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FREEPOST RSSK-JZAC-JCJG The Writers Bureau DEPT AT612P MANCHESTER M3 1LE email: [email protected] Please include your name and address Fortean Times 296 strange days Hunting for Sasquatch by balloon; D-Day pigeon mystery; curse of the Bounty; talking animals; when camel spiders attack; phantom monks; Stonehenge secrets revealed; CONTENTS pathology bake-off; Japanese witch executed; car stop cases; the Curridge Creature – and much more. the world of strange phenomena 15 2012 WATCH 24 ARCHÆOLOGY 16 SCIENCE 25 CLASSICAL CORNER 18 GHOSTWATCH 26 NECROLOG 21 MYTHCONCEPTIONS 27 STRANGE DEATHS 22 MEDICAL BAG 28 THE UFO FILES 23 ALIEN ZOO features COVER STORY 30 50 SHADES OF GREY PETER BROOKESMITH looks back at the hidden history of jolly – and not so jolly – rogers with the alien sex pirates. Plus, unusual activities among the hybrids and hypnotists ENSSON SV 38 CROWLEY’S ART FROM THE ABBEY RICHARD JACK SARGEANT reports on a new exhibition that puts the 53 DREAMING OF A GRIM CHRISTMAS When Sweden’s churchyards are stalked by a flesh-devouring pig-monster Great Beast’s Sicilian paintings in the spotlight and fills in the ga p s in our knowledge of his magical career 42 GHOST MOBS ROGER CLARKE considers the Victorian phenomenon of ghost-hunting flashmobs. What do these public expressions of supernatural interest tell us about the relationship between ghosts and the British class system? 46 ROBERT E HOWARD: THE LOST CELT The first ever Conan story was published 80 years ago, IMAAGES ORIENTIS in December 1932, and the mighty barbarian hero has GETTY maintained his hold on the popular imagination ever / TEMPLI since. ANGELINE B ADAMS AND REMCO VAN STRATEN AFP / ORDO explore his creator’s Texan background and reveal how a changing world of frontier medicine, oil booms and tall E-HWAN JA tales ga v e birth to the genre of Sword and Sorcery. COPYRIGHT KIM 38 ART FROM CROWLEY’S ABBEY 10 TRUNK CALLS The Great Beast’s Sicilian paintings Koshik the talking elephant and others reports 76 STORIES FROM THE ILLUSTRATED POLICE NEWS No. 18. The Fighting Ghost of Tondu by Dr Jan Bondeson forum .UK 55 Pigging out at Christmas by Ka r l Shuker regulars 02 EDITORIAL 78 READER INFO 54 SUBSCRIPTIONS 79 PHENOMENOMIX WWW.DAVINCISLASTCOMMISSION.CO 46 THE MAN WHO CREATED CONAN 12 THE JESUS AND MARY CLAIMS 71 LETTERS 80 TALES FROM THE VAULT The frontier life of Robert E Howard Lost Leonardo and takeaway Christ MAIN COVER IMAGE: GÉRARD GOFFAUX FT296 1 www.forteantimes.com EDITOR DAVID SUTTON ([email protected]) FOUNDING EDITORS BOB RICKARD ([email protected]) PAUL SIEVEKING ([email protected]) ART DIRECTOR ETIENNE GILFILLAN ([email protected]) BOOK REVIEWS EDITOR VAL STEVENSON ([email protected]) RESIDENT CARTOONIST HUNT EMERSON SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES AND BACK ISSUES www.subsinfo.co.uk [email protected] Gift ideas for the end of the world Barbarians, reptilians and spooks FORTEAN TIMES is produced for Dennis Publishing by Wild Talents Ltd. Postal address: Fortean Times, T h i s is our last issue of 2012, and as w e go to Still, e v e n if this does prove to be our last issue, PO BOX 71602, London E17 0QD. press, two dates loom in the FT calendar. One, there’s plenty in it to help make y o u r final days Y o u can manage your existing subscription through of course, is Christmas – the day on which y o u happy ones. Remco v a n Straten and Angeline B http://www.subsinfo.co.uk/ – this should be your first port will be presenting loved ones, friends and family Adams celebrate the 80th anniversary of Conan of call if you have any queries about your subscription. with copies of the latest volume in our ongoing It the Barbarian’s first appearance in print with a Change your address, renew your subscription or report problems Happened to Me! book series (see p58 f o r details profile of his creator, Robert E Howard, which UK subscriptions: 0844 844 0049 of how to get y o u r mitts on this most fortean of explores the w a y in which the mighty-thewed USA & Canada subscriptions: (+1) 888-428-6676 gifts). FT’s resident car- Cimmerian w a s very m u c h a Fax (+1) 757-428-6253 email [email protected] Other overseas subscriptions: +44 (0)1795 592 909 toonist, the great Hunt product of a rapidly-chang- Fax: +44 (0)1795 414 555 Emerson, also has some ing and sometimes violent ideas on how to fill this rural Texas. Roger Clarke, LICENSING & SYNDICATION FORTEAN TIMES IS AVAILABLE FOR year’s Christmas stock- meanwhile, takes a look INTERNATIONAL LICENSING AND SYNDICATION – CONTACT: ings. His long-awaited at ghosts from the unusual Syndication Senior Manager ANJ DOSAJ-HALAI TEL: +44- (0) 20 7907 6132 adaptation, with Kevin angle of the class distinc- [email protected] Jackson, of Dante’s Inferno tions that underlay their Licensing Manager CARLOTTA SERANTONI TEL: +44- (0) 20 7907 6550 is now available.You can perception inVictorian Brit- [email protected] purchase what Hunt (with ain, paying particular atten- Licensing & Syndication Assistant NICOLE ADAMS TEL: +44- (0) 20 7907 6134 no hyperbole whatsoever) tion to the phenomenon of [email protected] describes as “my best what might be termed ghost YOU CAN REACH FT ON THE INTERNET book to date!” over at flashmobs. J a c k Sargeant www.forteantimes.com http://largecow.com, along previews a new Australian with all sorts of other exhibition highlighting goodies. the Sicilian paintings of Y e s , the Season of Good Aleister Crowley, and asks PUBLISHED BY DENNIS PUBLISHING, W i l l has been underway what they can tell us about 30 Cleveland Street f o r some weeks now and his magical career.And, in London W1T 4JD, UK T e l : 020 7907 6000 GROUP PUBLISHER w e have already witnessed this month’s cover feature, PAUL RAYNER: 020 7907 6663 its first Father Christmas Peter Brookesmith looks [email protected] calamity. Shoppers in back at accounts of sex CIRCULATION MANAGER [email protected] Reading’s Broad Street tourists from outer space, EXPORT CIRCULATION MANAGER Mall w e r e treated to revealing a bizarre history [email protected] SENIOR PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE the sight of an abseiling of extremely close encoun- EBONY BESAGNI: 020 7907 6060 Santa being left dangling ters with aliens that run the [email protected] PRODUCTION ASSISTANT 20 feet above the crowd gamut from well-endowed SOPHIE VALENTINE: 020 7907 6057 after his long white beard reptilians to extraterrestrial [email protected] became tangled in the ropes. After hanging S&M. Not f o r the fainthearted! around mid-air f o r some 40 minutes, Santa (aka Steve Chessel) w a s finally rescued b y one of Reader survey – win stuff! his colleagues from the 11th Battalion Royal It’s been f o u r y e a r s since w e last r a n an FT PRINTED BY BENHAM GOODHEAD PRINT LTD Engineers. His ordeal over, the unfortunate Mr reader survey, so w e thought w e ’ d ask f o r y o u r DISTRIBUTION Chessel w a s praised f o r not breaking character: help once again. Please spare 10 minutes to Distributed in UK, Ireland and worldwide “He could have just taken his beard off and let answer the questions – and you’ll be entered by Seymour Distribution Ltd. 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT himself down but he w a s such a professional and into a draw to win an Amazon Kindle F i r e ! W e T e l : 020 7429 4000 / Fax: 020 7429 4001 he didn't w a n t to let the children down,” said don’t really know what that is, but it sounds Queries on overseas availability should be emailed to the shopping centre’s marketing manager (Daily good, doesn’t it? Turn to p17 f o r full details. [email protected] Speciality store distribution by Worldwide Magazine Mail, 20 Nov 2012). Finally, w e ’ d like to thank all of our readers, Distribution Ltd, T e l : 0121 788 3112 Fax: 0121 7881272 It’s not the first (and probably not the last) subscribers and contributors f o r their support STANDARD SUBSCRIPTION RATES time that Santa’s attempts to move with the times throughout 2012 – a happy, fortean Christmas to 12 issues: UK £39.98; EU £47.50; REST OF THE WORLD £55; US $79.99 ($143.98 for 24 issues) have ended in disaster and m u c h hilarity. Last one and all! y e a r , a similar incident took place in a Florida mall, where once again the combination of beard plus abseiling ended in a very public humiliation. (digitaljournal.com/article/315399) Of course, if the New Age doomsayers are right, all these consumerist activities will prove to be mere vanity, as they believe the world-as-we- DENNIS PUBLISHING LIMITED know-it is set to end on 21 December.