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  • Did You Hear the One about the Fairy and the Alien? September 9, 2011

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Contemporary, Medieval, Modern , trackback

    Beachcombing has never bothered to write them down, but he has a mental list of irritating academic titles ranging from ‘The Erotics of Medieval Backgammon’ to the ‘Semiotics of Transgression in Aquitanian Saints Lives’ etc etc etc. When he recently then stumbled across ‘Between One Eye Blink and the Next: Fairies, UFOs and Problems of Knowledge’ he reached for his cognitive pencil. But reading this work, by one Peter M. Rojcewicz, he was humbled. (Sorry, Peter). So much so that by the end of it he couldn’t believe that he’d never seen the connection between fairies and ‘alien’ sightings: and it is always a good sign, surely, when a writer makes you feel stupid?

    Fairies and ‘aliens’ are often described as ‘shining’.

    Fairies and ‘aliens’ are ambivalent forces: for great good or great evil in individuals’ lives – angry fairies have ‘fairy blasts’, aliens have laser rays and radiation burns.

    Fairies and ‘aliens’ need humanity. Both particularly prey on humanity for sexual purposes. They take children or nursing mothers (fairies) or they borrow sperm and eggs (aliens) and both, from time to time, have sex with humans.

    There are humans who have special gifts at ‘channeling’ (horrible word) ‘fairies’ or ‘aliens’ – fairy doctors or cultists.

    PMR then gets, at the end of his article, (to be found  in The Good People: New Fairylore Essays, Kentucky 1991, ed. Narváez), very excited about the nature of knowledge and Beachcombing with his simple abstract-allergic mind was unable to follow the arguments. It was late, there was also a disco across the road…

    But he was left with some questions of his own. So let’s say aliens/fairies are just different ages reading ecstatic experiences in their own way: in the fifteenth century Gawain and the Green Knight was the point of reference, in the twenty-first, Star Trek the Next Generation. Does that mean that fewer UFOs were seen in areas where the fairy faith survived? The problem with this is that there is arguably nowhere where the fairy faith survived into the 1950s let alone the twenty-first century with any strength. But that in itself begs another question, one that is far more interesting. If fairies had died in most of the western world by, say, 1900 and UFOs started making a nuisance of themselves in the 1950s, what came in between? Stray hot air balloons and the occasional air ship don’t really do it. And please, no-one write in about the Age of Aquarius or ball lightning!

    Any thoughts to explain the fairy-alien gap? drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com

     ***

    9 Sept 2011: Straight up DenM writes in: ‘ Two words:  Jacques Vallee.   Two books:  Dimensions and Wonders in the Sky.  Check them out you would like them.’ Then building on this Ruththeunstopablycurious has the following to say: ‘Anyway, Jacques Vallee’s Passport to Magonia covers the serious overlap of mythology, particularly fairies, and UFO’s.  Dr Vallee is a serious scientist, meticulous in his epistemology, and offers hypotheses guaranteed to offend all partisans of various aspects of this huge issue. The book itself is well written — I have read it myself several times.  It certainly puts a new spin on fairy stories… The Wiki article on JV: A partial summary of JV’s assessment of the issue, from the Wiki article: Vallée proposes that there is a genuine UFO phenomenon, partly associated with a form of non-human consciousness that manipulates space and time. The phenomenon has been active throughout human history, and seems to masquerade in various forms to different cultures. In his opinion, the intelligence behind the phenomenon attempts social manipulation by using deception on the humans with whom they interact.Vallée also proposes that a secondary aspect of the UFO phenomenon involves human manipulation by humans. Witnesses of UFO phenomena undergo a manipulative and staged spectacle, meant to alter their belief system, and eventually, influence human society by suggesting alien intervention from outer space. The ultimate motivation for this deception is probably a projected major change of human society, the breaking down of old belief systems and the implementation of new ones. Vallée states that the evidence, if carefully analysed, suggests an underlying plan for the deception of mankind by means of unknown, highly advanced methods. Vallee states that it is highly unlikely that governments actually conceal alien evidence, as the popular myth suggests. Rather, it is much more likely that that is exactly what the manipulators want us to believe. Vallée feels the entire subject of UFOs is mystified by charlatans and science fiction. He advocates a stronger and more serious involvement of science in the UFO research and debate. Only this can reveal the true nature of the UFO phenomenon.’ If you Google “passport to magonia pdf “, there are a number of downloads available — I don’t know if they are violating copyright or not.  The book itself is hard to get at a reasonable price — but you might find it in a library or used book store.  Here’s the Amazon UK list: I do believe that Karl G Jung thought that the UFO phenomenon was connected to the fairy lore – but I can’t find the reference right now.’ Irritatingly Beachcombing doesn’t have the Rojcewicz article at this moment but he seems to remember Vallée being quoted. Invisible wants to make a Marian point: I think an argument could be made that, at least in Catholic Europe, the fairies were ‘superseded’ by Marian apparitions. Starting from the 1830s–perhaps the last gasp of the fairy faith?–you have the visions of Catherine Laboure (1830), LaSalette (1846), Lourdes (1858), Robinsonville, Wisconsin [Belgian immigrant girl] (1859), Pontmain (1871), Fatima (1917) (with another set of revelations to Lucia in 1925), Beauraing (1932-3), Banneux (1930s). Right on the border of the UFO flap of the 1960s are the unapproved apparitions of Garabandal in 1960-61. And this is just the list of the major Marian apparitions–there are many other minor and unapproved visions. Nearly all of them have child visionaries, strange lights, orbs, and lightning flashes, shining figures, buzzing sounds, lost time, apparitions, “channeling” of messages–both heavenly and hellish, and apparent altered states of consciousness.I think that most of the visionaries would agree that their visions had a great influence–for good or ill–in their lives. I admit I have not heard of any overt sexual content to any of these Marian apparitions, but there has been some in some of the unapproved visions–mystic marriages and some rather suspicious ecstasies in union with Christ’s Passion figure heavily. This may be why they are  UNapproved apparitions. Although I deplore the clumsy translation, one of the most interesting discussions of the UFO/fairy/Marian apparition connection is to be found in The Fatima Trilogy: 1. Heavenly Lights: The Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon by Joaquim Fernandes, Fina D’Armada 2. Celestial Secrets: The Hidden History of the Fatima Incident, Joaquim Fernandes, Fina D’Armada, 3. Fatima Revisited: The Apparition Phenomenon in Ufology, Psychology,and Science, Fernando Fernandes, Joaquim Fernandes, Raul Berenguel. The authors delve into (among many other subjects), the fairy lore of the area, the geological characteristics of the land that might make it a ‘window’ area for strange phenomena, and the distortion/shaping of an event which could be interpreted as an alien visitation into an orthodox Marian apparition. This is an excellent exposition of the fairy/alien connection.‘ But, what about Marian sightings from the fifteenth and sixteenth century? What did Protestant areas of Europe do while they were waiting for ET? Are Protestants less inclined to see UFOs? Surely not. Are the areas where fairies survive to c. 1900 less inclined to see the Madonna? Perhaps, thinking about it. Thanks Invisible, Ruth and DenM!!

    10 Sept 2011: Invisible strikes back: ‘I’m so (thankfully) out of touch with the UFO community, I couldn’t even begin to answer the question of whether Protestants see/saw fewer UFOs. I do know that Evangelicals tend to view UFOs as demonic. There is a whole genre of Christian books exposing the Satanic agenda/character of UFOs. To me this echoes the Puritan disapproval of the fairies because of a fancied link with the Devil. You wrote, ‘What about the Marian apparitions of 16th 17th centuries?’  These tended to be to adults, rather than children, and were certainly not as publicized as the 19th century apparitions. Much more local in character, not the apocalyptic content, and more emphasis on devotions like the Rosary or the scapulars, healing miracles, or pilgrimages. Personal devotions, personal visions and messages to saints and people under vows rather than seculars. The scope is intimate: personal salvation/relationship with deity or personal healing are the goals, not the conversion of Russia or rescuing Mankind from Destruction (echoes of the Space Brothers). If you try really hard, you can tease “alien” elements out of some medieval and Renaissance visions (Anglo-Saxon saints are forever signaling their deaths with luminous doves and balls of light.) But it’s not the main emphasis as it becomes in the 19th c. Also you asked What did Protestant areas of Europe do while they were waiting for ET?  Deplored Papist idolatry of the Virgin while emphasizing hard work and man’s innate depravity? Dressed holy wells? In Wales they had religious revivals with luminous phenomena. Scandinavia never left off its belief in elves/fairies and, other than St. Bridget of Sweden, I can’t think of a single Marian apparition in the north countries (which of course you wouldn’t get after the Reformation anyway.)  The Vallee book is very useful on the folklore of lights/people in the sky. Hilary Evans’ book, Visions, Apparitions, Aliens Visitors: A Comparative Study of the Entity Enigma, is another excellent study.’ thanks yet again Invisible!

    16 Sept 2011: Tim writes in with this link to an interesting fairy/alien short story. Well worth a read. Thanks Tim!