as looking like “a saucer skipping across of “flying discs or saucers” created sufficient the water,” the Boise, Idaho, businessman concern at high military echelons to authorize inadvertently coined a term that would the Air Material Command (AMC) to con- become known in most languages of the world, duct a preliminary investigation into these

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 256 Invaders from Outer Space

existence of these UFOs as real aircraft of unknown and unconventional configuration.” “Project Sign” was changed to “Project Grudge” on December 16, 1948, at the request of the director of Research and Development. Project Grudge completed its evaluations of 244 reports in August 1949. The conclusions of the Grudge reports were that the evaluations of reports of UFOs to date had demonstrated that “these flying objects constitute no threat to the security of the United States.” Grudge also concluded that reports of UFOs were the result of misinterpretations of conventional objects, a mild form of mass hysteria or war nerves, and individuals who sought to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity. Project Grudge also recom- mended that the investigation and study of reports of UFOs be reduced in scope. Air force investigation of UFOs continued UFO photographed over reports. Early belief was that the objects on a reduced scale, and in December 1951 the Mt. Rainier. (FORTEAN reported were of aircraft more advanced than Air Force entered into a contract with a pri- PICTURE LIBRARY) those possessed by the U.S. Armed Forces. vate industrial organization for another detailed study of the UFO cases on file. The report, which was completed March 17, 1954, is commonly referred to as Special Report Number 14. Reports one through 13 were DURING the early 1950s that the national progress reports dealing with administration. interest in reported sightings increased tremendously. Special Report Number 14 reduced and evalu- ated all UFO data held in air force files. Basi- cally, the same conclusions were reached that had been noted in both the preceding Sign A letter (September 23, 1947) from Lt. and Grudge reports. General Twining of AMC to the commanding general of the Army Air Forces expressed the It was during the early 1950s that the opinion that there was sufficient substance in national interest in reported sightings increased the reports to warrant a detailed study. On tremendously. With the growing volume of December 30, 1947, a letter from the chief of reports, a Scientific Advisory Panel on UFOs staff directed AMC to establish a project was established in late 1952. At a meeting held whose purpose was to collect, collate, evaluate, during January 14–18, 1953, all available data and disseminate all information concerning was examined. Conclusions and recommen- UFO sightings and phenomena in the atmos- dations of this panel were published in a phere to those interested agencies. The project report and made public. The panel concluded was assigned the code name “Sign.” The that UFOs did not threaten the national responsibility for “Project Sign” was delegated security of the United States and recom- to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, mended that the aura of mystery attached to which was then part of the AMC. In February the project be removed. of 1949 “Project Sign” completed its evalua- In March of 1952 Project Grudge became tions of the 243 UFO reports that had been known as Project Blue Book. From this time submitted to the project. The report concluded to its conclusion in 1969, the project con- that: “No definite and conclusive evidence is cerned itself with investigation of sightings, yet available that would prove or disprove the evaluation of the data, and release of informa-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 257 tion to proper news media through the Secre- J. Allen Hynek. (J. ALLAN tary of the Air Force, Office of Information HYNEK CENTER FOR (SAFOI). The staff of Project Blue Book was UFO STUDIES) assigned to carry out three main functions: to try to find an explanation for all reported sightings of UFOs; to determine whether the UFOs posed any security threat to the United States; and to determine if UFOs exhibited any advanced technology that the United States could utilize. Blue Book officers were stationed at every air force base in the nation. They were respon- sible for investigating all reported sightings and for getting the reports into Blue Book headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The bulk of the investigations, as inter- preted by field officers, led Blue Book officials to decide that most people did not see extrater- restrial spacecraft, but bright stars, balloons, satellites, comets, fireballs, conventional air- craft, moving clouds, vapor trails, missiles, reflections, mirages, searchlights, birds, kites, spurious radar indications, fireworks, or flares. time, Hynek said, he became aware that “the tide was slowly turning.” Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who for more than two decades served as an astronomical consultant to Project Sign and Project Blue Book, had been teaching astronomy at Ohio State University in Columbus, which is not far from Dayton, DR. J. Allen Hynek had been teaching where Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the astronomy at Ohio State University. home of Project Blue Book, was located. When he entered the project, the government was trying desperately to determine whether it was the Martians or the Russians who were respon- Hynek said that two factions definitely sible for the elusive discs being tracked in the existed in Project Blue Book. There were atmosphere over North America. The air force those individuals who were extremely con- appealed to Hynek that they needed a compe- cerned over the radar trackings and the close tent astronomer to tell them which cases arose approaches made by UFOs to civilian and mil- out of the misidentification of planets, stars, itary aircraft. These investigators assumed that meteors, and so forth. Hynek admitted later the pilots were being truthful and were not that he was certain that the UFO phenomenon concocting weird tales. These open-minded was a result of postwar nerves, and he was cer- Blue Book personnel wanted to check all the tain that in a few years the whole strange busi- possibilities. But most of the top brass, Hynek ness would be forgotten. He also prematurely commented, couldn’t understand for a split concluded that the flying saucers were strictly second why any of their colleagues would an American fad. He never suspected that it bother to take seriously the subject of UFOs. would turn out to be a global phenomenon. But In what would become an often-quoted obser- the famous sightings in Michigan in March and vation, Hynek said, “Scientists in the year April 1967, the ones that got Dr. Hynek 2066 may think us very naive in our denials.” dubbed “Dr. Swamp Gas,” demonstrated to Project Blue Book, begun as Project Sign “Blue Book’s tame professor” that there was a in 1947, produced what the air force consid- “backlash of public sentiment.” For the first ered a satisfactory explanation for most of the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 258 Invaders from Outer Space

The cover of the US Ruppelt, Edward J. The Report on Unidentified Flying paperback edition of Objects. New York: Doubleday, 1956. “The Condon Report.” Steiger, Brad, ed. Project Blue Book: The Top Secret (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) UFO Findings Revealed. New York: ConFucian Press/Ballantine, 1976. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- trial Encounters. New York: New American Library, 2001.

The Condon/University of Colorado Report Critics of the University of Colorado report, Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (1969), complain that it is neither scientific nor objective and that Edward Condon, head of the project, used the report for personal vindictiveness. Commissioned by the U.S. Air Force at a cost exceeding $600,000, more than 50 percent of the Condon Report consists of reprints of old U.S. Air Force releases and irrelevant papers and essays on astronomical, meteorological, and other mundane phenom- ena. Many of the charts and graphs included date back to the early 1950s.

nearly 13,000 sightings reported through It would appear that little or no effort was 1969. Of the unexplained UFO incidents, the made to collect, correlate, and present accu- official statement is: “The description of the rate data on the thousands of UFO reports object or its motion cannot be correlated with received and allegedly studied by the project any known object or phenomenon.” during the 1966–68 period. The various con- tributors were unfamiliar with UFO research On the basis of Blue Book reports, there- and the report is poorly organized and appears fore, the air force concluded: to have been assembled by a group neither 1. No UFO has ever given any indication of informed nor interested in the subject. threat to the national security. Although the Colorado Project clearly 2. There is no evidence that UFOs represent represented a conscious effort to satisfy the technological developments or principles needs of the air force contract, in the eyes of beyond present-day scientific knowledge. its critics it did not indicate a sincere effort to 3. There is no evidence that any UFOs are collect and examine the basic UFO data. Its “extraterrestrial vehicles.” main theme appeared to be the criticism of the extraterrestrial thesis. A genuinely scien- The transfer of the responsibility of UFO tific study would have collected sufficient data research to the University of Colorado in to determine whether or not a phenomenon 1969 served to terminate the air force’s official existed at all. Then all the various theories involvement in the UFO mystery, but the would have been studied and compared with residue of suspicions and outright accusations the available data. Sighting factors of time, of government cover-up and censorship has geography, terrestrial features, the correlative never been dissipated. aspects in the witnesses’ backgrounds and fea- M Delving Deeper tures in their reports, must all be sifted and Randle, Kevin D. Project Blue Book—Exposed. New weighed before any theory can be considered. York: Marlowe, 1997. This type of systematic study was not under-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 259 taken. Instead, the project treated the reports crashed on a ranch located about 60 miles individually. north of Roswell, New Mexico, rumors of Dr. J. Allen Hynek’s review of the Scientific diminutive alien corpses found nearby were Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, which largely dismissed by all but the more stubborn appeared in the April 1969 Bulletin of the Atomic true believers in extraterrestrial invaders. Scientists, stated that while the Condon com- Every so often, though, stories would surface mittee avowedly was devoted in large part to about Hangar 18 on Wright-Patterson Air exposing hoaxes or the revealing of many UFOs Force Base, which was said to hold the as misidentifications of common occurrences, remains of the crashed Roswell flying saucer the report contains the same inexplicable and the refrigerated corpses of the alien bodies residue of unknowns that plagued the U.S. Air that had been found alongside the spaceship. Force investigation for 20 years. In fact, Hynek observed, the percentage of unknowns in the Condon Report appeared to be even higher than in the air force investigation that led to FIVE alien bodies were allegedly found at the the Condon investigation in the first place. impact site north of Roswell. Two former Condon committee members, David Saunders and Roger Harkins, later wrote the book UFOS, Yes! Where the Condon As UFO research enters the twenty-first Committee Went Wrong (1968), which depict- century, controversy still rages over the truth ed a group of investigators at the University of of whether or not Major Jesse Marcel and his Colorado who had little confidence in the men collected pieces of debris from a flying chief scientist, Condon, and who were preoc- saucer along with the bodies of two to five cupied with strenuously avoiding any conclu- extraterrestrial crew members. Many accounts sion that suggested the actual existence of the from both civilians and military personnel flying objects sighted by so many people who claim to have been eyewitnesses to the through the years. Saunders and Harkins also events at Roswell speak of five alien bodies showed Condon, the principal investigator, found at the impact site north of Roswell and giving statements to the press and to various state that four corpses were transported to lecture audiences while the project was still Hangar 18 at Wright Field, with the fifth underway, indicating that he had little or no going to the USAF mortuary service at Lowry expectation of the investigation ever reaching Field. Two years before his death in the late anything but a completely negative conclu- 1990s, pilot Oliver “Pappy” Henderson swore sion as to the reality of UFOs. at a reunion of his World War II bomber crew M Delving Deeper that he had flown the remains of four alien Condon, Edward U. The Scientific Study of Unidentified bodies out of Roswell Army Field in a C-54 Flying Objects. New York: Bantam Books, 1969. cargo plane in July 1947. Randle, Kevin D. Project Blue Book—Exposed. New Don Schmitt and Kevin Randle, in their York: Marlowe, 1997. book UFO Crash at Roswell (1991), include an Saunders, David R., and R. Roger Harkins. UFOs? interview with Brig. Gen. Arthur Exon in Yes! Where the Condon Committee Went Wrong. which he states that, in addition to debris New York: New American Library, 1968. from the wreckage, four tiny alien cadavers Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- were flown to Wright Field: “They [the alien trial Encounters. New York: New American bodies] were all found, apparently, outside the Library, 2001. craft itself.…The metal and material from the spaceship was unknown to anyone I talked to. [The event at] Roswell was the recovery of a Hangar 18 craft from space.” For many years after the alleged event in July In his subsequent research, Randle has 1947 in which a flying saucer was said to have determined that most accounts of eyewitnesses

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 260 Invaders from Outer Space

Hangar 18 was where speak of five alien bodies found at the impact Friedman, Staton T., and Don Berliner. Crash at the US Air Force kept the site north of Roswell. His investigations con- Corona. New York: Paragon Books, 1992. alleged wreckage of the firm the claims made previously by other Randle, Kevin D., and Donald R. Schmitt. UFO UFO crash. (PETER researchers that four corpses were transported Crash at Roswell. New York: Avon Books, 1991 BROOKSMITH/FORTEAN to Wright Field and the fifth to Lowry Field to Scully, Frank. Behind the Flying Saucers. New York: PICTURE LIBRARY) the USAF mortuary service. There are, how- Henry Holt, 1950. ever, numerous secondary accounts that main- tain that one of the aliens survived the crash Roswell, New Mexico and was still alive when Major Marcel and his Although differences of opinion exist on the retrieval unit arrived on the scene. Some UFO specifics, there is a tentative consensus among researchers believe that as late as 1986 the researchers that an extraterrestrial space vehi- alien entity was still alive and well treated as a cle crashed on a ranch located about 60 miles guest of the air force at Wright-Patterson. north of Roswell, New Mexico, during the M Delving Deeper time period July 2–4, 1947. Beckley, Timothy Green. MJ-12 and the Riddle of Major Jesse Marcel, recipient of five air Hangar 18. New Brunswick, N.J.: Inner Light combat medals awarded in World War II Publications, 1989. (1939–45), intelligence officer for the 509th Berlitz, Charles, and William L. Moore. The Roswell Bomb Group, was ordered to handpick a top- Incident. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1980. security team and go to the ranch to salvage the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 261 debris of the unknown aircraft that rancher at the time of the Roswell incident was a Mac Brazel had discovered on his spread. The colonel and a chief of staff to Ramey, later told strange, weightless material discovered by the quite a different story. According to DuBose, 509th Bomber team was difficult to describe. the military investigators had no idea what The pieces varied in length from four or five Major Marcel had sent them, but then the inches to three or four feet. Some fragments order came down from air force headquarters had markings that resembled hieroglyphics. that the story was to be “contained.” Although the material seemed to be unbreak- able, the military investigators thought that it looked more like wood than metal. Marcel put his cigarette lighter to one of the rectangular ONE of the first civilian who claimed to arrive fragments, but it would not burn. Major Marcel and his crew brought as many pieces of the on the crash scene was Barney Barnett. crashed UFO back to Roswell Army Air Field Base as they could gather. One of the first civilians who claimed to DuBose said that the men came up with arrive on the scene following the crash was the weather balloon story. A balloon such as Barney Barnett, a civil engineer from Socorro, the one commonly in use at the time was New Mexico, who was employed by the feder- dropped from a couple of hundred feet and al government. Barnett later told friends that they used its pieces for the official debunking he had seen alien bodies on the ground and photograph. inside the spaceship. He described them as Lewis Rickert, who in 1947 was a master small, hairless beings with large heads and sergeant and counterintelligence agent sta- round, oddly spaced eyes. According to Bar- tioned at Roswell air field, was among those nett, a military unit arrived on the scene and military personnel who had actually been pre- an officer had ordered him off the site with sent at the crash site, and he agreed with Gen- the stern admonition that it was his patriotic eral DuBose in 1994 that the fragments col- duty to remain silent about what he had seen. lected from the air force had not come from Although reports of retrieved alien bodies any weather balloon. He recalled that the never made it into any military release in July jagged, flexible fragments were no more than of 1947, accounts of civilian eyewitnesses hav- six or seven inches long and up to eight to ten ing seen between two and five nonhuman inches wide, and they could not be broken. corpses soon entered the UFO literature. In the 1980s, Kevin Randle, a former cap- On July 8, 1947, Walter Haut, public tain in U.S. Air Force intelligence, together affairs officer at Roswell, issued the famous with Don Schmitt, director of the J. Allen press release stating that the army had discov- Hynek Center for UFO Studies, decided to ered the debris of a crashed flying saucer. The renew an investigation of the Roswell crash. news that the army had a downed saucer in its In their opinion, the Roswell incident, with possession created a sensation around the its much-maligned and hashed-over stories of world. However, after the flying saucer frag- an alleged flying saucer and alien bodies, still ments were shipped to Brigadier General bore many elements of truth. “If all this fuss Roger Ramey at the 8th Air Force at Fort was simply about a bunch of ranchers and Worth, Texas, the story of the discovery of the townspeople finding the debris from a bal- bits and pieces of an extraterrestrial craft was loon, why did the military seek out those wit- officially transformed into the scraps of a col- nesses and threaten to silence them?” Randle lapsed high-altitude weather balloon. asked pointedly. “There is no question that While General Ramey is said to have been members of the Army were ordered never to the one who decided to silence the story of talk about what they had seen. And there the air force collecting flying saucer frag- seems to be substantial evidence to support ments, retired general Thomas DuBose, who the claims that military representatives visit-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 262 Invaders from Outer Space

Site of the Roswell, New ed the homes of civilian witnesses and During an interview with a granddaughter Mexico UFO crash. silenced them as well.” of Sheriff George Wilcox in March 1991, (ARCHIVE PHOTOS, INC.) Randle believes that he and Schmitt have Schmitt and Randle were told that not only found new evidence indicating that the crash did the sheriff see the debris of a UFO, he also occurred on July 4, 1947, rather than July 2, as saw “little space beings.” According to the is commonly stated. It was on July 5, accord- woman, her grandfather had described the ing to Schmitt and Randle, that Mac Brazel entities as having gray complexions and large visited Sheriff George Wilcox and informed heads. They were dressed in suits of a silklike him of the peculiar discovery he had made material. Later, military men visited the sher- near his ranch the day before. The military iff and his wife and warned them that they unit under the command of Major Jesse Mar- would be killed if they ever told anyone what cel retrieved the crash debris and alien bodies Wilcox saw at the crash site. And not only on July 5. On July 8, Walter Haut, the public would they be killed, but their children and affairs officer at Roswell, issued the press grandchildren would also be eliminated. release that the army had captured a flying The persistent investigations of Randle saucer. Almost immediately thereafter, the and Schmitt located a Ms. Frankie Rowe, who official cover story of a collapsed weather bal- had been 12 years old at the time of the mys- loon falling to Earth in the desert was heavily terious occurrences outside of Roswell. Her promoted by the military. father, a lieutenant with the fire department,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 263

had been called to extinguish an early morn- had been recovered. According to Dennis, a Alleged alien autopsy ing fire out north of town. He told his family “nasty red-haired officer” confronted him and performed in Roswell, at dinner that night that he had seen the warned him that if he ever told anyone about New Mexico. (FORTEAN remains of what he had at first believed to be the crash or the alien bodies, “they will be PICTURE LIBRARY) an airplane, but soon saw was “some kind of picking your bones from the sand.” ship.” According to Rowe’s father, he also saw two alien corpses in body bags and a third In Randle’s opinion, the results of their alien entity walking around in a daze. He research prove beyond the shadow of a doubt described the beings as about the size of a 10- that aliens exist. And while he and Schmitt year-old. do not know conclusively whether or not one of the alien crew survived the crash outside of Schmitt and Randle also located Glenn Roswell, “there is no doubt that something Dennis, who had been the Roswell mortician crashed and that it held a crew.” Randle also in 1947. Dennis told them that he, too, had insists that “there is no doubt that the crew been threatened by representatives of the mil- was not human.” itary concerning his knowledge of the pres- ence of alien bodies. Dennis said that he had Nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman firmly “blundered” into the Roswell Army Air Field believes that a UFO exploded in the area in hospital on the evening that the alien bodies early July 1947 and that the retrieved pieces

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 264 Invaders from Outer Space

were shipped off to Wright Field (now Wright- the Japanese during the closing days of World Patterson Air Force Base) in Dayton, Ohio. War II were found in more than 300 sites He denies the official pronouncement that throughout the western states from 1945 Major Marcel and his crew found only a onward through the next 20 years. According downed weather balloon at the crash site. He to Keel, Major Jesse Marcel would have had no also dismisses the theory that the debris was trouble identifying the debris as anything other that of a crashed Japanese Fugo balloon bomb. than the pieces of a Japanese balloon bomb. It is Friedman’s contention that Walter Haut, The United States Air Force chose June on direct orders from base commander Colonel 24, 1997—the 50th anniversary of Kenneth William Blanchard, prepared the official press Arnold’s sighting in Washington State—to release that initiated the military conspiracy to conduct a special Pentagon briefing to conceal the truth of a crashed UFO from the announce the release of its answer to the public. Friedman argues that an experienced Roswell disturbance, The Roswell Report— officer such as Major Marcel would have been Case Closed. In its explanation of the mystery, very familiar with all kinds of weather or mili- the air force claimed that the alleged flying tary balloons and that he would not have mis- saucer fragments were pieces of a balloon that taken such ordinary debris for that of a downed was used in Project Mogul, a highly classified alien spaceship. Nor would any of the military intelligence-gathering operation that had personnel have mistaken alien bodies for those been instituted immediately after the end of of diminutive human remains. World War II to spy on the Soviets and to monitor their efforts to build nuclear weapons. According to the air force report, the alleged alien bodies seen near the Roswell crash site ACCORDING to the air force report, the were actually artifacts from an air force project alleged alien bodies were artifacts from a project begun in 1953 during which dummies were dropped from high altitudes in order to test begun in 1953. parachute effectiveness. Civilian witnesses saw air force personnel collecting the dum- mies and mistakenly believed that they were After the wreckage was properly identified seeing military units retrieving alien corpses. as extraterrestrial in nature, Friedman con- The six-year discrepancy between the Roswell tends, the official cover-up was instigated at event and the dummy dropping was officially both the Roswell base and at the headquarters explained as “time compression”; that is, the of the Eighth Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas, witnesses became confused about the actual by Eighth Air Force Commander Roger time reference and compressed their memory Ramey on direct orders from General of the Roswell UFO crash in 1947 and their Clements McMullen at SAC headquarters in recollection of the smashed dummies in 1953 Washington, D.C. Friedman has said that he into the same scenario. and author-researcher William Moore inter- In his memoirs, Leap of Faith: An Astro- viewed at least 130 individuals who have first- naut’s Journey into the Unknown, United States hand knowledge of the UFO crash at Roswell. Air Force Colonel L. Gordon Cooper (Ret.; Veteran UFO researcher John A. Keel 1927– ) provides his readers with the aston- completely discounts the allegations that an ishing revelation that he once chased UFOs alien craft crashed near Roswell in July 1947. over Germany in his F-86. Cooper also claims In his opinion rancher Mac Brazel found the that when he was a captain stationed at remains of a Japanese Fugo balloon. The Edwards Air Force Base on May 3, 1957, he strange “metal fragments,” Keel asserts, were learned of a metallic saucer-shaped object that bits of polished rice paper. The strange alien had landed and was filmed by a technical film “hieroglyphics” were simple Japanese instruc- crew that had been on assignment some 50 tions, such as “insert in slot B.” Remains of the yards away. Although the UFO had zoomed more than 9,000 Fugo balloons launched by out of sight when the startled photographers

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 265 attempted to move closer for a better camera abandon the chase and drive to the spot angle, Cooper was ordered by Pentagon offi- where he believed an explosion had occurred. cials to have all the film developed—but not After he had traveled a little-used road printed—and to ship it off to the appropriate through an unpopulated area full of hills and officials at once. Cooper writes that he obeyed gullies and arrived at the site, Zamora saw orders, but he also admits that he peeked at what he at first thought was an overturned some of the negatives and confirmed that the automobile standing on its end. At this point film crew had most certainly captured a flying he was about 800 feet away from the scene of saucer on celluloid. the supposed accident. He saw two figures in Cooper goes on to tell of an air force mas- coveralls, whom he assumed to be the occu- ter sergeant friend of his who was assigned to a pants of the upended car. recovery team to retrieve a crashed UFO in a Later, Zamora would state in his report: canyon in the Pacific Southwest. According “Thought some kids might have turned over. to his friend, they found two human-looking Saw two people in white coveralls very close beings sitting atop a metallic, disk-shaped to the object. One of these persons seemed to wreckage, smiling at them. The alien pilots turn and look straight at my car and seemed were hustled away, and Cooper’s friend told startled—seemed to quickly jump. At this him that he never found out what had hap- time I started moving my car towards them pened to them. quickly, with an idea to help. The only time I On October 25, 1998, Cooper’s fellow saw these two persons was when I had astronaut, Dr. , astonished both stopped…to glance at the object. I don’t recall UFO believers and skeptics alike when he any particular shape…or headgear. These per- proclaimed, “Make no mistake, Roswell [the sons appeared normal in shape—but possibly alleged crash site of an alien craft in July 1947] they were small adults or large kids.” happened. I’ve seen secret files which show Zamora radioed headquarters to report the the government knew about it, but decided accident, then proceeded to drive closer to the not to tell the public” (The People, London). automobile and its occupants. When he was M Delving Deeper about 150 feet from the gully, he stopped his Berlitz, Charles, and William L. Moore. The Roswell patrol car to continue on foot. By now he Incident. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1980. could clearly see that he had found something far more bizarre than an upended automobile. Friedman, Staton T., and Don Berliner. Crash at He saw a white egg-shaped object supported Corona. New York: Paragon Books, 1992. on girderlike legs that had smoke and flame Korff, Kal K. The Roswell UFO Crash. New York: issuing from its underside. He heard a loud Prometheus Books, 1997. roar and feared the object was about to Randle, Kevin D. Conspiracy of Silence. New York: explode. He turned and ran to shield himself Avon Books, 1997. behind the patrol car, bumping his leg and los- ———. Roswell UFO Crash Update. New Brunswick, ing his glasses on the way. N.J.: Inner Light Publications, 1995. In his report, he wrote: “It was a very loud Randle, Kevin D., and Donald R. Schmitt. UFO roar.…Not like a jet.…It started at a low fre- Crash at Roswell. New York: Avon Books, 1991. quency quickly, then the roar rose in frequen- U.S. Air Force. The Roswell Report: Case Closed. June cy and in loudness—from loud to very 1997. loud.…Object was starting to go straight up— slowly up. Flame was light blue and at bottom Socorro, New Mexico was sort of orange color.” On April 24, 1964, in Socorro, New Mexico, Crouching behind the patrol car and policeman Lonnie Zamora was pursuing a shielding his eyes with his arm, he watched speeding car north on US-85 when he heard a the object rise to a point about 15 to 20 feet roar and saw flames in an isolated area where a above the ground. The flame and the smoke dynamite shack was located. He decided to had ceased swirling around the object, and

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 266 Invaders from Outer Space

Zamora could see a design on its side. The feels that perhaps some sort of test object (war markings were red and shaped like a crescent games, etc.) might have been going on. How- with a vertical arrow and horizontal line ever, there is no record of such an event underneath. The UFO remained stationary for though he has tried to track this down several seconds, then flew off in a southerly through White Sands, Holloman Air Force direction following the contour of the gulley. Base, and a few others. I would like to go Within minutes, Sergeant Chavez of the along with the hallucination idea if it weren’t New Mexico State Police arrived in response for the marks and burned patches.” to Zamora’s earlier radio call. He saw no The once-skeptical Hynek was not the object, but he did take notice of some slight only one convinced of the authenticity of the depressions in the ground and some burned Socorro, New Mexico, sighting by Zamora. brush in the area where Zamora had sighted The case remains one of the most solid in Pro- the object. ject Blue Book files and in the annals of UFO The U.S. Air Force sent investigators from research. their project office at Wright-Patterson Air M Delving Deeper Force Base in Ohio. The investigation dis- Randle, Kevin D. Conspiracy of Silence. New York: closed the following facts: Avon Books, 1997. There were no unidentified heli- ———. A History of UFO Crashes. New York: Avon copters or aircraft in the area. Books, 1995. Observers at radar installations had Steiger, Brad, ed. Project Blue Book: The Top Secret observed 770 unusual or unidentified UFO Findings Revealed. New York: ConFucian blips.…There was no evidence of Press/Ballantine, 1978. markings of any sort in the area other than the shallow depressions at the location.…Laboratory analysis of soil samples disclosed no foreign material UFO Contactees or radiation above normal.…Laborato- and Abductees ry analysis of the burned brush showed no chemicals which would indicate a he UFO contactees are men and women type of propellent.… who are convinced that they encoun- T tered alien “space intelligences” and In his report of the Socorro case to arch UFO skeptic Dr. Donald H. Menzel, Dr. J. that they remain in direct communication with Allen Hynek, scientific consultant for Project them through telepathic thought transference. Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s official inves- In many cases, UFO researchers have observed tigation of UFOs, wrote: “I wish I could sub- that there does seem to be a heightening of stantiate the idea that it was a hoax or halluci- what one would normally consider manifesta- nation. Unfortunately, I cannot. I have talked tions of extrasensory perception after the con- at length with the principals in the sighting, tact experience with an alleged benevolent and unless my knowledge of human nature is space being. Along with psychic abilities, the utterly out of phase, I would feel that [Lonnie is often left with a timetable of cer- Zamora] is incapable of perpetrating a hoax. tain predictions of future events. He is simply a good cop…he resented the In spite of such setbacks as unfulfilled whole thing because it prevented him from prophecies, a good many of the contactees getting his quota of speeders that day. He is continue to be instilled with an almost reli- not imaginative, sticks solidly to business, and gious fervor to spread the message that has is far from talkative.… been given to them by the space beings. A dis- “Major [Hector] Quintanilla [Air Force tillation of such messages would reveal con- officer in charge of Project Blue Book at that cepts such as the following: time] is convinced that the Socorro sighting is 1. Humankind is not alone in the solar sys- neither a hoax nor a hallucination, but he tem and now brothers and sisters from

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 267

hina entered the twenty-first century with a rash of more than 3,000 UFO sightings across the nation, and according to Sun CShili, head of the Beijing UFO Research Organization. China and In the summer months of 2002, it was announced that a group of nine Chinese scientists would visit the UFO Research western region of Qinghai Province to examine relics allegedly left there by extraterrestrial beings. The site, Sources: known to local inhabitants as the “ET relics,” is on “Chinese Scientists to Head for Suspected ET Relics.” People’s Mount Baigong, about 28 miles to the southwest of Daily Online, June 20, 2002. [Online] http://english. people Delingha City. daily.com.cn/20020619_98177.html. Heng, Li. “Mysterious Pipes Left by ‘ET’ Reported from Qinghai.” Yang Ji, a research fellow at the Purple Mountain People’s Daily Online, June 25, 2002. [Online] http://english. Observatory of the Chinese Academy, stated that the peopledaily.com.cn/200206/25_98530.html. area is high in altitude with thin and transparent air, Lin, Rosanne. “Orange, Red Starmen over China.” Shanghai Star, an ideal place to practice astronomy. While conced- July 18, 2002. [Online] http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/star/ ing that the extraterrestrial hypothesis as an explana- 2002/07/18/vo2-2.html. tion for the mysterious relics is worth examining, Yang stressed that scientific analysis is necessary to prove whether or not it is true.

outer space have come to Earth to help How do the flying-saucer contactees those humans who will listen to their encounter the space beings? A synthesis of promise of a larger universe. such experiences reveals the following. 2. The space beings want humankind to They first saw a UFO on the ground, hov- become eligible to join an intergalactic ering low overhead, or heard a slight hum- spiritual federation. ming sound above them that drew their atten- tion to a mysterious craft. 3. The space beings are to assist the people of Earth to lift their spiritual vibratory rate so Next, a warm ray of “light” emanated from they may enter new dimensions. (Accord- the craft and touched the contactees on the ing to the space beings, Jesus, Krishna, neck, the crown of the head, or the middle of Confucius, and many of the other leaders the forehead. They may have lost conscious- of the great religions came to Earth to ness at this point and, upon awakening, may teach humanity these same abilities.) have discovered that they could not account for anywhere from a minute or two to an hour 4. The citizens of Earth stand now in the tran- or two of their time. Those contactees who sitional period before the dawn of a New later claim direct communication with space Age of peace, love, and understanding. beings generally state that they have no recol- 5. If the earthlings should not raise their vibrato- lection of any period of unconsciousness, but ry rate within a set period of time, severe Earth they maintain that they “heard” a voice changes and major cataclysms will take place. speaking to them from inside their own heads.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 268 Invaders from Outer Space

Many contactees are told that they were actively trying to protect it and the people in it. selected because they really are aliens, who Both the space beings and the angels are pow- were planted on Earth as very small children. erful entities who appear to have control over After the initial contact experience, near- the physical limitations of time and space—yet ly all contactees seem to suffer through several they are benevolent in their actions toward days of restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness, bumbling, ineffectual humankind. It seems that and unusual dreams or nightmares. space beings have deliberately placed them- selves in the role of messengers of God, or that After a period of a week to several months, humans hope that there exist such beings who the contactee who has received a message can extricate humankind from the disasters of from the space beings feels prepared to go its own making. forth and share it with others. None of the flying-saucer contactees seem Although most of the contactees claim an to feel any fear of their solar brothers and sis- initial physical contact with a space being, the ters and most of them look forward to a return operable mechanics of the experience seem visit from the space beings. reminiscent of what can be seen in Spiritual- ism as the medium works with a Family and friends of the contactees report or a control from the “other side.” In Spiritu- that they are different and changed persons alistic or mediumistic channeling, the sensi- after their alleged experience with the space tive individual enters the trance state and beings. relays information through the guide, who Most UFO contactees agree that the space contacts various spirits of deceased human beings’ most prominent characteristic is wis- personalities. The mechanism in the Flying dom, and they seem to take their scientific Saucer Movement is often that of the con- knowledge for granted. After all, contactees tactee going into some state of trance and reason, if they have traveled through space channeling information from space beings. from other worlds to Earth, then they must be George King, George Van Tassel, Gloria Lee, extremely intelligent. George Hunt Williamson, and several other contactees have been members of psychic development groups. It is impossible to estimate how many men UFO contactees are instilled with an almost and women claim to receive messages from religious fervor to spread messages given to them by space beings. Groups continue to rise from dynamic contactees, each with their varia- space beings. tions of previous revelations and their own occasional individual input. There is also the category of revelators that UFO researchers Hard-nosed Earth scientists, however, term the “silent contactees”—men and remain singularly unimpressed with the specif- women who have not gathered groups about ic technical information that has been relayed them, but who have established contact with by the contactees. Those sympathetic to the what they feel to be entities from other worlds contactees might argue that the UFO crews and who have directed their lives according to deem their science to be incomprehensible to the dictates of those space beings. Many of humankind at this point; other theorists sug- these men and women continue to work in gest that the contactees are not communicat- conventional jobs, confiding their experiences ing with alien entities at all, but rather, with a only to close associates and family members. higher aspect of their own psyches. While the number of UFO contactees Some researchers have observed that the remains nebulous at best, estimates presented space beings appear to function as do the angels at a conference on the alien-abduction phe- of more conventional theologies. Both beings nomenon at the Massachusetts Institute of are concerned about Earth; they seem to be Technology in June 1992 suggested that as

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 269 many as several hundred thousand to more physical examination by the extraterrestrials, than three million adults in the United States told that he was unsuitable for their needs, alone have had abduction experiences with and returned to Earth. UFO beings. While such a figure seems mind- Sprinkle hypnotized Higdon a number of boggling to say the least, some UFO researchers times and gained remarkable details of the say that the true figure would be much higher. experience. Higdon had gone to the north edge Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, formerly on staff at of the Medicine Bow National Forest to hunt the University of Wyoming in Laramie and wild game. About mid-afternoon, he walked now in private practice, has speculated that onto a rise and spotted five elk grazing in a there may be hundreds of thousands of people clearing a few hundred yards away. He picked who have had a UFO encounter but who were out the largest buck, lined it up in his telescopic not even aware of it at the time. Sprinkle lists sights, and pulled the trigger. He could not several characteristics common among people believe his eyes when the powerful bullet from who have had such experiences: his magnum rifle left the barrel noiselessly and, in slow motion, floated like a butterfly for about 1. An episode of missing time. Under hypno- 50 feet, then fell to the ground. sis many people remember driving down the road and then being back in their car. Higdon heard a twig snap, and he turned to They know that “something” happened face a strange-looking entity more than six feet between the two points of consciousness, tall, about 180 pounds, with yellowish skin but they can’t fill in the missing time. color. The being possessed a head and face that seemed to extend directly into its shoulders, 2. Disturbing dreams. The abductee will with no visible chin or neck. The humanoid dream about flying saucers, about being had no detectable ears, small eyes with no pursued and captured, and being examined brows, and only a slit of a mouth. Two anten- by doctors in white coats. na-like appendages protruded from its skull. 3. Daytime flashbacks of UFO experiences. While they are doing tasks in their normal daytime activities, abductees will flash back to some kind of UFO image or UFO entity. A conference on alien-abduction suggested as many 4. Strange compulsions. Sprinkle told of one as several hundred thousand to more than three man who for seven years felt compelled to dig a well at a particular spot. Under hypno- million adults have had abduction experiences with sis he revealed that a UFO being had told UFO beings. him they would contact him if he dug a well. 5. A sudden interest in UFOs. The abductee may suddenly give evidence of a compul- The alien being raised its hand in greeting sion to read about UFOs, ancient history, to Higdon and floated a package of pills in his or pyramids and crystals, without knowing direction. Higdon remembers that he swal- why. lowed one of the pills upon the direction of the In 1976 Carl Higdon, a 41-year-old entity, and the next thing he knew, he was Wyoming oil-field worker, claimed to have inside a cube-shaped object with the being, at been kidnapped by alien beings while he was least one other alien, and the five elk. Higdon hunting elk in a remote wilderness area. Hig- was strapped to a seat with a football-like hel- don said that he was lifted aboard a spacecraft met on his head. Then he underwent a bizarre and taken millions of miles to another planet trip through space in a small, transparent craft. where he saw other earthlings living with Most of the details of Higdon’s fantastic alien beings. It was Higdon’s impression that journey were gleaned during the hypnosis ses- the aliens had been taking people from Earth sions with Sprinkle. Higdon told the doctor for many years—as well as a sizable stock of that he witnessed portions of what appeared various animals and fish. Higdon was given a to be a futuristic city of tall spires and towers

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 270 Invaders from Outer Space

and revolving multicolored lights. After a it. Harder observed that it is as if some sort of physical examination, he was returned to the extraterrestrial group of psychologists is mak- space vehicle. When he looked out of the ing a study of humans. transparent sides, he observed five other Harder and other researchers have discov- beings who appeared to be humans. ered that a high percentage of people who The UFO set down again in Medicine Bow have been abducted have undergone multiple National Forest. Higdon was placed back in his experiences with UFO entities. Most truck, his rifle was returned, and he was abductees who have had more than one expe- relieved of the pills that the being had given rience with UFO aliens usually undergo the him. Dazed by the strange experience, Higdon first encounter between the ages of five and managed to radio for help. Then he apparently nine. These abductees remember the alien as blacked out until he was found several hours friendly and quite human in appearance. Upon later. Higdon spent three days in the Carbon further hypnotic regression and careful prob- County Memorial Hospital at Rawlins, under- ing, however, the investigators have learned going extensive tests and rambling and shout- that the entity did not look human at all. ing about four-day pills and men in black suits. In most cases, the entity usually tells the children that it will be back to see them throughout the course of their life. It also admonishes the children not to tell their par- UNEXPLAINABLE recoveries from ents about the encounter. ailments often occur among people who claim to have Harder has also discovered that during the adult abductee experience, those men and been examined by alien beings. women undergoing the encounter will often report having a vague memory of their abduc- tor, and they will later say that they feel as Higdon apparently experienced a miracu- though they have seen the entity before. In lous healing of a tubercular-type scar on his Harder’s opinion, the multiple UFO abduc- lung. A problem with kidney stones also dis- tion is not a random occurrence. appeared after his trip to outer space. Dr. The abductees speaking at the Mutual Sprinkle has observed that such unexplain- UFO Network’s Washington, D.C., confer- able recoveries from ailments often occur ence in June of 1987 reported frightening and among people who claim to have been exam- disorienting aspects of their UFO experiences. ined by alien beings. They said that they often remembered the David Webb, an Arlington, Massachusetts, events only in fragments and flashes until they solar physicist, cochair of the Mutual UFO underwent hypnotic regression. For the Network (MUFON), a top UFO research abductees speaking on the panel, the interac- organization, believes that space aliens have tion with the UFO entities had seemed pri- abducted one out of every eight people who marily to be negative. They told of the frustra- have reported seeing UFOs. In Webb’s tion of being partially paralyzed and taken research, in many cases the victims undergo without their consent to undergo medical some kind of examination, but they usually examinations. remember nothing of the onboard experience. Whitley Strieber, author of the best-sell- In the course of the numerous hypnotic ing book Communion (1987), said that he had regressions that he conducted with UFO attempted to deal with his tension and anxi- abductees, Dr. James Harder said that he had ety over having undergone an abduction found much evidence to support the theory experience by writing about his encounter. that alien abductors return to find and to Strieber told the group assembled for the reexamine abductees at various intervals, abductee panel at the Washington, D.C., con- sometimes throughout a person’s lifetime and ference that when he first realized what had sometimes without his or her being aware of happened to him, he was suicidal. Then he

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 271 began to investigate some UFO literature and California, on November 20, 1952, and discovered that others had had similar experi- received his first revelatory encounter with ences. He sought out the services of a hypno- Orthon, a Venusian space brother. Through tist, thinking that perhaps that would be the telepathic transfer, Adamski learned that the last of the ordeal. It wasn’t, of course, and he space traveler was benign and greatly con- wrote the book hoping that the memories and cerned with the spiritual growth of humankind. the feelings would go away. Regretfully, the Adamski’s desert encounter with a Venusian memories returned. and Robert Wise’s motion picture The Day the Strieber went on to say that he had Earth Stood Still (1951), with its warning that received thousands of letters from other Earth had better clean up its act delivered by an abductees—people who do not welcome pub- alien messenger, were probably the two most licity, including entertainers, political leaders, contributive factors in birthing the UFO con- and members of the armed forces in high posi- tactee movement in the United States. tions. According to Strieber, all of these abductees had reported a basic progression of emotions, moving from uneasy, fragmented recollections to a clear memory accompanied GEORGE Adamski was the first of the New by fear. If the abductees consented to undergo hypnotic regression, they usually became even Age UFO prophets. more terrified. Instead of attempting to glean more and more information about the abductee through hypnotic regression, Strieber After Adamski published Flying Saucers suggested that concerned researchers should be Have Landed (1953), coauthored with trying to help these individuals with their Desmond Leslie, he became popular as a lec- fright and helping them gain more understand- turer and had little difficulty establishing him- ing about what had happened to them. self as the best known of all the contactees, who were now springing up around the world. M Delving Deeper Flying saucer mania was rampant in the early Bryan, C. D. B. Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind: 1950s with a cautious public wanting to know Alien Abductions, UFOs, and the Conference at who was piloting the mysterious craft in the M.I.T. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. sky, where they were from, and what they Evans, Hilary. Gods, Spirits, Cosmic Guardians: A looked like. Adamski had the answers. Comparative Study of the Encounter Experience. Orthon, the Venusian, was smooth-skinned, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England: beardless, with shoulder-length blond hair, Aquarian Press, 1987. stood about five feet six inches tall, and wore Hopkins, Budd. The Intruders. New York: Random what appeared to be some kind of jumpsuitlike House, 1987. apparel. Orthon had come in peace, eager to Lewis, James, ed. The Gods Have Landed: New Reli- warn earthlings about radiation from the gions from Other Worlds. Albany: State University nuclear tests that were being conducted. There of New York Press, 1995. were universal laws and principles established Mack, John E. Abducted. New York: Charles Scribn- by the Creator of All, and the people of Earth er’s Sons, 1994. would do well to begin to practice those laws Randle, Kevin D., Russ Estes, and William P. Cone. The at once. All these messages were transmitted Abduction Engima. New York: Forge Books, 1999. telepathically to Adamski to relay to his fellow earthlings, but later, after he had been taken George Adamski (1891–1965) for a trip into outer space, Adamski was able to George Adamski was the first of the New Age communicate verbally with such entities as UFO prophets, and just as the prophets of old Firkon, the Martian, and Ramu, from Saturn. went out into the desert to receive their revela- The death of George Adamski on April tions directly from God or the angels, Adamski 12, 1965, by no means terminated the heated went out into the night near Desert Center, controversy that had never stopped swirling

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 272 Invaders from Outer Space

George Adamski. John’s effigy on it. Later Leslie checked and (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) found it was a medal that had not yet been released to anyone. When Adamski was asked how he had received it, he answered that Pope John had given it to him the day before. Adamski went on to say how he had arrived at the Vatican according to the space people’s instructions and had been taken straight in, given a cas- sock, and led to the pope’s bedside. It was here that Adamski had handed Pope John a sealed package from the space brothers. It was said that Pope John’s face had beamed when he received the package, and he said, “This is what I have been waiting for!” The pope then presented Adamski with a special medal, and the papal audience ended. Leslie said that he later checked with Lou Zinsstag, who had allegedly taken Adamski to the Vatican. Zinsstag reported that when they had approached the Vatican and neared the private entrance, a man with “purple at his around the prolific and articulate contactee. throat” (apparently a monsignor or a bishop) Throughout his career as a contactee, Adams- appeared. ki’s believers steadfastly declared him to be Adamski had cried out, “That’s my man!”, one of the most saintly of men, completely greeted the papal official, and was led in for an devoted to the teachings of universal laws. It audience with the pope. Zinsstag said that appears that after his death, certain of his fol- when he reappeared about 20 minutes later, lowers found it necessary to provide their dis- Adamski appeared to be in the same state of ciple of intergalactic peace with a kind of excitement and rapture as witnesses had instant resurrection. In the book The Scoriton described him being in after his desert contact Mystery (1967) by Eileen Buckle, a contactee with the space brothers in 1952. named Ernest Bryant claims to have met three When Leslie later asked an abbot what he spacemen on April 24, 1965, one of whom knew about the medal, the clergyman was was a youth named Yamski, whose body amazed and said that such a medal would only already housed the reincarnated spirit of have been given to someone in the most George Adamski. exceptional circumstances, and that no one, According to Desmond Leslie, George so far as he knew, had yet received this partic- Adamski had an audience with Pope John ular medal. XXIII (1881–1963) just a few days before the Leslie admitted that he had initially disbe- pope passed away. Leslie said that he met lieved that Adamski had received such an Adamski at the airport in London just after he audience with the pope, but this confirmation had flown in from Rome. He drove Adamski from the abbot with regard to the medal had straight to his little river cruiser at Staines, overcome his former disbelief. When Leslie where several people interested in UFOs had asked Adamski what the space brothers’ pack- been spending the weekend. age had contained, the contactee said that he Sometime during the next few days, did not know. He related that the package had Adamski showed Leslie a memento that he been given to him by the space brothers said no one would ever take from him, and he before he left for Europe and that he had been produced an exquisite gold medal with Pope given instructions to present it to the pope.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 273

He was also told that all arrangements had engineer with Aerojet General at the time that been made inside the Vatican for such an he claimed to have met the space people. audience to take place. This suggested to According to Fry, he missed the bus that Leslie that the space brothers have a “fifth would have taken him into town to observe column” in St. Peter’s seat as well as every- the traditional July Fourth fireworks, so he where else. decided to take a walk in the desert. What he Later, Adamski told Leslie that he thought had at first believed to be a strangely behaving the package had contained instructions and star landed about 70 feet away from him and advice for the Second Ecumenical Council. It revealed itself to be a flying saucer. A friendly, is possible that the package also contained a but invisible, space traveler named A-lan message to St. Peter’s successors that chided (Alan) invited Fry on board and, while them about certain lax measures and encour- explaining some of the technical aspects of aged them to get on with the serious work the spacecraft, whisked him to New York City required on Earth. and back to White Sands in 30 minutes. Fry estimated the speed of the UFO to be at least M Delving Deeper 8,000 miles per hour. Adamski, George. Behind the Flying Saucer Mystery (Flying Saucer Farewell). New York: Paperback Library, 1967. Adamski, George, and Desmond Leslie. Flying Saucers THE space people, according to Fry, were Have Landed. New York: The British Book Cen- tre, 1953. descendents of the lost continent of Lemuria. Edwards, Frank. Flying Saucers—Here and Now! New York: Lyle Stuart, 1967. Story, Ronald D. The Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Although Fry later changed the date of his Encounters. New York: New American Library, initial contact to 1949, he claimed to have been 2001. contacted by Alan three more times between Zinsstag, Lou, and Timothy Good. George Adamski— 1950 and 1954. The space people, according to The Untold Story. Beckenham, Kent, England: information received by Fry, were descendents Ceti Publications, 1983. of the lost continent of Lemuria, which had destroyed itself in an atomic war with Atlantis Daniel W. Fry (1908–1992) about 30,000 years ago. Because Lemurians had Daniel Fry’s initial contact with beings that he achieved space flight, a few survivors managed claimed were space people took place on July 4, to escape in four vehicles before the final 1950, near the White Sands Proving Grounds destruction occurred. One ship was lost on the (now Missile Range) near Las Cruces, New flight to Mars, but three of the Lemurian craft Mexico. Fry described himself as “an interna- landed safely and began to fashion a new society tionally known scientist, researcher, and elec- on that planet. Eventually, the descendents of tronic engineer” and as one who was “recog- Lemuria, the immigrant Martians, had truly nized by many as the best-informed scientist in become space people, traveling independent of the world on the subject of space and space any planet in self-sustaining ships, moving travel.” While he may have been the most through space wherever they chose. technically sophisticated of the early UFO con- Fry established Understanding Incorporat- tactees, skeptical researcher Philip J. Klass ed in 1955 as a means of better spreading the (1919– ) claimed in UFOs Explained (1974) teachings of Alan, who had told him that he that Fry’s doctoral degree from “St. Andrews had been chosen to act as the liaison between College of London, England” was issued by a Earth and the planetary members of the Galac- small religious organization that awarded doc- tic Confederation. The space people warned torates to whomever submitted a 10,000-word that humans must learn to live in peace, or thesis and paid a fee. While the validity of his they were likely to destroy themselves with Ph.D. may be in doubt, Fry was employed as an nuclear power, thereby replicating the disaster

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 274 Invaders from Outer Space

Betty (1920– ) and Frank Scully and Daniel that had occurred in prehistoric times to Barney Hill (1922–1969) Fry in the May/June 1995 Lemuria and Atlantis. Alan urged Earth peo- issue of International ple to build a firmer spiritual relationship with The case of Betty and Barney Hill has become UFO Reporter. (J. ALLEN one another and with the Infinite Intelligence the prototype for the “interrupted journey,” HYNEK CENTER FOR that pervades and controls the universe. Fry the classic case of humans abducted and UFO STUDIES) remained active as a lecturer in the Flying examined by aliens from another world. Their Saucer Movement until his death in 1992 and story was covered extensively by John G. directed one of the largest of the UFO groups, Fuller in the book Interrupted Journey (1966), comprising more than 60 units. and there was even a made-for-television movie (1975) with James Earl Jones and M Delving Deeper Estelle Parsons playing Barney and Betty. Fry, Daniel W. To Men of Earth. Elsinore, Calif.: El On September 19, 1961, Betty, a social Cariso, 1973. worker, and Barney, a mail carrier, then in ———. The White Sands Incident. Madison, Wis.: their 40s, were returning to their home in Horus House, 1992. New Hampshire from a short Canadian vaca- Gibbons, Gavin. They Rode in Space Ships. New York: tion when they noticed a bright object in the Citadel Press, 1957. night sky. Barney stopped the car and used a Klass, Philip J. UFOs Explained. New York: Random pair of binoculars to get a better look at it. As House, 1974. he studied the object, its own illumination Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: showed a well-defined disklike shape, moving Perigee Books, 1980. in an irregular pattern across the moonlit sky. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- Fascinated, Barney walked into a nearby trial Encounters. New York: New American field where from that perspective he could Library, 2001. perceive what appeared to be windows—and,

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 275 in the windows, beings—looking back at him. Betty and Barney Hill The feeling that he was being watched fright- claimed they were ened Barney, and he ran back to the car, got abducted by UFOs. in, and began to race down the road. Then, as (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) if obeying some internal directive, he drove down a side road—where the Hills found five humanoid aliens standing in their path. Sud- denly unable to control their movements, Betty and Barney were taken from their car and, in a trancelike condition, led to the UFO by the humanoids. The sensational details of the Hills’ story were recalled later while under hypnosis, for the couple had a complete loss of memory concerning the nearly two hours that they were abducted by the UFOnauts. According to information later retrieved under hypnosis, Betty and Barney were returned unharmed to animals. Although the couple had been given their car with the mental command that they hypnotic suggestions by the aliens that they would forget all about their abduction experi- would forget their experience, their induced ence. The UFO then rose into the air and dis- amnesia was apparently penetrated when they appeared from sight, leaving the Hills to con- were rehypnotized by Simon. tinue their journey home, oblivious to the Much has been made of the Hills alien whole event. medical examinations, and their much-publi- Perhaps the remarkable encounter would cized experience may have provided the pro- never have been brought to light except for totype for thousands of other individuals who two factors: they began to experience strange have claimed alien abductions with their req- and disconcerting dreams that they could not uisite physical and sexual exams. However, understand, and they could not explain the the single aspect that may be most essential in unaccountable two missing hours in their giving the Hills’ story credibility is the star journey home from Canada. map that Betty said she was shown by the extraterrestrials while on board the UFO. Betty decided to seek the help of a psychi- atrist friend, who suggested that the memory of those lost hours would return in time, per- haps in only a few months. But the details of that unexplained “interruption” remained in a THE existence of two stars, Zeta I and Zeta II troubled limbo of fragmented memories until Reticuli, were not confirmed by astronomers until the Hills began weekly hypnosis sessions with Dr. Benjamin Simon, a Boston psychiatrist. 1969—eight years after the Hills’ abduction experience. Under Simon’s guidance, the couple revealed an astonishing pastiche of bizarre physical and mental examinations at the Under hypnosis in 1964, three years after hands of an extraordinary group of extraterres- their alleged alien abduction, Betty, with little trial medical technicians. The individual or no understanding of astronomy, drew her accounts of Betty and Barney agreed in most impressions of the map with a remarkable respects, although neither was made aware of expertise that concurred with other, profession- what the other had disclosed until later. In ally drawn, star maps. As an important bonus, essence, both told of being treated by aliens Betty’s map showed the location of two stars from space in much the same manner as called Zeta I and Zeta II Reticuli, allegedly the human scientists might examine laboratory home base of the space travelers who abducted

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 276 Invaders from Outer Space

them. Interestingly, the existence of the two the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stars was not confirmed by astronomers until have served only to intensify the mystery of 1969—eight years after the Hills’ abduction the bizarre incidents that have instilled fear experience and five years after Betty remem- among those who witnessed flying saucer phe- bered seeing the star map aboard an alien nomena and have prompted accusations of spaceship. As an added bit of data to support government cover-ups by members of civilian Betty Hill’s claim that her recollection of the research groups for over 50 years. map was an actual memory of having been The legend of the three Men in Black, the shown an artifact created by an extraterrestrial MIB, began in September 1953 when Albert intelligence, the two fifth-magnitude stars, Zeta K. Bender, who had organized the Interna- I and Zeta II Reticuli, are invisible to observers tional Flying Saucer Bureau, received certain north of the latitude of Mexico City. data that he felt provided the missing pieces M Delving Deeper concerning the origin of flying saucers. Bender wrote down his theory and sent it off to a Bryant Alice, and Linda Seebach. Healing Shattered friend he felt he could trust. When the three Reality: Understanding Contactee Trauma. Tigard, men appeared at Bender’s door, one of them Ore.: Wild Flower Press, 1991. held that letter in his hand. Fuller, John G. The Interrupted Journey: Two Lost Hours ‘Aboard a Flying Saucer.’ New York: Dial The three Men in Black told Bender that Press, 1966. among the many researchers he had been the Jacobs, David M. Secret Life: Firsthand Accounts of UFO one to stumble upon the correct answer to the Abductions. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. flying-saucer enigma. Then they filled him in on the details. Bender became ill. He was Klass, Philip J. UFO Abductions: A Dangerous Game. unable to eat for three days. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1988. Randle, Kevin D., Russ Estes, and William P. Cone. Bender went on to say that when people The Abduction Enigma. New York: Forge, 1999. found out the truth about flying saucers there Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: would be dramatic changes in all things. Sci- Perigee Books, 1980. ence, especially, would suffer a major blow. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- Political structures would topple. Mass confu- trial Encounters. New York: New American sion would reign. Library, 2001. In 1962, Bender decided that he would at last tell his story to the world in Flying Saucers and the Three Men. This perplexing volume The Men in Black (MIB) served only to confuse serious researchers, as it Ever since organized flying saucer research told of Bender’s astral projection to a secret began in the early 1950s, a number of UFO underground saucer base in Antarctica that investigators have claimed that they have suf- was manned by male, female, and bisexual fered personal harassment, unusual accidents, creatures. Many questions remained to plague and even mysterious deaths due to the visita- UFO investigators. Were Bender’s experiences tions of three mysterious men in black. In really of a psychic nature? Was his book delib- some cases, according to UFO researchers, erately contrived to hide the true nature of his sinister voices whispered threats over the tele- silencing? Had the whole experience been phone and warned them to terminate specific clothed in an extended metaphor that might investigations. By the mid-1960s, percipients yield certain dues to the perceptive researcher? of alleged UFO activity continued to protest In the opinion of many UFO investigators, that they had been visited by ominous the Men in Black are representatives of an strangers who made it clear that their orders organization on the planet Earth, but they are to remain silent about what they had seen not from any known bureau in the U.S. gov- would be violently enforced. ernment. According to some researchers, both Official disclaimers by the U.S. Air Force, these men and the UFOs come from some civ- the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and ilization that has flourished in a remote area of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 277

Earth, such as the Amazon, the North Gobi Much About Flying Saucers (1956). “They will Actors Will Smith and Desert, or the Himalaya Mountains. be at your door, too, unless we all get wise and Tommy Lee Jones in the find out who the three men really are.” sci-fi movie “Men in Within a few months after Bender had Black.” (THE KOBAL UFO and paranormal investigator John A. been silenced, Edgar R. Jarrold, organizer of COLLECTION) the Australian Flying Saucer Bureau, and Keel’s (1930– ) pursuit of the flying saucer Harold H. Fulton, head of Civilian Saucer silencers in the late 1960s led him to uncover Investigation of New Zealand, received visits some extreme cases of personal abuse in which from mysterious strangers and subsequently certain contactees or investigators had been disbanded their organizations. kidnapped by three men in a black car. Keel noted that it was nearly always three men who John H. Stuart, a New Zealander, picked subjected the victims to some sort of brain- up a piece of metal that had fallen from a washing technique that left them in a state of UFO during a close sighting in February 1955. nausea, mental confusion, or even amnesia The next night he received a visit from a man lasting for several days. The investigation of dressed in black who announced that he had many of these cases never get beyond local more right than Stuart did to the piece of police departments, Keel found. Neither the grey-white metal. The man in black told Stu- FBI nor any other central government agency art a lot about flying saucers and left him feel- was engaged in collecting information on such ing frightened. stories of mistreatment by the mysterious “I have a feeling that some day there will three Men in Black. come a slow knocking at my own door,” Gray Responding to accusations from civilian Barker (1925– ) wrote in They Knew Too researchers who demanded an investigation

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 278 Invaders from Outer Space

and who suggested that the air force was anniversary of Kenneth Arnold’s sighting of somehow behind such silencings, Colonel the flying saucers near Mt. Rainier, Washing- George P. Freeman, Pentagon spokesman for ton, sparked immediate concern among UFO Project Blue Book, was quoted as saying that researchers that Edwards had been silenced for the three Men in Black were not connected good. And it certainly added to the paranoia with the air force in any way. Nor would any that he had died on the day before he was other United States security group claim scheduled to address the Congress of Scientif- them. It has never been within the line of ic Ufologists assembled at the Hotel Com- duty of any government agency to threaten modore in New York City. private citizens or to enter their home without Stories of the Men in Black have contin- a search warrant. No government agent is ued unabated since their origin in the early empowered to demand surrender of private 1950s. In 1997, the motion picture Men in property by any law-abiding citizen. Freeman Black starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will went on to say that by posing as air force offi- Smith became a smash box office hit by por- cers and government agents, the silencers traying the sinister “three men” as two men were committing a federal offense. who worked for a secret government agency that patrolled the action of aliens living secretly on Earth. The concept that originated in fear and distrust of the government or of THE legend of the three Men in Black, the some nefarious secret organization of aliens or MIB, began in September 1953. agents was played for laughs, and the motion picture used state-of-the-art special effects to create astonishing outer space creatures. A sequel to the successful film was released in Broadcaster Frank Edwards (1908–1967), 2002, and the legend of the frightening Men who became well known for his best-selling in Black knocking at the doors of those who Flying Saucers—Serious Business (1966), made had witnessed UFO activity to threaten and much of what he believed to be an official plot to silence them continued to be seen as a that had been set to silence him. Before vehicle for comedy. becoming interested in UFOs, Edwards had been conducting a highly successful radio show If the UFO silencers are a hoax, no one sponsored by the American Federation of has yet answered who is perpetrating it and Labor (AFL). He was warned to abandon the why. Whoever comprises this persistent subject of flying saucers, and when Edwards silence group either knows, or gives the persisted, he was given his walking papers. impression of knowing, a great deal more In spite of thousands of letters protesting about the universe than the current scientific the firing of Edwards and the silencing of his community does. UFO reports, his ex-sponsor stood firm. When Many researchers of UFO phenomena con- reporters asked George Meany, president of tinue to believe that the Men in Black are the AFL, why Edwards had been dropped, agents from another world who labor to spread Meany answered that it was because he had confusion and fear among Earth’s serious UFO talked too much about flying saucers. Edwards investigators and those witnesses of UFO claimed that he later learned that his constant activity. Others maintain that in spite of offi- mention of UFOs had been irritating to the cial denials, the Men in Black are agents from Defense Department and that the department a top-secret U.S. government agency, which had brought pressure to bear on the AFL. knows the answer to the flying saucer enigma Edwards was only temporarily silenced, and has been commissioned to keep the truth and he soon had in syndication a radio show from the American public. Still others claim that dealt almost exclusively with flying that they are agents from another terrestrial saucers and other strange phenomena. But his political system that endeavors to guard its sudden death on June 24, 1967, the 20-year secret of advanced technology just a bit longer.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 279

M Delving Deeper Whitley Strieber. (DENNIS Barker, Gray. They Knew Too Much About Flying STACY/FORTEAN Saucers. New York: University Books, 1956. PICTURE LIBRARY) Beckley, Timothy Green. The UFO Silencers. New Brunswick, N.J.: Inner Light Publications, 1990. Bender, Albert K. Flying Saucers and the Three Men. Clarksburg, W.Va.: Saucerian Press, 1962. Keel, John A. The Prophecies. New York: New American Library, 1976; New York: Tor Books, 2002. ———. UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970. Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: Perigee Books, 1980. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- trial Encounters. New York: New American Library, 2001.

Whitley Strieber (1945– ) When he published Communion in 1987, Whitley Strieber transformed himself from a well-established horror writer into the world’s from this perspective, were “a very complicat- most famous UFO contactee/abductee. The ed presence among us” and that not all of author of such popular novels as The Wolfen them were to be “trusted or accepted.” (1978) and The Hunger (1981), both of which were made into successful motion pictures, Strieber startled readers and researchers alike when he wrote a first-person account of his ACCORDING to Strieber, on December encounters with the “visitors” and detailed his abduction experiences. 26, 1985, he underwent the first of a series of close According to Strieber, on December 26, encounter experiences with alien beings. 1985, he underwent the first of a series of experiences with alien beings that he would go on to describe in his books Com- Strieber has stated that he believes the munion, Transformation (1988), and Confirma- evidence of the UFO, if properly examined by tion (1998). As millions of readers followed his science, may provide humankind with “won- accounts of extraordinary occurrences, derful new discoveries and information.” But, Strieber went on to tell of being abducted in he adds in his position statement in The his childhood, undergoing physical examina- Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia (2001), to accept tions at the hands of the “visitors,” and sug- such evidence also means that it is necessary gesting mind control and government to face the facts that “there may really be involvement in the UFO mystery. aliens here—aliens who are creating an extra- Reflecting upon his encounters in his ordinary theater in the sky while at the same “journal” on his website (Whitley Strieber’s time entering the personal lives of many peo- Unknown Country, 12/15/2001), he wrote that ple in extremely bizarre ways.” he had struggled through his ordeal with “gen- uine knowledge and good questions” and had M Delving Deeper seen “an absolute terror” change within a few Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- years to a “sublime journey” on which he was trial Encounters. New York: New American still embarked. The visitors, Strieber observed Library, 2001.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 280 Invaders from Outer Space

Strieber, Whitley. Communion. New York: Beach Van Tassel introduced the world to Ashtar, Tree/William Morrow, 1987. commandant of station Schare. “Schare” was ———. Confirmation. New York: Beech Tree one of several space stations in “Blaau,” the Books/William Morrow, 1998. fourth sector of “Bela,” in which our solar sys- ———. Transformation. New York: Avon, 1988. tem is moving. “Shan” was the name that “Whitley’s Journal.” Whitley Strieber’s Unknown Coun- Ashtar gave for Earth, and he said that the try, December 15, 2001. [Online] http://www. universe was ruled by the Council of Seven unknowncountry.com/journal/. Lights, which had divided the cosmos into seven sectors and systems. Ashtar proclaimed that the space intelligence’s main purpose was George Van Tassel (1910–1978) to save humankind from itself. Once that George Van Tassel established a reputation as great obstacle had been met, then the minor an accomplished flight test engineer for both problem of how to deal with nuclear fission Lockheed International and Douglas Aircraft would right itself through the harmony that in the 1930s, and spent World War II would then be extant on Earth. (1939–45) flying for business magnate/aviator Ashtar and his fellow space intelligences Howard Hughes (1905–1976.) In 1947, Van also gave Van Tassel instructions for the con- Tassel moved with his wife and three daugh- struction of the “Integratron,” a four-story- ters to the land around Giant Rock, Califor- high, 16-sided dome of wood and concrete, nia, and reopened the airfield near what had which was supposed to rejuvenate human cells been declared by many as the largest boulder by utilizing the natural energy found in the dry in the world. desert atmosphere of Giant Rock. Thousands of After the family had lived near Giant believers came to pass through the Integratron Rock for a time, Van Tassel became intrigued and to receive antiaging electrostatic charges. by stories of UFO contactees, and he theorized Van Tassel founded the Ministry of Uni- that the huge boulder’s piezo-electric compo- versal Wisdom in 1953, basing its precepts on sition could intensify meditation and the revelations from the space brothers. The min- power of the human mind to establish com- istry taught the universal law that operates on munication with alien intelligences. When he humankind in seven states: gender (male and began holding weekly under the female); the Creator as Cause; polarity of neg- rock, others who felt drawn to the rock and ative and positive; vibration; rhythm; relativi- the desert soon joined him. In 1951, Van Tas- ty; and mentality. sel went into trance and said later that he had Van Tassel maintained his headquarters at been taken out of his body to meet with a Giant Rock, California, for many years, mak- group of discarnate beings who inhabited a ing it a gathering place for both the curious spaceship orbiting Earth. and the true believers. He was the author of I In August of 1952, Van Tassel stated that Rode a Flying Saucer (1952) and The Council of aliens from Venus had landed near Giant Rock Seven Lights (1958). and invited him to enter their spacecraft. When word spread of his dramatic encounter, M Delving Deeper the first Space Convention was held at Giant Gibbons, Gavin. They Rode in Space Ships. New York: Rock in the spring of 1953. In the years to Citadel Press, 1957. come, thousands would attend these conven- Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: tions, drawn to the rock, the desert, Van Tas- Perigee Books, 1980. sel, and the promise of experiencing personal Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- alien contact. In 1959, over 11,000 followers trial Encounters. New York: New American of the charismatic contactee came from all Library, 2001. over the world to hear him channel messages Van Tassel, George. The Council of Seven Lights. Los from the space brothers and to take advantage Angeles: De Vorss, 1958. of the opportunity to share stories of their own ———. I Rode a Flying Saucer. Los Angeles: New Age alien encounters with the media. Publishing, 1952.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 281

The Influence of While numerous science-fiction films and Steven Spielberg and ET. the Media television series have used the theme of alien (ARCHIVE PHOTOS, INC.) invaders, certain motion pictures and series ince many Americans learn their history seem to have impressed the mass psyche of through the dramatic presentations provid- their audiences far more than those with sim- Sed by motion pictures and television, it is ple plots dealing with bug-eyed monsters ter- rapidly becoming generally accepted “history” rifying the inhabitants of Earth. In 1951, that a secret branch of the U.S. government has Howard Hawks’s The Thing from Another conducted a massive cover-up since the Roswell World told the story of a small group of U.S. incident of 1947 so scientists could work unhin- Air Force personnel and scientists stationed dered to employ knowledge gained through alien at an isolated outpost near the North Pole technology to accelerate the pace of human sci- who must deal with an alien that needs their entific accomplishments. The fact that a poll blood in order to survive. The film was a conducted in 1998 by CNN/Time, a major thriller that steadily built tension and fright- news-gathering agency, found that as much as 80 eningly portrayed how helpless humans percent of the U.S. public believed that an orga- might be at the hands of a single powerful nized government conspiracy has attempted to alien life-form. cover up the truth about UFOs demonstrates that such long-held and oft-repeated accusations In that same year, Robert Wise released by thousands of researchers and witnesses of aeri- the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still al phenomena have grown deep roots in the (1951), which presented a wise and peaceful mass consciousness. alien who came to warn Earth’s politicians

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 282 Invaders from Outer Space

Sigourney Weaver and and scientists that they must cease their recognize his experience as genuine, and the Winona Rider in the film experiments with nuclear power or risk anni- obsession of the contactee to respond to the Alien Resurrection. hilation from extraterrestrials who will not “invitation” that the aliens have somehow (THE KOBAL COLLECTION) tolerate unbridled human aggressiveness. impressed in his psyche. Actor Michael Rennie’s portrayal of the soft- Forced by an inner compulsion to seek spoken alien “Klaatu” provided a model reunion with the aliens atop Devil’s Tower, extraterrestrial emissary for generations of Wyoming, Neary must leave his tearful and UFO contactees. distressed wife (Teri Garr) and children behind as he continues his rendezvous with Close Encounters of the Third space intelligences. He is soon joined by an Kind (1977) ally (Melinda Dillon), whose son was abduct- In the character of Roy Neary (Richard Drey- ed from their farm home, who also is receiving fuss), director Steven Spielberg expresses the telepathic messages about where he will be dilemma faced by an ordinary man who expe- returned to her. riences a close encounter with a UFO and is Spielberg claimed that he had adapted given a mental summons to meet with the many actual stories of UFO contact for the aliens at a future time. The film explores the screenplay, including accounts from the files range of emotions and inner stresses faced by a of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the astronomer who UFO contactee, including the confusion of had been employed by the U.S. Air Force in his family, the reluctance of the authorities to its official research of the UFO mystery, Pro-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 283

ject Blue Book. Hynek was even given a In this film, an amphibian/reptilian entity so UFO hovering over a cameo in the film, and he can be seen among lived on the love vibration that audiences group of people in the the scientists gathered to welcome the aliens could not resist its charm. The evil alien film ”Close Encounters of when the massive mothership sets down on appeared banished from the screen and tele- the Third Kind.” (ARCHIVE Devil’s Tower. In numerous interviews, Spiel- vision sets, and talk of government cover-ups PHOTOS, INC.) berg said that he had always been fascinated was forgotten by all but a small number of by the subject of flying saucers and alien con- diehard UFO investigators. Even those aliens tact, and he liked to remind interviewers that who looked human, such as Robin Williams he was born in 1947, the first year of the mod- on the series Mork and Mindy (1978–82), ern era of UFOs. were not at all threatening. The alien beings, when they are at last revealed on screen, appear to be childlike, benevolent entities, seemingly so innocent as to be incapable of interstellar travel. And “CLOSE Encounters” explores the range when Neary is selected to return with them to of emotions and inner stresses faced by a their world, many moviegoers were touched vicariously and felt their spirit prepare to lift UFO contactee. off with them. Such a positive portrayal of alien life- forms as that depicted in Close Encounters of Sinister aliens didn’t return to the general the Third Kind was in sharp contrast to the public consciousness until stories began circu- monsters and the invaders that had populat- lating of humans claiming to have been ed so many science fiction motion pictures, abducted by extraterrestrial crews for purposes and the way was paved for the arrival of of undergoing bizarre medical examinations. Spielberg’s E.T.—The Extraterrestrial (1982). In 1986 Whitley Strieber (1945– ) told of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 284 Invaders from Outer Space

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) “Close Encounters of the his abduction in the best-selling book Com- Third Kind.” (THE munion and later translated the work into a Regardless of whether or not this film was ever KOBAL COLLECTION) motion picture in 1989, with Christopher acknowledged as the source of numerous UFO Walken portraying the author. UFO investiga- contactees’ messages from outer space, it tor Budd Hopkins (1931– ), who earlier had seems likely that at least on the subconscious authored Missing Time (1981), produced level, the stately, silver-suited figure of Klaatu Intruders (1987), expanding upon the theory (Michael Rennie) and his warning to earth- that aliens were abducting Earth men and lings to cease their aggressive behavior and women for the purpose of creating a hybrid live in peace was echoed in countless sermons mix of ET and human DNA. In 1992 Intruders from alleged space intelligences. As the film became a television miniseries starring opens, a flying saucer does, indeed, land near Richard Crenna, Willingham, and the White House lawn, in a baseball field in Susan Blakely. The television version of Hop- Washington, D.C. Within minutes, the craft kins’s book chillingly portrayed military and is surrounded by armed military personnel and political figures covering up the truth about armored tanks. Klaatu emerges, and as he alien abductions while issuing official denials holds up a gift he has brought for the presi- that such events were taking place. Once dent, he is shot and wounded by a soldier who again, aliens and the entire UFO mystery were misinterprets the alien’s gesture as a hostile things to be feared, and thousands of people movement. At this point, Gort, Klaatu’s around the world began to recall abduction eight-foot robot, leaves the spaceship and fires scenarios that allegedly had been repressed a kind of laser beam at the assembled military until such scenarios as those presented in and instantly melts all weapons and arma- Intruders and Communion caused terrible ments. Klaatu halts Gort before it destroys memories to surface. anything—or anyone—else, and the alien’s

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 285 peaceful intentions convince the officers that Scene from the movie he has come in peace. Klaatu is taken to a mil- “The Day the Earth Stood itary hospital where his wound can be treated Still.” (THE KOBAL and he can be placed under guard. COLLECTION) Klaatu makes it clear that he has come as an ambassador from an intergalactic federa- tion of planets that has been keeping Earth under surveillance for centuries. Now that Earth’s science has advanced to the nuclear age and the planet’s influence may soon be extended beyond its own atmosphere, he has been sent to deliver a message of utmost importance to all the heads of state. When Klaatu perceives that his request will be refused, he escapes from the hospital and moves anonymously into a rooming house, posing as a man named Carpenter. The alien emissary becomes friends with Bobby (Billy Gray) and his mother, Helen (Patricia Neal), and the boy leads him to Pro- fessor Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe), a physicist, who is impressed, rather than frightened, by Klaatu’s superior knowledge. The scientists in the film are depicted as dedicated individuals His mission is completed. Earth has been who are trying their best to live outside the warned. political bickering and backstabbing of the Cold War era and who are willing to arrange The admonitions of Klaatu were subse- for Klaatu to address an international assem- quently repeated in the channelings of the blage of the leaders of world science. Realizing UFO contactees for decades to come. Some that Earth’s heads of state are too chauvinistic critics have made comparisons between to set aside their petty differences and listen to Klaatu’s mission to Earth and the messages his message, Klaatu arranges a demonstration and ministry of Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.). that no one on the planet will be able to Both came from “above”; Jesus was a carpen- ignore: He shuts off all power and machinery ter, Klaatu chose the alias of Carpenter; both on Earth for one hour. were killed and resurrected by a power beyond Earth’s knowledge; both returned to the Considered a threat to national security, “heavens” when their message that humans Klaatu is killed by the military and his body must repent and change their ways had been placed in a cell. Before he was shot, howev- delivered. er, he advised Helen what to do if anything should happen to him. She approaches the War of the Worlds (1953) massive Gort and speaks the order, “Klaatu Barado Nikto,” a command that enables the In War of the Worlds, George Pal adapted H. robot to restore life to Klaatu and brings the G. Wells’s novel of alien invasion and trans- film to its conclusion and the alien ambas- formed it into a cinema classic. The film fol- sador’s final message to all of Earth: “It is lows the struggle of two scientists (Gene Barry your choice. Join us and live in peace or face and Ann Robinson) as they attempt to help obliteration.” The unsettling implication Earth survive a devastating attack by Mar- made by Klaatu before he leaves in his tians. The suspense is intensified by their own spacecraft is that it really doesn’t matter that narrow escapes, and the reality for motion pic- much to the aliens what earthlings decide. ture audiences lay in seeing the major cities of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 286 Invaders from Outer Space

Orson Wells acting out his famous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast.

(ARCHIVE PHOTOS, INC.)

Earth lying strewn about in heaps of rubble. While the film version of Wells’s novel is Although the horror of seemingly unstoppable highly regarded by science-fiction and cinema aliens was a frightening theme, the film won buffs and was successful upon its release, the an Academy Award for its special effects. impact it had on mass consciousness cannot While Earth is saved by the motion picture’s be compared to the effect of the radio broad- end, the devastation rendered by the extrater- cast of War of the Worlds on the day before restrial invaders left unforgettable images in Halloween in 1938. At that time, CBS’s the minds of the audience. “Mercury Theatre” presented Orson Welles

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 287 and a talented cast simulating a live news bodies became firmly implanted in the psy- broadcast of an invasion of Earth by mecha- ches of millions of men and women who now nized Martian war machines. Because the looked even more suspiciously at the skies account of unstoppable alien beings landing above them. in the New Jersey farmlands was depicted so realistically—and because many listeners tuned in after the Mercury Theatre produc- tion was already in progress—the greater part WAR of the Worlds was broadcasted live by of the nation was in panic over the invaders from Mars. CBS’s “Mercury Theatre”on October 30, 1938. Invading aliens continued to be a popular theme in a number of motion pictures throughout the 1950s. Invaders from Mars Such television series as (1953) remains in many moviegoers’ memory (1959–64) and The Outer Limits(1963–65) as the single most frightening film of their occasionally featured episodes concerning childhood. Perhaps what made the film so alien invaders, but My Favorite Martian terrifying to young people was the premise (1963–66) portrayed extraterrestrial visitors that one’s parents, teachers, and friends could as friendly and funny—especially if one over- be taken over by alien life forms and work looked the antenna that sometimes sprouted toward a nationwide conspiracy. Invasion of from the top of the Martian’s (Ray Walston) the Body Snatchers (1956) developed the head. It was a series aptly named The Invaders theme of aliens possessing family and friends (1967–69), starring Roy Thinnes, that to a high degree of paranoia. While in focused on the paranoid concept that evil Invaders from Mars the extraterrestrials aliens might be living undetected among attached themselves to their victims’ body, in humans and conspiring to conquer them. Invasion of the Body Snatchers they brought Thinnes was David Vincent, an architect, strange pods with them from their world who happened to be the only human witness which grew into likenesses of those humans of a UFO landing. No one believed his whom they replaced. account, so once he discovered that the Critics analyzing the lasting effects of extraterrestrials had arrived with the sole these two films often point out that they were intent of taking over the planet, it became his released during the paranoia of the Commu- mission to stop them, alerting and enlisting nist hysteria provoked by Senator Joseph whomever he could to assist him. Vincent’s McCarthy (1908–1957) and the House Com- task became all the more difficult because mittee on Un-American Activities during the whenever he managed to kill one of the 1950s. Other social historians argue that the invaders, their physical body disintegrated, UFO craze began when the threat of nuclear leaving no evidence to convince the authori- war with the Soviet Union hung like a black ties that aliens were walking and plotting cloud over the world and many people were among them. When the series ended in 1969, desperate to believe that some force from the Vincent had not been able to stem the tide of skies could appear and deliver Earth from alien invasion, and the stories of extraterres- nuclear annihilation. Still other scholars sug- trials posing as humans had received more gest that it may have been the U.S. govern- substantiation from a television series that ment itself that began the rumors of flying many insisted was telling the truth disguised saucers in order to divert public attention as a fictional presentation. from the development of its own secret weapons. Perhaps such a prevailing atmos- The X-Files (1993–2002) phere of national distrust contributed to the horror of films about UFO invaders, but the In 1993 Chris Carter, creator of the television unsettling concept of aliens slowly taking series The X-Files for Fox, fashioned a blend of over Earth through the possession of human UFO mythology, increasing public distrust of

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 288 Invaders from Outer Space

David Duchovny and and exceedingly ruthless government agency, Gillian Anderson from they must “trust no one.” the television program According to the mythos developed by “The X-Files.” (THE Carter, the alien invasion had begun in pre- KOBAL COLLECTION) historic times and had been rediscovered by the U.S. military and a secret branch of the government in 1947 after the crash of a flying saucer at Roswell. Although Mulder and Scul- ly made side excursions to investigate vam- pires, ghosts, and a wide variety of monsters, the UFO scenarios comprised the glue that held the series together and kept the fans returning week after week to chart the agents’ progress in cracking the ultimate case that would force the secret government to admit the truth about aliens. Mulder and Scully investigated the entire gamut of UFO phenomena—Men in Black, government cover-ups, alien assassins, abduc- tions, contactees, missing time, and telepathic communication with extraterrestrials. Before the series ended in May 2002, both Scully and Mulder had themselves been abducted and Scully, earlier declared unable to have chil- the U.S. government, and a growing interest in dren, had borne a child under mysterious cir- the paranormal that over its nine-year run usu- cumstances. ally finished as the second-most popular drama On June 19, 1998, the X-Files motion pic- among young adults. During its peak season in ture, Fight the Future, was released, allowing its 1997, The X-Files attracted an estimated 20 small-screen paranoia about the government million viewers per episode. In 2002, shortly conspiracy to hide the truth about UFOs to before the last episode of the series, Sandy spread to big-screen multiplexes across the Grushow, the chairperson of Fox Entertain- nation. The film became number one the first ment, said that The X-Files had made in excess week of its release, grossing $31 million. It has of $1 billion for the company. since brought in more than $100 million. Often hailed as a cultural phenomenon X-Files attracted an estimated 20 million and generally acclaimed as the most successful science-fiction series in the history of televi- viewers per episode. sion, the influence of The X-Files on the mass audience’s beliefs concerning such subjects as UFOs, abductions, and government conspira- At the 1996 Golden Globe Awards, the cies is incalculable. categories for Best Television Drama, Best The theme of Dark Skies, the lead televi- Actor in a Television Drama, and Best Actress sion series in NBC’s 1996 Saturday night in a Television Drama were all won by Fox “thrillogy,” was that history as the viewers network’s The X-Files, in which FBI agents learned it in school was a lie. One of the Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana “truths” that the series revealed was that in Scully (Gillian Anderson) regularly pursued 1947 President Harry S Truman ordered an UFOs and declared to their audience that “the extraterrestrial spacecraft shot down over truth is out there.” However, because the Roswell, after an alien ambassador had truth was being covered up by an ultra-secret demanded the unconditional surrender of the

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 289

United States. Subsequently, whatever Roy Thinnes was in the resources could be recovered from the scraps ”Invaders“ television of the demolished alien craft were doled out to series, as well as the various giants of American industry to be “The X-Files.” (ARCHIVES freely incorporated into the current technolo- OF BRAD STEIGER) gy—and a sinister and ubiquitous super-secret government agency known as Majestic-12 was created to monitor any undue alien inter- ference in U.S. political and social structures. Before the series was cancelled, viewers learned that the aliens had the ability to pos- sess human bodies with their larvae, thus allowing them to pass undetected and to accomplish an incredible number of negative historical events—from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to the conflict in Vietnam, from the murder of certain celebrities to popu- larizing the use of recreational drugs among young people. The summer blockbuster Independence Day (1996) followed a War of the Worlds (1953) plot line in which aliens blow up half the has all memory of the experience wiped out by nation, including the U.S. capital, and are a special brainwashing device. about to destroy the world. A tough U.S. pres- ident (Bill Pullman) and two heroes (Will It has been suggested that one reason why Smith, Jeff Goldblum) manage to pilot the so many U.S. citizens are easily convinced spaceship that a clandestine branch of the that their government is hiding the truth government has been hiding in a secret under- about extraterrestrial contact is that so few ground base since the Roswell crash in 1947 people continue to trust the government after and save the day. The Rock (1996) is a decades of cover-ups and scandals that were straightforward Hollywood action thriller that eventually exposed. According to a survey surprises audiences at the end of the film conducted by Princeton Survey Research when the character played by Sean Connery Associates for Pew Research and published in reveals that forbidden knowledge about the USA Today on September 12, 1997, only 6 Roswell UFO crash was among the reasons percent of adults in the United States why he had been unjustly imprisoned for so expressed trust in the federal government. long without a trial. The mantra of The X-Files has truly been put into practice: “Trust no one!” In 1997 the motion picture Men in Black took one of the most sinister aspects of UFO research—the alleged strong-arm tactics per- M Delving Deeper formed on witnesses of aerial phenomena by Carter, Bill. “Truth Is Out: This Season Will Be Last mysterious men dressed in black—and trans- for ‘X-Files.’” New York Times, January 18, 2002. formed it into a special-effects comedy with [Online] http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/18/ Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith portraying business/media/18TUBE.html. agents of a secret government branch that Clarens, Carlos. An Illustrated History of the Horror keeps the aliens who walk among earthlings Film. New York: Capricorn Books, 1968. under surveillance. In the film—as inspired by Douglas, Drake. Horror! New York: Collier Books, real-life alleged victims of the Men in Black— 1969. any ordinary citizen who happened to stumble Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltins’ 1999 Movie and on the truth about the government cover-up Video Guide. New York: Signet, 1998.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 290 Invaders from Outer Space

Pazsaz Entertainment Network. [Online] http://www. chief executives are well aware of the exis- pazsaz.com/roswell. html. tence of extraterrestrial involvement in world Rovin, Jeff. The Great Television Series. New York: A. affairs. An arm of the U.S. “shadow” govern- S. Barnes, 1967. ment, in association with the Illuminati, an Stanley, John. Creature Features: The Science Fiction, alleged worldwide secret society, made a deal Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide. New York: with the alien invaders to trade advanced Boulevard, 1997. extraterrestrial technology for such Earth resources as water, minerals, cattle—and cer- tain of its citizenry. UFO abductions are con- ducted by aliens as a species-monitoring pro- The UFO Mystery Grows gram. Physical examinations of humans and crossbreeding attempts involving preselected n July 1997, in honor of the 50th anniver- men and women are allowed by the govern- sary of the alleged UFO crash at Roswell, ment as a treaty concession. INew Mexico, CNN/Time magazine took a As the year 2000 grew nearer, many funda- poll that indicated that 80 percent of Ameri- mentalist religious sects became obsessed with cans thought the government was hiding fears concerning the millennium and knowledge about the UFO mystery. Other Armageddon, the great final battle between interesting data included the assertion that 64 Good and Evil. Such an obsession created a percent believed that alien life-forms have mind-set of suspicion that had many members made contact with humans. Of that 64 per- of these religious groups identifying Satan’s cent, 37 percent said the ETs have abducted minions gathering to fight the forces of Good humans, and 37 percent are certain that the as aliens arriving on UFOs. A number of fun- aliens have contacted representatives of the damentalist Christian evangelists began to U.S. government. blend accounts of UFOs with the old fears of secret societies composed of top U.S. govern- ment officials, politicians, corporate chair- men, and international bankers who were IGHTY percent of Americans believed that seeking to bring into being a dreaded “New E World Order.” Rumors spread that extraterres- the U.S. government is conducting a cover-up of the trials and powerful members of secret societies alien presence. had agreed that shortly before the year 2000 a carefully staged false alien invasion would convince the masses of the world that an attack from outer space was about to begin. On June 10, 1998, a follow-up CNN/Time People of all nations would believe the leaders poll revealed that 27 percent of all Americans who advised that unconditional surrender to believed that space aliens have visited Earth the aliens was for everyone’s own good. Imme- and 80 percent believed that the U.S. govern- diately following their betrayal of Earth to the ment is conducting a cover-up of the alien aliens, the united leaders would form a One presence. World Government, a New World Order, thus The most prevalent conspiracy theory fulfilling biblical prophecies about a return to contends that the government learned the the days of Babylon. The aliens would reveal truth about UFOs at the site of the Roswell, themselves as demonic entities, and the plan- New Mexico, crash in 1947 when the military et would be in torment until Jesus returned to recovered alien corpses. A secret group known deal the final blow to the armies of evil. as Majestic-12 keeps the U.S. president and During that same period of paranoia in the other world leaders briefed on the progress of mid-to-late 1990s, UFO believers and investi- alien activity on Earth. While the govern- gators began seeing treacherous agents of the ments of Earth officially deny the existence of secret government everywhere. Men in Black UFOs to prevent panic among the masses, the were joined by Black Helicopters, and hun-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 291

dreds of men and women who claimed to have would be the Air Force’s final word concern- UFO Enigma Museum in witnessed UFO phenomena protested that ing 50 years of accusations that the govern- Roswell, New Mexico. they had subsequently been harassed and spied ment was hiding evidence of extraterrestrial (FORTEAN PICTURE LIBRARY) upon by mysterious unmarked black heli- visitation. The debris found at the crash site copters. And the once-benign space brothers outside of Roswell were fragments from a bal- were largely replaced by nasty alien abductors loon from Project Mogul, a top-secret intelli- who wanted to perform painful physical exam- gence gathering operation, that had com- inations aboard motherships and steal human menced immediately after the end of World ova and sperm for their genetic experiments in War II (1945). Its mission had been to spy on creating a new hybrid species. the Soviets and to monitor their nuclear pro- gram; therefore, the cover-up had been neces- On June 24, 1997—the 50th anniversary sary for purposes of national security. of Kenneth Arnold’s sighting of the flying saucers in Washington State—the United The air force report went on to state that States Air Force conducted a special Pentagon the alleged bodies seen around the crash site briefing and announced its answer to the were not those of extraterrestrial beings, but charges of a conspiracy at Roswell in the doc- were dummies, roughly the size of humans, ument The Roswell Report: Case Closed. This that had been used in experiments with high- publication, stated Colonel John Haynes, altitude parachutes. After each of the experi-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 292 Invaders from Outer Space

mental drops, which had begun in 1953, air of Earth. An extensive survey of paranormal force personnel would retrieve the simulated beliefs in the United Kingdom taken in June human forms. Apparently, folks around 2002 found that 47 percent of its citizens Roswell had observed some of these recovery believed in visitations from extraterrestrials. missions and thought that they had witnessed As UFO investigations enter the twenty- military personnel picking up alien bodies. first century, the mystery grows unabated. On UFO researchers scorned such an explana- July 26, 1952, UFOs made national headlines tion of the alleged crash debris having been a when they were sighted over Washington, balloon and the true nature of the alien D.C. The mysterious objects were detected on corpses having been parachute dummies. And civilian and military radar screens and fighter then there was the question of how those wit- planes were dispatched to investigate. Exactly nesses who claimed to have seen wreckage of a 50 years later to the day, July 26, 2002, the flying saucer and the bodies of its extraterres- North American Aerospace Defense Com- trial crew in 1947 could have confused the mand (NORAD) scrambled two D.C. Air event with the discovery of dummies dropped National Guard F-16 jets out of Andrews Air over the desert near Roswell in 1953. Force Base to investigate unknown aerial craft over the nation’s capital. Colonel Haynes explained the six-year dis- crepancy between the events as a manifesta- Accusations of government cover-ups and tion of the mental phenomenon of “time com- conspiracies continue, and the old stories of pression” on the part of the witnesses. Time secret agencies and aliens conspiring to deceive compression, he stated, occurs when one’s humankind circulate freely. The media report memory melds events separated by many years strange occurrences such as crop circles and into “compressed” segments of time. Civilians cattle mutilations. Late-night radio talk shows who witnessed the crash site of a weather bal- feature bizarre accounts of the air force’s Area loon in 1947 and, six years later, saw air force 51 and of scientists working in underground personnel retrieving crash dummies dropped laboratories to back-engineer the wreckage of from the skies, recalled the two events as one alien space vehicles. And some individuals in their compressed memories. argue that the alien interference in the events of planet Earth may go back even to the days of World War II (1939–45) and such controver- sial endeavors as the Philadelphia Experiment. IN the United Kingdom 47 percent of its citizens M Delving Deeper Fawcett, Lawrence, and Barry J. Greenwood. Clear believed in visitations from extraterrestrials. Intent: The Government Coverup of the UFO Expe- rience.Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1984. The official explanation issued by the air Friedman, Stanton T. Top Secret/Majic. New York: force in its publication The Roswell Report: Case Marlowe, 1996. Closed accomplished little in quelling the accu- Klass, Philip J. UFOs Explained. New York: Random sations of a government conspiracy regarding House, 1974. the mystery of what really occurred in July Randle, Kevin D. The Randle Report: UFOs in the 1947. Roswell has become a Mecca for UFO ’90s. New York: M. Evans, 1997. believers from all over the world, and the city Randle, Kevin D., and Donald R. Schmitt. The Truth hosts an annual celebration to honor the About the UFO Crash at Roswell. New York: M. alleged crash of the flying saucer in the desert. Evans, 1994. In March 2002, a survey conducted in the Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: United States by the National Science Founda- Perigee Books, 1980. tion yielded the results that 30 percent of those Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- individuals polled believed that space vehicles trial Encounters. New York: New American from alien civilizations regularly visit the skies Library, 2001.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 293

Area 51 and Reverse Engineering card that was paper thin. Somehow the atoms While the government officially denies the were aligned in the metal in such a way that existence of the base known as Area 51, UFO government scientists all failed to back engi- investigators are convinced that the military neer it. Next, according to Corso, the scien- base near Groom Lake in Nevada is the site tists moved on to an integrated circuit, the where the UFO that crashed near Roswell, New size of a chip, that gave rise to the transistor. Mexico, in 1947 was reversed engineered to cre- In a government program called “Applied ate such aerial craft as the Stealth Bomber. Engineering,” Corso and his staff would find Area 51, also known as Dreamland, has people in industry who were working in a par- not really been secret since the March 1993 ticular area of scientific research and supple- issue of Popular Science brought the reconnais- ment their work with the alien technology sance aircraft Aurora out of the dark and through their Research and Development pro- revealed that the Mach 6 spy plane was devel- jects. In some instances, the government oped at the closely guarded U.S. Air Force agency would even fund it. facility at Groom Lake, Nevada. Although the claims made by Colonel In his book, The Day After Roswell (1997), Corso in The Day After Roswell remain Colonel Philip J. Corso (U.S. Army, retired) extremely controversial and unverified, they claims that he was given “personal steward- continue to keep alive the accusations that ship” of various extraterrestrial artifacts recov- the government has kept the truth about the ered from the crash of a spacecraft outside of alleged alien crash at Roswell from the public. Roswell, New Mexico, in July 1947. Corso M Delving Deeper goes on to state that he distributed the objects Corso, Philip J., with William J. Birnes. The Day After of alien technology to select government con- Roswell. New York: Pocket Books, 1997. tractors and that while the U.S. government Darlington, David. Area 51: The Dreamland Chroni- has officially denied doing so, it has had large cles. New York: Henry Holt, 1997. numbers of scientists secretly and ambitiously Randle, Kevin D. Conspiracy of Silence. New York: achieving reverse engineering from advanced Avon Books, 1997. alien technology. Among the results of such back engineering have been fiber optics, light ———. Roswell Crash Update: Exposing the Military amplification devices, Kevlar (lightweight, Coverup of the Century. New Brunswick, N.J.: heavily resistant material for use in body Global Communications, 1995. armor), and a large number of advances in Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- laser weaponry. trial Encounters. New York: New American Library, 2001. Corso served his country for many years. He was on General Douglas MacArthur’s intelli- Cattle Mutilations gence staff following the Korean War in the 1950s, and he was later assigned to President On October 9, 1967, the Associated Press car- Dwight Eisenhower’s Security Council, then to ried an item that told of the possible role of the Army Research and Development’s Foreign UFOs in the killing of Snippy, a three-year-old Technology Desk at the Pentagon. According to gelding. The carcass was discovered about a Corso, when he moved into the Foreign Tech- quarter of a mile from the ranch house of Harry nology Division, he was given a file cabinet of King in the desolate mountain country near artifacts from the Roswell crash and instructed Alamosa, Colorado. King notified the horse’s to begin working on a plan of action and recom- owners, Mr. and Mrs. Burl Lewis, who were dis- mendations for their use. His superiors were turbed by the condition of the carcass, which enthusiastic about the artifacts’ use in building suggested that something out of the ordinary spaceships that would not be able to be penetrat- had been responsible for their horse’s demise. ed by radiation, cosmic activity, or gunfire. A pathologist admitted bewilderment One of Corso’s first file cabinet discoveries when he found the horse’s abdominal, brain, was a piece of metal about the size of a post- and spinal cavities to be empty. All flesh had

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 294 Invaders from Outer Space

been stripped from the horse’s head and neck, intact. A number of veterinarians and forensic but the rest of the animal was untouched scientists who have investigated the mysteri- except for the openings left by the mysterious ous mutilations have described the blood as surgery. Although the carcass had lain exposed appearing to have been drained with no resul- for several days, it was not unduly decomposed, tant vascular collapse. The known technology nor had it begun to smell. Even more unusual that could process such an accomplishment is the fact that no predators, vultures, or buz- does not exist, and if it did, it would seem to zards had approached the carcass. have to be big and heavy to manipulate some UFO investigators stated that they had animals weighing well over 1,500 pounds. noted a high radiation count around Snippy’s According to most accounts, tracks or remains and reported finding areas where the markings of a conventional nature, such as chico brush had been squashed to within 10 tire imprints or human or animal tracks, have inches of the ground. Fifteen circular exhaust never been found near a mutilated carcass, but marks were found 100 yards from the carcass many farmers and ranchers have reported the of the horse. Six identical holes, each two indentations of a tripod nearby. And there inches wide and four inches deep, were found have been numerous reports of UFOs seen in in a nearby area. In addition, the investigators the area and in the immediate vicinity of a said that they found the imprint of a circle 75 cattle mutilation. feet in diameter, and a number of smaller areas where the chico brush had been flattened in Many investigators are openly skeptical circles 15 feet in diameter. about blaming cattle mutilations on aliens. In the opinion of many veterinarians, livestock association officials, forensic pathologists, chemists, and a host of county, state, and fed- eral officers and agents, such alleged mutila- ALIENS, satanic cultists, and crews of tions are simply the result of Mother Nature unmarked black helicopters are named as the suspects fulfilling one of her primary responsibilities of keeping the countryside clean. The true per- in cattle mutilations. petrators of the mystery of animal mutilations, according to these investigators, are predators and scavengers. All the tales of bloodless car- Reports of Snippy’s supposed death at the casses, organs removed with surgical precision, hands of alien specimen collectors received and so forth, are the work of sensationalist elaborate play and bold headlines across the journalists, excitable ranchers, and paranoid nation. The official word was that Snippy had UFO conspiracy theorists. been killed by lightning, but UFO investiga- Regardless of a great deal of official skepti- tors quickly denounced such an analysis and cism toward the subject of cattle mutilations, the enigma of animal mutilations has contin- it does appear to comprise a genuine mystery. ued into the twenty-first century. And every time that a mutilated cow is found Cattle are the most frequent victims of with its tongue, eyes, ears, anus, udder, and these mysterious mutilations, and according to genitalia removed without apparently shed- forensic pathologists who have examined ding a drop of blood and without the culprits many of these animals, traditional surgical leaving any tracks whatsoever, aliens, satanic instruments were not used—but the incisions cultists, and crews of unmarked black heli- appear to be the result of an advanced laser copters are named as the suspects. One of the technology. Most investigators have eliminat- favorite theories of the alien/government con- ed the possibility that predators or scavengers spiracy buffs is that a branch of the secret gov- could so neatly incise and remove select organs ernment made a deal with the aliens that from their victims. And the obvious problem would enable them to sustain themselves on with blaming predators and scavengers is the Earth by ingesting a particular enzyme, or hor- fact that all the rest of the animal remains monal secretion, most readily obtained from

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 295 the tongues and throats of cattle. Further, it Lindsay, Reed. “Eerie X-File of the Pampas.” Sun Jour- seems that this same type of animal mutilation nal, July 23, 2002. [Online] http://www.sunspot. occurs worldwide with the same kinds of ani- net/templates/misc. mals every time. Oyan, Katie. “Cattle Mutilations Back.” Great Falls Reports from Argentina in July 2002 stated Tribune, January 3, 2002. [Online] http://www. that beginning with the first detected mutila- greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20020103/ tion in April, more than 200 cattle had been topstories/1410092. html. found with their blood drained, their tongues, Sachs, Margaret. The UFO Encyclopedia. New York: organs, flesh, and skin removed by angular, Perigee Books, 1980. nearly curved, cuts. Although the official Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- explanation centered on a carnivorous mouse, trial Encounters. New York: New American no one, from ranchers and veterinarians to Library, 2001. biologists specializing in rodents have ever seen mice feed upon cow carcasses. Crews from Crop Circles UFOs were most often named by ranchers as Strange circles or unusual geometric designs the most likely mutilators of their cattle herds. have been discovered in cereal crops around The most prominent researcher in the the world, even in the rice paddies of Japan. bizarre field of animal mutilations is Linda Moul- The designs are often hundreds of feet in ton Howe, author of Glimpses of Other Realities diameter and length and may cover many (1998). Howe has documented hundreds of acres. While many people believe that crop abnormal, inexplicable deaths of animals, mostly circles are a comparatively recent UFO-relat- cattle and horses on the open range—all of ed phenomenon that began in the late 1970s which died because of bloodless excisions and or early 1980s, the mystery of the crop circle is the removal of eyes, organs, and genitals. hardly new. Unexplained geometric designs When she began her intensive research in occurred in the fields of wheat and corn in the fall of 1979, Howe suspected that there Scotland in 1678, and rural residents of Eng- was some sort of contamination in the envi- land speak of the “corn fairies” that made sim- ronment, and that some government agency ilar designs in the fields in the late 1800s. was secretly harvesting tissue and fluids for Researchers have discovered accounts of the examination. But she could not fathom why discovery of so-called fairy circles in fields and any government agency working in secrecy meadows dating back to medieval times would be so careless as to leave the carcasses throughout the British Isles, Germany, Scan- of the cattle lying in the fields or ranges, dinavia, and France. Recent evidence indi- thereby creating alarm and anger among the cates that Chinese farmers found crop circles owners of the animals. Howe’s early interviews in their fields as many as 3,000 years ago. were with ranchers and law enforcement offi- cers, who reluctantly informed her of the sightings of glowing disks in the vicinity of the cattle mutilations. Some witnesses even told UNEXPLAINED geometric designs her of having seen nonhuman entities at the scene. Her continuing research has convinced occurred in the fields of wheat and corn in Scotland her that something very strange is going on, in 1678. which may, indeed, involve alien experimen- tation with Earth’s animals.

M Delving Deeper In those cases of crop circles that have Howe, Linda Moulton. Alien Harvest: Further Evi- appeared since the 1980s, investigators have dence Linking Animal Mutilations and Human determined that the crops were biochemically Abductions to Alien Life Forms. The Author, 1993. or biophysically altered. Controversy rages ———. Glimpses of Other Realities. Vol. 2, High Strange- over how these circles appear, as they are usu- ness. New Orleans: Paper Chase Press, 1998. ally formed overnight and are not cut.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 296 Invaders from Outer Space

In 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, Pringle has not been alone in suggesting two retired artists in England, confessed that that a nonhuman intelligence is perpetrating they were responsible for making the crop cir- these mysterious manifestations, perhaps a cles that had baffled the world for so long and familiar nonhuman intelligence, such as that that they accomplished the most intricate of group of beings commonly called fairies, elves designs with a simple board and a piece of or devas, which has played a significant role in string. While the confession of Bower and the myths and legends of every planetary cul- Chorley satisfied a good many skeptics and ture for centuries. journalists, serious crop circle researchers, On July 19–21, 2002, a three-day confer- called “cerealogists,” asked how these two ence of leading crop circle investigators was elderly gentlemen could have accomplished held in Somerset, England. Andy Thomas, an their hoaxes throughout the world in such organizer of the meeting, commented that his great numbers. While admitting that there 11 years of experience in investigating the have been hoaxes, cerealogists pointed out enigma had convinced him of only one that pranksters have been unable to create thing—that not all the circles were made by crop circles with the same precision and pranksters. Other than that, he stated, it was undisturbed nature as those circles thought to hard to say whether the phenomenon was be of alien or unknown origin. caused by extraterrestrials, some kind of super- Regardless of general dismissal of the crop consciousness, collective psychokinesis (mind circle phenomenon by conventional scientists over matter), natural forces, or something who remain skeptical because human beings presently beyond human awareness. Most cere- could be perpetrating hoaxes, it would appear alogists in attendance insisted that it is rela- that there is a genuine mystery in the forma- tively easy to tell the difference between cir- tion of many of the incredible designs that cles made by hoaxers and those made by what suddenly appear in fields around the world. appears to be some kind of superior intelli- Four of the principal theories regarding the gence, imprinting geometric designs presently origins of crop circles are the following: beyond the capacity of human beings. 1. extraterrestrial entities offering clues to On August 2, 2002, Touchstone Pictures their identity and intentions toward earth- released M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, starring lings; Mel Gibson as a Pennsylvania farmer who dis- 2. natural phenomena, ranging from insects to covers a crop circle in his field. The motion lightning, from plasma vortices (a kind of picture re-ignited controversy regarding crop ball lightning) to electromagnetic anom- circles and quite likely inspired numerous imi- alies; tators who created mysterious designs of their own in fields throughout the United States 3. hoaxsters; and Canada. 4. an ancient nonhuman intelligence indige- nous to Earth that is utilizing archetypal M Delving Deeper designs in order to warn contemporary Andrews, Colin, and Pat Delgado. Circular Evidence. humankind to be more responsible to and London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1990. more respectful of the planet. “Experts ‘Amazed’ by Crop Circle Designs.” BBC English researcher Lucy Pringle believes News, July 19, 2002. [Online] http://news.bbc. that many crop circle formations are due to co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_2138000/ natural causes, such as the discharge of some 2138424.stm. electromagnetic energy, but she also noted Howe, Linda Moulton. Mysterious Lights and Crop Cir- that a particular design formed around April cles. Penn.: Linda Moulton Howe Productions, 21, 1998, appeared close to the prehistoric 2002. mound of Silbury Hill. She likened the double- Lin, Rosanne. “China Says Crop Circles Appeared ringed circle with 33 scroll-like bands between There 3,000 Years Ago.” The Shanghai Star, the rings to a wheel, an ancient sym- August 2, 2002. [Online] http://www.rense.com/ bol used at Celtic fire festivals on May Day. general27/crops.htm.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 297

Manistre, Hugh. Crop Circles, a Beginner’s Guide. tronics, special assistant to the secretary of London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999. state in charge of the Military Assistance Pro- Pringle, Lucy. Crop Circles—The Greatest Mystery of gram, executive secretary of what is now Modern Times. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. known as the Research and Development Silva, Freddy. Secrets in the Fields: The Science and Board of the National Military Establishment. Mysticism of Crop Circles. Charlottesville, Va.: Detley W. Bronk, a physiologist and bio- Hampton Roads, 2002. physicist of international repute, chairman of the National Research Council, and a mem- Majestic-12 ber of the Medical Advisory Board of the According to UFO researcher and documentary Atomic Energy Commission. filmmaker Jamie Shandera, in December 1984 Vannevar Bush, a brilliant scientist who he received an anonymous packet in the mail was, from 1947 to 1948, chairman of Research containing two rolls of undeveloped 35mm film. and Development for the National Military The film, once developed, revealed what Establishment. appeared to be a briefing report to President- Gordon Gray, three times elected to the elect Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969; presi- North Carolina Senate, succeeded Kenneth dent 1953–61), which had been prepared by a Royall as secretary of the Army in June 1949. group of 12 prestigious and top-secret investiga- tors who worked under the code name of “Oper- Dr. Jerome C. Hunsaker, an innovative ation Majestic-12” (MJ-12). The document, aeronautical scientist and design engineer, which appeared to be authentic, described who served as chairman of the National Advi- details of the recovery, analysis, and official sory Committee for Aeronautics. cover-up of the 1947 UFO crash outside of Robert M. Montague, Sandia base com- Roswell, New Mexico. The report also described mander, Albuquerque, New Mexico, from July the recovery of the bodies of four humanlike 1947 to February 1951. beings that had been found near the wreckage of the downed extraterrestrial spacecraft. General Nathan F. Twining, commander of the B-29 superfortresses that dropped the According to these documents, all four of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the entities were dead, and their corpses had December 1945 he was named commanding been mutilated by desert scavengers and were general of the Air Material Command head- badly decomposed due to exposure to the ele- quartered at Wright Field. In October 1947 he ments. Although the creatures were humanlike was appointed commander in chief of the in appearance, the secret report stated that the Alaskan Command, remaining in that posi- biological and evolutionary processes responsi- tion until May 1950, when he became acting ble for their development had apparently been deputy chief of staff for personnel at U.S. Air quite different from those of humankind. Force headquarters in Washington, D.C. On June 14, 1987, at the 24th Annual Dr. Donald H. Menzel, director of the Har- National UFO Conference in Burbank, Cali- vard Observatory at Cambridge, Massachu- fornia, Shandera, together with Stanton setts, a leading authority on the solar chro- Friedman and William Moore—the two mosphere, formulated (with Dr. Winfield W. prominent UFO researchers Shandera had Salisbury) the initial calculations that led to enlisted to help him test the truth of the MJ- the first radio contact with the Moon in 1946. 12 documents—made public their investiga- tions into what purported to be documentary James V. Forrestal served first as undersec- proof of a government cover-up of UFOs that retary, then secretary of the U.S. Navy for began in 1947. According to the documents seven years. In September 1947 he became leaked to Shandera, the members of Majestic- secretary of defense, responsible for coordinat- 12 consisted of the following individuals: ing the activities of all U.S. Armed Forces. Lloyd V. Berkner, known for scientific Sidney W. Souers, a rear admiral, who achievements in the fields of physics and elec- became deputy chief of Naval Intelligence

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 298 Invaders from Outer Space

before organizing the Central Intelligence Donald Menzel, the Harvard astronomer, on Office in January 1946. the MJ-12 list. Menzel was well known as a Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a much-decorated passionate debunker of flying saucers and the U.S. Air Force officer, rose to the rank of com- author of three anti-UFO books. manding general of the Ninth U.S. Air Force In spite of its defenders in the UFO in France before he was named assistant chief research field, the authenticity of the MJ-12 of staff of G-2 (Intelligence) in 1946. In June documents remains highly controversial. Skep- 1946 he was appointed the director of Central tical researchers have labeled the documents as Intelligence. clearly false and fraudulent, pointing out that a Rear Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter thorough search of the records of the Truman was summoned from the post of naval attache administration reveals no executive order for at the American Embassy in Paris to become such a UFO investigative group as MJ-12. the first director of the Central Intelligence Researchers who have served in the military Agency (CIA), serving from May 1947 to have stated that the clearest indication of a September 1950. hoax lies in the many incorrect military terms and language used in these alleged “official” Many UFO researchers agreed upon seeing documents, suggesting that the creators of the the list of MJ-12’s alleged personnel that if a hoax have never served in the military. UFO had crashed and been recovered in Roswell in 1947, this would have been the M Delving Deeper kind of panel that could have accomplished a Beckley, Timothy Green. MJ-12 and the Riddle of thorough investigation of the craft. Each of Hangar 18. New Brunswick, N.J.: Inner Light these individuals had been at the top in their Publications, 1989. respective areas of expertise during the late Friedman, Stanton T. Top Secret/Majic. New York: 1940s and had the added benefit of govern- Marlowe, 1996. ment experience behind them. Friedman, Stanton T., and Don Berliner. Crash at Corona: The U.S. Military Retrieval and Cover-Up of a UFO. New York: Marlowe, 1994. Randle, Kevin D. Case MJ-12: The True Story Behind THEauthenticity of the MJ-12 documents the Government’s UFO Conspiracies. New York: remains highly controversial. Avon, 2002. Strieber, Whitley. Majestic. New York: Berkley Pub- lishing, 1990. Story, Ronald D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Extraterres- The more skeptical investigators agreed trial Encounters. New York: New American that “Document A,” which purported to be a Library, 2001. letter dated September 24, 1947, from Presi- dent Harry S Truman to Secretary of Defense The Philadelphia Experiment Forrestal, appeared to be genuine; but even According to one of the most pervasive myths though Truman did refer to “Operation Majes- in UFO research, in October 1943, the U.S. tic Twelve” in the letter, there was nothing Navy secretly accomplished the teleportation clearly stated that linked the group to UFO of a warship from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, investigations. to its dock near Norfolk, Virginia, by success- Others questioned why Hillenkoetter, fully applying Einstein’s Unified Field Theory. head of the CIA, listed as the briefing officer While the experiment succeeded in causing on the MJ-12 document, would remain quiet the Eldridge to become invisible, a number of about the crashed flying saucer and the alien the crew burst into flames in spontaneous bodies when he became active in civilian human combustion, and several others later UFO research in 1957. lapsed into invisibility in front of their fami- The biggest shocker to longtime UFO lies—and, in one case, before the patrons of a researchers was the discovery of the name of crowded bar. Over half the officers and crew

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 299 members had to be committed to psychiatric observer ships’ crews and the crew of a Matson wards for the rest of their lives as a result of Lines Liberty ship out of Norfolk. Allende the fantastic experiment. implied that he himself witnessed the experi- ment from aboard the S.S. Andrew Furnseth. The legend of the Philadelphia Experiment Allende affixed a lengthy postscript that stated began on January 13, 1956, when Morris K. his reconsidered opinion that the navy was Jessup received the first of a series of strange probably quite blameless in the incident and letters signed by Carlos Miguel Allende—or as really did not envision the ghastly effect the he sometimes signed his name, Carl Allen. experiment would have upon the crew mem- The initial letter was in response to Jessup’s bers. Before he closed, Allende tossed one more book The Case for the UFO (1955). Jessup bombshell: The experimental ship had disap- approached the UFO mystery from the view- peared from its Philadelphia dock and, only a point of an astronomer, a mathematician, a few minutes later, appeared at its other dock in physicist, and an archeologist and called upon the Norfolk/Newport News/Portsmouth area. his readers to place pressure upon their politi- The ship had been clearly identified as being cal representatives to demand research into at that place; then the ship again disappeared Einstein’s Unified Field Theory so that and returned to its Philadelphia dock in only a humankind might discover the nature of gravi- few minutes. ty and thereby apply that knowledge to the conquest of outer space. Allende began his ini- tial letter by taking Jessup to task for invoking the public to request research into Einstein’s Unified Field Theory. Such research had THE legend of the Philadelphia Experiment already been conducted by the U.S. Navy, began on January 13, 1956. Allende stated, and the results were disastrous. In October 1943, according to Allende, sci- entists working for the navy accomplished the Jessup was puzzled by the letter. It had complete invisibility of a destroyer-type ship been sent from Texas, but its author gave a and all of its crew while at sea. Allende was home address in Pennsylvania. Jessup had blunt in his assessment of the effect of the force brought an abundance of academic distinction field upon the crew members. The mysterious to his study of the UFO. After having served letter writer explained to Jessup that seamen as an instructor in astronomy and mathemat- who had been within the force field of the ics at the University of Michigan and at Drake experiment too long went “blank,” suddenly University, he was awarded a Ph.D. in astro- finding themselves fading into invisibility. To physics and was sent to South Africa by the “get stuck,” Allende explained, was a side effect University of Michigan. Here he was assigned that suddenly prevented a sailor from being to erect and operate the largest refracting tele- able to move of his own volition. If two or more scope in the Southern Hemisphere. The Jes- of his fellow crew members did not come to his sup-directed research produced the discovery aid at once and lay their hands upon him, the of several double-stars, which were catalogued unfortunate sailor would “freeze.” Those who by the Royal Astronomical Society. had entered into this condition were like semi- Jessup sent Allende a letter requesting comatose persons who are able to live, breathe, more information. It was four months before look, and feel, but are not aware of time and he received a reply. In his second letter, Carlos exist in a kind of netherworld. Fully as horrify- Miguel Allende had Americanized his name ing as the deep-freeze effect on the sailors to Carl M. Allen. He had also tempered the involved in the experiment were the incidents tone of his correspondence and seemed less of men who went “into the flame,” sponta- piqued at Jessup. Allende offered to subject neously becoming combustive. himself to hypnosis or sodium pentathol in As cross-references for his fantastic story, order to dredge names of personnel involved Allende listed a number of personnel on in the experiments out of his subconscious. He

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 300 Invaders from Outer Space

stated that under narcohypnosis he would per- approaching divorce as the principal reason. haps be able to remember names, addresses, Most of his colleagues, however, were shocked and service numbers of his shipmates. and surprised that Jessup would seek the ulti- At that point, Jessup was invited to the mate escape of a dosed car and carbon monox- Office of Naval Research in Washington. The ide. And ever since Jessup’s death UFO astrophysicist was surprised when an officer researchers have argued that the alleged suicide handed him a paperback copy of his own book, was the price the astrophysicist had paid for get- The Case for the UFOS. Jessup was informed ting too close to the truth about flying saucers. that the book had been addressed to Admiral There really was a destroyer named the N. Furth, Chief, Office of Naval Research Eldridge, and it remained on active duty until (ONR). The manilla envelope in which it had 1946. After it had been removed from military arrived had been postmarked Seminole, Texas. service, it was mothballed until it was trans- A cheery “Happy Easter” had been written ferred to the Greek Navy. across the face of the envelope. Many UFO researchers maintain that When Jessup opened the book, he observed some kind of secret experiment took place that someone had taken the time and effort to with a Navy warship in 1943, thus planting completely annotate his study of the UFO and the seed for the legend of the Philadelphia that it appeared to have been passed back and Experiment. Most speculate that it was proba- forth among at least three persons. The ONR bly an experiment in attempting to make asked that Jessup examine the notations and ships invisible to enemy submarines and that see if he might have any idea who had been it very well could have involved incredibly responsible for making the comments. high voltages of electricity—which could have burned and scorched seamen and even Each man wrote in a different color of ink, delivered a kind of shock that drove some of and they were designated as Mr. A. (assumed to the crewmen insane. be Carlos Miguel Allende), Mr. B., and Jemi. The three individuals referred to “LMs,” who Other researchers have insisted that a gov- seemed to be extraterrestrials who were friendly ernment conspiracy is at work and that the or indifferent to earthlings; and to the “SMs,” a secret experiment ripped a hole in the space- group of hostile aliens. Throughout the text, time continuum that permitted alien intelli- the three used terms such as mothership, home- gences to begin their invasion of the planet. ship, dead-ship, Great ark, great bombardment, Numerous UFO investigators have great return, great war, little-men, force-fields, searched without success for that tantalizing deep freezes, undersea building, measure mark- proof of the Philadelphia Experiment in invis- ers, scout ships, magnetic and gravity fields, ibility which Allende claimed could be found sheets of diamond, cosmic rays, force cutters, in the Philadelphia newspapers. “Check for a undersea explorers, inlay work, clear-talk, tiny one-paragraph (upper half of sheet, inside telepathing, and vortices. Such terms certainly the paper near the rear third of the paper, have encouraged UFO researchers to speculate 1944) story describing the sailors’ actions after that the mysterious Carl Allen and his two their initial voyage,” he had teased Jessup. friends were representatives of an extraterrestri- “The invisible sailors raided a beer joint and al power that took root on Earth centuries ago caused such shock and paralysis of the wait- and has long since established an advanced resses that little of a comprehensible nature underground subculture. could be gotten them.” Dr. Morris K. Jessup was found in his station Although the newspaper clipping or any wagon in Dade County Park, Florida, on the other proofs of the Philadelphia Experiment evening of April 20, 1959. Police officers recon- have never been located, in 1980 writer structed the death as a suicide. A hose had been Robert A. Goerman managed to find the attached to the exhaust pipe of the station home and the surviving family of Carl M. wagon and looped into the dosed interior. Some Allen, alias Carlos Miguel Allende. Although associates mentioned despondency over an there will probably always be those who swear

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Invaders from Outer Space 301 that they or their kin participated in the contactee Someone who believes to have remarkable secret navy experiment in invisi- been or is in contact with an alien from bility and teleportation in 1943, Goerman’s another planet. research has quite likely provided a reasonable extraterrestrial Something or someone origi- explanation. It was all a hoax, a fantasy, mold- nating or coming from beyond Earth, out- ed by a former sailor who loved to read about side of Earth’s atmosphere. UFOs and strange, unsolved mysteries so much, that he created one that may never die. foo fighter A term coined by pilots who M Delving Deeper reported sightings of unconventional air- craft that appeared as nocturnal lights dur- Berlitz, Charles, and William Moore. The Philadelphia ing World War II. A popular cartoon char- Experiment: Project Invisibility. New York: Fawcett, acter of the time, Smokey Stover, often 1981. said “Where there’s foo there’s fire” and it Commander X. Philadelphia Experiment Chronicles. New became the saying to describe the strange Brunswick, N.J.: Inner Light Publications, 1994. phenomena. Deary, Terry. The Philadelphia Experiment. London: Kingfisher, 1996. hieroglyphics The writing system of ancient Goerman, Robert A. “Alias Carlos Allende: The Mys- Egypt that uses symbols or pictures to sig- tery Man Behind the Philadelphia Experiment.” nify sounds, objects, or concepts. Can also Fate magazine, October 1980. [Online] http:// refer to any writing or symbols that are dif- www.parascope.com/en/articles/allende.htm. ficult to decipher. Wells, Jr., K. B. The Montauk Files: Unearthing the Phoenix Conspiracy. Tempe, Ariz.: New Falcon, Homo sapiens Mankind or humankind, the 1998. species of modern human beings. hypothesis A theory or assumption that needs further exploration, but which is used as a Making the Connection tentative explanation until further data confirms or denies it. abductee Someone who believes that he or she has been taken away by deception or intergalactic Something that is located, or is force against his/her will. moving, between two or more galaxies. alien A being or living creature from another mortician An undertaker or one who prepares planet or world. dead bodies for burial and funerals. Formed anomalous Something strange and unusual from the Latin stem mors, death and the that deviates from what is considered nor- English ician. mal. From the Greek anomalos, meaning phenomena (plural of phenomenon) Strange, uneven. extraordinary, unusual or even miraculous archaeologist A person who scientifically events, happenings or persons or things. examines old ruins or artifacts such as the From the Greek phainomenon, that which remains of buildings, pottery, graves, tools, appears, from the past participle of and all other relevant material in order to phainein, to bring to light. study ancient cultures. astronomy The scientific study of the of the pulsar A star generally believed to be a neu- workings of the universe—of stars, planets, tron star and that appears to pulse as it their positions, sizes, composition, move- briefly emits bursts of visible radiation ment behavior. Via the Old French and such as radio waves and x-rays. Latin from Greek astronomia, meaning lit- semidivine Possessing similar or some of the erally star-arranging. characteristics, abilities, or powers normal- conspiracy An agreement or plot between ly attributed to a deity and/or existing on a two or more people to commit an illegal or higher spiritual level or plane than com- subversive action. mon mortals yet not completely divine.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 302 Invaders from Outer Space

telepathic transfer The transferring of UFO Literally an unidentified flying object, thoughts from one person to another. although the term is often used by some to theory of evolution The biological theory of the refer to an alien spacecraft. complex process of living organisms, how UFOlogist Someone who investigates the they change and evolve from one generation reports and sightings of unidentified flying to another or over many generations. objects.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 303

abductee Someone who believes that he or she has been taken away by deception or force against his/her will. aboriginal Refers to a people that has lived or existed in a particular area or region from the earliest known times or from the beginning. abyss From late Latin abyssus and Greek abus- sos, which literally means “bottomless,” stemming from bussos, meaning “bottom.” A gorge or chasm that is inconceivably deep, vast or infinite, such as the bottom- less pit of hell or a dwelling place of evil spirits. alchemy From Greek, khemeia to Arabic, alkimiya via medieval Latin alchimia and Glossary Old French, fourteenth century alquemie, meaning “the chemistry.” A predecessor of chemistry practiced in the Middle Ages and Renaissance principally concerned with seeking methods of transforming base metals into gold and the “elixir of life.” alien A being or living creature from another planet or world. amnesia The loss of memory which can be temporary or long term and usually brought on by shock, an injury, or psycho- logical disturbance. Originally from the Greek word amnestos, literally meaning not remembered and from a later alter- ation of the word amnesia forgetfulness. anomalous Something strange and unusual that deviates from what is considered nor- mal. From the Greek anomalos, meaning uneven. anthropology The scientific study of the ori- gins, behavior, physical, social, and cultur- al aspects of humankind. Antichrist The antagonist or opponent of Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.), who is anticipated by many early as well as con- temporary Christians to lead the world into evil before Christ returns to Earth to redeem and rescue the faithful. Can also refer to any person who is in opposition to or an enemy of Jesus Christ or his teach- ings, as well as to those who claim to be Christ, but in fact are false and misleading. 304 Glossary

anthroposophy A spiritual or religious philos- ceived with normal senses, yet it coexists ophy that Rudolph Steiner (1861–1925), with the human body and survives death. an Austrian philosopher and scientist, astronomy The scientific study of the of the developed, with the core belief centering workings of the universe—of stars, planets, around the human accessibility of the spir- their positions, sizes, composition, move- itual world to properly developed human ment behavior. Via the Old French and intellect. Steiner founded the Anthropo- Latin from Greek astronomia, meaning lit- sophical Society in 1912 to promote his erally star-arranging. ideas that spiritual development should be humanity’s foremost concern. automatic writing Writing that occurs through either an involuntary, or unconscious, apocalypse From the Greek apokalupsis, trance-like state with the source being the meaning “revelation.” In the Bible, the writer’s own unconscious self, from a tele- Book of Revelation is often referred to as pathic link with another, or from a the Apocalypse. Comes from many anony- deceased spirit wishing to communicate a mous, second-century B.C.E. and later Jew- message. ish and Christian texts that contain prophetic messages pertaining to a great banal Boring, very ordinary and common- total devastation or destruction of the place. From the French word ban, original- world and the salvation of the righteous. ly used in the context of a mandatory mili- tary service for all or common to all. apothacary From the Greek apotheke meaning barter The exchange or the process of negoti- “storehouse.” A pharmacist or druggist who ating certain goods or services for other is licensed to prescribe, prepare and sell goods or services. drugs and other medicines, or a pharma- cy—where drugs and medicines are sold. Bedouin A nomadic Arabic person from the desert areas of North Africa and Arabia. apparition The unexpected or sudden appear- Via Old French beduin, ultimately from ance of something strange, such as a ghost. Arabic badw, or desert, nomadic desert From the Latin apparitus, past participle of people. apparere, meaning to appear. betrothal The act of becoming or being archaeologist A person who scientifically engaged to marry another person. examines old ruins or artifacts such as the Bhagavad Gita From Sanskrit Bhagavadgi ta, remains of buildings, pottery, graves, tools, meaning “song of the blessed one.” A and all other relevant material in order to Hindu religious text, consisting of 700 study ancient cultures. verses, in which the Hindu god, Krishna, archipelago From the Greek arkhi, meaning teaches the importance of unattachment “chief or main” and pelagos meaning “sea.” from personal aims to the fulfillment of Any large body of water that contains a religious duties and devotion to God. large number of scattered islands. bipedal Any animal that has two legs or feet. Armageddon From late Latin Armagedon, From the Latin stem biped, meaning two- Greek and Hebrew, har megiddo, megiddon, footed. which is the mountain region of Megiddo. birthstone Each month of the year has a par- Megiddo is the site where the great final ticular precious gemstone or a semi- battle between good and evil will be precious stone associated with it. It is fought as prophesied and will be a decisive believed that if a person wears the stone catastrophic event that many believe will assigned their birth month, good fortune be the end of the world. or luck will follow. astral self Theosophical belief that humans bitumen Any of a variety of natural substances, possess a second body that cannot be per- such as tar or asphalt, containing hydrocar-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Glossary 305

bons derived from petroleum and used as a cosmic consciousness The sense or special cement or mortar for surfacing roads. insight of one’s personal or collective awareness in relation to the universe or a black magick The use of magic for evil pur- universal scheme. poses, calling upon the devil or evil spirits.

cosmic sense The awareness of one’s identity GLOSSARY blasphemy Something said or done which and actions in relationship to the universe shows a disrespect for God or things that or universal scheme of things. are sacred. An irreverent utterance or action showing a disrespect for sacred cosmology The philosophical study and things or for God. explanation of the nature of the universe cadaver A dead body that is usually intended or the scientific study of the origin and for dissection. From the Latin cadere, structure of the universe. meaning to fall or to die. cosmos From the Greek kosmos meaning charlatan From the Italian ciarlatano, via sev- “order, universe, ornament.” The entire enteenth-century French ciarlare, meaning universe as regarded in an orderly, harmo- “to babble or patter” or “empty talk.” Some- nious and integrated whole. one who makes elaborate claims or who coven From the Anglo-Norman, mid-seven- pretends to have more skill or knowledge teenth century “assembly” and from con- than is factual, such as a fraud or quack. venire meaning convene. An assembly of chieftain The leader of a clan, tribe, or group. or a meeting of a group of witches, often 13 in number. clairvoyance The ability to visualize or sense things beyond the normal range of the five cryptomensia A state of consciousness in human senses. From the French word clair- which the true source or origin of a partic- voyant, meaning clear-sighted and voyant, ular memory is forgotten or is attributed to the present participle of voir to see. a wrongful source or origin. conjurations The act of reciting a name, cryptozoology The study of so-called mythical words or particular phrases with the intent creatures such as the Yeti or Bigfoot, of summoning or invoking a supernatural whose existence has not yet been scientifi- force or occurrence. cally substantiated. conquistadores From the Latin conquirere cubit From the Latin cubitum, meaning fore- meaning “to conquer.” Spanish soldiers or arm or elbow. An ancient unit of length, adventurers, especially of the sixteenth based on the distance from the tip of the century who conquered Peru, Mexico, or middle finger to the elbow which approxi- Central America. mated 17 to 22 inches. consciousness Someone’s mind, thoughts or deity From late Latin deitas “divine nature,” feelings, or can be referring to the part of and deus “god.” A divine being or some- the mind which is aware of same. The body or something with the essential state of being aware of what is going on nature of a divinity, such as a god, goddess. around you, either individually or the When the term is capitalized, it refers to shared feelings of group awareness, feelings God in monotheistic belief or religions. or thoughts. demarcation The process of setting borders, conspiracy A plan formulated in secret limits or marking boundaries. From the between two or more people to commit a Spanish demarcacion, literally meaning, subversive act. marking off. contactee Someone who believes to have demon possession When low-level disincar- been or is in contact with an alien from nate spirits invade and take over a human another planet. body.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 306 Glossary

desecration When something sacred is treated dwell in the nature kingdom as the life in a profane or damaging manner. force of all things in nature, such as miner- als, plants, animals, and the four elements discarnate The lack of a physical body. of earth, air, fire and water; the planets, Coined from dis- and the Latin stem carn, stars, and signs of the zodiac; and hours of meaning flesh. the day and night. Elves, brownies, gob- The Dispersion From the Greek diaspora lins, gnomes, and fairies are said to be meaning to scatter or disperse. Refers to the among these spirits. period in history when the Jewish people were forced to scatter in countries outside of elixir Something that is a mysterious, magical Palestine after the Babylonian captivity. substance with curative powers believed to heal all ills or to prolong life and preserve dogma From Greek stem word dogmat, mean- youthfulness. From the Arabic al-iksir and ing “opinion” or “tenet,” and from dokein, the Greek xerion, meaning dry powder for “to seem good.” A belief or set of beliefs, treating wounds. either political, religious, philosophical, or moral and considered to be absolutely true. enchantments Things or conditions which druid Someone who worships the forces of possess a charming or bewitching quality nature as in the ancient Celtic religion. such as a magical spell. Can also refer to a priest in the Celtic reli- encode To convert a message from plain text gion. into a code. In computer language, to con- ecclesiasticism Principles, practices, activi- vert from analog to digital form, and in ties, or body of thought that is all-encom- genetics to convert appropriate genetic passing and adhered to in an organized data. church or institution. enigma From Greek ainigma “to speak in rid- ecstatic Intense emotion of pleasure, happi- dles” and ainos, meaning “fables.” Some- ness, joy or elation. body or something that is ambiguous, puz- electrodes Two conductors through which zling or not easily understood and might electricity flows in batteries or other elec- have a hidden meaning or riddle. trical equipment. ephemerality Refers to the state of something electroencephalograph A device or machine living or lasting for a markedly short or that through the use of electrodes placed brief time. The nature of existing or lasting on a person’s scalp, monitors the electrical for only a day, such as certain plants or activity in various parts of the brain. These insects. are recorded and used as a diagnostic tool in tracing a variety of anything from brain eschatology Comes from the Greek word disorders, tumors or other irregularities to eskhatos meaning “last” and -logy literally dream research. meaning “discourse about the last things.” Refers to the body of religious doctrines electroencephalographic dream research concerning the human soul in relation to Researching dreams using a electroen- death, judgment, heaven or hell, or in gen- cephalograph to aid the researcher in the eral, life after death and of the final stage brain activity of the one being studied. or end of the world. electromagnetic Of or pertaining to the char- acteristics of an electromagnet, which is a The act of calling forth, drawing device having a steel or iron core and is out or summoning an event or memory magnetized by an electric current that from the past, as in recreating. flows through a surrounding coil. exorcism The act, religious ceremony, or ritu- elemental spirits A lower order of spirit al of casting out evil spirits from a person beings, said to be usually benevolent and or a place.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Glossary 307 extraterrestrial Something or someone origi- Gestalt therapy A type of psychotherapy that nating or coming from beyond Earth, out- puts a emphasis on a person’s feelings as side of Earth’s atmosphere. revealing desired or undesired personality traits and how they came to be, by exam- false memory Refers to situations where some ining unresolved issues from the past.

therapies and hypnosis may actually be GLOSSARY planting memories through certain sugges- Gnostic From the Greek, gnostikos, meaning tions or leading questions and comments; “concerning knowledge.” A believer in thereby creating memories that the patient Gnosticism, or relating to or possessing spir- or client believes to be true, but in reality itual or intellectual knowledge or wisdom. they are not. guardian angel A holy, divine being that fanatical Extreme enthusiasm, frenzy, or zeal watches over, guides, and protects humans. about a particular belief, as in politics or hallucinations A false or distorted perception religion. of events during which one vividly imag- Five Pillars of Islam In Arabic, also called the ines seeing, hearing or sensing objects or arkan, and consists of the five sacred ritual other people to be present, when in fact duties believed to be central to main- they are not witnessed by others. stream Muslims’ faith. The five duties are haruspicy A method of divining or telling the the confession of faith, performing the five future by examining the entrails of ani- daily prayers, fasting during the month of mals. Ramadan, paying alms tax, and performing heresy The willful, persistent act of adhering at least one sacred pilgrimage to Mecca, to an opinion or belief that rejects or con- the holy land. tradicts established teachings or theories foo fighter A term coined by pilots who that are traditional in philosophy, religion, reported sightings of unconventional air- science, or politics. craft that appeared as nocturnal lights dur- heretic From the Greek hairetikos, meaning ing World War II. A popular cartoon char- “able to choose.” Someone who does not acter of the time, Smokey Stover, often conform or whose opinions, theories, or said “Where there’s foo there’s fire” and it beliefs contradict the conventional estab- became the saying to describe the strange lished teaching, doctrines, or principles, phenomena. especially that of religion. frieze From the Latin phrygium (opus), mean- hieroglyphics A writing system of ancient Egypt ing work or craftmanship. A decorative that uses symbols or pictures to signify architectural band, usually running along a sounds, objects, or concepts. Can also refer wall, just below the ceiling, often sculpted to any writing or symbols that are difficult to with figurines or ornaments. decipher. The word comes from an ancient fulcrum From the Latin fulcire, meaning “to Greek term meaning “sacred carving.” prop up or support.” The part of something hierophant From the Latin hierophanta and that acts as its support. Greek hierophantes, meaning literally a Geiger counter An instrument named after its “sacred person who reveals something.” inventor, German physicist Hans Geiger An ancient Greek priest who revealed or (1882–1945), that is used to measure and interpreted the sacred mysteries, or holy detect such things as particles from doctrines, at the annual festival of Eleusis. radioactive materials. hoax An act of deception that is intended to make people think or believe something is geoglyphics Lines, designs, or symbols left in real when it is not. the earth, such as those in Egypt, Malta, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru with a mysterious, Homo sapiens Mankind or humankind, the ancient, and puzzling origin. species of modern human beings.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 308 Glossary

horoscope From Greek horoskopos, literally Inquisition Fourteenth century, from Latin meaning “time observer” and from hora inquirere via Old French inquisicion, mean- meaning “time, or hour,” referring to the ing “to inquire.” In the thirteenth century, time of birth. A diagram or astrological Roman Catholicism appointed a special forecast based on the relative position in tribunal or committee whose chief func- the heavens of the stars and planets in the tion was to combat, suppress and punish signs of the zodiac, at any given moment, heresy against the church. Remaining but especially at the moment of one’s active until the modern era, the official birth. investigations were often harsh and unfair. hypnagogic Relating to or being in the state insurrectionist Someone who is in rebellion between wakefulness and sleep where one or revolt against an established authority, is drowsy. From the French hypnagogique ruler, or government. meaning literally leading to sleep. intergalactic Something that is located, or is hypnopompic Typical of or involving the state moving, between two or more galaxies. between sleeping and waking. Coined Invocation The act of calling upon or appeal- from hypno and Greek pompe, meaning a ing to a higher power such as a deity, spirit, sending away. or God for assistance. A form of prayer, hypnosis The process of putting or being in a that invites God’s presence, at the begin- sleeplike state, although the person is not ning of a ceremony or meeting. In black sleeping. It can be induced by suggestions magick, can be the casting of a spell or for- or methods of a hypnotist. mula to invite an evil spirit to appear. hypothesis A theory or assumption that needs ions An atom or group of atoms that are elec- further exploration, but which is used as a trically charged through the process of tentative explanation until further data gaining or losing one or more electrons. confirms or denies it. From the Greek From the Greek ion meaning moving hupothesis meaning foundation or base. thing; and from the present participle of ienai meaning to go —from the movement Ice Age Any of the periods of extreme cold or of any ion toward the electrode of the glacial epochs in the history of Earth when opposite charge. temperatures fell, resulting in large areas of Earth’s surface covered with glaciers; the jinni In Islamic or Muslim legend, a spirit that most recent one occurring during the is capable of taking on the shape of Pleistocene epoch. humans or animals in order to perform mischievous acts or to exercise supernatur- incantation From fourteenth-century French, al power and influence over humans. From cantare, meaning “to sing” via Latin— the Arabic jinn, which is the plural of jinni. incantare—“to chant.” The chanting, recitation or uttering of words supposed to Kabbalah body of mystical Jewish teachings produce a magical effect or power. based on an interpretation of hidden mean- ings contained in the Hebrew scriptures. incarnation A period of time in which a spirit Kabbalah is Hebrew for “that which is or soul dwells in a bodily form or condi- received,” and also refers to a secret oral tra- tion. One of a series of lives spent in a dition handed down from teacher to pupil. physical form. The term Kabbalah is generally used now to apply to all Jewish mystical practice. indigenous From a mid-seventeenth century word indigena, literally meaning “born-in,” karmic law Karma is the Sanskrit word for and from gignere, meaning “to beget.” “deed.” In the Eastern religions of Bud- Inborn, intrinsic, or belonging to a place, dhism and Hinduism all deeds of a person such as originating, growing, or living in in this life dictate an equal punishment or an area, environment, region, or country. reward to be met in the next life or series

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Glossary 309

of lives. In this philosophy, it is a natural mal it might be a ghost or spirit that sud- moral law rather than a divine judgment denly appears to take on a physical form. which provides the process of develop- medium In the paranormal, someone who is ment, enabling the soul into higher or able to convey messages between the spirits lower states, according to the laws of cause

of the deceased and the spirits of the living. GLOSSARY and effect to be met. megalith A very large stone that is usually a knockings/rappings Tapping sounds said to be part of a monument or prehistoric archi- coming from deceased spirits in an attempt tecture. to communicate with or frighten the living. Mesopotamia Greek word, meaning “between left-hand path In occult tradition, a practi- two rivers.” An ancient region that was tioner who practices black magic. located between the Tigris and Euphrates leprous From the Greek, lepros, meaning rivers in what is today, modern Iraq and “scale.” Something resembling the symp- Syria. Some of the world’s earliest and toms of or relating to the disease of leprosy, greatest ancient civilizations such as Ur, which covers a person’s skin with scales or Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia were devel- ulcerations. oped in that region. loa A spirit that is thought to enter the devo- messiah A leader who is regarded as a libera- tee of the Haitian voodoo, during a trance tor or savior. In Christianity, the Messiah state, and believed to be a protector and is Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.), in guide that could be a local deity, a deified Judaism, it is the king who will lead the ancestor or even a saint of the Roman Jews back to the Holy Land of Israel and . establish world peace. lupinomanis Having the excessive character- metaphysical Relating to abstract thought or istics of a wolf, such as being greedy or rav- the philosophical study of the nature of enously hungry. existence and truth. lycanthropy The magical ability in legends metrology The scientific system or study of and horror stories of a person who is able measurements. From the Greek metrologie, to transform into a wolf, and take on all of meaning theory of ratios and metron, or its characteristics. measure. magus A priest, wizard, or someone who is mortician An undertaker or one who prepares skilled or learned, especially in astrology, dead bodies for burial and funerals. magic, sorcery, or the like. narcolepsy A condition where a person manitou A supernatural force, or spirit that uncontrollably falls asleep at odd times suffuses various living things, as well as during daily activities and/or for long inanimate objects, according to the Algo- extended periods of time. Hallucinations nquian peoples. In the mythology of the and even paralysis might also accompany Ojibwa of the eastern United States, Man- this condition. itou is the name of the supreme deity, or near-death experience A mystical-like occur- God, and means “Great Spirit.” rence or sensation that individuals on the manna The food miraculously supplied to the brink of death or who were dead, but Israelites by God, according to the Old Tes- brought back to life, have described which tament, as they wandered in the wilderness includes leaving their physical body and during their flight from Egypt. Spiritual hovering over it as though they were a nourishment or something of value bystander. received of divine origin or unexpectedly. neo- Someone who believes in a materialization Something that appears sud- contemporary or modernized version of denly, as if out of nowhere. In the paranor- the religions which existed before Chris-

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 310 Glossary

tianity, especially those with a reverence head of a human, but the legs, ears, and for nature over the worship of a divine or horns of a goat. supreme being. paranormal Events or phenomena that are neophyte From the Latin neophytus and Greek beyond the range of normal experience neophutos or phuein, “to plant” or “cause to and not understood or explained in terms grow”—literally meaning “newly planted.” of current scientific knowledge. A beginner or novice at a particular task or parapsychologist One who studies mental endeavor. Somebody who is a recent con- phenomena, such as telepathy or extrasen- vert to a belief. A newly ordained priest, or sory perception, the mind/body connec- someone who is new to a religious order, tion, and other psi or paranormal factors but who has not yet taken their vows, so is that cannot be explained by known scien- not yet a part of the order. tific principles. neuron The basic functional unit of the ner- parapsychology The study or exploration of vous system a cell body that consists of an mental phenomena that does not have a axon and dendrites and transmit nerve scientific explanation in the known psy- impulses. A neuron is also called a nerve chological principles. cell. Via German from Greek neuron, meaning sinew, cord, or nerve. Passover The seven or eight days of a Jewish festival that begins on the fourteenth day Novena of Masses In the Roman Catholic of Nissan and commemorates the exodus Church, the recitation of prayers or devo- of the Hebrews from their captivity in tions for a particular purpose, for nine con- Egypt. From the Hebrew word pesa, mean- secutive days. From the Latin nus, meaning ing to pass without affecting. nine each and from novern, meaning nine. pharaoh From the Hebrew par’oh, Egyptian Old Testament The first of the two main divi- pr-’o, and Latin and Greek Pharao, mean- sions of the Christian Bible that corre- ing literally “great house.” An ancient sponds to the Hebrew scriptures. Egyptian title for the ruler or king of omen A prophetic sign, phenomenon, or hap- Egypt, often considered a tyrant and one pening supposed to foreshadow good or who expected unquestioning obedience. evil or indicate how someone or some- pharmacologist The study of or science of thing will fare in the future—an indication drugs in all their aspects, including of the course of future events. sources, chemistry, production, their use in oracle Either someone or something that is treating ailments and disease, as well as the source of wisdom, knowledge or any known side effects. prophecy. Can also refer to the place phenomena Strange, extraordinary, unusual, where the prophetic word would be given. even miraculous events, or happenings to Via French from the Latin oraculum, from persons or things. From the Greek phain- orare to speak. omenon, that which appears, from the past paleoanthropology The study of humanlike participle of phainein, to bring to light. creatures or early human beings more philanthropist Someone who is benevolent or primitive that Homo Sapiens, usually done generous in his or her desire or activities to through fossil evidence. improve the social, spiritual or material paleontology The study of ancient forms of welfare of humankind. From the late life in geologic or prehistoric times, using Latin, ultimately, Greek philanthropos, such evidence as fossils, plants, animals, humane; philos; loving and anthropos, and other organisms. human being. Pan In Greek mythology the god of nature or philanthropy From the Greek philanthropos, of the woods, fields, pastures, forests, and meaning “humane,” and from philos, flocks. Is described as having the torso and meaning “loving.” An affection or desire

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Glossary 311

to help improve the spiritual, social, or psychokinesis The ability to make objects material welfare of humanity through acts move or to in some way affect them with- of charity or benevolence. out using anything but mental powers. physiognomy From phusis meaning “nature, pulsar A star generally believed to be a neu- gnomon, character” and “to judge.” The art tron star and that appears to pulse as it GLOSSARY of judging a person’s character or tempera- briefly emits bursts of visible radiation ment by their physical features, especially such as radio waves and x-rays. facial features. putrefy Causing something to decay, usually physiology The study of the functioning and indicating a foul odor. From the Latin internal workings of living things, such as stem, putr, meaning rotten, plus facere, to metabolism, respiration, reproduction and make. the like. From the Latin word physiologia Qur’an The sacred text, or holy book, of Islam. and the Greek phusiologia, and phusis For Muslims, it is the very word of Allah, meaning nature. the absolute God of the Islamic faith, as precognition The ability to foresee what is revealed to the prophet Muhammad (c. going to happen in the future, especially if 570 C.E.–632 C.E.) by the archangel Gabriel. this perception is gained through other than the normal human senses or rectory The house or dwelling that a rector extrasensory. (clergyman) lives in. predator Any organism or animal that hunts, reincarnation The reappearance or rebirth of kills, and eats other animals. Can refer to a something in a new form. Some religions ruthless person who is extremely aggressive or belief systems state that the soul returns in harming another. From the Latin to live another life in a new physical form praedator and praedari, meaning to seize as and does so in a cyclical manner. plunder. resurrection The act of rising from the dead or psi The factor or factors responsible for para- returning to life. In Christian belief, the Res- psychological phenomena. Derived from urrection was the rising of Jesus Christ from the Greek letter psi which is used to denote the dead after he was crucified and the unknown factor in an equation. entombed. Resurrection also refers to the ris- ing of the dead on Judgment Day, as antici- psyche The soul or human spirit or can refer pated by Christians, Jews, and Muslims. to the mental characteristics of a person or group or nation. Via Latin from Greek retrocognition The mental process or faculty psukhe meaning breath, soul, mind and of knowing, seeing, or perceiving things, from psukhein to breathe. events, or occurrences of things in the past, especially through other than the psychiatrist A doctor who is trained to treat normal human senses as in extrasensory. people with psychiatric disorders. right-hand path In occult tradition, a practi- psychoanalysis The system of analysis regard- tioner who practices white magic. ing the relationship of conscious and unconscious psychological aspects and their rite Originally from an Indo-European base treatment in mental or psycho neurosis. meaning “to fit together” and was the ancestor of the English words arithmetic psychoanalyst One who uses the therapeutic and rhyme via, the Latin ritus. A formal act methods of psychiatric analysis, such as or observance as a community custom, dream analysis and free association, as such as the rite of courtship. Often has a developed by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) solemn, religious or ceremonial meaning, to treat patients in order to gain awareness such as the rite of baptism. of suppressed subconscious experiences or memories that might be causing psycho- Sabbath From the Greek sabbaton, and the logical blocks. Hebrew sabba, both meaning “to rest.” A

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 312 Glossary

day of rest from work and for religious wor- higher spiritual level or plane than com- ship. In Christianity, Sunday is the mon mortals yet not completely divine. observed day of worship while Saturday is shaman A religious or spiritual leader, usually observed in Judaism and some Christian possessing special powers, such as that of denominations. prophecy, and healing, and acts as an Sanskrit Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-Euro- intermediary between the physical and pean language and the language of tradi- spiritual realms. tional Hinduism in India. Spoken between shamanic exorcism When a shaman, or tribal the fourteenth and fifth centuries B.C.E., it medicine-holy person, performs a ceremo- has been considered and maintained as a nial ritual to expel the disincarnate spirits priestly and literary language of the sacred from a person. Veda scriptures and other classical texts. shapeshifter A supposed fictional being, spirit Santeria From Spanish santeria meaning “holi- or something that is able to change its ness.” A religion which originated in Cuba appearance or shape. by enslaved West African laborers that combines the West African Yoruba religion shofar A trumpet made of a ram’s horn, blown with Roman Catholicism and recognizes a by the ancient and modern Hebrews dur- supreme God as well as other spirits. ing religious ceremonies and as a signal in battle. sarcophagus From the Greek sarx meaning “flesh,” and Greek sarkophogos, literally soothsayer From Middle English, literally meaning “flesh-eater.” Originally a kind of meaning “somebody who speaks the limestone that had properties to aid in the truth.” Someone who claims to have the rapid decomposition of the deceased bod- ability to foretell future events. ies and was used in the making of coffins. soul The animating and vital principal in Eventually came to mean any stone coffin, human beings, credited with the faculties especially one with inscriptions or decorat- of will, emotion, thought and action and ed with sculpture and used as a monument. often conceived as an immaterial entity, sauropod Any of various large semi-aquatic separate from the physical body. The spiri- plant-eating dinosaurs that had a long tual nature of human beings, regarded as neck and tail and a small head. From the immortal, separable from the body at suborder Sauropoda, a Latin word meaning death, and susceptible to happiness or mis- lizard foot. ery in a future state. The disembodied spir- it of a dead human being. schizophrenia A severe psychiatric disorder which can include symptoms of withdrawal spell A formula or word believed to have mag- or detachment from reality, delusions, hallu- ical power. A trance or a bewitched state. cinations, emotional instability, and intel- spirit control The guide that mediums con- lectual disturbances or illogical patterns of tact to receive messages from deceased thinking to various degrees. The term comes spirits, or another name for spirit guide as from Greek words meaning “split mind.” used in mediumship. seance A meeting or gathering of people in spirit guide A nonphysical being or entity which a spiritualist makes attempts to which possibly can be an angel, the higher communicate with the spirits of deceased self, the spirit of a deceased person, a high- persons, or a gathering to receive spiritual- er group mind, or a highly evolved being istic messages. whose purpose is to help, guide, direct, and protect the individual. semidivine Possessing similar or some of the characteristics, abilities, or powers normal- spittle Something that looks like or is saliva, ly attributed to a deity and/or existing on a which is secreted from the mouth.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Glossary 313 stigmata Marks on a person’s body resembling meaning small wild animal, and anthropo, the wounds inflicted on Jesus Christ (c. 6 meaning human being. B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) during his Crucifixion on totem An animal, bird, plant, or any other the cross. natural object that is revered as a personal subversive To cause the ruin or downfall of or tribal symbol. GLOSSARY something or to undermine or overthrow transference The process of change that hap- principles, an institution, or a govern- pens when one person or place is trans- ment. ferred to another. supernatural Relating to or pertaining to God transience A state of impermanence, or last- or the characteristics of God; a deity or ing for only a brief time. Remaining in a magic of something that is above and place only for a short time, or the brief beyond what is normally explained by nat- appearance of someone or something. ural laws. superstition The belief that certain actions transmutation The act of transforming or and rituals have a magical effect resulting changing from one nature, form, or state in either good or bad. From the Latin stem into another. superstition, and superstes, meaning stand- tribulation Great affliction, trial, or distress. ing over or in awe. In Christianity, the tribulation refers to taboo Something that is forbidden. In some the prophesied period of time which pre- cases can refer to something being sacred, cedes the return of Jesus Christ to Earth, in therefore forbidden, such as in Polynesian which there will be tremendous suffering societies. From the Tongan tabu, said to that will test humanity’s endurance, have been introduced into the English patience, or faith. language by Captain James Cook in the UFO Literally an unidentified flying object, late eighteenth century. although the term is often used by some to talisman An object such as a gemstone or refer to an alien spacecraft. stone, believed to have magical powers or UFOlogist Someone who investigates the properties. From the Greek telesma, mean- reports and sightings of unidentified flying ing something consecrated, telein, to com- objects. plete, and telos, result. Valhalla In Norse mythology, when the souls Tanakh From the Hebrew tenak, an acronym of heroes are killed in battle, they spend formed from torah. It is the sacred book of eternity in a great hall, which is called Judaism, consisting of the Torah—the five Valhalla. From the Old Norse valhall, liter- books of Moses, The Nevi’im—the words ally meaning hall of the slain. of the prophets, and the Kethuvim—the writings. Valkyrie One of the 12 handmaids of Odin in Norse mythology who ride their horses telepathy Communication of thoughts, mental over the battlefield as they escort the souls images, ideas, feelings, or sensations from of slain heroes to Valhalla. From the Old one person’s mind to another’s without the Norse Valkyrja, meaning literally chooser use of speech, writing, signs, or symbols. of the slain. theory of evolution The biological theory of vision From the Latin vis, to see. Faculty of the complex process of living organisms, sight or a mental image produced by imag- how they change and evolve from one ination. Can refer to a mystical experience generation to another or over many gener- of seeing as if with the eyes, only through a ations. supernatural means such as in a dream, therianthropic Used to describe a mythologi- trance, or through a supernatural being, cal creature that is half human and half and one which often has religious, revela- animal. Coined from the Greek therion, tory, or prophetic significance.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 314 Glossary

voodoo From Louisiana French, voudou or to have magical powers as a magician, sor- vodu, meaning “fetish.” A religion mainly cerer, or a male witch. In general, someone practiced in the Caribbean countries, who is extremely knowledgeable and clever. especially Haiti, that is comprised of a zoology The scientific branch of biology that combination of Roman Catholic rituals studies animals in all their characteristics and animistic beliefs involving fetishes, and aspects. From the Greek zoologia, liter- magic, charms, spells, curses, and commu- ally the study of life and from zolion, or life nication with ancestral spirits. form.

white magick The use of magic for supposed Zoroaster A Persian prophet (c. 628 B.C.E.– good purposes such as to counteract evil. c. 551 B.C.E.) and the founder of an ancient Wiccan Someone who is a witch, a believer or religion called Zoroastrianism whose prin- follower of the religion of Wicca. cipal belief is in a supreme deity and of the existence of a dualism between good and wizard A variant of the fifteenth century word evil. Derived from the Greek word Zarat or wisard, meaning “wise.” Someone professing Zarathustra, meaning camel handler.

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 315

The Cumulative Index, found in each volume, is an alphabetic arrangement of all people, places, images, and concepts found in the text. Names of publications, movies, ships, television programs, radio broadcasts, foreign words, and cross- references are indicated by italics. The page references to the subjects include the Arabic volume number as well as the page number. Main entries are designated by bold page numbers while images are denoted by italics.

A Abgar (King of Edessa), 1:237 “Abominable snowman.” See Yeti Cumulative Index Abramelin magick, 2:49–51 Abyssinia, alleged location of Ark of the Covenant, 2:203 Ace (One). See One, symbolism of Acrophobia, 3:137–138 Actors, in horror films, 3:109–112 Adam (Biblical figure), 1:12, 3:76, 79 Adamic Theology. See “Star Gospel” (Katter) Adams, John Quincy, 2:240 Adamski, George, 1:304–305, 306, 3:271–273, 272 Adelson, Joseph, 3:124 Adler, Margot, 2:77–78, 97 Adultery, 3:202 Aegeus of Athens, 2:154 Aetherius (alien being), 1:307 Aetherius Society, 1:305, 307–309 Afghanistan, engagement announcements, 3:208 Africa, beliefs and customs bells, 2:171 bride buying, 3:204 corpse smoking, 3:223 guests, courtesy to, 3:217 love knots, 2:180 mourning, 3:227 See also specific countries African Theological Archministry, 1:287 Afterlife, in ancient Egypt, 1:15–22 Afterlife, in major religions, 1:4–15 See also specific religions Afterlife, in tribal religions, 1:36–41 Afterlife, individual human experiences with, 1:22–31 316 Cumulative Index

Agate, 2:186 Alper, Matthew, 1:190–191, 247 Agathon, Dan, 3:80 Alpert, Richard, 3:154 Agoraphobia, 3:136 Altered states of consciousness, 3:140–157 Agri Dagi (Turkey). See Mt. Ararat (Turkey) See also Trances Agrippa (German philosopher), 2:59, 59–61, Althotas (Asian mystic), 2:61 145 “Amazing Randi.” See Randi, James Ailurophobia, 3:136 Amber, 2:187, 3:195 Air Force Regulation 3:200–2, 254 Amenhotep IV. See Akhenaten (Pharaoh of Air Material Command investigations, Egypt) 3:255–256 American Society for Psychical Research, Inc., Aircraft disappearances, Bermuda Triangle, 1:156, 173 2:228 Amethysts, 2:186 Aiwass (spirit entity), 2:62 Amon-Ra (Egyptian deity), 2:245–246 Akashic Records, 1:51 Amorth, Gabriele, 1:204, 206 Akhenaten (Pharaoh of Egypt), 1:259, Amulets, 2:168, 169–190, 194, 3:188, 193–194, 259–260 195 Alan (alien being), 3:273, 274 See also Fetishes; Good luck charms; Alaska thunderbird sightings, 3:99 Talismans Albacete, Lorenzo, 1:191, 248 Amun-Ra (Egyptian deity), 1:259 Albert le Grand. See Albertus Magnus The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous Albertus Magnus, 2:43, 47, 47 System in General and the Brain in Particular Albigensians. See Cathars (Gall), 2:151 Alchemy, 2:41, 42–43 Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the gnomes and, 3:103 Mystic . See Shriners Rosicrucians and, 2:30, 31 Andaman Islands, mourning practices, 3:227 Satanism and, 1:298–299 Anderson, Gillian, 3:288 See also Philosopher’s stone Anderson, Michael, 3:134 Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (TV program), Andreae, Valentine, 2:43–44 3:51 Andresen, Theodore, 3:178 Aldrete, Sara Maria, 1:286 Andrews, Dana, 3:109–110 Alexander, Hartley Burr, 1:81 Angels Alexander VI, Pope, 2:70 angelic hierarchy, 2:58 Alford, Alan F., 2:222 in dream symbolism, 3:129 Algonquin people, souls of, 1:40 mating with women, 3:250 Alien abductions. See UFO contactees and necromancy and, 2:144 abductees Seven Angels, 2:42, 57–58 Alien autopsies (Roswell, NM), 3:263 space beings, comparison with, 3:268 Alien (film), 3:282 symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Alien footprints, 3:247 Watchers, 2:52 Alien technology, reverse engineering from, wee folk, relation to, 3:100, 102 3:293 See also Apparitions, of holy figures; Alien visitors, in Holy Scripture, 3:249–251 Guardian angels Alkahest, 2:48 Angkor Wat (Cambodia), 2:216, 216 Allahabad (India), 2:217 Anguttara Nikaya (Buddhist text), 1:42 Allen, Carl M. See Allende, Carlos Miguel “Animal magnetism” theory, 3:146 Allen, John L., Jr., 1:206 Animal sacrifice, in voodoo, 2:55 Allende, Carlos Miguel, 3:299–300 Animal spirits, 3:5–8 Allison, Ralph, 1:223–224 Animal symbolism Allman, John, 3:193 astrology, 2:121–123, 124 “Almasti.” See Yeti dreams, 3:129, 130 Alper, Frank, 2:175 fetishes, 2:193

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 317

ichthys, 2:170 Armstrong, P. A., 3:98–99 Middle Eastern amulets, 2:169 Arness, James, 3:110 Nazca Lines, 2:263 Arnold, Kenneth, 3:242, 243, 251–252, 255 saints, 2:95 Arran Island (Scotland), 2:226 tea leaf reading, 2:165, 166 Arthur (King of Britain). See Arthurian legends See also specific animals Arthurian legends, 2:50, 200, 204–206, 238–239 , 2:40 Aryans, cremation by, 3:226 Annunchiarico, Ciro, 2:6–7 Aserinsky, Eugene, 3:120 Ansel (angel), 2:42 Ashtar (alien being), 1:305, 3:280 Ant symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Assassins (secret society), 2:4–5

Anthroposophy, 1:51–53 Association for Research and Enlightenment CUMULATIVE INDEX Anti-Mason Party, 2:12 (Virginia Beach, VA), 1:53–55, 2:153 The Antichrist, 1:180–182, 183–184, 231, 238 Assyrians, graves and grave markers, 3:226 Anubis (Egyptian deity), 3:193 Astaire, Fred, 3:110 Apelike monsters, 3:59–68 Astral body, 3:171–172 Apocalypse, 1:182–186 Astral projection. See Autoscopy; Out-of-body Apocalyptic cults, 1:256–257, 313 experiences See also specific cults Astrology, 2:44, 2:119–127 Apollinario (8th c. Spanish hermit), 2:13 Astronomical events, parallels with Earth Apparitions, 1:24–25, 3:3–4, 8–9, 11 events, 2:124 See also Ghosts and ghostly beings; Astronomical tools, ancient Phantoms Great Pyramid, 2:264–266 Apparitions, of holy figures, 1:186–192, 203 Mayan calendar, 2:254, 256 Applewhite, Marshall Herff, Jr., 1:309, 309–311 Medicine Wheel, 2:259 “Applied Engineering” government program, megaliths, 2:195 3:293 Nazca Lines, 2:261–262 Apports, 1:88 Stonehenge, 2:273–274 Aquarian Anti-Defamation League, 2:78 Tiahuanaco temples, 2:277, 278, 279 Aquarius, the Water Bearer, 2:123, 186 Aten (Egyptian deity), 1:259 Aquino, Michael, 1:303–304 Athletes (Garduna), 2:14 Arachne (mythical figure), 3:138 Atlantic Ocean land bridge, 2:222 Arachnophobia, 3:138 Atlantis (mythical continent), 2:215, 219–225 Aradia: The Gospel of Witches (Leland), 2:75 Atlanteans, alleged qualities of, 2:220 Arapaho Ghost Dance (Wright), 1:284 Atlanteans as Sphinx builders, 2:271 Arasteh, Reza, 1:146 Atlanteans’ evolution, 1:52, 151 The Arcane School, 1:281 Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna, on, 2:248 Archaeoastronomy, 2:195 Cayce, Edgar, on, 2:153 Archangels. See Seven Angels crystals and destruction of, 2:175 “Archetypes” (mental forces), 3:119, 129 floorbed of, 2:222 Area 51 (NV), 3:293 Freemasons’ belief in, 2:9 See also Roswell (NM) UFO crash (1947) 19th century map, 2:221 Argentina, cattle mutilations, 3:295 nuclear destruction of, 3:273, 274 Aries, the Ram, 2:121, 186 Atman (self), 1:11 Aristotle (Greek philosopher), 2:147, 220 Atwater, P. M. H., 1:30 Ark of the Covenant, 2:200, 201–203, 202 Augustine, St., 1:41, 226 Arkadev, V., 3:183 Australian aboriginals Armageddon, 1:192–193 fear of the dead, 1:37 Dome of the Rock, as site of, 2:245 mistletoe custom, 2:183 Nostradamus’ prophecies of, 2:160 telepathy of, 3:180–181 Red Heifer legend and, 2:143 Austria, mistletoe custom, 2:183 UFOs and, 3:290 Auto-da-fe, 1:218, 2:107

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 318 Cumulative Index

Auto-hypnosis, telepathy and, 3:183 Bear symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Automatic writing, 1:86, 118–119, 2:127–128 Beard, S. H., 3:12–13 Autoscopy, 3:11–12 Beauraling (Belgium) holy apparitions, 1:188 Autosuggestion, mediums and, 1:92–93 Bed-wetting, 3:125 Avalon (mythical land), 2:215, 225–226 Bedouins, food kinship and, 3:216 Avebury (England) phantoms, 3:17 The Beginning of the End (film), 3:110 Aveni, Anthony, 2:263 Bekhterev, Vladimir M., 3:182 Aviophobia, 3:136 The Believers (film), 1:287 The Awakening (film), 3:111 Bell, Charles Bailey, 3:29 Axe symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Bell, Drewry, 3:26, 28 Ayers Rock (Australia). See Uluru monolith Bell, Elizabeth “Betsy,” 3:26–29 (Australia) Bell, Joel, 3:26, 29 Aymara people, 2:277, 279 Bell, John, Jr., 3:26, 27, 28, 29 Aztecs, crystal skulls and, 2:191 Bell, John, Sr., 3:26, 27, 28, 29 Bell, Luce, 3:26, 28, 29 Bell, Richard, 3:26, 28, 29 B Bell symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Ba and ka, 1:15–16, 20–21 Bell Witch haunting (Clarksville, TN), 3:26–29 Bacon, Francis, 2:31 Bellamy, Arthur, 1:171–172 Bacon, Roger, 2:44, 44–45 “Bellows” (Garduna), 2:14 Bahram I (Emperor of Persia), 1:282 Bells, 2:170–171 Bailey, Alice, 1:281 Bender, Albert K., 3:276 See also New Age Movement Beneath the Planet of the Apes (film), 3:111 Bailly, Marie, 2:250 Beneficial previsions, 3:176 Bakongo people, fetishes of, 2:194 Benio, Mike, 3:39 Ball lightening, 3:54 Benson, Herbert, 1:211, 3:151 “Bangungot” urban legend, 3:233 Bequet, Celina. See Japhet, Celina Banneaux (Belgium) holy apparitions, 1:188 Bereshit, Maaseh, 2:141–142 Baphomet (pagan deity), 2:51 Berkeley Psychic Institute (CA), 1:94 Barbanell, Maurice, 1:84, 88, 89 Berkner, Lloyd V., 3:297 Barkasy, David, 3:66 Bermuda Triangle, 2:215, 226–230, 229 Barker, Gray, 3:277 Bernard, Eugene E., 3:170 Barker, William, 1:65, 66 Bernard of Clairvaux, St., 2:20, 22 Barnett, Barney, 3:261 Bernstein, Morey, 1:62, 64–66 Barrett, Deirdre, 3:126 Berossus (Babylonian priest-historian), 3:248–249 Barrett, Sir William, 3:146, 162 Bertrand, Rev., 3:171 Barry, Gene, 3:110 Beryl, 2:187 Barton, Blanche, 1:303 Besant, Annie, 1:275 Basilosaurus, 3:87, 96 Best man, 3:209–210 Basinger, Kim, 3:136 Bethsames, 2:201–202 Bast (Egyptian deity), 3:190 Beware the Cat (anonymous), 3:190 Bathing. See Hand washing and bathing Beyond the Ashes: Cases of Reincarnation from the Bathing, dream symbolism, 3:129 Holocaust (Gershom), 1:58 Bati Yeli, 2:25 Beyond with James Van Praagh (TV program), Batons (tarot), 2:132, 134 3:51 Batson, Daniel, 1:191, 247 Bhagavad Gita (Hindu text), 1:46–47 Battle of Edge Hill phantoms (Keinton, Bhakti Hinduism, 1:12 England), 3:15 Biannual baths, 3:219–220 Bauval, Robert, 2:266 Bible Bayanov, Dmitri, 3:62 alleged hidden code, 1:242 Bayside (NY) holy apparitions, 1:190 blood, sacredness of, 3:69

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 319

celestial body veneration, 2:119 sacredness of, 3:69 commoners’ use of, 1:45 Shroud of Turin stains, 1:236–237 dreams, 3:118 from weeping statutes, 1:250 exorcism accounts, 1:205–206 Bloodstone, 2:171, 186, 187 hospitality, 3:215 See also Carnelian Noah’s Ark and the deluge, 2:218 Bloom, Clair, 3:14 prayer, 1:225, 227, 228–229 “Blue Bell Hill Phantom” urban legend, 3:235 space visitor accounts, 3:249–251 Blue Lake (NM), 2:276 tribal legends, parallels to, 1:283 “Blue Monday,” 3:191 The Bible Code (Drosnin), 1:242 Bluff Creek (CA) Bigfoot sightings, 3:60–61, 61

Big Foot (Sioux chief), 1:285 “Bo.” See Applewhite, Marshall Herff, Jr. CUMULATIVE INDEX Bigfoot (apelike monster), 3:60–63, 61 Bodily feelings (nonreflective consciousness), Bilderbergers, 2:17 3:140 Bimini Road, 2:223 Bodin, Jean, 1:219, 2:110 Binder, Bettye B., 1:68–69 Body preservation. See Embalming Bindernagel, John, 3:63 Boer, Jelle de, 1:266, 2:155 Bingham, Hiram, 2:251–252 Boguet, Henri, 2:110–111 Biochip implant conspiracy theory, 2:8 Bohr, Niels, 3:124, 189 Biodiversity Project Spirituality Working Boisselier, Brigitte, 1:312 Group, 2:89 Bonaparte, Joseph, 3:190–191 Bird, J. Malcolm, 1:102, 103 Bonaparte, Napoleon, 3:190, 198 Bird symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Bone pendants, 2:198 Birth stones, 2:185–186, 3:195 Bonewits, Philip Emmons (Isaac), 2:78–79 Bishop, Bridget, 2:106 The Book of Belial. See The Satanic Bible (LaVey) Black cats, 3:190, 190 Book of Changes. See I Ching Black (color), symbolism of, 1:40, 3:227 The Book of Formation (Rokeach), 3:74 Black Death, 2:99 The Book of . See The Satanic Bible Black Elk (Oglala Sioux shaman), 1:77–78, 2:190 (LaVey) Black Helicopters, 3:290–291 The Book of Lucifer. See The Satanic Bible (LaVey) “Black House” (San Francisco, CA), 1:302–303 The Book of Satan. See The Satanic Bible (LaVey) “Black-letter days,” 3:191 The Book of Shadows (Gardner), 2:90 Black Madonna, 1:272–274, 273 Book of the Dead, Egyptian, 1:16–18 Black magick, 2:51–52, 3:188 Book of the Dead, Tibetan, 1:7 Black Mass, 1:293–296 The Book of the Law (Crowley), 2:62 See also Sabbats Borley Rectory (England), 3:29–33, 31 Blackmore, Susan, 1:30–31, 214 Bouker, John, 3:99 Blair, Linda, 1:207, 208 Boundary Institute (Los Altos, CA), 1:95 Blanchard, William, 3:264 “Boundary Questionnaire” (Hartmann), 3:125 Blankley, Andrew, 1:224 Bouquet tossing, 3:214 Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna, 1:147, 147–149 Bourtsev, Igor, 3:62 Besant, Annie, and, 1:275 Bousfield, Edward L., 3:93 on Lemuria, 2:248 Bower, David, 3:133 on reincarnation, 1:50 Bower, Doug, 3:296 theosophy and, 1:55–56 Boxer Tong, 2:36–37 Bless the Child (film), 1:239 Bradford, David, 3:42 Blessing, before meals, 3:220 Bradlaugh, Charles, 1:275 Block, Carl, 1:107 Bradley, Richard, 2:233 Blombos Cave (Cape Town, South Africa), 3:200 Brahe, Tycho, 2:125 Blood Brain activity fear of, 3:138 brain-wave patterns of ESP senders and liquefied blood of saints, 1:221 receivers, 3:164

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 320 Cumulative Index

hydrocephalus and, 3:133 Buckland, Stanley Thomas, 2:79–80 during illumination, 1:217 Buddhism during REM sleep, 3:120 afterlife, 1:5–8 unused brain capacity, 3:123 bells, 2:171 during visions, 1:247 burials and funerals, 3:223 See also Altered states of consciousness; cremation, 3:226 Memory; Trances demons, 1:197 Brain chemistry, paranormal beliefs and, 3:159 meditation, 3:149–150 The Brain Eaters (film), 3:112 reincarnation, 1:43 Brain surgery, Tiahuananco civilization, 2:278 soul, 1:4–5 Brainerd, C. J., 3:135 wedding ceremonies, 3:212 Branch Davidians, 1:315–316 Bueno, Javier Torroella, 1:245 Brandon, Sydney, 3:135 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 3:112 Brasseur de Bourbourg, Charles-Etienne, 2:247 Buhram (Thuggee member), 2:33 Brazel, Mac, 3:261, 262, 264 Bulganin, Nikolai, 2:156–157 Brazil Bull, Henry, 3:30–31 Chupacabra activity, 3:70–71 Bulwer-Lytton, Sir Edward, 1:112 Macumba activity, 1:285–286 Burial mounds, 1:38–40 witchcraft-related violence (21st c.), 2:101 Burials and funerals, 1:3, 4, 16, 3:221–228, 225 Brethren of the Rosy Cross. See Rosicrucians Burr, Raymond, 3:110 Bridal dress, 3:208–209 Burstyn, Ellen, 1:208 Bridal garters, 3:214 Burundi, Mambu-mutu activity, 3:107 Bridal showers, 3:208 Bush, Vannevar, 3:297 Bridal veils, 3:209 Butler, Jon, 1:220 Bride buying, 3:204–205 Butts, Robert F., 1:126, 127, 128 Bride capture, 3:204 Byrd, Richard E., 2:242 Bride knights, 3:210 Byrne, Gabriel, 1:243 Bride of the Gorilla (film), 3:110 Byrne, Peter and Bryan, 3:67 Bridegrooms, 3:214 Byron, George Gordon, 3:75 Bridesmaids, 3:209, 210 British Isles, beliefs and customs engagement announcements, 3:208 C fairy tales, 2:176 Cabala. See Kabbalah horseshoes, 2:178 Cadavers, grave robbing for, 3:72 maypoles, 2:181 “Cadborosaurus,” 3:93 See also specific countries Caget, Virginia, 3:52 British Society for Psychical Research, 1:172 Cagliostro, Count Allesandro, 2:61–62, 72 Bronk, Detley W., 3:297 Cahauchi (Peru), 2:261 Broughton, R. J., 3:125 Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site (IL), 2:231 Brown, Ron, 3:63 Caledonia (IL) monster, 3:97 Brown, William Moseley, 2:152 Caleuche (ship), 3:10 Brown Mountain (NC) spooklights, 3:22 Calvados Castle (France), 3:33–36 Browne, Sylvia, 1:97–98, 98 Cambyses II (King of Persia), 3:190 Brugger, Peter, 3:159 Campbell, Gary, 3:92 Brujeria and brujas, 2:53 Canael (angel), 2:58 Brunner, Hans, 3:64 Cancer, the Crab, 2:121, 186 Bubastis (Egypt), 3:190 Candles, 2:171–172 Bubonic plague. See Black Death Candomble. See Macumba Bucke, Richard Maurice, 1:144, 193–194 Cannon, Alexander, 3:171–172 Buckland, Raymond, 2:77, 79–82, 80, 92, Canon, Walter, 2:56 94–95 Canon Episcopi (Regino of Prum), 1:217, 2:41

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 321

Cape Ann (MA) sea serpent, 3:93–94 on the Great Pyramid, 2:268 Capitani, Caterina, 1:220, 222 on reincarnation, 1:30 Capricorn, the Goat, 2:123, 186 Cayce, Hugh Lynn, 1:54–55, 2:152–153 Carafa, Gian Pietro. See Paul IV, Pope Cazzamalli, F., 3:182 Carbon dating. See Radiocarbon dating Ceasg, 3:107 Carcassonne (France), 1:276 Celebrities, phobias of, 3:136, 138 Caribbean Sea land bridge, 2:225 The Cellular Cosmogony, or The Earth, A Carl Theodore (Bavarian monarch), 2:19 Concave Sphere (Teed), 2:242 Carlisle, Al, 1:224 Celts Carlyon, Kevin, 2:195 cauldron use, 2:172–173

Carnac (France) megaliths, 2:195, 196 cursuses and ley lines and, 2:233 CUMULATIVE INDEX Carnelian, 2:171 myths as basis for Arthurian legends, See also Bloodstone 2:205–206, 225–226 Carpocrates (Gnostic teacher), 1:278 Stonehenge and, 2:273, 274 Carrel, Alexis, 2:250 Cerminara, Gina, 1:55 Carrington, Hereward, 1:158–161, 159 Chaffin, James, 3:20–22 Crandon, Mina, and, 1:103–104 Chaffin, James Pinkney, 3:20, 21, 22 Garrett, Eileen, and, 1:91–92, 109 Chaffin, John, 3:20 on out-of-body experiences, 3:172 Chaffin, Marshall, 3:20, 21 Palladino, Eusapia, and, 1:121 Chaldeans, astrology and, 2:118, 119–120 Piper, Leonora E., and, 1:123 Chambers, John, 3:62 on psychical researchers’ qualities, 1:158 Chaney, James, 3:166 Carrington, Patricia, 3:121 Chaney, Lon, Jr., 3:109 Cartheuser, William, 1:158–159 Chang Cheuh, 2:36 Cartomancy and tarot, 2:128–136, 130 Channelers. See Mediums and channelers The Case for Psychic Survival (Carrington), 1:159 Chariot (tarot), 2:130 “The Case of the Derailed Engine” (1860), Chariots, used to describe UFOs, 3:250 3:174–175 Chariots of the Gods? (Daniken), 3:246 “The Case of the Scratch on the Cheek” (1876), “Charles B. Rosna” (spirit control). See Fox 1:170–171 sisters Cassiel (angel), 2:42 Charles I (King of England), 3:15 Castro, Carlos de, 1:118 Charon (mythical figure), 3:222 Cathars, 1:218, 274, 276–277, 2:41, 102, 113 Chartres Cathedral (France), 2:232 Catherine of Siena, St., 1:186, 241 Chartres (France), 2:230, 232 Catholicism. See Roman Catholicism Chase, Judith, 1:293 Catoptomancy, 2:183 Chastity, medieval view of, 1:292 See also Scrying Cheiromancy, 2:148 Cats and cat superstitions, 3:189–190 Chemical discoveries, from alchemy, 2:43 dream symbolism, 3:129 The Chemical Wedding. See The Hermetic as familiars, 2:95 Romance (Andreae) fear of, 3:136 Chepren Pyramid (Giza, Egypt), 1:22 tea leaf reading symbolism, 2:165 Cher (entertainer), 3:136 Cattle mutilations, 3:293–295 Cheshire, Leonard, 1:234 Cauldrons, 2:172–173, 173 Chevalier, Ulysee, 1:237 Cavalier (tarot). See Knight (tarot) Chibcha people, 2:234 Cayce, Charles Thomas, 2:153 “Chicago Seeress.” See Hughes, Irene Cayce, Edgar, 1:54, 2:152–154 Chichen Itza (Mexico), 2:254, 255 Association for Research and Chickasaw people, mourning custom, 3:227 Enlightenment and, 1:53–55 Chile, Chupacabra activity, 3:71 on Atlantis, 2:223 China, beliefs and customs on crystals, 2:175 astrology, 2:124

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 322 Cumulative Index

evil eye, 3:194 Chupacabra, 3:70–72, 71 fairy tales, 2:176 Church, General, 2:7 kissing, 3:207 Church of God, snake handling and, 1:239–240 mourning, 3:227 Church of Satan, 1:299–303 number superstitions, 3:198 Church of Scientology. See Scientology silver, 2:185 Church of Seven African Powers, 1:287 China, UFO research, 3:267 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem), “Chinese Mafia.” See Triad Tong 2:242, 244 Chippewa people, souls of, 1:40 Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, 1:287 Chippindale, Christopher, 3:58 Church of Wicca (U.S.), 2:82, 84 Chiron (mythical figure), 2:123 Churches, dream symbolism, 3:129 Chirosophy, 2:148 Churchward, James, 2:248 Chivalrous Order of the Holy Vehm. See Holy Cicero (Roman orator), 1:41 Vehm Cieza de Leon, Pedro de, 2:277 Chloe (18th c. slave), 3:42–43 Clairvoyance, 3:158, 164 Chorley, Dave, 3:296 Clairvoyance, researchers of, 3:166–170 The Chosen (film), 1:239, 3:110 Clar, Lydia, 1:104 Chretien de Troyes, 2:204 Clark, Walter Houston, 1:178, 215–216 “Christ consciousness,” 1:150–152 Claustrophobia, 3:138 Christianity Clement of Alexandria, St., 1:41 afterlife, 1:8–10 Clement V, Pope, 1:218, 2:23–24, 102 Apocalypse, 1:182–183 Cleveland, Grover, 2:125 bells, 2:171 Clift, Montgomery, 3:25 burials and funerals, 3:223–224, 226–227 Clonaid, 1:312 cremation, 3:226–227 Clones, alleged human, 1:312 Dead Sea Scrolls and link with Judaism, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (film), 1:46 3:282–283, 283, 284 demons, 1:196–197 Cloud symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 exorcism, 1:206 Clubs (playing cards), 2:135 holy days and pagan festivals, coinciding of, Cochran, Tara, 2:81 1:270 Cocke, J. R., 1:122–123 holy objects, 2:150, 152 Coelacanths, 3:58–59, 87 hospitality and charity, 3:215 Coffins, 3:224 Jerusalem, importance of, 2:242, 244 Cohen, Sidney, 3:153 occult arts, early suppression of, 2:40–41, Coins (tarot), 2:132, 133 118–119 Colburn, Nettie, 1:134 paganism and Satanism, driving of people Cold readings, 1:105 to, 1:289–290, 291–293 Cold War hysteria, 3:242, 287 Pueblo adoption of, 2:275–276 Coleman, Loren, 3:66 The Rapture, 1:231–232 “College roommate suicide” urban legend, reincarnation, 1:43–44, 46 3:232–233 Satanists’ view of, 1:301 Collier, John, 1:79 slave adoption of, 1:282–283, 285–286 Collina-Girard, Jacques, 2:222 soul, 1:4, 5 Collins, Joan, 3:110 wedding ceremonies, 3:210–211, 213 Collins, John, 1:183 See also Jesus Christ; Mystery religions and Colossus of Rhodes, 2:243 heresies, Christian; Protestantism; Columbus, Christopher, 1:313, 2:226 Roman Catholicism; specific Christian Coma, 3:140 sects The Coming Race (Bulwer-Lytton), 2:242 A Christmas Carol (film), 3:21 Communion (Strieber), 3:270–271, 284 Chrysocolla, 2:187 Compass variation, 2:229

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 323

Concave Earth theory, 2:242 Cosmic consciousness, 1:193–196 Condon, Edward, 3:258 Cosmon Research Foundation, 1:306 Condon/University of Colorado Report (1969), Costa, E., 1:117–118 3:258, 258–259 Cottingley (England) fairy photograph hoax, Congregation of the Inquisition. See Holy Office 1:138–139, 3:103 Connally, John and Nellie, 2:35 Council of Constantinople (625), 2:40 Connecticut thunderbird sightings, 3:97 Council of Laodicea (364), 2:40 Consciousness, altered states of, 3:140–157 Council of Nicaea (325), 1:44 See also Memory; Trances Council of Oxia (525), 2:40 Conspiracy theories Council of Tours (613), 2:40

Bilderbergers’ New World Order, 2:17 Count Dracula theme park plans (Romania), CUMULATIVE INDEX biochip implants, 2:8 3:80 cattle mutilations, 3:294–295 Coupchiak, Moses, 3:99 Diana (Princess of Wales), death of, 2:3 “Coupling” guests, 3:217 Illuminati, 2:16 Courtship and marriage customs, 3:203–215 Kennedy assassination, 2:35 Covenant of the Goddess, 2:88–89 Majestic-12, 3:289, 290, 297–298 Covens, 1:294 Men in Black, 3:245–246, 276–279 Covers (Garduna), 2:14 NASA cover-up of life on Mars, 2:27 Crabtree, Adam, 1:224 secret societies, theorists’ preoccupation Cragg, Rev., 3:45–46 with, 2:2 Crainoscopy. See Phrenology staged alien invasion and Armageddon, Crandon, Le Roi Goddard, 1:101, 102 3:290 Crandon, Mina Stinson, 1:101, 101–104, 166 Constant, Alphonse Louis. See Levi, Eliphas Constantine I (Roman Emperor), 1:271, 2:40, Crawford, Joan, 3:25, 138 244 Creative and lucid dreaming, 3:122–125 Constantine’s Lance. See Spear of Destiny Creatures of the night, 3:68–85 Constanzo, Adolfo de Jesus, 1:286–287 Cremation, 3:224, 226–227 Construction theories Crenshaw, James, 3:17 Carnac megaliths, 2:196 Crete, as possible site of Atlantis, 2:223–224 Easter Island statues, 2:236–237 “Crisis apparitions,” 3:8 Great Pyramid, 2:266–267, 3:247–248 Critch, Gerard, 1:243 Sacsahuaman, 2:274 Critias (Plato), 2:221 Sphinx, 2:270, 271 Croesus (King of Lydia), 1:266 Stonehenge, 2:272–273, 274–275 Croiset, Gerard, 3:166 Controlled Substances Act (U.S., 1970), 3:155 Crookall, Robert, 1:27–28, 3:171 Conyers (GA) holy apparitions, 1:190 Crookes, Sir William, 1:156, 161–163, 162 Cook, Florence, 1:98–101, 162–163 Cooke, Florence, and, 1:98, 99–100, 101 Cooper, L. Gordon, 3:264–265 Fox sisters and, 1:142 Copernicus, Nicolaus, 2:124 Home, Daniel Dunglas, and, 1:113–114 Coral, 2:187, 3:195 Crop circles, 3:295–297 Cords, as amulets, 2:170 Crosette, Barbara, 3:202 Corillaut, Etienne, 1:299 Crosses, 2:203–204 Corporeal visions, 1:190, 246 Crosses, inverted, 1:290, 301 Corpse smoking, 3:223 Crossing Over with John Edward (TV program), Corrector (Burchard), 2:41 1:104, 105, 3:51 Corregidor (Philippines) phantoms, 3:16 Crowley, Aleister, 1:181, 181, 304, 2:62–64, Corso, Philip J., 3:293 63, 76 Corwin, Jonathan, 2:105 Crowley, Edward Alexander. See Crowley, Cory, Giles, 2:105 Aleister Cory, Martha, 2:105 The Crucible (Miller), 2:104

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 324 Cumulative Index

The Crucifixion. See Crosses; Jesus Christ, Dead creatures, fear of. See Necrophobia Crucifixion of; Stigmata Dead Sea Scrolls, 1:46 Crusades, 2:19, 40–41 Death, the Final Stages of Growth (Kubler-Ross), Cryptozoologists, 3:58 1:28 . See Scrying Death knells, 2:170–171 Crystal skulls, 2:191–193 Death (tarot), 2:131 Crystalomancy. See Scrying Deathbed visions, 1:23–26 Crystals, 2:169, 173–174, 175, 195 Decided Ones of Jupiter, 2:5–7 See also Scrying Dee, John, 2:64–65, 65 Cuauhtlatoatzin. See Juan Diego (16th c. Aztec) Deikman, Arthur J., 1:215 Cuba, Santeria in, 1:287 Deja vu, 3:177 Cults, 1:270, 272 Delphic Oracles, 1:265–266, 2:154, 154–155 See also specific cults The Deluge, 2:218, 222 Cuneo, Michael W., 1:208–209 Dement, William C., 3:120–121 Cups (tarot), 2:132–133, 133 Demeter (Greek deity), 1:268, 269 Curandero, 2:91 Demonolgie (James VI of Scotland), 2:106 Curie, Pierre, 1:156 Demons, 1:196–199 Curran, Pearl Leonore, 2:127 See also Goblins; Imps; Possession, by Cursuses and leys, 2:232–234, 261 demons See also Holy lines; Nazca Lines (Peru) Dennis, Glenn, 3:263 Curtis, Tony, 3:136 Denominations, 1:272 Customs and taboos, 3:200–228 Depression, placebos and, 3:139 Cyrus the Great (King of Persia), 1:266 Descartes, René, 2:31–32 Deserts, dream symbolism, 3:129 Desgrez (17th c. French police official), 1:297 D Dessoir, Max, 3:162 Dakota people, souls of, 1:40 Detrimental previsions, 3:176 Dalai Lama, 1:7 Devereaux, Paul, 2:233 Daniel (Hebrew prophet), 1:180, 181 Devil, dream symbolism, 3:129 D’Arcis, Pierre, 1:237 The Devil and Miss Sarah (film), 3:110 Dark, fear of. See Scotophobia Devil (tarot), 2:131–132 Dark Skies (TV program), 3:288–289 The Devil Within Her (film), 3:110 “Darrell” (drowning victim), 1:68 Devil worship. See Satanic cults; Satanism Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Association. Devil’s Mark, 1:199–200 See Branch Davidians “Devil’s Sea.” See Dragon’s Triangle Davies, Joseph, 2:156 Devil’s Triangle. See Bermuda Triangle Davis, Andrew Jackson, 1:135–137 Dhammapada (Buddha), 1:6 Davis, Nancy. See Reagan, Nancy Di Mambro, Joseph, 1:318 Davis, Russell C., 1:69 Diamonds (gems), 2:184, 186, 3:195 The Dawn of Astronomy (Lockyer), 2:265 Diamonds (playing cards), 2:134 The Day After Roswell (Corso), 3:293 Diana (Greek deity), 2:123 Day of Judgment. See Final Judgment Diana (Princess of Wales), death of, 2:3 The Day the Earth Stood Still (film), 3:281–282, Dianetics, 1:320 284–285, 285 Dickason, C. Fred, 1:225 Daydreaming, 3:141 Dickinson, G. Lowes, 1:43 Days of the week superstitions, 3:191, 199 Dieppe (France) phantoms, 3:16 De la demonomanie des sorciers (Bodin), 1:219, Dingwall, E. J., 1:129 2:96, 110 Dinner plates, 3:219 De Leon, Moses, 2:142 Dinner tables, 3:217–218 De praestigus daemonum (Weyer), 2:96, 109 Dinsdale, Tim, 3:90 De Wohl, Louis, 2:125–126 Dionysian Mysteries, 1:33, 265, 266–268

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 325

Dionysus (Greek deity), 1:33, 266 sleep interference and, 3:121 Dionysus Zagreus (mythic figure), 1:267 in voodoo, 2:56 “Direct-voice” communication, 1:89 See also Psychedelics Dirt, fear of. See Mysophobia Druids Discours des Sorciers (Boguet), 2:110, 111 in Chartres (France), 2:230, 232 The Discovery of the Large, Rich and Beautiful Stonehenge and, 2:273 Empire of Guyana with a Relation to the Great tree superstitions, 2:187–188, 3:196 and Golden City of Manoa (Raleigh), 2:235 Drury (English drummer). See Tedworth The Discovery of Witchcraft (Scot), 2:106, 109 Drummer (Tedworth, England) The Discovery of Witches (Hopkins), 2:112 D’Souza, Henry, 1:205

Discrimination, against Wiccans, 2:74 DuBose, Thomas, 3:261 CUMULATIVE INDEX Divination, 2:118 Duchovny, David, 3:288 Divinity, horns as symbols of, 2:92, 94 Duke University psychical research lab Dixon, Jeane, 2:155, 155–157 (Durham, NC), 3:162, 163 “Do.” See Applewhite, Marshall Herff, Jr. Dunne, J. W., 3:176–177 Do Dogs Go to Heaven? (Holmes), 3:7 D’Octavio, General, 2:7 Doctrine of Correspondence, 1:153 E Doerr, Vince, 3:65 Ea (Babylonian deity), 2:123 Dog superstitions, 3:191–193 Earthquakes, dream symbolism, 3:129 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem), 2:242, 245 Easter Island, 2:235–238, 236 Donnelly, Ignatius, 2:219 Easter symbolism, 3:198–199 Donovan’s Brain (film), 3:110 Eastre (Norse deity), 3:199 Doomsday clock, 1:185 Eastwood, Clint, 3:110 Dopamine, 3:159 Eating utensils, 3:215–216, 218–219 Dorland, Frank, 2:193 Eaton, Sally, 2:79 Dornheim, Fuchs George II, Johann von, 2:103 Ebertin, Elsbeth, 2:125 Dorset Cursuses (England), 2:233 Eby, Hester, 3:43 Dossey, Larry, 1:229 The ECK, 1:316 Douglas, Janet, 2:106 Eckankar, 1:316–317 Douglas, Kirk, 3:110 Ecstasy, 1:200, 202–204 Dowries, 3:206, 213 , 1:88–89, 159, 3:78 Dowsing, 2:136–137 Eddington, A. S., 3:176 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, 1:137–139, 165, Eddy, John A., 2:259 3:102–103 Edelman, Gerald M., 3:116 Doyle, Lady Jean, 1:138, 139, 165 Edgar Cayce Foundation (Virginia Beach, VA), Doyle, Kingsley, 1:138 2:153 Doze, Grace, 1:61–62 Edison, Thomas Alva, 3:13, 15, 123–124 Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (film), 3:112 Edward, John, 1:104–105 “The Dragon and the Unicorn” (Cherry), 3:88 Edward VI (King of England), 2:64 Dragonheart (film), 3:89 Edwards, Frank, 3:278 Dragons, 3:87–89 Edwards, Susanna, 2:101 Dragon’s Triangle, 2:227 Ego, 3:119 Dream diaries, 3:132 Egypt, beliefs and customs Dream incubation temples, 3:117 adultery, 3:202 Dream symbology, 3:128–130 afterlife, 1:15–22 Dreamland. See Area 51 (NV) amulets, 2:169 Dreams, 3:117–130 cat worship, 3:190 Drosnin, Michael, 1:242 dog superstitions, 3:193 Drug use evil eye, 3:194 by Assassins, 2:4 fetishes, 2:194

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 326 Cumulative Index

gods and goddesses, 1:257, 3:58 End of Days (film), 1:239 graves and grave markers, 3:225–226 End times. See Apocalypse guests, courtesy to, 3:216 Endogamy, 3:203 hand washing and bathing, 3:219 Energy alignments. See Cursuses and leys hospitality, 3:215 Engagement announcements, 3:208 hypnosis, 3:144, 146 England, beliefs and customs ladder superstitions, 3:197 dinner plates, 3:219 mourning, 3:227 drinking toasts, 3:220–221 mummies and mummification, 1:18, 20, eating utensils, 3:218 3:222–223 elves, 3:100 mystery religions, 1:257–264 fairy tales, 2:176 silver use, 2:185 rings, 2:184 sneezing superstitions, 3:199 sneezing superstitions, 3:199 wedding rings, 3:213 See also British Isles, beliefs and customs Egyptian Masonic rite, 2:61, 62 England, witchcraft trials, 2:100–101 Egyptian temples, Tiahuananco similarities to, English, Philip, 2:105 2:278 Enochian magick, 2:52 Ehrenwald, Jan, 3:175–176, 181 Ensley, Eddie, 1:248 Eight, symbolism of Environment, affect on dreams, 3:121–122 numerology, 2:146 Episodic memory, 3:132 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Epworth Rectory (England), 3:36–38, 37 Pythagoras on, 2:145 Ergot, 3:153 tarot, 2:131, 133, 134 Erosion, of the Sphinx, 2:270 Eighteen, tarot symbolism of, 2:132 Erotomania, Inquisition and, 3:76, 78 Einstein, Albert, 1:195 Eskimo beliefs and customs El Cid (Spanish hero), 2:12–13 kissing, 3:207 El Dorado (mythical city), 2:215, 234–235 marriage, 3:205 Elders of Lemuria. See Thirteenth School ESP. SeeExtrasensory perception Electromagnetivity, telepathy and, 3:182, 183 E.T. (fictional character), 3:281 Eleusinian Mysteries, 1:33–34, 268–269 E.T.—The Extraterrestrial (film), 3:283 Eleven, symbolism of Etheric body, 3:171–172 numerology, 2:147 Ethylene, 1:266, 2:155 tarot, 2:131 Etiquette. See Hospitality and etiquette; specific Elfman, Jenna, 1:320 countries and cultures Elijah (Hebrew prophet), 3:250 Euler, Leonhard, 2:240 Elizabeth I (Queen of England), 2:64, 65, 235 Europe, beliefs and customs Elizabeth (13th c. Cistercian nun), 1:241 bathing, 3:219–220 Elkin, A. P., 3:180–181 burials and funerals, 3:226 Elliot, Rusty, 2:78 cat superstitions, 3:189–190 Ellison, Robert, 3:23 dinner plates, 3:219 Elohim, 1:311–312, 313 dinner tables, 3:217 Elopement, 3:206 engagement announcements, 3:208 Elves, 3:100–101 guests, courtesy to, 3:217 Embalming, 3:222–223 hope chests, 3:206–207 Emerald Tablet, 2:46 ladder superstitions, 3:197 Emeralds, 2:186 See also specific countries Emperor (tarot), 2:130 Evans, Linda, 1:116 Empire of the Ants (film), 3:110 Evans, Sir Arthur, 2:223 Employers, use of graphology, 2:138 Everest Expedition (1921), 3:66 Empress (tarot), 2:130 Evil Eye, 3:193–195, 200 Enclosed spaces, fear of. See Claustrophobia Exogamy, 3:203

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 327

Exon, Arthur, 3:259 Fehm. See Holy Vehm Exorcism, 1:179, 204–209 Feliciani, Lorenza, 2:61, 62 at Calvados Castle (France), 3:36 Female symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 John Paul II, Pope, performed by, 1:204 Fenwick, Peter, 1:31 of Mother Teresa, 1:205 Ferdinand II (King of Aragon), 1:219, 2:13–14 recent demand for, 1:223 Ferdinand V (King of Castile). See Ferdinand II See also Possession, by demons (King of Aragon) The Exorcist (film), 1:207, 208, 208–209 Fetishes, 2:193–195 Expanded consciousness, 3:141–142 See also Amulets; Talismans Exploring Atlantis (Alper), 2:175 Feudal system, 2:94

Extersteine megaliths (Germany), 2:257 Field memory, 3:132 CUMULATIVE INDEX Extrasensory perception (ESP), 3:146, Fifteen, tarot symbolism of, 2:132 157–160, 179, 266 Fight the Future (film), 3:288 researchers of, 3:161–184 Fiji Islands, beliefs and customs Extraterrestrials. See Alien visitors, in Holy infant betrothals, 3:205 Scripture; UFO contactees and abductees; wedding dinners, 3:213 UFOs, in ancient times; UFOs, in film and Fillmore, Charles, 1:50 TV; UFOs, in modern times; UFOs, recent Film monster favorites, 3:77 mysteries See also specific films Final Judgment, 1:185–186 in Christianity, 1:9–10 F in Islam, 1:13 Fahler, Jarl, 3:167 in Judaism, 1:15 Fairies, 3:101, 101–103, 102, 296 “Fire ship” of New Brunswick (Canada), 3:10 Fairy circles, 2:176–177, 177, 3:295 First Church of Satan. See Church of Satan Fairy photograph hoax (England), 1:138–139, Fischer, Charles, 3:120 3:103 Fish, LeRoy, 3:62 Fairy Tale: A True Story (film), 3:102, 103 Fish symbol (Ichthys), 2:170 Faith, afterlife belief and, 1:2 Fisher King (mythical figure), 2:205, 206 Faith healing, 1:209–211 Five, symbolism of “Fall of the Angels” (tarot). See Tower of numerology, 2:146 Destruction (tarot) playing cards, 2:134, 135 Falling, dream symbolism, 3:129 Pythagoras on, 2:145 False memories, 3:131, 134–135 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 Falun Gong, 1:315, 317–318 “Five Companies” (Tong), 2:37 Familiars, 2:95, 111–112 Five elements (Chinese astrology), 2:124 See also Imps Flatwoods (WV) UFO sightings (1952), 3:243 Fang people, souls of, 1:37 Fleau des demons et des Sorciers. See De la A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway), 1:27 demonomanie des sorciers (Bodin) Faria, King, 2:137 “Fletcher” (spirit guide). See Ford, Arthur “Fat man suffocator” urban legend, 3:233 Augustus Fate line, 2:149 “Florida Sandman.” See Skunk Ape Fate Magazine, 2:220, 3:145 Flower girls, 3:209 Father of Greatness, 1:280 Flowers Fatima (Portugal) holy apparitions, 1:188 bouquet tossing, 3:214 Faust, Dr., 2:65–67, 66 courtship and, 3:207–208 Faust, Georg. See Faust, Dr. in funerals, 3:226 Favazza, John, 3:94, 95 in prehistoric burials, 1:3 Al Fayed, Dodi, 2:3 symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Feather, Sally, 3:165 in weddings, 3:209 Fedayeen, 2:4, 5 Floyran, Esquire de, 2:23

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 328 Cumulative Index

Flying, fear of. See Aviophobia Francis of Assisi, St., 1:186, 241, 2:95 Flying Dutchman (ship), 3:10 Franco-Cantabrian cave art, 2:199 “Flying ointment,” 2:98, 3:153 “Frank Withers” (spirit guide). See Roberts, Jane Flying Saucers and the Three Men (Bender), 3:276 Frankenstein: A Modern Prometheus (Shelley), Fodor, Nandor, 3:24 3:75 Food and Drug Administration, LSD and, 3:154, Frankenstein (film), 3:74 155 Franklin, Aretha, 3:136 Food kinship, 3:216 Franklin, Benjamin, 1:59, 2:11 The Fool (tarot), 2:132 Frazer, Sir James George, 2:92 “Foos” and “foo fighters,” 3:252 Frederick the Great (King of Prussia), 2:71, 72, The Force (tarot), 2:131 209 Ford, Arthur Augustus, 1:105–108, 1:166 Free and Accepted Order of Freemasons. See Ford, Gerald, 2:35 Freemasons Foreigners, fear of. See Xenophobia Free will, astrology and, 2:127 Forrestal, James V., 3:297, 298 Freeman, George P., 3:278 Fossils, mistaken for dragon remains, 3:88–89 Freemasons, 2:2, 9–12, 10, 11, 18 Foundation for Research of the Nature of Man Freud, Sigmund, 3:129 (Durham, NC), 3:164 agoraphobia of, 3:136 See also Rhine Research Center (Durham, on dreams, 3:118 NC) as member of psychical research societies, Four, symbolism of 1:156 Chinese and Japanese superstitions, 3:198 on memory repression, 3:132, 134 numerology, 2:146 on telepathy, 3:178 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Friday superstitions, 3:191 Pythagoras on, 2:145 Friedman, Michael, 3:126 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 Friedman, Stanton, 3:263–264, 297 Four elements, 2:119–120 Frog symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1:183, 184 Frost, Gavin and Yvonne, 2:77, 82–85, 83, 84 Four-leaf clovers, 3:195 The Fruits of Philosophy (Besant, Bradlaugh), Fourteen, tarot symbolism of, 2:131 1:275 Fowler, Nancy, 1:190 Fry, Daniel W., 1:305, 3:273–274 Fox, Catherine “Katie.” See Fox sisters Fuld, William, 1:85–86 Fox, John, 1:133, 140, 141 Fulton, Harold H., 3:277 Fox, Margaret, 1:140, 141 The Fury (film), 3:110 Fox, Margaretta “Maggie.” See Fox sisters Fox sisters, 1:133, 139–143 Foyster, Lionel Algernon, 3:31–32 G Foyster, Marianne, 3:31–32, 33 Gabriel (angel), 2:42, 58 Fragmented consciousness, 3:141 Gaddis, Vincent H., 2:227 France “Galahad and the Holy Grail” (Abbey), 2:205 Knights Templar activity, 2:22–24 Galahad (mythic figure), 2:205 Satanism popularity (16th–17th c.), Gall, Franz Joseph, 2:151 1:295–296 Gandhi, Indira, 2:126 werewolf burnings, 3:84 Gandillon family, 2:110, 111 France, beliefs and customs Garabandal (Spain) holy apparitions, 1:190 bridal garters, 3:214 Gardner, Gerald Brosseau, 2:85, 85–86 eating utensils, 3:218 Buckland, Raymond, and, 2:80 kissing, 3:207 revival of Wicca and, 2:75, 77 quartrozieme, 3:198 Valiente, Doreen, and, 2:90–91 France, witchcraft trials, 2:101–102 Gardner, Joshua, 3:28 “Francine” (spirit guide). See Browne, Sylvia Gardner, Marshall, 2:241

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 329

Garduna, 2:2, 12–15 Gilmore, Peter H., 1:302 Garlaschelli, Luigi, 1:221 Gimlin, Bob, 3:61 Garlic, 2:177–178, 178 Girdle of Venus, 2:149 Garnets, 2:186 “Giving away” the bride, 3:210, 211 Garnier, Gilles, 3:84 Gladstone, William E., 1:156 Garrett, Eileen, 1:91–92, 108–110, 109, 159 Glanvil, Joseph, 1:46, 3:46, 47 Gateway Program, 3:13 Glass writing, 1:86 Gauquelin, Michael, 2:125 Glastonbury Abbey (England), 2:238–239, 239 Gavitt, Captain, 3:96 Glastonbury (England), 2:238–239 Gee, D. J., 3:53 Glastonbury Thorn (England), 2:238

Gelanpoulous, Angelo, 2:224 Glastonbury Tor (England), 2:238 CUMULATIVE INDEX Gelb, Lester, 3:118 Glossolalia, 1:226 Gem superstitions, 3:195 Glossophobia, 3:138 Gemini, the Twins, 2:121, 186 Gloucester (MA) sea serpent. See Cape Ann General Wayne Inn (Merion, PA), 3:38–40 (MA) sea serpent Geoffrey of Monmouth, 2:225–226 Gloves, for brides, 3:209 Geoffrey of Saint-Omer, 2:19–20 Gnomes, 3:103–104 Geoglyphs, 2:260 Gnosticism, 1:277–280 Germany, beliefs and customs reincarnation and, 1:49 elves, 3:100 Simon Magus and, 2:69–70 fairy tales, 2:176 tarot and, 2:128 salt, 2:185 “Goats” (Garduna), 2:14 Germany, Holy Vehm activity, 2:15–16 Goat’s head, symbol of Satanism, 1:290 Germany, Illuminati activity, 2:18–19 Goblins, 3:104 Germany, witchcraft trials, 2:102–103 See also Demons Germs, fear of. See Mysophobia God, belief in, 1:210 Gershom, Yonassan, 1:48, 58–59 God of the Hunt. See Horned God Gestalt therapy, dreams and, 3:128 The“God” Part of the Brain (Alper), 1:247 Ghose, Sisirkumar, 1:146, 195 Goddess worship, 1:273–274, 2:93, 94 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (TV program), 3:51 See also Demeter (Greek deity); Diana Ghost Ceremony, 1:38 (Greek deity) Ghost Dance, 1:283–285 Godzilla (film), 3:110 Ghost (film), 3:50 Goebbels, Joseph, 2:126 “Ghost junk” (ship), 3:10 Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 3:11 Ghost land. See Spirit land Goetheanum (Dornach, Switzerland), Ghost ships, 3:10 1:151–152 Ghost Shirts, 1:285 Gog and Magog, 1:180, 185 Ghost Story (film), 3:50, 110 Goldberg, Bruce, 1:61–62 Ghostbusters (film), 3:9, 50 Goldberg, Whoopi, 3:136 Ghosts, in film and TV, 3:49–52 “The Golden Legend” (Longfellow), 1:213 Ghosts and ghostly beings, 3:2, 3–24, 4, 20, 24 Golem, 3:72–74, 73, 76 See also Apparitions; Phantoms The Golem of Prague (film), 3:73 Ghosts of the dead, 3:4, 20–22 Golem of Prague (“Yossele”), 3:76 Ghosts of the living, 3:12–14 Good, Dorcas, 2:105 Ghouls, 3:72 Good, Sarah, 2:105 Giant squids, 3:95 Good luck charms, 2:168, 3:188 Giants’ Dance. See Stonehenge (England) See also Amulets; Fetishes; Talismans Gibbons, Bill, 3:86 Goodavage, Joseph, 2:124 Gibbons, Jenny, 2:97 Goodman, Andrew, 3:166 Gift exchange, during courtship, 3:207–208 Gore-Booth, Eva, 1:50 Gilbert, Adrian, 2:266 Gospel of Light (Mani), 1:280, 282

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 330 Cumulative Index

Gosse, Philip, 3:87 Greeley, Andrew, 1:23 Gothic movement, vampire subculture and, Green, John, 3:63 3:81–82 “Green M&Ms” urban legend, 3:231 Goulding, Chris, 3:75 Greenwell, Chief, 3:244 Gramolazzo, Giancarlo, 1:204 Greenwell, J. Richard, 3:86 Grand Master of Knights Templar, 2:21 Gregori, Fabio, 1:250 Grangecon (Ireland), of, 1:251 Gregory, Anita, 1:131 Grannis, Appleton, 3:6 Gregory IX, Pope, 1:218, 2:95 Grant, Joan, 1:58 Gregory the Great, Pope, 3:199 Graphology, 2:137–140 Gregson, W. H., 3:32 Graphotherapeutics, 2:139 Gremlins, 3:104–105, 105 Grave robbing, 3:72 Grey, Joel, 3:21 Graves, Peter, 3:110 Griffiths, Frances, 1:138, 139, 3:103 Graves and grave markers, 3:225–226 Grillo, Girolamo, 1:250 Gray, Gordon, 3:297 Grimoires, 2:107 Gray man of Hinton Ampner (England), 3:40–42 Gris-gris, 2:198 Great Flood. See The Deluge Gross, Maurice, 3:19 Great Grimoires, 2:51 Grygiel, Monika, 1:248–249 Guadalupe (Mexico) holy apparitions, 1:188 Great Pyramid (Giza, Egypt), 2:214, 243, 1:211–214 264–268, 3:247–248 Guardian angels, See also Spirit guides Great Seal of the United States, Masonic Guests, courtesy to, 3:216–217 imagery of, 2:9 Guilborg, Abbe, 1:296, 297 Great Serpent Mound (Adams County, OH), Gundestrup Cauldron, 2:173 1:39 Guoxing, Zhou, 3:68 Great White Brotherhood, 1:308, 2:248 Gurney, Edmund, 3:12, 13, 24, 146 Greece, beliefs and customs Gypsies, stereotypes of, 2:128 adultery, 3:202 afterlife, 3:222 cremation, 3:226 crystals, 2:173 H days of the week superstitions, 3:191 Ha-Farchi, Estori, 1:192 divination, 2:118, 150, 182 Haeckel, Heinrich, 2:248 dog superstitions, 3:193 Hair, dream symbolism, 3:129 dowries, 3:206 Hair and wig grooming, 3:220 drinking toasts, 3:220 Haiti eating utensils, 3:218, 219 slave revolt (1791), 2:54 engagement announcements, 3:208 voodoo, 2:52, 54–56 evil eye, 3:194 Hajj, 2:257–258, 260 gem superstitions, 3:195 Hall, Prince, 2:11 guests, courtesy to, 3:216 Halley, Edmund, 2:239–240 hand washing and bathing, 3:219 Halley’s comet, 2:239 horseshoe superstitions, 3:196 Hallucinations, 3:143–144 hospitality, 3:215 autoscopy and, 3:11 love and marriage, 3:206 demon possession and, 1:198–199 mushrooms, sacredness of, 3:152 hypnosis and, 3:147 salt, 2:184 LSD and, 3:154 sneezing superstitions, 3:199 Hallucinogens. See Psychedelics spitting superstitions, 3:200 Hamachis. See The Sphinx (Giza, Egypt) state religion, 1:32, 264, 2:40 Hamilton, George, 3:110–111 sweetmeats for newlyweds, 3:214 Hammer for Witches (Malleus Maleficarum) white, symbolism of, 3:208–209 (Kramer, Sprenger), 1:219, 2:103, 108

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 331

Hancock, John, 2:11 Helena, St., 1:272, 2:244 Hand of Glory, 2:178, 179 Heliotrope. See Bloodstone Hand washing and bathing, 3:219–220 Hell, 1:10, 14 Handwriting analysis. See Graphology Helvetius (Dutch alchemist), 2:45–46 Hangar 18, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Hemaphobia, 3:138 (Dayton, OH), 3:259–260, 260 Hemingway, Ernest, 1:27 See also Roswell (NM) UFO crash (1947) Henderson, Oliver “Pappy,” 3:259 Hanged Man (tarot), 2:131 Hennepin, Louis, 3:98 Hanging Gardens of Babylon, 2:243 Henry III (King of England), 3:190 Haniel (angel), 2:58 Hensley, George Went, 1:239–240

Harder, James, 3:270 Herbert, Bennison, 2:86, 87 CUMULATIVE INDEX Hardy, Sir Alister, 1:145, 216 Heresy Harkins, Roger, 3:259 Cathars and, 1:218, 274, 276–277 Harner, Michael, 1:76 in early Christianity, 1:270 Hart, Hornell, 3:170 Gnosticism and, 1:277–280 Hartmann, Ernest, 3:125 under Innocent III, 2:113 Hashashin. See Assassins (secret society) Inquisition and, 1:217–219 Hashish, Assassin use of, 2:4 Knights Templar and, 2:22–23 Hasidism, on reincarnation, 1:42–43, 48 See also Mystery religions and heresies, Hathorne, John, 2:105 Christian Haunted hotels, U.S., 3:25, 35 Hermes (Greek deity), 3:119 Haunted houses and places, 3:24–49 Hermes-Toth (Greek deity), 1:34, 258, 2:46 Haunted (TV program), 3:51 Hermes Trismegistus (mythical alchemist), The Haunting (film), 3:14, 49–50 1:258, 2:42, 46–47, 58, 118 Haut, Walter, 3:261, 262, 264 Hermetic Mysteries, 1:34, 2:42 Hawass, Zahi, 2:267 Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, 2:76 Hawkins, Gerald, 2:273, 274 The Hermetic Romance (Andreae), 2:43 Hawley, William, 2:272 Hermit (tarot), 2:131 Haynes, John, 3:291, 292 Herodotus (Greek historian), 2:264, 266 Hazel wood, 2:187 Heston, Charlton, 3:111 Head, Richard, 2:162 Heyerdahl, Thor, 2:237 Head line, 2:148 Hierophant (tarot), 2:130 Health benefits of meditation, 3:151 Higdon, Carl, 3:269–270 See also Prayer, power of High Magick’s Aid (Gardner), 2:85 Healy, Henry A., 3:6 High Priestess (tarot), 2:130 Heart line, 2:148 Higher Self, 2:175 Heart symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 “Highway hypnosis,” 3:143 Hearts (playing cards), 2:135 Hilgard, Ernest R., 3:146, 147 Heathcote, Emma, 1:213–214 Hill, Barney and Betty, 3:274–276, 275 Heaven, 1:14, 38 Hill, Osman, 3:62 Heaven’s Gate cult, 1:256–257, 309–311 Hillary, Sir Edmund, 3:59, 67 Hebrew beliefs and customs Hillenkoetter, Roscoe H., 3:254, 298 graves and grave markers, 3:225 HIM. See Human Individual Metamorphosis hand washing and bathing, 3:219 Himmler, Heinrich, 2:125 See also Judaism Hindley, Charles, 2:162 Hecate (Greek deity), 3:193 Hinduism Hefner, Philip, 1:222 adultery, 3:202 Heights, fear of. See Acrophobia afterlife, 1:10–12 Heilige linien. See Holy lines alien visitations, 3:251 Heimliches Gericht, 2:15 burials and funerals, 3:224 Hekau, 2:58 cremation, 3:226

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 332 Cumulative Index

demons, 1:196, 288 Homo Noeticus, 1:194–195 dreams, 3:117 Hongshan Pyramid (Mongolia), 1:21 hospitality and charity, 3:215 Hongzhi, Li, 1:315, 317 mourning, 3:227 Honorius II, Pope, 2:20 reincarnation, 1:46–47 “Hook on the car door” urban legend, sadhu, 1:12 3:231–232 soul, 1:4, 11–12 Hoover, Herbert, 3:198 wedding ceremonies, 3:212 Hope chests, 3:206–207 Hinton Ampner (England) haunting, 3:40–42 Hopkins, Matthew, 2:111–112, 112 Hippocrates (Greek physician), 2:121 Hor-em-Akhet. See The Sphinx (Giza, Egypt) Hiram Abiff, 2:10 Horn, Jenny, 2:106 The History of Dr. Johann Faust (Speiss), 2:65 Horned God, 2:92, 94, 98 History of the Kings of Britain (Geoffrey of Horns, as symbols of divinity, 2:92, 94 Monmouth), 2:204, 225–226, 272 Horrocks, Stella, 2:128 Hitler, Adolf Horror films and TV programs astrology and, 2:125 actors in, 3:109–112 cat phobia of, 3:190 film monster favorites, 3:77 Nostradamus’ alleged prophecies of, 2:160 ghosts in, 3:49–52 Spear of Destiny and, 2:209 parallels to 20th century traumas, 3:77 swastika and, 2:210 about UFOs and space aliens, 3:281–289 HMS Eurydice (ship), 3:10 See also specific films and TV programs Hoaxes Horseshoe symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 Borley Rectory (England) haunting, Horseshoes, 2:178–179, 3:195–196 3:32–33 Horus (Egyptian deity), 1:303 Cottingley (England) fairy photographs, Hospitality and etiquette, 3:215–221 1:138–139, 3:103 Houdini, Beatrice “Bess,” 1:106–107, 165, 166 crop circles (England), 3:296 Houdini, Harry, 1:163–166, 164 Houdini’s exposure of, 1:102–103, 163, claustrophobia of, 3:138 165–166 Crandon, Mina, and, 1:102–103 resulting from September 11 (2001) Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, and, 1:139 terrorist attacks, 3:228, 229 Ford, Arthur Augustus, and, 1:106–107 See also Urban legends and beliefs Houdini Exposes the Tricks Used by the Boston , 3:104 Medium Margery (Houdini), 1:103 Hodgson, Richard, 1:123, 149 Houngans. See Hungans Hofman, Albert, 3:153–154 Hour glass symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 Hohenheim, Theophrastus Bombast von. See Houston, Jean, 3:169 Paracelsus (German physician) Houteff, Florence, 1:315 Hollow Earth theory, 2:239–242 Houteff, Victor, 1:315 Hollywood (CA) hauntings, 3:25 How to Make a Monster (film), 3:111 Hollywood (FL) holy apparitions, 1:190 Howard-Bury, C. K., 3:66 Holmes, Irene Hume, 3:7 Howe, Elias, 3:124 Holmes, M. Jean, 3:7 Howe, Linda Moulton, 3:295 Holy Grail, 1:274, 2:168, 200, 204–206 Howell, Vernon. See Koresh, David Holy Lance. See Spear of Destiny Hubbard, L. Ron, 1:315, 320, 321 Holy lines, 2:257 Hughes, Howard, 3:136, 138 See also Cursuses and leys Hughes, Irene, 1:92, 2:157, 157–158 Holy objects. See Sacred objects, power of “Huldre folk,” 3:101, 108 Holy Office, 1:219, 220, 2:62, 96–97 Human Individual Metamorphosis (HIM). See Holy Vehm, 2:2, 15–16 Heaven’s Gate cult Holzer, Hans, 2:87 Human sacrifice and ritual murder Home, Daniel Dunglas, 1:110–115, 161–162 Gundestrup Cauldron and, 2:173

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 333

Leopard Men and, 2:2, 24–25 Incas, 2:185, 234 lion men and, 2:26 See also Machu Picchu (Peru) Mau-Mau and, 2:27 Incubi, 3:76, 78, 143 satanic cults and, 1:224, 288–289 Independence Day (film), 3:289 Thuggee and, 2:2, 32–33 Indian Ocean land bridge, 2:247–248 Humility, of Knights Templar, 2:21 Individuation, 3:119 Humperdinck, Englebert, 3:25 Indonesia, witch hunts (1990s), 2:101 “Hunches,” 3:176 Indra (Hindu being), 3:251 Hungans, 2:55, 56 Ineffability, in consciousness, 1:144 Hungary, drinking toasts, 3:221 Infant betrothals, 3:205

Hunsaker, Jerome C., 3:297 Infants, dreams of, 3:120 CUMULATIVE INDEX Hurkos, Peter, 3:166 Ingenio Valley (Peru), 2:261 Hurley, James, 3:178 Inherited fears, 3:136–137 Huron people, souls of, 3:221 Innocent II, Pope, 2:21 Hussein, Saddam, 1:182 Innocent III, Pope, 1:274, 2:41, 113 Huxley, Aldous, 3:152 Innocent IV, Pope, 1:218, 2:102 Huxley, Julian, 1:156 Innocent VIII, Pope, 1:219, 2:70, 109 Hybrid beings. See Therianthropes The Innocents (film), 3:49 Hydrocephalus, 3:133 Inquisition, 1:200, 217–220, 2:14, 95–97, 3:76, Hyksos, 1:260 78 Hynek, J. Allen, 3:257, 257, 259, 266, 282–283 Insects symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:165 Hyperalert consciousness, 3:141 Insomnia, 3:121 Hypnopompic episodes, 3:143 Integrative level of expanded consciousness, 3:142 Hypnosis, 3:144–149 “Integratron” (Giant Rock, CA), 3:280 ESP and, 3:160, 166–168 Internet myths. See Urban legends and beliefs long-distance hypnosis, 3:182–183 The Interpretation of Dreams (Freud), 3:118 trances, comparison with, 1:92–93 Intihuantana Shrine (Peru), 2:253 Hypnotic regression, 1:59–62, 3:270, 271 Intruders (film), 3:284 See also Past-life therapy Invaders from Mars (film), 3:287 “A Hypothesis of Extrasensory Perception” The Invaders (TV program), 3:287 (Osis), 3:164 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (film), 3:112, 287 Hyslop, James Hervey, 1:123–124 Ireland, beliefs and customs Hysterical consciousness, 3:141 bride capturing, 3:204 evil eye, 3:194 fairies and fairy tales, 2:176, 3:101 I hair rings, 2:184 I Ching, 2:140, 140–141 horseshoes, 2:178 I Ho Chuan. See Boxer Tong leprechauns, 3:105–106, 106 I Was a Teenage Werewolf (film), 3:111 wakes, 3:225 Iannusco, Angelo and Antionetta, 1:249 Ireland, witch hunts, 2:100 Iberians, graves and grave markers, 3:226 Iroquois people, souls of, 1:40 Iceland, sneezing superstitions, 3:199 Irvine, Malcolm, 3:89, 91 Ichthys (Fish symbol), 2:170 Irwin, James, 2:219 Id, 3:119 Irwin, R. I., 3:181–182 Ignatius, St., 1:202–203 Isabella I (Queen of Spain), 1:219, 2:13 Illuminati, 2:2, 16, 18–19, 3:290 Isis cult, 1:260–262 Illumination, 1:145, 214–217 Isis (Egyptian deity), 1:18, 19, 261 Imaginative visions, 1:190, 246 Isis Unveiled (Blavatsky), 1:56–57 Imps, 3:76 Isla de Pascua. See Easter Island See also Demons; Familiars Islam In Search Of (TV program), 3:51 afterlife, 1:12–14

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 334 Cumulative Index

amulets, 2:170 Japanese Fugo balloons, 3:264 Assassins’ view of, 2:4 Japhet, Celina, 1:143 burials and funerals, 3:224–225 Jarrold, Edgar R., 3:277 demons, 1:196–197 Java, food kinship, 3:216 guardian angels, 1:213 Javan rhinoceros, 3:86 hospitality and charity, 3:215 “Jeane Dixon effect,” 2:157 Jerusalem, importance of, 2:242, 244–245 Jeans, Sir James, 1:156 mourning, 3:228 Jelly, Frederick, 1:222 prayer, 1:227, 227–228 Jersey Devil, 3:78–79, 79 reincarnation, 1:47–48 “Jerusalem Fever,” 1:201 soul, 1:4, 5 Jerusalem (Israel), 2:242, 244–245 wedding ceremonies, 3:212–213 Jervis, John, Earl of St. Vincent. See St. Vincent, See also Middle Eastern and Arab beliefs and John Jervis, Earl of customs Jessup, Morris K., 3:299–300 Islands, dream symbolism, 3:129 Jesus Christ It Conquered the World (film), 3:110 on the Antichrist, 1:181 Italy, beliefs and customs apparitions of, 1:186, 188 evil eye, 3:194 Crucifixion of, 1:232, 2:209 horseshoes, 2:179 exorcisms performed, 1:205–206 Italy, witchcraft trials, 2:107–108 in Gnostic texts, 1:279 Ito, Kei, 1:83 Manichaean view of, 1:279 prayer of, 1:225, 227 preexistence of, 1:46 J The Rapture and, 1:231 Jack (playing cards), 2:134, 135 reincarnation, alleged belief in, 1:49–50 “Jacko” (alleged man-beast), 3:61 Resurrection of, 1:8 Jackson, Andrew, 2:240, 3:28 Second Coming, 1:9–10, 182–183, 184–185 Jackson, Michael, 3:138 UFO cult view of, 1:306–307, 315 Jacob (Hebrew patriarch), 3:199, 204 “Jesus on the freeway” urban legend, 3:233–234 See also Jacob’s ladder Jet (stone), 2:187 Jacobs, Doris Lee, 3:52 Jewish revolts (1st–2nd c.), 2:244 Jacob’s ladder, 3:118, 197 Jews, persecution of, 2:13–14, 16, 113–114 Jacobson, Edward, 3:63 Jezreel Valley (Israel), 1:192 Jade, 2:187 Ji, Yang, 3:267 James, David, 3:90 Joan of Arc, St., 1:298 James, William, 1:166–167, 3:162 John, St., 1:184 on consciousness, 1:144–145, 195, 3:142 “John King” (spirit control). See Palladino, on mystical traditions, 1:49 Eusapia on personal religion, 1:180 John of Chrysostom, St., 1:226 Piper, Leonora E., and, 1:123 John Paul II, Pope James VI (King of Scotland), 2:106 Black Madonna, reverence of, 1:272, 273 Januarius, St., 1:221 exorcisms performed by, 1:204 Japan, beliefs and customs Shroud of Turin exhibits, authorization of, bride buying, 3:204 1:237–238 fairy tales, 2:176 on Soviet Union’s end of communism, 1:186 kissing, 3:207 at the Western Wall (Israel), 1:41 mistletoe, 2:183 John XXIII, Pope, 1:220, 222, 3:272 mourning, 3:227 Johnson, Barton, 3:39 number superstitions, 3:198 Johnson, James, 3:26 wedding dinners, 3:214 Johnson, Raynor C., 1:145, 195, 315 wedding gifts, 3:207 Johnson, Richard, 3:14

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 335

Johnson, Richard M., 2:240 K Johnston, Roy, 3:91 Ka. See Ba and ka Jones, Ernest, 3:179 Ka’aba (Mecca, Saudi Arabia), 2:256, 257–258, Jones, Jim, 1:313, 315, 319 260 Jones, Tommy Lee, 3:277 Kabbala Dnudata Seu Dotrina Hebraeorum Jonsson, Olof, 2:158, 3:178–179 Transcendentalis et Metaphysica Atove Joseph of Arimathea, 2:204, 238 Theologica (Rosenroth), 2:142 Josephson, Brian, 3:162 Kabbalah, 2:141–142, 144 Josselyn, John, 3:93 Golem and, 3:74 Jourdemaine, Margaret, 2:100 magic squares and, 2:198 Jouret, Luc, 1:318 on meditation, 3:150 CUMULATIVE INDEX Journey to the Center of the Earth (Verne), 2:242 Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, and, 2:70 Juan Diego (16th c. Aztec), 1:188, 244 on reincarnation, 1:48 Judaism tarot and, 2:129 afterlife, 1:14–15 Kaio Maru No. 5 disappearance (1952), 2:227 amulets, 2:169–170 Kali (Hindu deity), 2:32, 33 Apocalypse, 1:182 Kamau, Johnstone. See Kenyatta, Jomo blessing meals, 3:220 Kampman, Reima, 1:67–68 burials and funerals, 3:224 Kane, Margaretta. See Fox sisters Dead Sea Scrolls and link with Christianity, Kaplan, Aryeh, 3:74 1:46 Kaplan, Stephen, 3:81 demons, 1:196–197 “Kaptar.” See Yeti divination of Hebrews, 2:150 Kardec, Allen, 1:143–144 dreams, 3:117 Karloff, Boris, 3:74, 109, 112 exorcism, 1:206 Karma, 1:6, 11, 55 hospitality and charity, 3:215 Karnak (Egypt), 2:245–247 Jerusalem, importance of, 2:242, 244, 245 “Katie King” (spirit control). See Cook, Florence mourning, 3:228 Katter, Reuben Luther, 2:124 prayer, 1:228–229 Keel, John A., 3:264, 277 reincarnation, 1:48–49 Kelly-Hopkinsville (KY) UFO sightings (1955), soul, 1:4, 5, 14 3:243–244 wedding ceremonies, 3:211–212 Kelsey, Denys, 1:58 See also Hebrew beliefs and customs; Kelsey, Morton, 1:197–198, 223 Kabbalah Kennedy, John F., assassination of, 2:35, 156 Judas Iscariot, 3:197–198 Kenya, food kinship, 3:216 Judges, dream symbolism, 3:129 Kenya, Mau-Mau activity, 2:27–30 Judgment Day. See Final Judgment Kenyatta, Jomo, 2:30 Judgment (tarot), 2:132 Kepler, Johannes, 2:125 Juggler (tarot), 2:130 Key, dream symbolism, 3:129 Julius II, Pope, 2:125 Key of Solomon (ceremonial text), 2:107 Jung, Carl G., 3:128 Keyhoe, Donald E., 3:254, 254–255 astrology and, 2:125 Khafre (Pharaoh of Egypt), 2:268–269 on dreams, 3:119, 128–129 al-Khattab, Omar Ibn, 2:244–245 ghostly encounter of, 3:3 Khomeini, Ayatollah, 1:182 on Gnosticism, 1:280 Khul, Djwhal, 1:281 Kabbalah and, 2:142 Kibwetere, Joseph, 1:314 near-death experience of, 1:27 Kikuyu Central Association, 2:30 on reincarnation, 1:59 Kikuyu people, 2:27, 29 Juno Lucina (Roman deity), 2:172 Kilnapp, John W., 3:148 Justice (tarot), 2:131 Kim, Young Sik, 3:52 “JW” (alien being), 1:305–306 Kimathi, Dedan, 2:29–30

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 336 Cumulative Index

King, George, 1:305, 307, 308 Kramer, Heinrich, 1:199–200, 219, 2:108 King, Perry, 1:206 Krantz, Grover, 3:63 King of the Holy Cities (Titharaja). See Kripke, Daniel, 3:121 Allahabad (India) Krippner, Stanley, 3:163 King (playing cards), 2:134, 135 on dreams, 3:118, 120, 121, 128–129, 164 King (tarot), 2:133, 134 on nightmares, 3:125 King Tut’s Curse, 3:201 on reality and altered states, 3:174–175 Kissing, 2:183, 3:202, 207 Krishna (Hindu deity), 1:47 Kissinger, Henry, 1:182 Krogman, Wilton, 3:54, 55 Kjellen, Stig Arne, 3:178–179 Krohn, Friedrich, 2:210 Klaatu (fictional character), 3:284–285 Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth, 1:25, 28 Klagenfurt (Austria) dragon, 3:89 Kumsong (Korea) phantom village, 3:16–17 Kleitman, Nathaniel, 3:119–120, 132 Kurtz, Paul, 1:155 Klemp, Harold, 1:317 Kusche, Larry, 2:229 Knave (tarot), 2:133, 134 Knight, J. Z., 1:96, 115–117, 116 Knight (tarot), 2:133, 134 L Knights Hospitallers, 2:19, 20 L-dopa, 3:159 Knights of Malta. See Knights Hospitallers La Estaqueria (Peru), 2:261 Knights of Rhodes. See Knights Hospitallers La Salette (France) holy apparitions, 1:188 Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. See Knights Ladder superstitions, 3:197 Hospitallers Ladislaus, St., 1:272 Knights of the Red Cross. See Knights Templar Lake Saloe (Turkey), 2:225 Knights of the Temple of Solomon. See Knights Lakes, dream symbolism, 3:129 Templar LaMarca, Angelo John, 2:139 Knights Templar, 2:2, 19–24, 21, 102 Lamassus, 1:212 Ark of the Covenant and, 2:203 Lancre, Pierre de, 2:113–114 heresy of, 1:218 Land, sea, and air monsters, 3:85–99 1930 parade, 2:20 Land bridges Shroud of Turin and, 1:234 Atlantic Ocean, 2:222 Knives, power of, 2:179–180 Caribbean Sea, 2:225 Knives, table use, 3:218 Indian Ocean, 2:247–248 Knives, tea leaf reading symbols, 2:166 Land of the Grandparents, 1:40–41 Knock (Ireland) holy apparitions, 1:188, 190 Landon, Michael, 3:111 “Knock-out perfume” urban legend, 3:228–229 Lapis lazuli, 2:187 Knocking on wood, 3:196 Larson, Bob, 1:208 Knossos (Crete), 2:223–224 Larson, David, 1:211 Koestler, Arthur, 1:157 Larsson, Sven Erik, 3:178 Koffman, Jeanne-Marie-Therese, 3:60 Laski, Marghanita, 1:203–204 Kolb, Janice Gray, 3:7 Lasswell, Harold D., 3:244 Komesky, Amos, 1:212 Last Judgment. See Final Judgment Komodo dragons, 3:88 Last Supper, 2:185, 204, 3:197 Koot, Hoomi, 1:281 Laveau, Marie, 2:67–68 Koran. See Qur’an LaVey, Anton Szandor, 1:291, 293, 299–304, 300 Koresh, David (Branch Davidian leader), LaVey, Karla, 1:303 1:315–316, 316 LaVey, Xerxes, 1:303 Koresh (Koreshanity leader). See Teed, Cyrus LaVey, Zeena, 1:303 Read Lavoie, Gilbert R., 1:237 Kosok, Paul, 2:261 Lavoignet, Rafael Torrija, 1:245 Krafft, Karl Ernst, 2:125 Law enforcement and psychic crime solving Kraken, 3:95 Browne, Sylvia, and, 1:98

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 337

Croiset, Gerard, and, 3:166 Lincoln, Abraham, 1:134 forensic hypnosis, 3:148 Lind, James, 3:75 graphology, 2:139–140 Line of Intuition, 2:149 Hughes, Irene, and, 2:158 Line of Mercury, 2:149 Hurkos, Peter, 3:166 Line of Saturn. See Fate line psychedelics and, 3:154–156 Line of the Sun, 2:149 Lawrence, Amos, 3:93–94 Lines of Marriage, 2:149 Lawrence, T. E., 3:33 Lipp, Deborah, 2:79 Laying bodies to rest, 3:223–224 Liquefied blood of saints, 1:221 “Lazaris” (spirit guide). See Pursel, Jach Lissner, Ivar, 1:76, 80, 2:199

Le Bar, James, 1:204 Living altars, 1:295 CUMULATIVE INDEX Leary, Timothy, 3:154, 155 Le Livre des Esprits (The Spirits’ Book) (Kardec), Leblond, Paul H., 3:93 1:143 Lee, Gloria, 1:305–306 Lloyd, Temperance, 2:101 Leek, Sybil, 2:73, 2:86–87 Loa, 2:55 “Left Behind” books (LaHaye, Jenkins), 1:232 Loch Ness monster and other lake monsters, Left-hand path. See Black magick 3:89–93, 90 Lehner, Mark, 2:267–268 Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau, Leland, Charles Godfrey, 2:75 3:90 Lemuria and Mu (mythical continents), 2:237, Lockyer, Sir J. Norman, 2:265, 273 247–248, 3:273 Lodge, Lady, 1:168–169 Leo, the Lion, 2:121–122, 186 Lodge, Sir Oliver, 1:167–169, 168 Leo X, Pope, 2:125 Loewi, Otto, 3:123 Leopard Men, 2:24–27 Loftus, Elizabeth F., 3:134–135 Leprechauns, 3:105–106, 106 Loki (Norse deity), 3:197 Lerner, Alan Jay, 1:58 London Crystal Skull, 2:192 Leslie, Desmond, 3:272–273 Long-term memory, 3:131 Leslie, John, 2:240 Lopez, Rosa, 1:190 Lethargic consciousness, 3:141 Lorber, John, 3:133 Levi, Eliphas, 2:57, 68–69 Lord’s Prayer, 1:225 Levin, Jeffrey, 1:211 Lorenzo, St., 1:221 Levitation, 1:87, 113 Lost City of Willkapanpa the Old. See Machu Lewis, C. S., 3:100 Picchu (Peru) Lewis, Mercy, 2:104, 105 Lost Souls (film), 1:239 The Ley Hunter’s Companion, 2:233 Lost Tribes of Israel, 1:283 Ley hunting, 2:232, 233 Louis XIV (King of France), 1:297–298 Liber samekh rite, 2:62 Louise (Duchess of Savoy), 2:60 Libra, the Scales, 2:122, 186 Lourdes (France) holy apparitions and miracles, Life After Life (Moody), 1:28 1:188, 189, 209–210, 2:248–251, 249, 250 Life at Death (Ring), 1:28–29 Lourdes Medical Commission, 2:249, 250–251 Life line, 2:148 L’Ouverture, Toussaint, 2:54 Light manifestations Love, Charlie, 2:237 in illumination, 1:215–216 Love at First Bite (film), 3:110–111 Shroud of Turin and, 1:232 Love knots, 2:180–181 spooklights, 3:22–24 Lovers (tarot), 2:130 during UFO contact, 3:267 Lowe, George, 3:67 Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt). See Pharos of LSD, 3:153–155 Alexandria (Egypt) Lucid dreaming. See Creative and lucid Lilith (mythical figure), 3:76, 79 dreaming Limestone, use in Egyptian monuments, The Lucis Trust, 1:281 2:266–267, 268 “Ludwig” (spirit entity), 3:39

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 338 Cumulative Index

Lueken, Veronica, 1:190 Mani (Persian religious leader). See Lugosi, Bela, 3:109 Manichaeism Luke, St., 1:272 Manichaeism, 1:280, 282 Lully, Raymond, 2:43 Manitous, 1:37 Lumbee people, 2:269 Manoa (mythical city), 2:234–235 Lupinomanis. See Lycanthropy Mansfield, Jayne, 3:25 Luther, Martin, 2:31 Maori people, souls of, 1:36–37 Luttrell, Captain, 3:41 Marcel, Jesse, 3:259, 260–261, 262 Lycanthropy, 3:58, 85 Marcion (Gnostic writer), 1:278 Lydia (ancient country), 2:224 Marcue, Alfonso, 1:244–245 Lyons, S. Silas, 1:136 Marfa (TX) spooklights, 3:23 Lyserg-Saeure-Diaethylamid. See LSD Margaret Mary, St., 1:186 Lysergic acid. See LSD Margaret of Austria (Duchess of Savoy), 2:59, 60 “Margery” (medium). See Crandon, Mina Stinson M Marie Antoinette (Queen of France), 2:72 Marinatos, Sypridon, 2:224 Machu Picchu (Peru), 2:215, 251–253, 252 Mark-Age Metacenter (Miami, FL), 1:306 Mackal, Roy P., 3:87, 90 Marquette, Jacques, 3:97–98 MacLaine, Shirley, 1:95, 115, 215 Marriage. See Courtship and marriage customs Macumba, 1:285–286 Mars, NASA cover-up of life on, 2:27 Madagascar, beliefs and customs Mars Attacks! (film), 3:112 days of the week superstitions, 3:191 Mars Face, 2:27 wedding dinners, 3:213 Martin, Dean, 3:138 Maeonia. See Lydia (ancient country) Martin, Malachi, 1:207 MaGee, John, Jr. See Edward, John Martin, Rose, 2:249–250 Magi, 2:57–59 Martin, Susannah, 2:106 “Magic bullet” of Kennedy assassination, 2:35 Martinez, Juan, 2:235 Magic circles, 2:144, 179–180 Marty, Martin, 1:209 Magic (sleight-of-hand), 2:48 Martyr, Debbie, 3:63 Magic squares, 2:50–51, 60, 198 Mary, Blessed Virgin Magic triangles, 2:198 apparitions of, 1:186–188, 188, 189, 190, Magician (tarot). See Juggler (tarot) 2:13, 248–249 Magick (sorcery), 2:48–49 as representation of ancient goddesses, See also Black magick; White magick 1:274–275, 2:93 Magnetic healing theory, 3:146 weeping statues of, 1:249–252, 251, 252 Magog and Gog, 1:180, 185 See also Virgin of Guadalupe Mahoney, Joseph, 1:207 mystery (1872), 2:228 Maid of honor, 3:209 Mary Magdalene, St., 1:274 Maillat, Louise, 2:110 (Alexandria, VA), 2:9 Majestic-12, 3:289, 290, 297–298 Masons. See Freemasons Major Arcana, 2:128–132 Mass suicides, of cults, 1:315, 318 Malenkov, Georgy, 2:156 See also Human sacrifice and ritual murder Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer for Witches) Masters, R. E. L., 3:78, 169 (Kramer, Sprenger), 1:219, 2:103, 108 Matamoros (Mexico) massacre (1989), 1:286–287 Mambu-mutu, 3:107 Materialization of objects. See Apports Al Mamun, Abdullah, 2:266 Materialization of spirits, 1:88–89 Mandan people, 1:283 Mathematics Mandragora officinarum. See Mandrake root Bacon, Roger, on, 2:44 Mandrake root, 2:181, 181 Great Pyramid and, 2:265 Mani. See Prayer wheels Pythagoras on, 2:71, 145

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 339

Mather, Cotton, 2:105 Melchizdek (Hebrew priest), 2:244 Mathers, MacGregor, 2:49, 51 Meldrum, Jeff, 3:62–63 Mathew, Roy, 1:217 Melton, Gordon, 1:307 Matron of honor, 3:209 Memory, 3:130–135 Matter, Ann, 1:186, 188 autoscopy and, 3:12 Matthews, Louise, 3:54 phobias and, 3:137 Mau-Mau, 2:27–30, 28 repression of, 3:132, 134 Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Asia Minor), “time compression,” 3:292 2:243 Men in Black conspiracy theory, 3:245–246, May, Kathleen, 3:243 276–279

Mayan temples, 2:253–256, 255 Men in Black (film), 3:277, 278, 289 CUMULATIVE INDEX Mayans Menehune, 3:106–107 calendar, 2:254, 256 Mensa Isaica (Pignoria), 1:279 crystal skulls, 2:191, 192 Mental illness, sleep and, 3:121 Mu and, 2:247 Menzel, August, 3:23 mushrooms, sacredness of, 3:152 Menzel, Donald H., 3:255, 297, 298 Mayberg, Helen, 3:139 Mephistopheles (literary character), 2:66 Mayerling, Louis, 3:32–33 Merkavah, Maaseh, 2:141–142 Maypoles, 2:181–182, 182 Merlin (mythical figure), 2:50, 226, 272 McBain, Janet, 3:91 Mermaids, 3:107 McBride, James, 2:240 “Mesheadam.” See Yeti McCall, Rob, 3:68 Mesmer, Franz Anton, 1:136, 3:146 McConnell, Robert A., 3:161–162, 164 Mesmerism. See Hypnosis McDougall, William, 3:162, 182 Messiah, 1:182 McFadden, Johnjoe, 3:116 Mestchegamie people, 3:98 McGarey, Gladys, 1:50 Mexico, beliefs and customs McLuckie, John, 2:203 garlic, 2:177 McMullen, Clements, 3:264 horseshoes, 2:179 McVeigh, Timothy, 2:8 Santeria, 1:286 Meade-Waldo, E. G. B., 3:93 Mezuzah, 2:170 Meaningful precognition, 3:176 Miami people, 3:98 Meany, George, 3:278 Michael (angel), 2:42, 58 Meath, Petronilla de, 2:100 Michanowsky, George, 3:248 Mecca (Saudi Arabia), 2:256–258, 258, 260 Michigan UFO sightings (1966), 3:255, 257 Mecca stone. See Bloodstone Middle Eastern and Arab beliefs and customs Media influence, UFOs and, 3:281–290 amulets, 2:169 Medici, Catherine de, 2:159–160 bridal veils, 3:209 Medicine Wheel of the Big Horn Mountains bride buying, 3:204 (WY), 2:259 bride capturing, 3:204 Meditation, 3:149–151 evil eye, 3:194–195 Medium trances, 1:92–93 food kinship, 3:216 Mediums and channelers, 1:93–133, 154, 156 gem superstitions, 3:195 See also Seances; specific mediums guests, courtesy to, 3:217 Mediumship, researchers of, 1:74, 84, 90, 154–173 See also Islam See also specific mediums “Middle folk.” See Wee folk (Yugoslavia) holy apparitions, 1:190 Migraine headaches, 3:143 Megaliths, 2:195–197, 214 Mikkelson, Barbara, 3:229 See also Cursuses and leys; Easter Island; Miles, Frank, 3:28 Stonehenge Militi Templi Scotia, 2:24 Meggido (Israel), 1:192 Millennium (Apocalypse), 1:184–185, 231 “Mehteh kangmi.” See Yeti Mind-altering drugs. See Psychedelics

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 340 Cumulative Index

Ministry of Universal Wisdom, 1:305, 3:280 Morrow, Virginia Tighe, 1:63 Minoan culture, 2:223–224 See also Murphy, Bridey Minor Arcana, 2:128–129, 132–134 Morse, Melvin, 1:29–30 “Minus function,” 3:181 Morte d’Arthur (Malory), 2:205 Mirabelli, Carlos, 1:117–120, 118 Moses (Hebrew prophet), 3:250 Miracles, 1:220–223, 234, 272 Moss, John and Teeta, 3:43 Mirrors, dream symbolism, 3:130 Moss, Leonard, 1:272 Mirrors, power of, 2:182–183 Mother Mary. See Mary, Blessed Virgin See also Scrying Mother Shipton, 2:161, 161–162 Missionaries, Christian, 1:283 Mother Teresa, 1:205 Mississippian culture, 2:231 Mound builders, 1:38–40 Mistletoe, 2:183, 183–184 Mt. Ararat (Turkey), 2:216–219, 218 Mitchell, Edgar, 2:158, 3:265 Mount of Jupiter, 2:148 Mitchell-Hedges, Anna, 2:192–193 Mount of Mercury, 2:148 Mitchell-Hedges, F. A., 2:192–193 Mount of the Moon, 2:148 Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull, 2:192–193 Mount of Saturn, 2:148 Mithraism, 1:271 Mount of the Sun, 2:148 Mixtec people, 3:152, 153 Mount of Venus, 2:148 Mnesarchus (father of Pythagoras), 2:71 Mount Rainier (WA) UFO sightings (1947), Moai figures. See Easter Island 3:242, 251–252, 255, 256 Mokele-mbembe, 3:86 Mt. Sipylus (Lydia), 2:224–225 “Mokey.” See Mokele-mbembe Mourning and remembrance, 3:227–228 Molay, Jacques de, 1:218, 2:23, 24 Movies. See Horror films and TV programs; Mompesson, John, 3:44, 45, 46, 47 specific films Monks Mound (IL), 2:231 “Mrs. Fields cookie recipe” urban legend, 3:231 Monogamy, 3:203 MS Tricouleur (ship), 3:10 Monoliths, 2:196 Mu (mythical continent). See Lemuria and Mu Monongahela sea serpent, 3:96 (mythical continents) Monroe, Marilyn, 3:25 Mugabe, Robert, 2:101 Monroe, Robert, 3:13 Muhammad (Muslim prophet), 1:13, 2:256–257 Monsieur (dog), 2:60 Muldoon, Sylvan J., 3:13, 171, 172 Monsters. See Apelike monsters; Creatures of Multiple personalities, past-lives therapy and, the night; Land, sea, and air monsters; 1:67–68 Monsters, in film; specific creatures Mummies and mummification, 1:18, 20, Monsters, in film, 3:77 3:222–223 Montague, Robert M., 3:297 Munsterberg, Hugo, 2:152 Montfort, Simon de, 1:274 Murphy, Bridey, 1:62–67 Montolesi, Giovanni, 2:6 Murphy, Chris, 3:62 Montvoison, Catherine, 1:296–298 Murphy, Gardner, 1:173, 3:162 Montvoison, Marguerite, 1:297 Murray, Margaret Alice, 2:75, 87–88 and the Holy Grail (film), 2:206 Mushrooms, sacredness of, 3:152 Moo (mythical queen), 2:247 Mutual love, courtship and, 3:205–206 Moody, Raymond, 1:28 Mwerinde, Credonia, 1:314, 315 Moon symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 My Favorite Martian (TV program), 3:287 Moon (tarot), 2:132 Mycenae civilization, 2:272–273 Moore, William, 3:297 Mycerinus Pyramid (Giza, Egypt), 3:247 Moors, persecution of, 2:13–14 Myers, Fredric W. H., 1:169–172, 171, 202, Morgan, Augustus de, 3:167 3:162, 170 Morgan, William, 2:12 Myrrdin (6th c. Seer), 2:50 Morris, Robert, 3:165 Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, LA), 3:42–44 Morrow, Lance, 1:256 Mysophobia, 3:138

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 341

Mystery religions Nazca Lines (Peru), 2:215, 260–264, 262, 263 ancient, 1:31–36 Nazis contemporary, 1:49–57 astrology and, 2:125 Egyptian, 1:257–264 Holy Vehm and, 2:16 Greek, 1:264–269 swastika and, 2:210 tribal, 1:282–288 Neanderthal man, burial sites, 1:3, 4 Mystery religions and heresies, Christian, Near-death experiences, 1:26–31 1:269–282 desire for afterlife and, 1:4 Mystical experiences, common denominators of, living ghosts and, 3:13–14 1:146 physiological and psychological changes

Mystical experiences, validity test of, 1:195 after, 1:30 CUMULATIVE INDEX Mysticism, 1:144 scientific controversy on, 1:23 Mystics, 1:144–154 See also Out-of-body experiences See also specific mystics Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife web site, 1:24 Necromancy, 2:144–145 N Necrophobia, 3:138 Nader, Karim, 3:131 Needles, dream symbolism, 3:130 Nag Hammadi scrolls, 1:46, 278–279 Nefertiti (Queen of Egypt), 1:260 Nagas (mythical serpent people), 3:249 Neihardt, John G., 2:190 Nagogo (Nigerian chief), 2:25 “Neiman Marcus cookie recipe” urban legend, Nakh, 3:107 3:230–231 Napier, John R., 3:61–62 Neo-druids, 2:79 Natchez people, 2:231 Neocortex, 3:123 National Aeronautics and Space Nephesh (living soul), 1:14 Administration (NASA), alleged conspiracy Nephilim, 3:250 theories, 2:27, 3:71 “Nessie.” See Loch Ness monster and other lake National Spiritualist Association beliefs, 1:135 monsters Native American beliefs and customs Netherlands, police use of clairvoyants, 3:166 bride buying, 3:204 Nettles, Bonnie Lu Trousdale, 1:309–311 burial mounds, 1:38–40 Neumann, Therese, 1:241 burning possessions of the dead, 3:226 New Age Movement cross symbolism, 2:203–204 crystal use, 2:175 fetishes, 2:193 Kabbalah and, 2:142, 143 mourning, 3:227 relaxation techniques and, 3:156–157 “pukwudjinis,” 2:177 Sedona (AZ) center, 2:271 shamanism, 1:76–79 UFO cults and, 1:306, 307 soul, 1:36 The New Atlantis (Bacon), 2:31 spirit land, 1:38 New Guinea, courtesy to guests, 3:217 swastika symbolism, 2:210 New World Order, 2:17, 3:290 therianthropes, 3:83 New York (NY) vampire subculture, 3:82 totem animals, 1:80–81, 2:198–199 Newberg, Andrew, 1:190, 247 tribal mystery religions, 1:282–285 Newton, Sir Isaac, 2:125 vision quests, 1:81–82 Nicholas II (Tsar of Russia), 2:218 wedding gifts, 3:207 Nicholson, Jack, 3:111–112 wolves, significance of, 3:193 Nicoll, Michael J., 3:93 See also Spirit guides; specific native people Nigerian Leopard Men, 2:24–26 Navajo people, beliefs and customs “Night Stalker.” See Ramirez, Richard mourning, 3:227 Night visions. See Dreams wedding dinners, 3:213–214 NightMare, M. Macha, 2:88–89 Navigation, comparison to astrology, 2:136 “The Nightmare” (Fuseli), 3:126

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 342 Cumulative Index

Nightmares, 3:125–127 O’Brien, Aline. See NightMare, M. Macha “Nightwalker of Nago” urban legend, 3:235 Observer memory, 3:132 Nimoy, Leonard, 3:112 The Occult Philosophy (Agrippa), 2:59, 60 Nine, symbolism of Oceans, dream symbolism, 3:130 numerology, 2:146 O’Connor, John, 3:52 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Ogallala Sioux people, afterlife beliefs, 1:37 tarot, 2:131, 133, 134 Oh-Mah. See Bigfoot (apelike monster) Nirvana, 1:7 Ojibway people, souls of, 1:38 Nisse, 3:107–108 Olcott, Henry, 1:148 Nix, 3:107 “Old Jeffrey” (spirit entity), 3:38 Nkosi, 2:194 “Old Religion.” See Wicca; Witchcraft Noah’s Ark, 2:200, 216–219 “Olga” (spirit control). See Schneider, Rudi The Nobility of the Female Sex (Agrippa), 2:59 Olivier, Edith, 3:17 Noble Truth of Suffering (Buddha), 1:6 Omega (Greek letter), 3:196 Nocerino, F. R.“Nick,” 2:193 The Omega Man (film), 3:111 Noetic quality, in consciousness, 1:144 The Omen (film), 1:238–239 Noll, Richard, 3:62 On the Vanity of Arts and Sciences (Agrippa), Non-beneficial previsions, 3:176 2:60 Non-rapid eye movement sleep. See Non-REM One, symbolism of sleep numerology, 2:145, 146 Non-REM sleep, 3:140 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Nonreflective consciousness, 3:140–141 Pythagoras on, 2:145 Nootka people, souls of, 3:221 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 Norbu, Gyaltsen. See Panchen Lama O’Neill, John J., 2:125 Norman, Sir Montagu, 3:33 Oneirocritica (Artemidorous of Ephesus), 3:117 Nosferatu (film), 3:80–81, 81 Opals, 2:186, 3:195 Nostradamus (French Seer), 2:125–126, 152, Open poles theory, 2:240, 241 158–161, 160 Open spaces, fear of. See Agoraphobia Nostredame, Michel de. See Nostradamus Opening of the Mouth ritual, 1:17–18 (French Seer) Operation Majestic-12. See Majestic-12 Number of the Beast (666), 1:181, 183, Opus Magus (Bacon), 2:45 238–239, 290, 3:198 Orang pendek, 3:63–65 See also The Antichrist Order of the Illuminati. See Illuminati Number superstitions, 3:197–198 Order of the Solar Temple, 1:315, 1:318–319 Number symbolism Origen (Alexandrian writer), 1:9, 43–44, 46 in playing cards, 2:134–135 Origin of the Species (Darwin), 2:247 Pythagoras on, 2:145 Orion constellation, 2:266 in tarot, 2:130–132, 133–134 Orion (mythical figure), 2:123 in tea leaf reading, 2:164 Orisha, 1:287 See also Numerology; specific numbers Orpheus (mythic figure), 1:267–268 Numerology, 2:145–147 Orphic Mysteries, 1:34–35 Nurse, Rebecca, 2:105 Orthon (alien being), 3:271 Osburne, Sarah, 2:105 Osiris cult, 1:262–264 O Osiris (Egyptian deity), 1:18–19, 1:19, “O Bicho.” See Chupacabra 257–258, 261, 263, 303 Oannes (mythical fish-man), 3:248–249 Osis, Karlis, 1:23–24, 25–26, 3:164 Oberlin, John Frederick, 3:9, 11 Osment, Haley Joel, 3:158 OBEs. See Out-of-body experiences Osmond, Humphrey, 3:152 Objects of sacred power, 2:199–210 Osty, Eugen, 1:130 See also specific objects Oswald, Lee Harvey, 2:35

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 343

The Others (film), 3:50 Patience (tarot). See Temperance (tarot) The Others (TV program), 3:51 “” (spirit control). See Curran, Ouija boards, 1:85, 1:85–86 Pearl Leonore Our Lady of Czestochowa. See Black Madonna Patrick, St., 3:225 Our Lady of Jasna Gora. See Black Madonna Patterson, Roger, 3:61, 62 Out-of-body experiences, 3:12, 158, 170–171 Paul, St. See also Autoscopy on afterlife, 1:8 Out-of-body experiences, research in, on the Antichrist, 1:180 3:170–174 on fight against forces of evil, 1:288 Out on a Limb (film), 1:96 on glossolalia, 1:226

Owen, Robert Dale, 3:11 possible stigmata of, 1:241 CUMULATIVE INDEX on The Rapture, 1:231 on soul, 1:8–9 P Paul III, Pope, 1:219, 2:96–97, 125 Paganism, popularity of, 2:94 Paul IV, Pope, 1:219, 2:97 Page (tarot). See Knave (tarot) Paul VI, Pope, 1:220, 2:97 Paiens, Hugues des, 2:19–20 Peace symbols, 1:290 Pain relief, 3:139, 147–148 Pearls, 3:195 Paiute Messiah. See Wilson, Jack “Peep.” See Nettles, Bonnie Lu Trousdale The Palantine (ship), 3:10 Pennsylvania State Police, hoax warnings from, Palladino, Eusapia, 1:120–122, 121, 168 3:228, 229 Palm reading. See Palmistry Pennsylvania thunderbird sightings, 3:97, 99 Palmistry, 2:147–150, 148, 149 Pentagrams, 1:290 Pan (Greek deity), 2:123 Pentecostalism, glossolalia and, 1:226 Panatleone, St., 1:221 People’s Temple, 1:313, 315, 319–320 Panchen Lama, 1:44 Peretti, Felice. See Sixtus V, Pope Panic disorders, 3:137 Perkins, Thomas H., 3:94 Paracelsus (German physician), 2:41, 43, Perls, Fritz, 3:128 47–48, 48, 57, 3:146 Perntz, Anders, 3:178 Paranormal photography. See Psychic Persephone (mythic figure), 1:34, 268, 269 photography Persia, dog superstitions, 3:193 The Parapsychological Association, Inc., 1:145 Persinger, Michael, 1:190, 247 Parapsychologists, 3:157–158 Peter, St., 2:69 See also Researchers of clairvoyance; Peter of Abano, 2:144 Researchers of ESP (Extrasensory Petroglyphs, 3:97–98, 248 perception); Researchers of Peuckert, Erick-Will, 3:153 psychokinesis; Researchers of spirit Peyramale, Father, 2:249 contact; Researchers of telepathy Phantasms. See Apparitions Parini, Giuseppi, 1:118 “Phantom hitchhiker” urban legend, Paris (France) holy apparitions, 1:188 3:234–235 Parker, Alice, 2:106 Phantoms, 3:2, 4, 14–18 Parker, Walter E., Sr., 3:9 See also Apparitions; Ghosts and ghostly Parks, Carl, 2:193 beings Parks, Jo Ann, 2:193 Pharaohs, role in religion, 1:258 Parris, Betty, 2:104, 105 Pharos of Alexandria (Egypt), 2:243 Parris, Samuel, 2:104 The Phenomena of Astral Projection (Carrington, Parzeval (Eschenbach), 2:205, 206 Muldoon), 3:172 Pasierb, Janusz, 1:272 Philadelphia Experiment (1943), 3:298–301 Passivity, in consciousness, 1:145 Philbin, Regis, 3:48 Past-life therapy, 1:67–69 Philip IV (King of France), 2:22–23, 24 Past lives, 1:57–70 Philippines, food kinship custom, 3:216

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 344 Cumulative Index

Philistines, 2:201 Pollack, Robert, 1:191, 247 Phillips, David, 3:198 Polo, Marco, 2:217, 218 Phillips, Mary, 2:111 Poltergeist (film), 3:2, 18, 50 Philosopher’s stone, 2:206, 208, 208 Poltergeists, 3:4, 18–20, 52, 158 Albertus Magnus and, 2:47 Polyandry, 3:203 Cagliostro, Allesandro, and, 2:61 Polygamy, 3:202, 203 Helvetius and, 2:45–46 Polynesian and Pacific beliefs and customs Rosencreutz, Christian, and, 2:30 flower giving, 3:208 “Phinuit” (spirit guide). See Piper, Leonora E. food kinship, 3:216 Phips, William, 2:105 infant betrothals, 3:205 Phobias, 3:135–138, 140 kissing, 3:207 Photographing Fairies (film), 3:103 Menehune, 3:106–107 Phrenology, 2:151 “Poor Soldiers of the Holy City.” See Knights Pi (number), Egyptian use of, 2:265 Templar Piasa, 3:98–99 Pope, Alexander, 3:102 Pickrell, Jacquie E., 3:134 Pope (tarot). See Hierophant (tarot) Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, 2:70 Popes, viewed as the Antichrist, 1:181, 238 Piczek, Isabel H., 1:237 Poppets, 2:190 Piezoelectricity, 2:173 Porphyria, 3:58 Pigs, dream symbolism, 3:130 Poseidon (Greek deity), 2:221, 222 Pike, James A., Jr., 1:107 Posnansky, Arthur, 2:278, 279 Pike, James A., Sr., 1:107 Possession, 1:70, 2:55 Pillars of Hercules, 2:221, 222 See also Spirit controls; Trances Pio, Padre, 1:241, 244 Possession, by demons, 1:196, 197, 198–199, Piper, Leonora E., 1:122–124, 167 223–225 Pisces, the Fish, 2:123, 186 See also Exorcism Pius XII, Pope, 1:186 The Possession of Joel Delaney (film), 1:206 Piusa. See Piasa Pottery, 3:219 Pizarro, Francisco, 2:234, 251 “Poughkeepsie Seer.” See Davis, Andrew PK. See Psychokinesis Jackson Place of Serpents (Guatemala), 2:255 The Power (film), 3:110 Placebos, 3:139 Power of suggestion, 1:83, 90 The Plague. See Black Death Practica (Gui), 1:219 Planchettes, 1:86 Pragmatic consciousness, 3:141 Planet of the Apes (film), 3:111 Prairie du Chien mounds (WI), 1:39 Planets, association with palmistry, 2:148 Prayag (India). See Allahabad (India) Plato (Greek philosopher) Prayer, power of, 1:225, 227–230 on Atlantis, 2:220–221, 222, 224 on dreams, 3:117 Prayer wheels, 2:207 on reincarnation, 1:41 Precognition, 3:158 on soul, 1:8 Precognition, researchers of, 3:174–178 Playing cards, fortune telling with, 2:134–135 Prelati, Antonio Francisco, 1:299 Pleiosaurs, 3:96 Premonition. See Precognition Plongeon, Augustus, 2:247 “Present moment,” 3:175 Plotinus (Roman philosopher), 1:41 Presleep experiences, 3:122 Plutarch (Greek historian), 1:265–266 Prestidigitation. See Magic (sleight-of-hand) Podmore, Frank, 3:146 Preston, Kelly, 1:320 Podolsky, Edward, 3:11 Price, Harry, 1:130–131, 3:24, 26, 30, 31–32 Poe, Edgar Allen, 3:138 Primordial Man, in Manichaeism, 1:280 Poitieres, Henri de, 1:237 Prince, Walter Franklin, 1:166 Polidori, John, 3:75 Prince of Darkness, in Manichaeism, 1:280

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 345

The Principles of Nature: Her Divine Revelations God, belief in, 1:210 and a Voice to Mankind (Davis), 1:136 haunted houses, belief in, 3:24 Pringle, Lucy, 3:296 insomnia complaints, 3:121 Pringsheim, Peter, 2:174 life after death, belief in, 1:23 Procedural memory, 3:132 memory storage, 3:130 Proctor, John, 2:105 miracles, belief in, 1:220 “Proctor & Gamble sponsors Satanism” urban near-death experiences, 1:26–27, 28–29 legend, 3:235–236 past life memories, 1:46 Project Blue Book, 3:255–258 pets in heaven, belief in, 3:7 Project Grudge, 3:256 phobia sufferers, 3:137

Project Mogul, 3:264, 291 prayer, practicing of, 1:225, 228 CUMULATIVE INDEX Project Sign, 3:256 religious phenomena, belief in, 1:178 The Propheceyes of Mother Shipton…Foretelling Society for Psychical Research census the Death of Cardinall Wolsey, the Lord of Percy, (1882), 1:172, 3:5 and others, As Also What Should Happen in UFO cover-up conspiracies, belief in, 3:281, Insuing Times (Anonymous), 2:161–162 290 Prophets and diviners, 2:150, 152–162 UFOs and alien visitation, belief in, 3:245, Protestantism 290, 292 exorcism, 1:179 U.S. government, public trust in, 3:289 hell, 1:10 visions and religious experiences, 1:246–247 Holy Office and, 1:219 Wicca practitioners, 2:72–73 Reformation and witch hunts, 2:99–100, witch executions, 2:97 103 Public speaking, fear of. See Glossophobia See also specific sects Pudeator, Ann, 2:105 Psamtik III (King of Egypt), 3:190 Pueblo people, 2:275–277 Psychagogues, 2:150 “Pukwudjinis,” 2:177 Psychedelics, 3:151–156, 169 Puma Punka temple (Tiahuanaco, Bolivia), Psychic crime solving. See Law enforcement and 2:278 psychic crime solving Punna (Insight), 3:149–150 “Psychic ether” theory, 3:24, 26 Purgatory, 1:10 Psychic photography, 1:88, 3:49 Pursel, Jach, 1:125–126 Psychical research. See Public opinion and Pursel, Peny, 1:125–126 research statistics; specific institutions; specific Puthoff, Harold, 3:164 phenomena; specific researchers Putnam, Ann, 2:104–105 Psychical Research Bureau (U.K.), 2:125 Pyle, Robert, 3:59 “Psychoanalysis and Telepathy” (Freud), 3:179 Pymander (angelic being), 2:58 Psychokinesis, 3:18, 158 Pyramid of Khafre (Giza, Egypt), 3:247 Psychokinesis, researchers of, 3:178–179 Pyramid of Khufu. See Great Pyramid (Giza, Psychology of alleged vampires, 3:82 Egypt) Puberty, poltergeists and, 3:18–19 Pyramid Texts, 1:16, 20–22, 258 Public opinion and research statistics Pyramids angels, belief in, 1:212 Chepren Pyramid (Giza, Egypt), 1:22 apparitions of holy figures, 1:190 Hongshan Pyramid (Mongolia), 1:21 deathbed apparitions, 1:24–25 Mayan structures, 2:255 demon possession, belief in, 1:197, 209, 223 Mycerinus Pyramid (Giza, Egypt), 3:247 ESP, belief in, 3:159, 161 Pyramid of Khafre (Giza, Egypt), 3:247 faith healing or power of prayer, belief in, similarities among cultures, 2:220 1:209, 211, 230 See also Great Pyramid (Giza, Egypt) film monster favorites, 3:77 Pyroelectricity, 2:173 flying, fear of, 3:136 Pythagoras (Greek philosopher), 1:35–36, 258, ghosts, belief in, 3:2, 3, 20 2:70–71, 145

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 346 Cumulative Index

Pythias. See Delphic Oracles Rapturous consciousness, 3:141 Pythonesses. See Delphic Oracles The Raven (film), 3:111–112 Rawicz, Slavomir, 3:67 Raymond, John, 1:293 Q Reading, June, 3:48 Reagan, Nancy, 2:126, 3:110 Quaid, Dennis, 3:89 Reagan, Ronald, 1:181, 2:126 Quarter moon and star, as Satanic symbols, Real Magic (Bonewits), 2:78 1:290 Reclaiming Collective, 2:88 Quartrozieme custom, 3:198 Recollective-analytic level of expanded Queen (playing cards), 2:134, 135 consciousness, 3:141–142 Queen (tarot), 2:133, 134 Red (color), symbolism of, 3:227 Quetzalcoatl (mythical being), 3:249 Red Heifer legend, 2:143 Quigley, Joan, 2:126 Red Planet Mars (film), 3:110 Qur’an Redd, Wilmot, 2:106 blessing meals, 3:220 Reed, William, 2:241 creation of Adam, 1:12 Reeser, Mary H., 3:54–55 miracle accounts, 1:220 Reeves, George, 3:25 warning against Satanism, 1:288 Reflective consciousness, 3:141 Regardie, Israel, 2:76 Regino of Prum, 2:41 R Regla de Ocha (The Rule of the Orisha). See Rabbit’s foot, 2:169, 3:198–199 Santeria Radar Magazine, 3:67 Regression therapy. See Past-life therapy Radiocarbon dating, 2:270–271 Regusters, Herman and Kia, 3:86 Bimini Road, 2:223 Reiche, Maria, 2:261–262 Carnac (France) megaliths, 2:196 Reincarnation Easter Island statues, 2:237 hypotheses, 1:70 Nazca Lines, 2:261 Orphic concept of, 1:268 Shroud of Turin, 1:235 tarot and, 2:128–129 Stonehenge, 2:274 Wiccan view of, 2:74 Tiahuanaco, 2:279 Reincarnation, in major religions, 1:41–44, Radioesthesia. See Dowsing 46–49 “Rael.” See Vorilhon, Claude Reincarnation and Biology: A Contribution to the Raelians, 1:311–313 Etiology of Birthmarks and Birth Defects Raemond, Florin de, 1:295 (Stevenson), 1:69 Raiders of the Lost Ark (film), 2:203 Relatives, dream symbolism, 3:130 Rais, Gilles de, 1:298–299 Relatives, marriage between, 3:201–202 Raleigh, Sir Walter, 2:234, 235 Relaxation, 3:156–157 Ramey, Roger, 3:261, 264 The Relaxation Response (Benson), 3:151 Ramirez, Richard, 1:289 Relaxed consciousness, 3:141 Ramphorhyneus, 3:99 . See Ecstasy Ramses II (Pharaoh of Egypt), 2:246 REM sleep, 3:120, 122 “Ramtha” (spirit guide). See Knight, J. Z. deprivation of, 3:121 Randi, James, 1:105 as nonreflective consciousness, 3:141 Randle, Kevin, 3:259–260, 261–262, 263 out-of-body experience and, 3:173 Randles, Derek, 3:62 sleep paralysis and, 3:127 Rapa Nui. See Easter Island Remembrance, of the dead. See Mourning and Raphael (angel), 2:42, 58 remembrance Rapid eye movement sleep. See REM sleep Remote viewing. See Clairvoyance The Rapture, 1:231–232 Renier, Noreen, 1:155

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 347

“Reptiles in imported carpets” urban legend, Robinson, Yankee Jim, 3:48 3:229–230 The Rock (film), 3:289 Research, out-of-body experiences, 3:170–174 Roden, Benjamin, 1:315 Research statistics. See Public opinion and Roden, Lois, 1:315 research statistics Rogers, Ray, 1:233 Researchers of clairvoyance, 3:166–170 Roggeveen, Jacob, 2:236 Researchers of ESP (Extrasensory perception), Role-playing, vampire subculture and, 3:82 3:161–184 Roll, W. G., 1:215 Researchers of precognition, 3:174–178 Rolling Thunder (Native American shaman), Researchers of psychokinesis, 3:178–179 1:75

Researchers of spirit contact, 1:74, 84, 90, Roman Catholicism CUMULATIVE INDEX 154–173 Blessed Virgin depictions, 1:273–274 Researchers of telepathy, 3:179–184 exorcism, 1:179, 207 Restoration of the Ten Commandments cult, Freemasons, condemnation of, 2:11 1:314 hell, 1:10 The Resurrection. See Jesus Christ, Resurrection miracle authentication, 1:222 of stigmata authentication, 1:241, 243 “Resurrection Mary” urban legend, 3:235 torture sanctioning, 1:218 Retrocognition, reincarnation and, 1:70 voodoo, condemnation of, 2:54–55 Revelation, Book of, 1:183 See also Inquisition Revenge of the Creature (film), 3:110 Roman Empire, beliefs and customs Revere, Paul, 2:11 days of the week superstitions, 3:191 Reverse engineering at Area 51 (NV), 3:293 dinner tables, 3:217 Rex (dog), 3:6 divination, 2:118, 150 Reyna, V. F., 3:135 drinking toasts, 3:220 Reynolds, Jeremiah, 2:240 eating utensils, 3:218, 219 Rhine, J. B., 1:84, 3:161, 162–164, 178, 179 garlic, 2:177 Rhine, Louisa, 3:161, 162–163, 164 gem superstitions, 3:195 Rhine Research Center (Durham, NC), 3:165 guests, courtesy to, 3:217 Rice, Anne, 3:82 hand washing and bathing, 3:219 Rice throwing, at weddings, 3:214 horseshoe superstitions, 3:196 Ricke, Herbert, 2:269–270 hospitality, 3:215 Rickert, Lewis, 3:261 kissing, 3:207 Ricketts, Mary, 3:40–41, 42 mirror superstitions, 2:183 Ricketts, William Henry, 3:40 mourning, 3:227 Rig-Veda (Sanskrit hymn collection), 1:11 Roman Army, religion of, 1:271 Right-hand path. See White magick salt, 2:184, 185 Rines, Bob, 3:92 silver, 2:185 Ring, Kenneth, 1:28–29 sneezing superstitions, 3:199 Ring symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 state religion, 2:40 Rings (jewelry), 2:184, 3:213 sweetmeats for newlyweds, 3:214 Rips, Eliyahu, 1:242 wedding dinners, 3:213 Ritual murder. See Human sacrifice and ritual white, symbolism of, 3:208 murder Roman Inquisition. See Holy Office Rivers, Olivia, 3:180 Roman Nose (Native American warrior), 1:77 Roanoke Island (NC) mystery (1587), 2:269 Romania, hope chest custom, 3:206 Robert the Bruce (King of Scotland), 2:24 Romania, regulation of witches (21st c.), 2:101 Roberts, Jane, 1:94, 126–129 Roosevelt, Franklin D., 1:181, 2:155, 3:198 Roberts, Kenneth, 2:136 Roosevelt Hotel (Hollywood, CA), 3:25 Robinson, Edwin, 1:192 Rooty Hill (Australia), weeping statue of, 1:251 Robinson, John A. T., 1:237 Rose, Zia, 2:75

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 348 Cumulative Index

Rosemary’s Baby (film), 1:238 St. Katherine’s Church (Nuremberg, Germany), Rosenberg, Yoav, 1:242 2:209 Rosencreutz, Christian, 2:30–31 St. Mary’s Church holy apparitions (Zeitoun, Rosenstock, Harvey, 3:85 Egypt), 1:187, 190 Roshi, Shodo Harada, 1:214 St. Vincent, John Jervis, Earl of, 3:40, 41 Rosicrucians, 2:2, 4, 30–32, 43 Saints, liquefied blood of, 1:221 Roswell (NM) UFO crash (1947), 3:242, 252, Saints, symbols of, 2:95 260–265, 297 Salem (MA) witchcraft trials (1692), 2:100, See also Area 51 (NV); Hangar 18, Wright- 103–106 Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, OH) Salinas, José Carlos, 1:245 The Roswell Report—Case Closed (USAF), Salt, 2:168, 184–185, 185 3:264, 291–292 Saltmarsh, H. F., 3:174, 175 Roulet, Jacques, 3:84 Samadhi (Concentration), 3:149 Rowe, Frankie, 3:262–263 Samuel (angel), 2:42 Rowland, Dan, 3:65–66 Samuel (Hebrew prophet), 1:131–132 Royal Air Force gremlin tales, 3:104–105 Sanderson, Ivan T., 3:19, 60 Rubies, 2:186 Sands, George X., 2:227 Ruck family, 2:28–29 Santa Lucia feast, 2:172 The Rule of the Orisha (Regla de Ocha). See Santeria, 1:286–288 Santeria Sapphires, 2:186, 3:195 Runes, 2:197 Saracens, 2:19 Russell, Gerald, 3:67 Sardonyx, 2:186 Russell, John, 3:98 Saskehavis. See Bigfoot (apelike monster) Russia, beliefs and customs Sasquatch. See Bigfoot (apelike monster) engagement announcements, 3:208 Satan wedding dinners, 3:214 Apocalypse and, 1:183, 185 Russia Will be Converted (Haffert), 1:186 as black magick deity, 2:51–52 Ryan, Leo, 1:319 Cathars’ view of, 1:277 Ryerson, Kevin, 1:96, 97 Satanists’ view of, 1:290, 291 Ryzl, Milan, 3:167–168, 169 Satanas (pagan deity), 2:51–52 The Satanic Bible (LaVey), 1:300–301 Satanic cults, 1:288–291 S The Satanic Rituals (LaVey), 1:302 Sabbah, Hasan ibn, 2:4, 5 Satanism, in the Middle Ages, 1:291–299 Sabbat Dance. See Witches’ Round Satanism, modern Sabbats, 1:290, 293–294, 2:97–99 Christianity, view of, 1:301 See also Black Mass Church of Satan, 1:299–303 Sachiel (angel), 2:42 Proctor & Gamble sponsorship urban Sacred Abbey of Thelema (Sicily), 2:62 legend, 3:235–236 Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the witchcraft, confusion with, 2:74 Faith (Rome), 1:222 Satan’s Satellites (film), 3:112 Sacred Dying Foundation, 2:89 Sathan (spirit entity), 1:290 The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, 2:49–50 Saul (King of Israel), 1:131–133, 2:150 Sacred objects, power of, 2:199–210 Saunders, David, 3:259 See also specific objects Saxon witchcraft. See Seax-Wica Sacsahuaman (Peru), 2:274, 275 Scandinavia, beliefs and customs Saducismus Triumphaus (Glanvil), 3:47 adultery, 3:202 Sagan, Carl, 3:246 elves, 3:100, 101 Sagittarius, the Archer, 2:123, 186 fairy tales, 2:176 Saint-Germain, Count, 2:71–72 maypoles, 2:181 St. Germain de Pres Church (Paris), 1:274 nisse, 3:107–108

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 349

number superstitions, 3:197 Second Coming, 1:9–10, 182–183, 184–185 runes, 2:197 See also Apocalypse; Armageddon; Final trolls, 3:109 Judgment Viking funerals, 3:226 The Secret Doctrine (Blavatsky), 1:57 wedding dinners, 3:214 Secret societies. See Conspiracy theories; specific Scarabs, 2:169 societies Schacter, Daniel, 3:130, 131 Sects, 1:270, 272 Schismatic Druids of North America, 2:78 Sedona (AZ), 2:271 Schlater, Phillip L., 2:247–248 “Seelie court.” See Elves Schliemann, Heinrich, 2:210 Self, 3:119

Schmeidler, Gertrude R., 3:164 Self-consciousness. See Reflective consciousness CUMULATIVE INDEX Schmitt, Don, 3:259, 261–262, 263 Seligmann, Kurt, 1:292–293, 2:96 Schneider, Rudi, 1:129–131, 130 Selkies, 3:109 Schneider, Willy, 1:129 Semantic memory, 3:132 Schoch, Robert M., 2:270 Semjaza (angel), 2:52 School of Wicca (U.S.), 2:82 Sensory level of expanded consciousness, 3:141 Schopenhauer, Arthur, 1:156 “Sensory translation” hypothesis, 1:216 Schrek, Max, 3:80–81, 81 September 11 terrorist attacks (2001, U.S.) Schrenck-Notzing, Albert von, 1:89, 129, 130 hoaxes resulting from, 3:228, 229 Schwartz, Gary, 1:84, 155 rise in nightmares since, 3:126 Schweitzer, John Frederick. See Helvetius Serbia, wedding dinners, 3:214 (Dutch alchemist) Serial killers, interest in Satanism, 1:289 Schwerner, Michael, 3:166 “Serialism,” 3:176–177 Science, religious phenomena and, 1:190–191 Sermo generalis. See Auto-da-fe Science, spirituality and, 1:22–23 Servant (tarot). See Knave (tarot) Scientific Advisory Panel on UFOs, 3:256 Set (Egyptian deity), 1:303 Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects “Seth” (spirit guide). See Roberts, Jane (Condon). See Condon/University of Seven, symbolism of Colorado Report (1969) luckiness of, 3:198 Scientology, 1:315, 320–321 numerology, 2:146 The Scoriton Mystery (Buckle), 1:306, 3:272 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Scorpio, the Scorpion, 2:123, 186 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 Scotland, beliefs and customs Seven Angels, 2:42, 57–58 ceasg, 3:107 Seven Devas. See Seven Angels elves, 3:100–101 “Seven-knot-love-garter,” 2:180–181 fairies and fairy tales, 2:176–177, 3:101 Seven Seals, 1:183 Scotland, witchcraft trials, 2:106 “Seven Secrets for Successful Prayer” Scotophobia, 3:138, 140 (Sherman), 1:230 Scott, Margaret, 2:106 Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, 2:243 Scott, Sir Walter, 3:102 Seventeen, tarot symbolism of, 2:132 Scottish Knights Templar. See Militi Templi Sexual abuse, memory and, 3:134, 135 Scotia Sexual intercourse Scrying, 2:162, 162–164, 163 incubi and, 3:76, 78, 143 “Scuba diver in tree” urban legend, 3:236 Inquisition and erotomania, 3:76, 78 Sea monsters. See Sea serpents medieval Church view of, 1:291–292 Sea serpents, 3:93–97, 3:94 ritual intercourse, Crowley, Aleister, and, Seabury, Captain, 3:96 2:62 Seances, 1:85, 86–90 succubi and, 3:76, 79–80, 143 See also Mediums and channelers witchhunters’ fixation on, 2:110–111 Search for Grace (film), 1:61 Shadow Ceremony. See Ghost Ceremony Seax-Wica, 2:81 Shadow of the Vampire (film), 3:81

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 350 Cumulative Index

Shafe, Glenn, 3:131 Sitting Bull (Sioux holy man), 1:285 Shakespeare, William, 3:102 “Sitting” shiva, 3:228 Shaking hands, 3:201 Sitwell, Sacheverell, 3:19 Shamanism, 1:74, 76–82, 286, 2:190 Six, symbolism of Shandera, Jamie, 3:297 numerology, 2:146 Shapeshifting playing cards, 2:134, 135 Nakh, 3:107 Pythagoras on, 2:145 Nix, 3:107 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 selkies, 3:109 The Six Books of the Republic (Bodin), 2:110 werewolves, 3:83 666 (Number of the Beast), 1:181, 183, Shapur I (Emperor of Persia), 1:282 238–239, 290, 3:198 Shaw, George Bernard, 3:33 See also The Antichrist SHC. See Spontaneous Human Combustion Sixteen, tarot symbolism of, 2:132 Sheldon, Susanna, 2:104, 105 “Sixth Sense.” See Extrasensory perception Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, 3:75 (ESP) Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 3:75 The Sixth Sense (film), 3:50, 158 Sheol, 1:14 Sixtus V, Pope, 2:159 Shepherds Rod, Branch Seventh-Day Skull candles, 2:172 Adventist. See Branch Davidians Skulls, crystal, 2:191–193 Sherman, Harold, 1:230, 230, 3:162 Skunk Ape, 3:65–66 Shermer, Michael, 3:59, 161 Slaughter Stone (England), 2:273 Shevrin, Howard, 3:124 Slave adoption of Christianity, 1:282–283, The Shining (film), 3:112 285–286, 2:52, 54 Ship disappearances, Bermuda Triangle, 2:228 Sleeman, William, 2:33 Shipton, Eric E., 3:66, 67 Sleep disorders, 3:121 Shipton, Mother. See Mother Shipton Sleep paralysis, 3:127 Shriners, 2:12 “Sleeping on a problem.” See Creative and lucid Shroud of Turin, 1:232–238, 233, 236, 2:200 dreaming Shroud of Turin Research Project, 1:233–234 “The Sleepless Ones.” See Watchers (angels) “Sidhe.” See Fairies Sleepwalking, 3:125 Siegel, Alan, 3:126 Slick, Tom, 3:67 Siegel, Jerome, 3:131 Smith, Benjamin, 1:59 Sierra Leone, Leopard Men activity, 2:24–25 Smith, G. E., 3:29, 30 Signs (film), 3:296 Smith, Huston, 1:178, 248 Sikhs, cremation, 3:226 Smith, Marie Sweet, 1:160 Sila (Purification), 3:149 Smith, Will, 3:277 “Silent contactees,” 3:268 Smyth, Charles Piazzi, 2:265 Silver, 2:185 Smythe, Frank, 3:66 Silver Cliff (CO) spooklights, 3:22–23 Snake handling, 1:239–241, 240 Silver cord (Soul Body connection), 1:27–28, Snake symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 3:13, 171 Snakes, mistaken for dragons, 3:88 Silverman, Helaine, 2:262 “Snakes in imported carpets” urban legend, Simmons, Ruth. See Murphy, Bridey 3:229–230 Simon, Benjamin, 3:275 “Snakes in the toilet” urban legend, 3:236–237 Simon, Carly, 3:138 Sneezing superstitions, 3:199 Simon Magus (early Gnostic), 1:278, 2:69–70 Snowden, Wendy, 1:83 Simony, 2:69 Soal, S. G., 3:181 Simos, Miriam. See Starhawk (Wiccan leader) Social phobias, 3:137 Sinclair, Mrs. Upton, 3:181–182 Society for Psychical Research (SPR), 1:157, Sinetar, Marsha, 1:195 172–173 Sirens (Garduna), 2:14 Society of Novus Spiritus, 1:97–98

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 351

Socorro (NM) UFO sighting (1964), Spirit cabinets, 1:88 3:265–266 Spirit contact, researchers of, 1:74, 84, 90, Socrates (Greek philosopher), 1:90 1:154–173 Soldaro, Antonio Aldo, 1:29 Spirit controls, 1:90–92 Solomon’s seal, 2:144 See also Spirit guides; Totems Solon (Greek politician), 2:221 Spirit guides, 1:79–80, 90–92, 94 Sontheil, Ursula. See Mother Shipton guardian angels as, 1:212 Soubrious, Bernadette, 1:188, 189, 209–210, as intermediaries, 1:159 2:248 tribal empowerment and, 2:190 Souers, Sidney W., 3:297–298 See also Spirit controls; Totems

Soul Body, 1:27–28, 3:171 Spirit land, 1:38 CUMULATIVE INDEX Soul journeys, 1:76 Spirit mediumship, 1:82–93 Souls . See Psychic photography of animals, 3:7 , 1:143, 144 in Buddhism, 1:4–5 See also Macumba; Spiritualism in Christianity, 1:4, 5 The Spirits’ Book (Le Livre des Esprits) (Kardec), in Hinduism, 1:4, 11–12 1:143 immortality of, in traditional religions, 1:2 Spiritual expression, 20th century, 1:313–321 in Islam, 1:4, 5, 13 Spiritualism, 1:133–134, 133–144 in Judaism, 1:4, 5, 14, 48 See also Spiritism Origen on, 1:9 Spitting superstitions, 3:199–200 Orphic concept, 1:35, 268 Spontaneous human combustion (SHC), Paul, St. on, 1:8–9 3:52–55, 298, 299 Pythagoras on, 1:35 Spooklights, 3:22–24 Taoist concept, 1:42 “Spooksville,” 3:23 tribal concepts, 1:36–37, 40, 3:221–222 Spoons, 3:218 See also Ba and ka; Reincarnation SPR. See Society for Psychical Research Source amnesia, 3:131–132 Sprenger, Jakob, 1:199–200, 219, 2:108 Soviet Union, end of communism, 1:186, 2:153, Sprinkle, R. Leo, 3:269, 270 160 Spunkies, 3:104 Space visitors, in Holy Scripture, 3:249–251 Spying, psychics used in, 1:155 Spades (playing cards), 2:135 Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scales, Spain, Garduna activity, 2:13–15 3:146–147 Spain, witchcraft trials, 2:106–108 Star and quarter moon, as Satanic symbols, See also Spanish Inquisition 1:290 Spanish Inquisition, 1:219, 2:13–14, 106–107 “Star Gospel” (Katter), 2:124 Spanos, Nicholas, 3:148 Star of Bethlehem, explanation for, 3:249 . See Glossolalia Star Trek: The Motion Picture (film), 3:253 Spear of Destiny, 2:200, 209, 209–210 Starhawk (Wiccan leader), 2:89–90 Spear of Longinus. See Spear of Destiny Starkey, Marion L., 2:104 Special Report Number 14 (1954), 3:256 Stars (tarot), 2:132 “Specious present,” 3:175 Stawell, Lord and Lady, 3:42 The Sphinx (Giza, Egypt), 2:150, 268, 268–272 Steiner, Rudolf, 1:149–152, 150 Sphinx (mythological creature), 2:269 as Anthroposophy founder, 1:51–53 Spiders, fear of. See Arachnophobia on cosmic consciousness, 1:194 “Spiders in the hairdo” urban legend, critics of, 1:148 3:237–238 on reincarnation, 1:50 Spielberg, Steven, 3:281, 282–283 Steller’s sea eagles, 3:99 Spilsbury, Bernard, 3:33 Stepanek, Pavel, 3:167–168 The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Sterne, John, 2:111 Religion of the Great Goddess (Starhawk), 2:89 Stevenson, Ian, 1:69–70

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 352 Cumulative Index

Steward, Patrick, 3:21 Swastikas, inverted, 1:290 Stigmata, 1:241, 243–244 Sweden, mistletoe custom, 2:183 Stigmata (film), 1:239 Sweden, UFO sightings (1946), 3:252 Stockholm (Sweden) fire (1759), 1:152–153 Swedenborg, Emanuel, 1:136, 148, 152–154, “Stone-dropping,” 3:19 153 Stonehenge Decoded (Hawkins), 2:273–274 Swift, Jane, 2:106 Stonehenge (England), 2:79, 232–233, “Swimming” a witch, 2:112 272–275 Switzerland, werewolf burnings, 3:83–84 Stones, 2:185–187 Switzerland, witch hunts, 2:99 See also Gem superstitions; Megaliths Swords (tarot), 2:133–134 Stored memories, 3:140 Swordsmen (Garduna), 2:14 Stregeria, 2:93 Sykes, Brian, 3:64, 68 Strict Observance (Masonic group), 2:18 Sylvester, Pope, 1:186 Strieber, Whitley, 3:270–271, 279, 279–280, Symbolic level of expanded consciousness, 283–284 3:142 Stromberg, Gustaf, 2:125 Symbols and symbolism Stuart, John H., 3:277 astrology, 2:121–123, 124 Stubbe, Peter, 3:84 black (color), 1:40 Stukeley, William, 2:232, 273 dreams, 3:128–130 Stupor, 3:140 horns (head), 2:92, 94 Sturridge, Charles, 3:103 Luther, Martin, 2:31 Subconscience, precognition and, 3:175 saints, 2:95 Succubi, 3:76, 79–80, 143 Satanism, 1:290, 301 Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death tea leaf reading, 2:165–166 Syndrome (SUNDS), 3:233 See also Amulets; Animal symbolism; , reincarnation and, 1:42, 47–48 Number symbolism Suggestion, power of, 1:83, 90 Symmes, John Cleves, 2:240–241 Suitcases, dream symbolism, 3:130 Sumatra, food kinship custom, 3:216 “Sumatran Yeti.” See Orang pendek T Sumerians Table manners, 3:215–216 amulets, 2:169 Taboos. See Customs and taboos; specific astronomers, accuracy of, 3:249 countries and cultures cultural evolution, 3:248 Tahiti, food kinship, 3:216 Summers, Montague, 3:78 Talavera, Jorge Luis, 3:71 Summis Desiderantes Affectibus (Innocent VIII), Talismans, 2:168, 194, 197–198, 3:188 2:103, 108 See also Amulets; Fetishes; Good luck Sun, dream symbolism, 3:130 charms Sun Lord Pacal (Mayan figure), 2:253–254 Tamblyn, Russ, 3:14 Sun (tarot), 2:132 Tanganyika, lion men activity, 2:26 SUNDS. See Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Tanner, John, 1:283 Death Syndrome Tantalis (King of Lydia), 2:224–225 The Superiority of Women (Agrippa), 2:59 Tao Teh Ching (Taoist work), 3:150 Superstitions, 3:189–200 Taoism Supreme Military Order of Temple of Jerusalem burials and funerals, 3:223 of England, Wales, and Scotland, 2:24 hospitality and charity, 3:215 Sutherland, Donald, 3:112 meditation, 3:150 Sutphen, Richard, 1:59–61 mourning, 3:228 Sutton, Billy Ray, 3:243–244 soul, 1:42 Suzuki, D. T., 1:215 Taos Pueblo (NM), 2:275–279, 276 Swastikas, 2:210 Tarantula (film), 3:110

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 353

Targ, Russell, 3:164 Thirteenth School, 2:248 Tarot. See Cartomancy and tarot Thixotropy, 1:221 Tart, Charles T., 3:121, 122, 164–165, 172–173 Thomas, Andy, 3:296 Tasseography. See Tea leaf reading Thomas Aquinas, St., 2:47 Tatsl, Igor, 3:67 Thornton, Billy Bob, 3:136 Taurus, the Bull, 2:121, 186 Thoth-Hermes. See Hermes-Toth (Greek deity) Taylor, Dan, 3:90, 92 Three, symbolism of Taylor, G. Rattray, 1:291 numerology, 2:146 Taylor, John, 2:265 playing cards, 2:134–135 Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich, 3:142 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134

Te Pito O Te Henua. See Easter Island The Thuggee, 2:2, 32–34 CUMULATIVE INDEX Tea leaf reading, 2:164–166, 165 Thunderbirds, 3:97–99 Tedworth Drummer (Tedworth, England), Thurston, Gavin, 3:53 3:44–47, 45 Thurston, Herbert, 1:237 Teed, Cyrus Read, 2:242 “Ti.” See Nettles, Bonnie Lu Trousdale Teenagers’ interest in the occult, 1:289 Tiahuanaco (Bolivia), 2:277–279 Teeth, dream symbolism, 3:130 Tibetan prayer wheels. See Prayer wheels Telekinesis. See Psychokinesis Tighe, Virginia. See Morrow, Virginia Tighe Telepathy, 3:24, 25, 158, 160 Tikal (Guatemala), 2:253, 255, 256 Telepathy, researchers of, 3:179–184 Timaeus (Plato), 2:221 Teleportation, 1:119 “Time compression,” 3:292 See also Philadelphia Experiment (1943) Timor, flower giving, 3:208 Television programs. See Horror films and TV Titharaja (King of the Holy Cities). See programs Allahabad (India) Temperament, 2:120–121 Tituba (17th c. slave), 2:104, 105 Temperance (tarot), 2:131 “Tkys-katsi.” See Yeti Temple of Artemis (Ephesus), 2:243 Toasting with drinks, 3:220–221 Temple of Inscriptons (Mexico), 2:253 Tolstoy, Leo, 1:112–113 Temple of Karnak (Egypt), 2:246 Tongs, 2:2, 34, 36–37 Temple of Set, 1:303–304 Tonsmann, José Aste, 1:245–246 Temple of Solomon (Jerusalem), 2:10, 202–203, Topaz, 2:186 210 Topper (film), 3:49 Ten, symbolism of Topper (TV program), 3:51 playing cards, 2:134, 135 Topsell, Edward, 3:88 tarot, 2:133, 134 Torquemada, Tomas de, 1:219, 2:107 Teresa, Mother. See Mother Teresa Torture Teresa of Avila, St., 1:190, 203 in England, 2:100–101 Terhune, Albert Payson, 3:6 of Knights Templar, 2:22 The Terror (film), 3:112 sanctioning by Roman Catholic Church, Teudt, Wilhelm, 2:257 1:218 Them! (film), 3:110 in Scotland, 2:106 Theosophical Society, 1:52, 55–56, 148, 275 of witches, 1:199–200, 2:96 Theosophy, 1:55–57, 148 Total Overcomers. See Heaven’s Gate cult Thera volcano, 2:224 Totem animals, 1:80–81 Therianthropes, 3:58, 69, 83 Totem poles, 2:199 The Thing (film), 3:110 Totems, 1:39, 2:198–199 The Thing from Another World (film), 3:281 See also Spirit controls; Spirit guides Thinnes, Roy, 3:289 Tower of Destruction (tarot), 2:132 Thirteen, symbolism of Toyanbee, Arnold, 1:156 tarot, 2:131 Trances, 1:92–93 unluckiness of, 3:197–198 consciousness and, 3:141

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 354 Cumulative Index

Extrasensory Perception and, 3:160 in modern times, 3:251–266 of Macumba shamen, 1:286 recent mysteries, 3:290–301 during possession, 1:224 Ullman, Montague, 3:124, 160, 164 during UFO contact, 3:268 Uluru monolith (Australia), 2:196 Transiency, in consciousness, 1:145 Umbanda. See Macumba Transmigration of souls. See Reincarnation, in Umberto II (King of Portugal), 1:234 major religions Umm al-Qura. See Mecca (Saudi Arabia) Travolta, John, 1:320 Underhill, Evelyn, 1:202 Tree coffins, 3:222 Underhill, Leah Fox. See Fox sisters Trees, 2:187–188, 3:196 Understanding Incorporated, 1:305, 3:273 Trembles, Mary, 2:101 Unidentified flying objects. See UFOs Trenchers, 3:219 The Uninvited (film), 3:49 Triad Tong, 2:34, 36, 37 United States, beliefs and customs Tribal empowerment, 2:190–199 engagement announcements, 3:208 Trivial precognition, 3:176 horseshoes, 2:178 Trolls, 3:109 multiculturalism and, 3:202 True Church of God. See Cathars Santeria, 1:287 Trumpet seances, 1:87–88 vampire subculture, 3:81–82 Tsien, Joe, 3:131 United States, Freemason activity, 2:9–12 Tucker, D. Gordon, 3:92 The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (Houdini), Turck, Sven, 3:178 1:165 Turkey, alleged Noah’s Ark sightings, 2:219 “Unseelie court.” See Elves Turkey, horseshoe custom, 2:179 Upanishads (Hindu text), 1:42, 3:150 Turquoise, 2:186–187 Urban legends and beliefs, 3:228–238 Twelve, symbolism of See also Hoaxes Pythagoras on, 2:145 U.S. Air Force, UFOs and. See UFOs, in significance of, 3:198 modern times tarot, 2:131 U.S. Air Force gremlin tales, 3:105 Twenty-two, symbolism of, 2:147 U.S. Navy Flight 19 disappearance (1945), “Twilight” communication, 1:89 2:228 Twining, Nathan, 3:253, 256, 297 USS Cyclops disappearance (1918), 2:228 Twins, telepathic ability of, 3:180 USS Eldridge. See Philadelphia Experiment Twitchell, Paul, 1:51, 316–317, 317 (1943) Two, symbolism of “Uvani” (spirit control). See Garrett, Eileen numerology, 2:146 Uxmal (Mexico), 2:254, 255 playing cards, 2:135 Pythagoras on, 2:145 tarot, 2:130, 133, 134 V Tyrrell, G. N. M., 3:160 Valentino, Rudolph, 3:25 Valentinus (Gnostic teacher), 1:278 Valhalla sea monster, 3:93–94 U Valiente, Doreen, 2:90–91 Ubasti (Egyptian deity). See Bast (Egyptian “Vampire Chronicles” books (Rice), 3:82 deity) Vampires, 3:80–83 UFO contactees and abductees, 3:245, Van Dusen, Wilson, 1:198, 224 3:266–280 Van Praagh, James, 1:124–125 UFO cults, 1:304–313 Van Tassel, George, 1:305, 3:280 UFO Enigma Museum (Roswell, NM), 3:291 Vandenberg, Hoyt S., 3:298 UFOs Vanished civilizations, 2:214–215 in ancient times, 3:246–251 Varieties of Anomalous Experiences (Cardena, et in film and TV, 3:281–290 al), 1:216–217

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 355

Vasiliev, Leonid L., 3:162, 182–183 Wallace, Alfred Russell, 1:134 Vegetarianism, Manichaeans and, 1:282 “Walter” (spirit control). See Crandon, Mina Vela X supernova, 3:248 Stinson Verity, L. S., 3:12–13 Wandervogel, 2:210 La Vie Execrable de Guillemette Babin (Carron), War of the Worlds (film and radio broadcast), 3:192 3:285–287 Vigenere, Blaise, 2:43 Warren Commission, 2:35 Viking funerals, 3:226 Washington, George, 2:11 Vincent, Kenneth, 3:85 Washington (DC) UFO sightings (1952), 3:253, Violence, of poltergeists, 3:19 292

Virgin of Guadalupe, 1:244–246, 245 Wasson, Peter, 3:152–153 CUMULATIVE INDEX Virgins, as brides of Christ, 1:292 Wasson, R. Gordon and Mrs., 3:152–153 Virgo, the Virgin, 2:122, 186 Watchers (angels), 2:52 Vishnu (Hindu deity), 1:11 “Watching” a witch, 2:112 Vision quests, 1:81–82 Water, dream symbolism, 3:129, 130 Visions, 1:246–249 Water acquisition, Nazca Lines and, 2:260–261, See also Deathbed visions 262–263 Vivien (fairy queen), 2:226 Water divining. See Dowsing Vodun. See Voodoo Waterhouse, Agnes, 2:100 Vogel, Marcel, 2:174 Watkins, Alfred, 2:232, 233, 261 Vogel Luminescence, 2:174 Watson, Gladys, 3:8–9 “La Voisin.” See Montvoison, Catherine Wauk-Wauk. See Bigfoot (apelike monster) Volsungr (Norse deities), 2:197 We Faked the Ghosts of Borley Rectory Von Fram, M. L., 3:119 (Mayerling), 3:32–33 Von Knigge, Baron Adolf Francis, 2:18 Weaver, Sigourney, 3:282 Von Nettesheim, Henry Cornelius Agrippa. See Webb, Clifton, 3:25 Agrippa (German philosopher) Webb, David, 3:270 Von Spee, Friedrich, 2:96 Webb, Jim, 3:39 Von Tilburg, Jo Ann, 2:127 Webster, Christopher, 1:84 Voodoo, 2:52, 54–56 Wedding cakes, 3:214 fetishes, 2:194 Wedding ceremonies, 3:210–213 gris-gris, 2:198 Wedding dinners, 3:213–214 religious articles, 2:54 Wedding gowns. See Bridal dress See also Laveau, Marie Wedding processions, western, 3:209–210 “Voodoo death,” 2:56 Wedding rings, 3:213 Voodoo dolls, 2:188, 188–190, 189, 194 Wednesday superstitions, 3:191 Vorilhon, Claude, 1:311, 312 Wee folk, 3:99–109 Vu Quang oxen, 3:86 Weeping statues and icons, 1:249–252 Weil, Andrew, 3:151 Weinberger kidnapping (1956), 2:139 W Weishaupt, Adam, 2:16, 18 Waco (TX) standoff (1993). See Branch Weiss, Brian, 1:67 Davidians Weiss, Erich. See Houdini, Harry “Wailing Wall” (Jerusalem), 2:242, 245 Weiss, Frederick, 3:124 Wakes, 3:225 Weiss, Theodore, 1:163, 165 Walcott, Mary, 2:104, 105 Weitzenhoffer, Andre M., 3:146, 147 Wales, beliefs and customs Welles, Orson, 3:286, 286–287 bride capturing, 3:204 Were-creatures. See Therianthropes; fairy tales, 2:176 Werewolves Walker, Grace, 3:53–54 Werewolves, 3:83–85 Wall, Patrick, 3:133 Wesley, Samuel, 3:36–38

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained 356 Cumulative Index

West, John Anthony, 2:270, 271 Witches’ Round, 1:294–295, 2:98–99 West, Mae, 3:25 Witches’ salve. See “Flying ointment” Wester, William C., 3:148 Witchhunters, 2:108–114 Weston, Jesie, 2:205–206 Witzman, Doron, 1:242 Wexford (Ireland) leprechauns, 3:105–106 Wolf (film), 3:112 Weyer, Johann, 1:219, 2:109, 110 The Wolf Man (film), 3:85 Whaley, Thomas and Anna, 3:47, 48–49 Wollam, Josie, 1:234 Whaley House (San Diego, CA), 3:47–49 Wolves, Native Americans and, 3:193 Wheel of Fortune (tarot), 2:131 Woman symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 Wheel symbols, in tea leaf reading, 2:166 Women, status of White, John, 2:269 Agrippa on, 2:59 White, John W., 1:26, 194 bride capturing and bride buying, 3:204–205 White, Rhea, 3:164 elopement, 3:206 White, Richard, 3:92 Garduna and, 2:14 White (color), symbolism of, 3:208–209, 227 Gnosticism and, 1:279 White magick, 2:51, 56–57, 3:188 in Middle Ages, 1:292 Whitehead, Alfred North, 1:22, 156 polygamy and polyandry, 3:203 Whitford, Dorothy, 2:82, 83 “Woodhenge” (IL), 2:231 Wicca, 1:289–290, 291–293, 2:72–74 Woodruffe, Clark, 3:42–43 Wiccan leaders, 2:75, 77–91 Woodruffe, Sara Matilda, 3:42–43 Wiccan Rede, 2:73 Wordsworth, William, 3:124 Wigs. See Hair and wig grooming The World Goodwill Centers, 1:281 Wilcox, George, 3:262 World leaders, viewed as the Antichrist, “Wilhelm” (spirit entity), 3:39 1:181–182 Wilkes expedition (1838–42), 2:240–241 World (tarot), 2:132 Williams, Abigail, 2:104, 105 Worrall, Olga, 1:58 Williams, Charles, 2:108 Wounded Knee (SD) massacre (1890), 1:285 Willis, Archie, 3:93 Wovoka (Paiute shaman). See Wilson, Jack Willis, Bruce, 3:158 Wreaths, for funerals, 3:226 Wilson, Ian, 1:234 Wright, Elsie, 1:138, 139, 3:103 Wilson, Jack, 1:78–79, 283–285 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Hangar 18 Wilson, Terry, 2:25–26 (Dayton, OH), 3:259–260, 260 Winchester, Simon, 1:45 Wulff, David M., 1:217 Winged Pharaoh (Grant), 1:58 Wulff, Wilhelm, 2:125 Wings of Deliverance. See People’s Temple Winter, William, 3:43–44 Wiseman, James, 1:220 X Wiseman, Richard, 1:83 The X-Files (TV program), 3:51, 3:287–288, Wishbones, 2:169 288 The Witch Cult in Western Europe (Murray), Xenophobia, 3:140 2:75, 87–88 Witch of Endor, 1:131–133 Witchcraft, 2:91–99 Inquisition and, 1:199–200, 217–218, 219 Y related violence (20th–21st c.), 2:101 Yama (Hindu deity), 1:5, 7–8 Satanism and, 1:289, 2:74 Year of the Dragon (film), 2:34 Seax-Wica, 2:81 Yeats, William Butler, 3:102 See also Wicca Yellow Turbans Tong, 2:36 Witchcraft Today (Gardner), 2:77, 85 “Yeren.” See Yeti Witchcraft trials, 2:99–108 Yeti, 3:66–68, 67 The Witches of Eastwick (film), 3:112 , 3:157

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Cumulative Index 357

Yogananda, Paramahansa, 1:47 Zeuglodon, 3:87, 96 “Yossele” (Golem of Prague), 3:76 Zeus, statue of, 2:243 You Were Born Again to Be Together (Sutphen), Zeus (Greek deity), 1:267 1:59 Zhengxin, Yuan, 3:68 Young, Sherry and Terry, 3:180 Zinsstag, Lou, 3:272 Yule candle, 2:172 Zodiac, 2:120, 121–123, 124 Zohar, 2:142 See also Kabbalah Z Zolar (astrologer), 2:123–124 Zachariah (Hebrew prophet), 3:250 Zombi, 2:55–56

Zadikel (angel), 2:58 Zombies of the Stratosphere (film). See Satan’s CUMULATIVE INDEX Zamora, Lonnie, 3:265–266 Satellites (film) Zaphkiel (angel), 2:58 Zoroaster (Persian religious leader), 1:288, 2:70–71 Zeitoun (Egypt) holy apparitions, 1:187, 190 Zosimus of Panapolis, 2:42 Zell, Oberon, 2:73, 74 Zulley, Jurgen, 3:121 Zell, Tim. See Zell, Oberon Zulu people, burial customs, 3:226 Zener cards, 3:163, 169 Zuni people, fetishes, 2:193 Zeta I and II Reticuli, 3:275–276 Zuoguian, Feng, 3:68

The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained