I grew up reading about this stuff.
One night when I was very young, my father showed me the newspaper, the front of which bore a picture of (allegedly) Nessie.
"Nessie" is the nickname for the Loch Ness Monster, and reports about a monster in the lake have been recorded for more than 400 years. In fact, the first recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster comes from a Saint who was said to have driven the creature away from two swimmers who were in a race across the loch. Of course, no one knows how much of these things are legend and how much is truth.
But, my position on the matter is that, if stories persist, and photographic evidence backs it up, it's a no-brainer. [Link was outdated and removed, page no longer exists - 2020]
As the story goes, the Monster attacked one of the racers and the Saint then damned the beast to never eat flesh, or living people, again -- or something to that effect. I don't figure Nessie ever did.
As recently as a year ago, a "new" creature's bones were found: It had the head of a horse and the body of an eel. Photographs of such a beast have existed for over 100 years and eyewitness accounts of such a thing come from as far back as 400+ years ago. This is not the first time this "creature" has been reported or recorded -- this "thing" has been caught by fishermen and photographed!
Of course, reports conflict: One eyewitness report -- a highly-regarded one, by most accounts -- holds that Nessie crossed the road before her car. This report is among those that led a confirmed Loch Ness expert to conclude that Nessie is a Pleisiosaur, a dinosaur thought to be extinct for millions of years.
A Coelocanth was caught in 1938; the Coelocanth was thought to be extinct for millions of years before it turned up on the end of a fisherman's rod. Several have been caught since then.
So, what do I think?
I think you have an actual pool out of time. Not like some dimensional time-warp or anything, but an actual, ancient loch: A lake which bears creatures either previously unknown or
uncatalogued. I think Loch Ness has its own ecology of which we know very little and many refuse to acknowledge.
This is why I always go on about the absurdity of keeping the rest of us in the dark about new findings regarding cryptozoology. I understand it, on the one hand -- acknowledging their existence is an open invitation to unscrupulous poachers and trophy-hunters -- but I'm completely against it for one, specific reason:
It seems to me that, if the people who don't want us to know about it are so damned concerned with these animals, then they've already secured those shores, and they're just looking to somehow profit from it.
They just want some reimbursement for their work and effort. And, although I agree that they deserve to earn a living from their work, an endless parade of tax dollars and grants that provide nothing new or important to the world of science is just a grift.
The paranormal, the Supernatural, the odd and Unexplained
Featured Post
Operation: All Clear - The Oklahoma City Bombing
Oklahoma City Bombing The Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 was alleged to have been carried-out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols (alone...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Animal News
It's been a weird month for displaced animals of all stripe, genus, and species. Wild animals seem to be popping-up where they don't belong all over the world! Whether this is evidence of humanity's continued encroachment on their territories, indicative of some kind of natural change in diet (such as a loss of prey), or some other reason(s), no one can say, but no one can deny it's happening.
In Knoxville, TN, a black bear that had been spotted on a college campus, as well as roaming the city, was captured and will be released into the wild once it has been tagged. Bears getting into American cities is not exactly rare, but this is about the third or fourth report of such I've heard so far this year, and they're certainly not limited to the Smokey Mountain area.
The whales who have been stuck in the Sacramento River are said to be nearing the San Francisco Bridge. Once in the Bay, experts expect them to find their way back into the Pacific with few or no problems.
The young boy who shot the new "Hogzilla" received the bleached skull from his dad as a gift. He also received a normal boar's bleached skull, which is about half the size of Hogzilla's. The first boar to be called "Hogzilla" was actually caught in another state last year and, like this account, became the subject of much scrutiny. But, as I reported on the old blog, the National Geographic channel got several experts together to measure the hog's corpse and they determined that, while its measurements had been slightly overestimated, the hog was very real and very much oversized.
In Knoxville, TN, a black bear that had been spotted on a college campus, as well as roaming the city, was captured and will be released into the wild once it has been tagged. Bears getting into American cities is not exactly rare, but this is about the third or fourth report of such I've heard so far this year, and they're certainly not limited to the Smokey Mountain area.
The whales who have been stuck in the Sacramento River are said to be nearing the San Francisco Bridge. Once in the Bay, experts expect them to find their way back into the Pacific with few or no problems.
The young boy who shot the new "Hogzilla" received the bleached skull from his dad as a gift. He also received a normal boar's bleached skull, which is about half the size of Hogzilla's. The first boar to be called "Hogzilla" was actually caught in another state last year and, like this account, became the subject of much scrutiny. But, as I reported on the old blog, the National Geographic channel got several experts together to measure the hog's corpse and they determined that, while its measurements had been slightly overestimated, the hog was very real and very much oversized.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Man Wrestles, Pins Leopard
A Jerusalem man wrestled a wild leopard to the ground and pinned it for 20 minutes after it jumped through an open window and into the bed with his family.
The man, who worked as a wildlife ranger and immigrated to the Middle East from the Netherlands, says he doesn't know why he attacked the wild cat with his bare hands, wearing nothing but his bed clothes. He said he wasn't thinking, just reacting.
He apparently grabbed the leopard by the scruff of the neck and pinned him to the floor with his leg. His son got a camera to record the event. He held the cat for 20 minutes, until officials arrived to remove the animal.
Veterinary reports showed the cat to be in poor physical health, which the man says accounts for his being able to pin it. The leopard may be tagged and released onto a preservation, as it was found to be underweight and with a degenerative joint disease, which may be why it wandered into town to begin with.
It was later discovered that the cat had already killed some neighborhood pets, including several housecats and a dog.
The man, who worked as a wildlife ranger and immigrated to the Middle East from the Netherlands, says he doesn't know why he attacked the wild cat with his bare hands, wearing nothing but his bed clothes. He said he wasn't thinking, just reacting.
He apparently grabbed the leopard by the scruff of the neck and pinned him to the floor with his leg. His son got a camera to record the event. He held the cat for 20 minutes, until officials arrived to remove the animal.
Veterinary reports showed the cat to be in poor physical health, which the man says accounts for his being able to pin it. The leopard may be tagged and released onto a preservation, as it was found to be underweight and with a degenerative joint disease, which may be why it wandered into town to begin with.
It was later discovered that the cat had already killed some neighborhood pets, including several housecats and a dog.
Whales and Whaling
The whales in the Sacramento River are still about 45 miles from the open sea and experts worry that they will be impeded by encounters with large ships as they move toward San Francisco Bay.
In other whale news, Japan has angered anti-whaling groups and nations by insisting on including humpback whales in their Antarctic hunt. I was a little miffed after hearing some very angry Japanese people on the news last night, loudly and aggressively decrying their right to hunt and eat whale meat as it was a part of their culture. That, to me, is a lot like a Southern, American, white man declaring his right to enslave people for work on his plantation because it's part of his "history."
But then, I remembered that Alaskans are allowed to hunt whales and I thought there just might be a double-standard. That's before you take into account simple geography.
Japan may have a cultural history of whaling and eating whale meat, but Japan is a major superpower. They also have a cultural history of hara-kiri, but you don't hear too many of them insisting on the right to practice that, now do you? Alaskans, on quite the other hand, are very limited as to what they can do. Japan can have pretty much anything it wants or needs delivered within hours, whereas Alaskans do not have this luxury. Further, the number of Alaskans who reserve the right to whale is far fewer than the Japanese who want the same rights.
The very simple fact of the matter is that the world has changed: Many species of whales are endangered, so the social responsibility we all bear is clear. Were these whales readily-available and numerous, I would have no problem with anyone whaling all day long; since this is not the case, Japan has to step up to the plate and accept that this is part of their cultural history that must be let go of in favor of modern concerns.
In other whale news, Japan has angered anti-whaling groups and nations by insisting on including humpback whales in their Antarctic hunt. I was a little miffed after hearing some very angry Japanese people on the news last night, loudly and aggressively decrying their right to hunt and eat whale meat as it was a part of their culture. That, to me, is a lot like a Southern, American, white man declaring his right to enslave people for work on his plantation because it's part of his "history."
But then, I remembered that Alaskans are allowed to hunt whales and I thought there just might be a double-standard. That's before you take into account simple geography.
Japan may have a cultural history of whaling and eating whale meat, but Japan is a major superpower. They also have a cultural history of hara-kiri, but you don't hear too many of them insisting on the right to practice that, now do you? Alaskans, on quite the other hand, are very limited as to what they can do. Japan can have pretty much anything it wants or needs delivered within hours, whereas Alaskans do not have this luxury. Further, the number of Alaskans who reserve the right to whale is far fewer than the Japanese who want the same rights.
The very simple fact of the matter is that the world has changed: Many species of whales are endangered, so the social responsibility we all bear is clear. Were these whales readily-available and numerous, I would have no problem with anyone whaling all day long; since this is not the case, Japan has to step up to the plate and accept that this is part of their cultural history that must be let go of in favor of modern concerns.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Practical Applications of Hypnosis
It's far too early to be certain, but it seems altogether possible that the clerics of the god, Science, have decided to throw us "fringe" thinkers a bone on Hypnosis. Of course, they prefer to call it "Hypnotherapy." It's more Sciencey that way.
Anyway, according to experts at King's College London, in combination with medicinal treatments (of course), Hypnotherapy may help ease IBS sufferers. IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is "undeniably common," to quote one of the experts involved in the project, and Hypnotherapy techniques may help alleviate the pains, frustrations, and other symptoms of the illness (such as constipation, diarrhea, and even Depression).
One of the techniques specifically mentioned was a therapist-overseen method of creative visualization, or autosuggestion as first termed by French doctor, Coue. Autosuggestion and creative visualization is a technique of placing one's self into a light state of hypnosis and imagining various scenarios to improve their state of mind and well-being. "The Perfect Day" is one such method, where patients creatively visualize their "Perfect Day," beginning from the time they wake up to the time they retire. They think of having their favorite breakfast, doing their favored activity or having a particularly easy-going and successful work day, and so forth. The technique mentioned for the treatment of IBS sufferers can be called "The River" (though the article did not name it), where the patient visualizes his bowel as a fast-moving river, then gradually calms it to a smooth-flowing one.
To now, creative visualization has remained an "alternative treatment" for victims of many diseases and illnesses, including Cancer. As stated in the article, there is both a shortage of skilled doctors and a general skepticism to the process from "learned" communities, which is not helping anyone.
Many modern self-help books employ variations on such themes as autosuggestion and creative visualization, most usually consisting of positive mantras. Possibly the most widespread of these involves looking into a mirror and repeating a positive validation of yourself, your health, your success, or your future. Some research indicates that the success of such methods are improved by only repeating the mantra three times. The number 3 has a special connotation in the Occult.
- Source, BBC
Anyway, according to experts at King's College London, in combination with medicinal treatments (of course), Hypnotherapy may help ease IBS sufferers. IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is "undeniably common," to quote one of the experts involved in the project, and Hypnotherapy techniques may help alleviate the pains, frustrations, and other symptoms of the illness (such as constipation, diarrhea, and even Depression).
One of the techniques specifically mentioned was a therapist-overseen method of creative visualization, or autosuggestion as first termed by French doctor, Coue. Autosuggestion and creative visualization is a technique of placing one's self into a light state of hypnosis and imagining various scenarios to improve their state of mind and well-being. "The Perfect Day" is one such method, where patients creatively visualize their "Perfect Day," beginning from the time they wake up to the time they retire. They think of having their favorite breakfast, doing their favored activity or having a particularly easy-going and successful work day, and so forth. The technique mentioned for the treatment of IBS sufferers can be called "The River" (though the article did not name it), where the patient visualizes his bowel as a fast-moving river, then gradually calms it to a smooth-flowing one.
To now, creative visualization has remained an "alternative treatment" for victims of many diseases and illnesses, including Cancer. As stated in the article, there is both a shortage of skilled doctors and a general skepticism to the process from "learned" communities, which is not helping anyone.
Many modern self-help books employ variations on such themes as autosuggestion and creative visualization, most usually consisting of positive mantras. Possibly the most widespread of these involves looking into a mirror and repeating a positive validation of yourself, your health, your success, or your future. Some research indicates that the success of such methods are improved by only repeating the mantra three times. The number 3 has a special connotation in the Occult.
- Source, BBC
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Smoky Haze All in My State
CNN reported today on how reports had been coming in about the haze I told you I and my neighbors first experienced here yesterday. It appears that the wildfires may be spreading into our state even now, but I confirmed the reports about the haze.
Today was clear and didn't smell of burning wood, but I heard that there are winds coming up from the South, which may continue to blow the smoke and flames our way. Luckily, there are also reports of possible rain in the near future, though the weather toolbar at the bottom of my browser shows nothing through Saturday.
Let's hope everything works out fine, but I'll keep you apprised.
Today was clear and didn't smell of burning wood, but I heard that there are winds coming up from the South, which may continue to blow the smoke and flames our way. Luckily, there are also reports of possible rain in the near future, though the weather toolbar at the bottom of my browser shows nothing through Saturday.
Let's hope everything works out fine, but I'll keep you apprised.
Smoky Haze
When I woke up this morning, it looked overcast. I couldn't tell if it was humidity or heat, but I didn't want to be out in the middle of it. Needless to say, by a little after noon, I had to be.
The first thing I noticed when I left the house was the smell: Something was burning, but I couldn't tell what. It smelled like paper burning or maybe garbage. I was afraid because I live in an apartment complex, but I knew that there would at least be smoke alarms going off, if not any firetrucks in the parking lot. I looked and looked, but it was obvious from the kids running around and people coming and going that nothing was going on around where I live, so I left.
The haze was everywhere. I had to drive about 3-4 miles down the road to the store and the haze was all across the roads. When I got to the store, the smoke was as far up and down the highway as I could see. Making my purchase, I looked down at the newsstand and noticed on the front page of the local paper where an old gymnasium had burned to the ground. I didn't look at the story too hard, but I immediately asked, "Is that where all this smoke came from?"
The woman's eyes lit up and she said, "No! They said on the Nashville radio station that it was being blown up this way from the wildfires in Georgia!"
I was a little stunned. Georgia is at least 2-3 hours from here at the closest and I had no idea the fires were nearby! The reports I'd heard had said they were between Florida and Georgia, which I assumed meant they were on the far side of the latter state, and that's quite a ways from here!
I guess I just didn't realize how great the fires were nor how far smoke could travel. It really wakes you up to the whole global warming issue and puts a lot of other things into perspective, as well.
Everyone's so concerned with how technology and the Web have "made the world a smaller place," but something like this really reminds you that the world isn't an infinite landscape. Of course, intellectually, we all know this, but emotionally, I think it's easy to forget just how small the world really is. When you look at a map and see all the distant lands, all the countries you've never even heard of, all the places you'll never visit, everything seems so far away.
By late afternoon, the haze had cleared away and it no longer smelled of smoke, but the whole thing really set my little gerbil wheel in motion.
The first thing I noticed when I left the house was the smell: Something was burning, but I couldn't tell what. It smelled like paper burning or maybe garbage. I was afraid because I live in an apartment complex, but I knew that there would at least be smoke alarms going off, if not any firetrucks in the parking lot. I looked and looked, but it was obvious from the kids running around and people coming and going that nothing was going on around where I live, so I left.
The haze was everywhere. I had to drive about 3-4 miles down the road to the store and the haze was all across the roads. When I got to the store, the smoke was as far up and down the highway as I could see. Making my purchase, I looked down at the newsstand and noticed on the front page of the local paper where an old gymnasium had burned to the ground. I didn't look at the story too hard, but I immediately asked, "Is that where all this smoke came from?"
The woman's eyes lit up and she said, "No! They said on the Nashville radio station that it was being blown up this way from the wildfires in Georgia!"
I was a little stunned. Georgia is at least 2-3 hours from here at the closest and I had no idea the fires were nearby! The reports I'd heard had said they were between Florida and Georgia, which I assumed meant they were on the far side of the latter state, and that's quite a ways from here!
I guess I just didn't realize how great the fires were nor how far smoke could travel. It really wakes you up to the whole global warming issue and puts a lot of other things into perspective, as well.
Everyone's so concerned with how technology and the Web have "made the world a smaller place," but something like this really reminds you that the world isn't an infinite landscape. Of course, intellectually, we all know this, but emotionally, I think it's easy to forget just how small the world really is. When you look at a map and see all the distant lands, all the countries you've never even heard of, all the places you'll never visit, everything seems so far away.
By late afternoon, the haze had cleared away and it no longer smelled of smoke, but the whole thing really set my little gerbil wheel in motion.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Whales in Sacramento
Perhaps you've been keeping up with the plight of the stranded whales in the Sacramento River that's been going on for nearly two weeks now. It's been hard no to hear about it, as it's been plastered across all the news channels and broadcasts since it was discovered.
A mother whale and her calf swam upstream, into the river, last week and scientists and others have been working to reroute them back into the sea since then. The whales are injured, apparently from a boat's propeller, and the saltwater would be better for them. Reports are now saying the wounds are showing signs of infection. By banging on pipes and using boats, they managed to get the whales closer to the sea, but once they reached a busy bridge, they began swimming in circles and refuse to continue their journey back into the ocean. They believe the whales are frightened by the traffic.
Here's an ingenious thought - and it's just a thought, but I believe it deserves at least slight consideration - why not close the damned bridge for a day and reroute traffic long enough to get the animals back into the ocean? I know, I know, it's a stretch - everybody's gotta make that money and not only would it bother working "citizens" (it's California, after all), it would also end the news story long before the networks have gotten their chunk of change out of the mess - but what do you all think?
A mother whale and her calf swam upstream, into the river, last week and scientists and others have been working to reroute them back into the sea since then. The whales are injured, apparently from a boat's propeller, and the saltwater would be better for them. Reports are now saying the wounds are showing signs of infection. By banging on pipes and using boats, they managed to get the whales closer to the sea, but once they reached a busy bridge, they began swimming in circles and refuse to continue their journey back into the ocean. They believe the whales are frightened by the traffic.
Here's an ingenious thought - and it's just a thought, but I believe it deserves at least slight consideration - why not close the damned bridge for a day and reroute traffic long enough to get the animals back into the ocean? I know, I know, it's a stretch - everybody's gotta make that money and not only would it bother working "citizens" (it's California, after all), it would also end the news story long before the networks have gotten their chunk of change out of the mess - but what do you all think?
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Scientists Confirm Virgin Birth
Researchers confirmed that hammerhead sharks can give virgin births, also known as parthenogenesis. Though this phenomenon had been seen in bony fish, this is the first confirmed event from a cartilaginous fish. The tests were carried out on the pup of a captive shark born in captivity in 2001 in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska.
Working with DNA from the offspring of a captive female hammerhead shark, scientists authenticated a complete lack of paternal DNA, meaning the hammerhead shark gave a virgin birth. Researchers fear this could further harm shark populations, as parthenogenesis results in less diversity amongst the population, which could affect the species' survivability. The theory is that sharks are resorting to parthenogenesis because they are unable to find suitable sexual partners.
My take on it is that it's very possible the virgin shark birth was simply an anomaly. After all, if it is possible, then the odds are overwhelming that it has and does happen from time to time. And, if the process is more common in bony fish, it's not like this would be the Second Coming of the fish world; it would simply be a rare occurrence. Parthenogenesis is known to occur in lower animals, such as bees and ants.
Sadly, the pup shark was killed by stingrays before zookeepers could remove it from the tank.
Working with DNA from the offspring of a captive female hammerhead shark, scientists authenticated a complete lack of paternal DNA, meaning the hammerhead shark gave a virgin birth. Researchers fear this could further harm shark populations, as parthenogenesis results in less diversity amongst the population, which could affect the species' survivability. The theory is that sharks are resorting to parthenogenesis because they are unable to find suitable sexual partners.
My take on it is that it's very possible the virgin shark birth was simply an anomaly. After all, if it is possible, then the odds are overwhelming that it has and does happen from time to time. And, if the process is more common in bony fish, it's not like this would be the Second Coming of the fish world; it would simply be a rare occurrence. Parthenogenesis is known to occur in lower animals, such as bees and ants.
Sadly, the pup shark was killed by stingrays before zookeepers could remove it from the tank.
Scientists Land on Ice Island
Scientists, along with a BBC team, have landed on the Ayles Ice Island, a chunk of the Ayles Ice Shelf which broke away in 2005 and was only recently identified. They went there to "tag" it with a monitor -- not unlike how wild animals are tagged -- so scientists can follow the Ice Island's movements in the Arctic.
It now floats about 400 miles from the North Pole in one of the fastest-warming regions of the Earth. It broke from the Ayles Ice Shelf in less than an hour back in August 2005, registering with the force of a small earthquake.
Records show this region of the Arctic has lost as much as 90% of its ice in the last century. The map of the Arctic will have to be redrawn.
It now floats about 400 miles from the North Pole in one of the fastest-warming regions of the Earth. It broke from the Ayles Ice Shelf in less than an hour back in August 2005, registering with the force of a small earthquake.
Records show this region of the Arctic has lost as much as 90% of its ice in the last century. The map of the Arctic will have to be redrawn.
Monday, May 21, 2007
American Ice Age?
Scientists have found evidence across North America suggesting there was some kind of cosmic explosion around 13,000 years ago which may have wiped-out the first Stone Age culture and created the Laurentide Ice sheet, which covered thousands of square miles of North America.
They think the explosion may have occurred in the atmosphere or the ice sheet may have erased the crater. The evidence they do have will be revealed at a meeting in Mexico later this week, but includes the fact that layers of sediment in over 20 North American locations contain "exotic" materials, such as nanodiamonds, tiny spheres of glass and carbon, and levels of iridium too high to have come from Earth. This would have brought about the period known as the Younger Dryas.
This event is thought to have caused the extinction of the giant land mammals, including the giant sloth and the woolly mammoth.
They think the explosion may have occurred in the atmosphere or the ice sheet may have erased the crater. The evidence they do have will be revealed at a meeting in Mexico later this week, but includes the fact that layers of sediment in over 20 North American locations contain "exotic" materials, such as nanodiamonds, tiny spheres of glass and carbon, and levels of iridium too high to have come from Earth. This would have brought about the period known as the Younger Dryas.
This event is thought to have caused the extinction of the giant land mammals, including the giant sloth and the woolly mammoth.
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Green Children
You might not have heard about this one, even though it is a classic in the annals of "The Unknown" and has always held a particular fascination for me, a devout D&D kid. It also speaks to the issue of secondhand sources so prominent within the field(s) that I addressed on the Sources post, since the story many of us may have heard is not exactly accurate, as I'm about to lay out.
As the story goes traditionally, two children -- one male, one female -- completely green in color of skin and wearing oddly-colored clothes of unknown material, were found weeping inconsolably by farmers near Suffolk, England. They were taken to a local man's house, where neighbors came to gawk. They refused all food brought to them but, when they were brought bean pods and stalks, they took them and opened the stalks, expecting the fruits to be inside. Seeing none, they began weeping again, until the townspeople showed them the beans lay in the pod. After that, they ate the beans and nothing but for some time.
Sadly, the young boy weakened and died, but the girl survived. Eventually, she became accustomed to other foods, her "regular" skin color "returned," and she apparently later married and lived out her life as normal -- though one local said she was "rather loose and wanton in her conduct."
The children claimed to have come from a place called St. Martin's Land and said their people were Christian. Their land did not have a sun, but enjoyed a general light something like dusk or dawn. They had been following their flock when they came upon a cavern and, coming out the other side, were stunned by the brightness of the light and the temperature of the atmosphere, so they lie for a while and wanted to flee when approached, but were too weak to do so.
- Unexplained, pp. 391-392
Some retellings of this story are written (or told) in such a way that the cavern becomes central to the issue, going so far as to state that they were found, "at the mouth of a cave." This made me think that they had come from within the cave. To these ends, luminescent lichens and so forth exist underground, a steady diet of carrots will turn your skin orange, and a change in Oxygen and possibly pressure could have been the cause of their weakened state. But this was not the case.
Still, there is no St. Martin's Land (at least not back then) and this concept smacks highly, to me, of suggesting the existence of another Dimension. This, along with some of the other concepts involved, also suggest to me that more of these children's people may have appeared here from time to time and given rise to the concept of Elfs.
Now, before you laugh yourself out of your chair, you need a primer in actual Medieval beliefs concerning Elfs, most of which are Celtic, Welsh, and Irish, come from across the world -- France, Scandinavia, and just all over.
To put it succinctly, the Elfen realm (Alfheim) exists at all times, kind of overlaying our own. From time to time, the two realms somehow collide, allowing one to pass between the two. There are all sorts of "gateways" where this can occur, including specific times of night, two points grown over by certain plants, and a host of others. Alfheim is said to be smaller than our own geography, allowing those who travel there to cross great distances on our own world in a short time.
But how much of this story itself is actually true?
Quite a bit, according to the documentation and one of our greatest sources, Eyewitness to History:
"They did emerge from one of these caves, having been 'entranced by a sound we heard not unlike we hear now in St. Edmund's when the chime rings, and found ourselves among you in the fields where you were reaping' (paraphrased from the girl's own words)." The girl did marry, at Lynne, no less, and was still living when William of Newburgh wrote his account, c. 1150. She also said a bright land was always visible from St. Martin, but it was across a great river.
Today, a sign in Wolfpit, Suffolk, bears an image of the two children.
This is, by far, nowhere near the only recorded case of "weird," "odd," or "Unknown" people simply appearing throughout time -- this isn't even the only recorded case of green people appearing out of nowhere. Sometimes, entire groups of people. Many of them did not speak any known language and at least one even carried a book written in an unknown language. Charles Fort was a great collector of these stories and I'll bring you more in time.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
As the story goes traditionally, two children -- one male, one female -- completely green in color of skin and wearing oddly-colored clothes of unknown material, were found weeping inconsolably by farmers near Suffolk, England. They were taken to a local man's house, where neighbors came to gawk. They refused all food brought to them but, when they were brought bean pods and stalks, they took them and opened the stalks, expecting the fruits to be inside. Seeing none, they began weeping again, until the townspeople showed them the beans lay in the pod. After that, they ate the beans and nothing but for some time.
Sadly, the young boy weakened and died, but the girl survived. Eventually, she became accustomed to other foods, her "regular" skin color "returned," and she apparently later married and lived out her life as normal -- though one local said she was "rather loose and wanton in her conduct."
The children claimed to have come from a place called St. Martin's Land and said their people were Christian. Their land did not have a sun, but enjoyed a general light something like dusk or dawn. They had been following their flock when they came upon a cavern and, coming out the other side, were stunned by the brightness of the light and the temperature of the atmosphere, so they lie for a while and wanted to flee when approached, but were too weak to do so.
- Unexplained, pp. 391-392
Some retellings of this story are written (or told) in such a way that the cavern becomes central to the issue, going so far as to state that they were found, "at the mouth of a cave." This made me think that they had come from within the cave. To these ends, luminescent lichens and so forth exist underground, a steady diet of carrots will turn your skin orange, and a change in Oxygen and possibly pressure could have been the cause of their weakened state. But this was not the case.
Still, there is no St. Martin's Land (at least not back then) and this concept smacks highly, to me, of suggesting the existence of another Dimension. This, along with some of the other concepts involved, also suggest to me that more of these children's people may have appeared here from time to time and given rise to the concept of Elfs.
Now, before you laugh yourself out of your chair, you need a primer in actual Medieval beliefs concerning Elfs, most of which are Celtic, Welsh, and Irish, come from across the world -- France, Scandinavia, and just all over.
To put it succinctly, the Elfen realm (Alfheim) exists at all times, kind of overlaying our own. From time to time, the two realms somehow collide, allowing one to pass between the two. There are all sorts of "gateways" where this can occur, including specific times of night, two points grown over by certain plants, and a host of others. Alfheim is said to be smaller than our own geography, allowing those who travel there to cross great distances on our own world in a short time.
But how much of this story itself is actually true?
Quite a bit, according to the documentation and one of our greatest sources, Eyewitness to History:
"They did emerge from one of these caves, having been 'entranced by a sound we heard not unlike we hear now in St. Edmund's when the chime rings, and found ourselves among you in the fields where you were reaping' (paraphrased from the girl's own words)." The girl did marry, at Lynne, no less, and was still living when William of Newburgh wrote his account, c. 1150. She also said a bright land was always visible from St. Martin, but it was across a great river.
Today, a sign in Wolfpit, Suffolk, bears an image of the two children.
This is, by far, nowhere near the only recorded case of "weird," "odd," or "Unknown" people simply appearing throughout time -- this isn't even the only recorded case of green people appearing out of nowhere. Sometimes, entire groups of people. Many of them did not speak any known language and at least one even carried a book written in an unknown language. Charles Fort was a great collector of these stories and I'll bring you more in time.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Ghost Hunters Marathon Tomorrow, More
Sci-Fi Channel has a Ghost Hunters marathon on all day tomorrow. As I posted before, the new season starts June 6th!
Sorry I haven't been more active lately, but if you follow any of the other blogs, you know that I have had nothing but trouble out of every last one of my computers since pretty much the start of the month. Things haven't gotten a whole lot better as of yet. The modem and sound card still refuse to play nice together, so I found an old modem and threw it in there for the time being and I'm just waiting to see if I'll keep getting the same results.
So far, so good, so maybe we'll get back to normal 'round here sometime in the near future.
Sorry I haven't been more active lately, but if you follow any of the other blogs, you know that I have had nothing but trouble out of every last one of my computers since pretty much the start of the month. Things haven't gotten a whole lot better as of yet. The modem and sound card still refuse to play nice together, so I found an old modem and threw it in there for the time being and I'm just waiting to see if I'll keep getting the same results.
So far, so good, so maybe we'll get back to normal 'round here sometime in the near future.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ghost Hunters Returns!
Sci-Fi's hit reality show, Ghost Hunters, returns June 6th on their still "all-new Sci-Fi Wednesday." It's been billed as such for going on 3 - 4 years now. To be fair, every year has led to new shows, and only Ghost Hunters has remained on the schedule.
They just started showing the promos, so I can't say what to expect, but I can only assume Brian will still be around. Now, like I've said before, I don't know Brian Harnois personally and I don't think he'd be that bad a guy to know, but the show certainly paints a vivid picture of the type of guy I wouldn't care to hang around and certainly wouldn't want to be in a scary situation with. Again, it's nothing personal, it's just how I feel about the guy as he is portrayed on TV.
To give a good correlation, I wouldn't want to be in the passenger's seat while Paris Hilton was driving. You know?
Still, Ghost Hunters is a great show and TAPS is doing a wonderful job. The data they are collecting will one day be very important to Science... when mainstream "science" becomes important, that is. Right now, as always, the only important Science is the science of making money.
They just started showing the promos, so I can't say what to expect, but I can only assume Brian will still be around. Now, like I've said before, I don't know Brian Harnois personally and I don't think he'd be that bad a guy to know, but the show certainly paints a vivid picture of the type of guy I wouldn't care to hang around and certainly wouldn't want to be in a scary situation with. Again, it's nothing personal, it's just how I feel about the guy as he is portrayed on TV.
To give a good correlation, I wouldn't want to be in the passenger's seat while Paris Hilton was driving. You know?
Still, Ghost Hunters is a great show and TAPS is doing a wonderful job. The data they are collecting will one day be very important to Science... when mainstream "science" becomes important, that is. Right now, as always, the only important Science is the science of making money.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Absence Explained
For those of you who don't follow the rest of The Weirding's ring (yuck!), you know I have been absent for a while but might not have known why.
I went shopping for a new computer but there were all sorts of problems in finding one, so I just took a short "vacation" -- which wasn't really a vacation by any standards. It mainly relied on my traveling some several hundred miles back and forth many, many times over. I did manage to get the old XP back up and running -- somewhat. According to the modem I got for it, it still manages to reboot randomly, thanks to some kind of bullshit problem between the modern and -- what else -- Windows.
At any rate, I will be getting back to business soon, but I can't make any promises. One thing I did was format an entire box on SuSe Linux 10.x. Although that will be a fantastic back-up, until I get the modem configured correctly, I can't get online with it, so it's still touch and go for now.
The Rundown is about to be kicking tomorrow and this weekend, as I try to meet a bunch of ad deadlines, as well as catch-up on all the goings-on I've missed. Here, I will be discussing stuff I found in some good books I read while away.
I have been so busy that I am starving and still need to fetch smokes, so I'll try to get back to you ASAP. In the meantime, thanks again for hanging in there. And, if anyone has anything to contribute, please feel free to do so -- it is more appreciated than you can imagine!
I went shopping for a new computer but there were all sorts of problems in finding one, so I just took a short "vacation" -- which wasn't really a vacation by any standards. It mainly relied on my traveling some several hundred miles back and forth many, many times over. I did manage to get the old XP back up and running -- somewhat. According to the modem I got for it, it still manages to reboot randomly, thanks to some kind of bullshit problem between the modern and -- what else -- Windows.
At any rate, I will be getting back to business soon, but I can't make any promises. One thing I did was format an entire box on SuSe Linux 10.x. Although that will be a fantastic back-up, until I get the modem configured correctly, I can't get online with it, so it's still touch and go for now.
The Rundown is about to be kicking tomorrow and this weekend, as I try to meet a bunch of ad deadlines, as well as catch-up on all the goings-on I've missed. Here, I will be discussing stuff I found in some good books I read while away.
I have been so busy that I am starving and still need to fetch smokes, so I'll try to get back to you ASAP. In the meantime, thanks again for hanging in there. And, if anyone has anything to contribute, please feel free to do so -- it is more appreciated than you can imagine!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)