Fortean Times

84 Pages·2017·20.842 MB·English

THEPRISONER
AT 50 UNEASYRIDERS MOTORCYCLISTSANDPHANTOMHITCHHIKERS
ATHORNYPROBLEM FAIRYTREESHALTROADCONSTRUCTION
THESECRETWORLDOF
PATRICKMCGOOHAN KILLORCURE POISONSAUSAGESANDPLATYPUSVENOM
THE
MANREBORNASCALF • HAIR-CHOPPINGPANIC • FAIRYCURSES • VAMPIREVAPOURS WORLD’S
WEIRDEST
NEWS
THE WORLD OF STRANGE PHENOMENA WWW.FORTEANTIMES.COM
FT358 OCTOBER 2017 £4.50
SCARY
BIKERS
MOTORCYCLES,
MAGICANDMAYHEM
ONTHEHIGHWAY
TOHELL!

FORTEANTIMES 358
Why fortean ?
Everythingyoualwayswantedto
SEEPAGE
knowaboutForteanTimesbut 78
weretooparanoidtoask!
STRANGEDAYS
Adigestoftheworldwideweird,including:Hair-chopping
panic,manrebornascalf,Irishfairycursesandmore...
05 THECONSPIRASPHERE 27 MYTHCONCEPTIONS
12 SCIENCE 28 NECROLOG
14 CLASSICALCORNER 29 FOLKLOREANDFAIRIES
18 GHOSTWATCH 30 THEUFOFILES
FEATURES
34 COVERSTORY
OFITV CONTENTS HELLONWHEELS
SY
URTE OutlawmotorcycleclubshaveoftenemployedSataniciconogra-
O
C phytoterrifymainstreamsociety.STEVETOASEexploreshow
48 ThePrisonerat50:InsidetheoccultworldofPatrickMcGoohan filmsandfictionhaveexploitedtheselinksbetweenbikercul-
tureandtheoccultovertheyearstoproducesomecultclassics.
42 UNEASYRIDERS
ROBGANDYinvestigatessomeunusualcasesinwhichmotorcy-
S clistshaveencounteredroadghostsandphantomhitchhikersin
GE
MA theliminalzonebetweenhauntingsandurbanlegends.
GETTYI 48 THEOCCULTWORLDOFPATRICKM GOOHAN
VIA c
S
TIME PatrickMcGoohan’sThePrisonerisasrelevantnowasitwas50
N
STA yearsagosaysBRIANJROBB.PackedwithallusionstotheIllu-
U
ND minati,thepolicestate,brainwashing,andhiddeninfluenceson
HI
/ society,itisatextthatisstillbeingunpackedfivedecadeson.
MAR
U
K
N
PARVEE REPORTS
6 India’shair-choppingpanic 34 Satanicbikersofthe1970s
22 BREAKINGCONVENTION
Abattleforthesoulofpsychedelia GARYLACHMAN
32 BLASTSFROMTHEPAST
Vampiricvapours THEOPAIJMANS
FORUM
55 PoisonsausagesandplatypusvenomMARKGREENER
56 ThelostruinsoftheMoonANDREWMAY
GALLS REGULARS
N
BILLI
SA/ 02 EDITORIAL 73 LETTERS 79 PHENOMENOMIX
NA
59 REVIEWS 78 READERINFO 80 STRANGEDEATHS
30 Isthereanybodyupthere?Theslowdeathofufology...
COVERIMAGE:ALAMYSTOCKPHOTO ALLHEADERICONSTHROUGHOUTTHEMAGAZINEBYCAPUCINEDESLOUIS
PRISONERIMAGE:COURTESYOFITV
Fortean Times
EDITOR
DAVIDSUTTON EDITORIAL
([email protected])
S
FOUNDINGEDITORS UI
PBAOUBLRSICIEKVAERKDIN(Gbo(bsireicvkeakridn@[email protected])imes.com) ESLO
D
ARTDIRECTOR E
ETIENNEGILFILLAN CIN
([email protected]) U
P
BOOKREVIEWSEDITOR CA
VALSTEVENSON
([email protected]) THE PROJECT 5% APPEAL
RESIDENTCARTOONIST
HUNTEMERSON
SUBSCRIPTIONENQUIRIESANDBACKISSUES
www.managemymags.co.uk
customercare@[email protected]
Inherrecent ‘UFOFiles’columns 5.Haveyoueverfoundanythingcloseto
FORTEANTIMESisproducedforDennisPublishing
byWildTalentsLtd.Postaladdress:ForteanTimes, columnsJennyRandlesdescribedthe thesceneofsomethingstrangeinthesky
POBOX71602,LondonE170QD. launchofanewprojectinvolvingFT thatdidnotappeartobelongtothelocal
Youcanmanageyourexistingsubscriptionthrough
readerswhichhopestobringafortean areaandthatyoucouldnotidentify?
www.managemymags.co.uk–thisshouldbeyourfirstport
ofcallifyouhaveanyqueriesaboutyoursubscription. approachtoexaminingcloseencounters.
Changeyouraddress,renewyoursubscription NowthatPROJECT5%isupandrunning, RAREROADGHOSTS
orreportproblems:UKsubscriptions:03303333492/ Jennyhasgivenusanupdatetoshare: AsRobGandynotesinhis‘Uneasy
[email protected]
USA&Canadasubscriptions:([phone](tollfree) “Avariedteamhasbeenputtogether Riders’featureinthismonth’sbiker-
Fax(+1)[email protected] fromthoseofferinghelpandIwillreport heavyissue,phantomhitchhikerandroad
Otheroverseassubscriptions:[phone]
Fax:[phone] backregularly ghostencounters
inmymonthly involving
LICENSING&SYNDICATION
FORTEANTIMESISAVAILABLEFOR columnon motorcyclists
INTERNATIONALLICENSINGANDSYNDICATION–CONTACT: progress. ratherthan
SyndicationManager
RYANCHAMBERS TEL:[phone] “Evenwithout driversappearto
[email protected]
SeniorLicensingManager joiningtheteam beasurprisingly
CARLOTTASERANTONI TEL:[phone] youcanassist smallsub-set
[email protected]
Licensing&SyndicationExecutive byreadingthe ofanotherwise
NICOLEADAMS TEL:[phone]
[email protected] followingquestions fairlywidespread
YOUCANREACHFTONTHEINTERNET andsending phenomenon.
www.forteantimes.com anytruelife Robhasmade
experiencesthat animpressive
©CopyrightDennisPublishingLimited you,orsomeone efforttocollect
youtrust,hashad existingexamples
PUBLISHEDBYDENNISPUBLISHING,
31-32ALFREDPLACE,LONDON,WC1E7DP thatmatchanyof ofthesestories,
PUBLISHER GROUPADVERTISING thesecategories. andhasunearthed
DHARMESHMISTRY DIRECTORLIFESTYLE Anonymitywillbe somepreviously
dharmesh_mistry@ ANDREAMASON
dennis.co.uk 02038903814 guaranteedifyou unknownonestoo.
CIRCULATIONMANAGER andrea_mason@ ortheyprefernot CananyFTreaders
jJaAmMeEsS.mMaAnNgGaAnN@ dennis.co.uk tobeidentified.” "Well,ifyoueverfeeldifferently,letmeknow." helpwithany
SENIORSALESEXECUTIVE
seymour.co.uk BRADLEYBEAVER Pleasemark furtherexamples,
EXPORTCIRCULATION 02038903722 yourresponses‘Project5%’andsendto: especiallyfirst-hand,ofsuchencounters?
MANAGER bradley_beaver@
GERALDINEGROBLER dennis.co.uk [email protected] Ifso,pleasewritetotheusualaddress.
geraldine.grobler@
seymour.co.uk SALESEXECUTIVE
IMOGENWILLIAMS 1.Haveyoueverhadanoddfeelingthat ERRATA
SENIORPRODUCTION 02038903739
EXECUTIVE imogen_williams@ youwereabouttoseesomethingstrange FT354:5:NilsErikGrandeemailed
MICHAELHILLS dennis.co.uk intheskyANDasyoulookeduptherewas topointoutamistakeinthe
02038903795
michael_hills@ somethingthere?Or,indeed,therewas ‘Conspirasphere’column:“NoelRooney
dennis.co.uk
nothingtherebutthe'feeling'persisted? referstosomethinghecalls‘Boolean
PRINTEDBYWILLIAMGIBBONS&SONSLTD algorithms’.Asonewouldbehard-pressed
DISTRIBUTION 2.Haveyoueverseenanythingstrangein tofindanalgorithmthatwasnotBoolean
DistributedinUK,Irelandandworldwide theskyANDfeltcuriousphysicaleffects insomerespectorother,Isuspecthe
bySeymourDistributionLtd.
2EastPoultryAvenue,LondonEC1A9PT atthesametimeinvolvingyoureyes, meansBayesian,whichissomethingelse
Tel:[phone]/Fax:[phone]
Queriesonoverseasavailabilityshouldbeemailedto earsorotherpartofyourbody?Orhave entirely.”
[email protected] youexperiencedanyunusualphysical,
SpecialitystoredistributionbyWorldwideMagazine
DistributionLtd,Tel:[phone] Fax:[phone] emotionalormentaleventsafterastrange FT355:10:RichardFreemanenjoyed
STANDARDSUBSCRIPTIONRATES eventoccurred? RobGandy’swrite-upofthisyear’sWeird
ForteanTimes(USPS023-226)ispublishedeveryfourweeksbyDennis WeekendNorth,butnotedthat“hedid,
PublishingLtd,31-32AlfredPlace,London,WC1E7DP,UnitedKingdom. 3.Haveyoueverseenanythingstrange however,confusefeetwithinchesin
TheUSannualsubscriptionpriceis$89.99.Airfreightandmailinginthe
USAisbyAgentnamedAirBusiness,C/OWorldnetShippingUSAInc., intheskyANDaroundthesametime thecaseoftheMongoliandeathworm.
149-35177thStreet,Jamaica,NewYork,11434.Periodicalpostage noticedphysicaleffectsaroundyou–on Theredoindeedseemtobetwokinds,
paidatJamaica,NY11431,USA.
USPostmaster:Sendaddresschangesto:ForteanTimes, yourcar,orradio,orotherelectrical onereddishandabouttwofeetlong,the
3330PacificAvenue,Suite500,VirginiaBeach,VA,23451-2983,USA. equipmentoranypartoftheimmediate secondgreyandabout18inchesrather
environment? than18feetinlength.”
12issues:UK£48;Europe£58;Restofworld£68
US$89.99($161.98for24issues)
DENNISPUBLISHINGLIMITED 4.Haveyoumanagedtoobtainphysical
GROUPCFO/COO BRETTREYNOLDS
EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR KERINO’CONNOR evidenceofsomethingstrangeinthe
CHIEFEXECUTIVE JAMESTYE skysuchasaphotograph,videooraudio DAVIDRSUTTON
COMPANYFOUNDER FELIXDENNIS
MemberoftheAuditBureauofCirculations. recording?
ABC13,904(Jan-Dec2016) BOBRICKARD
PAULSIEVEKING
PrintedintheUK.ISSN:03085899
©ForteanTimes:AUGUST2017
2
FT358
www.forteantimes.com
AGREATWAYTOFIGHTPOVERTYFROMCAREINTERNATIONALUK
cMhairldiar’esnstore helps her support her five Khoeurm’s farm will provide jobs for
her local community
Raised:£265.00 Raised: £640.00
Needed:£622.10 Needed:£572.48
WHOSE LIFE WILL YOU
CHANGE WITH AN
INVESTMENT OF JUST £15?
At CARE International, we know that How does it work?
sometimes, all people need is a little
Youchooseanentrepreneurat
1
investment to change their lives forever.
www.lendwithcare.org
That’s why we’ve set up this revolutionary new
2 Youinvestanyamountfrom£15in
way to help some of the world’s poorest people.
theirbusiness
It’s called Lendwithcare – and instead of giving
a donation, you can lend from just £15 to fund a 3 Theentrepreneur’sbusinessbeginstogrow
fledgling business. 4 Yourloanisrepaidbacktoyou
Maria Martinez and Khoeurm Sat are just two 5 Youre-investinanotherentrepreneur, you
of the people you could help to work their way withdrawyourmoneyordonateit
out of poverty when you make a loan through toCAREInternational
lendwithcare.org.
VISIT LENDWITHCARE.ORG NOW
TO MEET MORE ENTREPRENEURS
AND DECIDE WHO YOU INVEST IN
CAREInternationalUK.Registeredcharityno292506.CARE,89AlbertEmbankment,LondonSE17TP
Theloanstatusandamountsrequiredwerecorrectatthetimeofcreatingthisadvertisement.
MAKE A LOAN -CHANGE A LIFE
A DIGEST OF THE WORLDWIDE WEIRD
STRANGE DAYS
RETURN OF THE WANDERING RINGS
Rings and their owners reunited after years thanks to carrots, babies and a “dodgy-looking curry”
generationtreefarmer,wasriding
onthebackofatractorsticking
Christmastreesintheground
whenhespottedsomethingshiny
inthesoil.Itwasthelostwedding
band.AnearlyDecemberNJ.com
reportonthediscoveryspurred
acallfromPenner’ssister-in-law,
whoconnectedthetwomen.
Thereunionwasbittersweet
forPenner,wholosthiswifeof
42yearswhenshediedaged67
threemonthsearlier.[AP]nj.com,
ksl.com,8Dec2016.
•AnnWestland,55,of
ABOVELEFT:MaryGramslostherengagementring13yearsagowhileweedingonthefamilyfarminAlberta,Canada. Sunderland,losthergold
ABOVERIGHT:Anotherringencirclingacarrot,thisonefoundinGermanyandreunitedwithitsunnamedowner.
weddingringin1997while
diggingaroundatreeinherback
MaryGrams,an84-year-old •InOctober2011,aSwedish •ChrisRobb,49,fromStAlbans, garden.Sheborrowedametal
widowfromCanada,was woman,LenaPaahlsson,found Hertfordshire,thoughthehad detectorfromafriend,butthe
devastatedwhenshelosther herweddingringgracingacarrot losthiswhitegoldwedding searchprovedfruitless.Almost
diamondengagementringwhile 16yearsaftershelostit.She ringwhileplayingfootballwith 20yearslater,inSeptember
weedingonthefamilyfarmin guessedithadfallenintothe friends.Hecombedthepitch 2016,herhusbandIanspotted
Albertain2004.Herhusband sinkin1995,andwasthrown for45minutesandusedametal theringamongsomesnowdrop
Normanhadgivenittoherin outwithvegetablepeelingsfor detectortotryandlocateit. bulbswhilehewasgardening.
1951.Outofembarrassment,she compost[FT287:7].Children’s Ayearlater,inJuly2017,his “Inoticeditontopofthesoil,
decidednottotellherhusband, authorNancyBoppcontacted wifeAnnie,50,spottedalong nowherenearwhereshehadlost
butlethersonintothesecret. hertosayshewasdelightedthat forgottenfrozentakeawaymeal. it,”hesaid.NorthernEchoonline,
Shewentoutandboughta her2002bookTheGardener’s “We’djustsoldourhouse,soI 19Jan;Sun,20Jan2017.
slightlycheaperreplacement GoldRing–whichtellsavery decidedtoclearoutthefreezer,”
ring,andcarriedonasifnothing similarstory–hadcometolife. shesaid.“Therewasadodgy- •Acouplewhofearedawedding
hadhappened. AndinNovember2016,an lookingcurryinthere,soIgotit ringwaslostforeverowetheir
Thesecretwaskeptfor13 82-year-oldwidowerwasreunited out.Iwasgoingtothrowitaway thankstoababyliving20miles
yearsuntil14August2017when withhislostweddingringafterit butIwantedtodefrostitsothere away.AndyandStephFreeman,
herdaughter-in-lawColleen turnedupencirclingacarrotdug wasnowaterinthebin.”Asthe wholiveontheoutskirtsof
Daley,whonowlivesonthe fromhisgarden.Hiswifehad currydefrosted,shespottedthe Norwichandmarriedin2015,
farmwhereMrsGramsusedto continuallyreassuredhimthat lostringemerging.“Youare hadbeenhuntingforthering
live,dugupsomecarrotsinthe theringwouldturnuponeday, kiddingme,”saidherastonished formonths.Thentheysawa
garden.Whilewashingarather butsadlyshediedsixmonths husband.“Howonearthdidit communityFacebookpostfrom
lumpycarrot,shediscovered priortohimfindingit,ahead getinthecurry?” D.Mail,Sun, CloeyJordan,inWortwell,near
ithadgrownthrougharing. ofthecouple’s50thwedding 18July2017. Harleston,towhomtheyhad
Hersoninstantlyguessedthe anniversary.Theunnamedman giventheiroldsofatwoweeks
ring’sidentity,andcalledhis losttheringthreeyearsearlier •DavidPennerlosthiswedding before.Sheexplainedthather
mother.Atfirstshethoughthe whilegardeninginhishometown ringduringavisitwithhis six-month-oldsonKalebhad
washavingheron.Theringheld ofBadMünstereifel,Germany. wifetoWyckoff’sTreeFarmin droppedhisdummydownthe
plentyofsentimentalvalue, Hewasinhighspiritsafter WhiteTownship,NewJersey.He backofthesofaandthatwhen
particularlyasherhusbandhad findingthering,jokingthatyou returnedandsearched,butthe shedismantledthefurniture
diedfiveyearsearlier.BBCNews, doindeed“reapwhatyousow”. ringwasnowheretobefound. toretrieveitshefoundMr
EveStandard,HuffingtonPost,16 [AP]5Nov;HuffingtonPost,8Nov About15yearslater,inApril Freeman’sring.BBCNews,17Mar
Aug2017. 2016. 2016,JohnWyckoff,athird- 2017.
4
FT358
www.forteantimes.com
STRANGE AVIEWFROM ATHORNY
CONTINENT THEBRIDGE PROBLEM
Colouryourown Paleladies Roadbuilders
Hitlerandother andhaunted versusIreland’s
Europeannews crossings fairytrees
PAGE16 PAGE18 PAGE25
THE C NSPIRASPHERE EXTRA! EXTRA!
Asdarknessfallsatnoon,atleastintheUnitedStates,NOELROONEYlooksonline
forterrifyingsignsandportentsfollowinginthepathoftotality...
ADANGEROUS40DAYS unsuperstitiousskies,onethatwouldbe FT’SFAVOURITEHEADLINES
Onceuponatimeourancestors,primitive visiblealmostexclusivelyintheUnited FROMAROUNDTHEWORLD
beingsthattheywere,sawportentsof States(acountrywhereIntelligent
evilinthesky;andasolareclipsewas Designisallowedequalspaceonthe
BIDTORE-CREATE
amongthedarkestofthem.Adragonwas schoolcurriculumwithDarwin’stheoryof
eatingtheSun;thegodswereexpressing evolution),despitethevalianteffortsof UNIVERSE
theirangerbywithholdingthelightoflife; rationalistssuchasthegreatNeildeGrasse
poisonwouldcontaminateanyfoodcooked Tyson,thecogsthatturnedthequickest
(Dundee)CourierandAdvertiser,24June2016.
undertheeclipse(althoughflowersplanted weren’tthoseofthescientificcognoscenti.
underitsbalefulgazewouldbloomwith Theavalancheofonlinedoom-mongering
Mumforcedtosell
anunnaturalbrightness).Superstitions thataccompaniedtheAmericaneclipse
attachedthemselvestothephenomenon (canyouheartheword‘apocalypse’
cottageafter
rightupuntilrelativelymoderntimes:during whenthatphraseisspoken?You’renot
thesolareclipseof1818,visibleacross alone)wouldnothavelookedoutofplace beingterrorisedby
mostofEngland,wholevillagesgatheredin inkedontofeveredvelluminamediæval
satanicgoat
parishchurchesandprayedforredemption. scriptoriumaroundtheturnofthe10th
Thencametheageofscience,of century,orscratchedinrunesonantler
scientism,aharshspotlightthatshattered fragmentsnexttotheremainsofaslightly
DailyStar,––Feb2016.
thewebsofmythandignoranceand over-filledpsilocybinprescription.Among
shonethecleanlightofknowledgeon myfavouriteswasthenimblesynaptic
themysteriesthatcloudedtheminds spacewalkperformedbyMichaelSnyder, WASHINGTON
oftheignorant;nowwecouldsee,and whomanagesbymeansofnumerology
SCIENTIST
understand,thatthestrangedance tolinkthecollisionbetweenaUSNavy
ofplanetsaboveuswasnothingmore warshipandanoiltanker,theeclipse,the LAUNCHESEFFORT
thantheturningofsenselessgearsin illnessofSenatorJohnMcCain,YomKippur,
afirmamentdevoidofdeityorpurpose. andthebookofRevelationintoaslam TODIGITISE
TheoddfactthatourMoonwas400 dunkEndTimesprophecy,akindofAdvent
ALLFISH
timessmallerthantheSun,butalso400 calendarforNibiruwatchersandoverly
timesclosertous(clearlyaminorcosmic bright-eyedalt-rightI-told-you-sosurvivalists.
coincidenceandnotremotelysignificant), Underthegod-likeamusement AssociatedPress,27July2016.
wasevidenceenoughtodispelthe ofscepticalgeographersofthe
miasmaofsuperstition,andexplainthe Conspirasphereliesasoberingrealisation
Scientistsclaim
nonethelessawe-inspiringspectaclethatis thatourengineofprogressisnotactually
afullsolareclipse. takingusanywhere:Fortwasright.Every Marsresembles
Thensciencelurchedon,likean rationalstep‘forwards’isactuallyablind
endlesslyproductivejuggernaut,and bunny-hopintoanoceanofnonsense; Somerset
eventuallyinvented,amongothervery wereserveouramnesiafortherealmof
finethings,theInternet.Andlo!Theacme reason,andremembereverydaftnotion
DailyNews,10Aug2016.
ofcommunicationsandcollaborative onwardsfromthedawnoftime.
thinking,thevirtualworldofideasand
sharedwisdom,performedanironicU-turn, www.prisonplanet.com/is-it-significant-that-the- PLAYINGTHE
droppeditsetherealtrousersandmooned uss-john-s-mccain-was-damaged-in-a-collision-on-
the-same-day-as-the-solar-eclipse.html BAGPIPES
inthefaceofscience,andrationalthinking,
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/12-
andblewcloudsofconceptualmethanein critical-events-that-are-going-to-happen-over-a-40- CANBEFATAL
thegeneraldirectionofcommonsense. day-period-from-august-21st-to-september-30th
Soon21August,whenasolareclipse http://time.com/4909154/solar-eclipse-neil-
loomedonceagainoverourapparently degrasse-tyson/ D.Telegraph,23Aug2016.
5
FT358
www.forteantimes.com
STRANGE DAYS
PHANTOM BARBERS
SIDELINES... Nowoman’sbraidsare
safeaspanicspreads
TEACHER’SREVENANT
On7AprilamaninChainat,Thai-
land,sawhisneighbourinfront
ofhishouse,lookingpaleand
sad.Hegreetedhimbutgotno
reply.Helaterfoundoutthatthe
neighbour,retiredmathsteacher
NarinWorapho,62,hadhanged
himselffromthebanistersofhis
houseatleast10daysearlier.
thaivisa.com,10April2017.
S
GE
ALITTLEFRIGHTMUSIC MA
Policeinvestigatingreportsofa GETTYI
ghostplayingmusicatmidnight VIA
S
insidealocked-upStPhilipand ME
TI
StJameschurchinIlfracombe, N
Devon,calledonthevicartobring USTA
D
hiskeysandfoundorganistIan HIN
LSouvne,g9raJvuelyp;rMacettirsoin,g13inJtuhlye2d0a1rk7.. UMAR/
K
N
HOTLINETOHEAVEN PARVEE
AZimbabweanclerichas ABOVE:Awomanshowshowherdaughter’sbraidswerechoppedoffnearRaviNagar,UttarPradesh.
courtedridiculeaftertellinghis
congregation(saidtonumber “Therewasa
Reportsof“phantombarbers” dressedinblackandcarrying
5,000)thathespeakstoGod
onhiscellphone.PastorPaul firstemergedinJunefrom severalkniveshadattackedher.
strongflashof
Sanyangore,32,ofVictoryWorld thenorthernIndianstateof “Shetoldmethateverything
InternationalMinistries,isshown Rajasthan.Insubsequent happenedinlessthan10
lightthatleftme
onthechurch’swebsitesaying weeks,closeto100womenin seconds,”hesaid.
intohisphone:“Hello,isthis Rajasthan,Haryana,Uttar Thereweresimilarcasesin
unconscious”
heaven?”Hecausedastam- PradeshandDelhireportedthat ruralareasofRewaridistrict
pedebyhandingout“anointed” theirhairhadbeenchoppedoff –around70km(43miles)from
condomsinchurch,andhas whiletheywereoutcold.“Iwas Gurgaon.ReenaDevi,28,from
promisedtorevealGod’sphone inthekitchenandpreparing andheardnothing.Munesh Jonawasavillagesaidshewas
number.therealafrican.com,18 dinner,”saidSunitaDevi,53, Devi,aneighbour,saidthatthe attackedon27July.“Iwasdoing
May;Times,24May2017. fromtheGurgaondistrictof narrowlane,whichhasaround mychoreswhenIsawalarge
Haryana,recallingtheevents 20houses,isusuallybuzzing figurethatresembledacat.
WOOLLYJUMPERS
of28July.“Suddenly,Irealised between9pmand10pm.“People ThenIfeltsomebodytouching
Morethan200sheepdiedafter thatsomeonewasstandingat gettogetherafterdinnertojust myshoulders,andthat’sthe
theyhurtledoveracliffinthe themaingateofmyhouse.I talkandrelax.Fridaywasno lastthingIremember.Iknow
Pyreneeson23Julywhilebeing wentthereandfoundathin different,butnoneofussaw itsoundsimpossible,butthat’s
chasedbyabear.Thesheepbe- maninaredandyellowoutfit, anyunknownpersongoinginor whatIsaw.Somepeoplesay
longedtoafarmerontheFrench
standingtherewithatrident comingoutofSunita’shouse,” Icutmyhair,butwhywould
sideoftheborder,buttheir
inhishand.Iaskedhimtogo shesaid. Idothat?”Thesameday,
bodieswerefoundatthefoot
away.”Shereturnedinsideand Justafewyardsaway,Asha ReemaDevi,28,saidherhair
ofacliffjustovertheborderin
themandisappearedforawhile Devilostherhairinasimilar waschoppedoffwhileshewas
Spain.Bearswerereintroduced
butsomehowenteredherhouse. attackthefollowingday,butthis playingagameonherphone.
totheregionfromSlovenia20
“Therewasastrongflashof timetheattackerwasreportedly “Myhusbandandchildrenwere
yearsagoafterdisappearingin
theearly1990s.D.Telegraph,23 lightthatleftmeunconscious,” awoman.Herfather-in-law, alsointheroom,”shesaid.“I
July;SydneyMorningHerald,25 shesaid.“Anhourlater,Ifound SurajPal,saidthatfollowing feltapullonmyhairandwhenI
July2017. thatmyhairhadbeenchopped theincident,hesentherand lookedback,myhairwasonthe
off.Iamunabletosleepor otherwomenofhisfamilytoa floor.”[ReenaDeviandReema
concentrateonanything.Ihad relative’shouseinUttarPradesh Devi,both28andbothshorn
readaboutsuchincidentstaking forafewweeks.Hewasathome onthesameday?Havethese
placeinRajasthan,butnever whenAshaDeviwentoutsideto reportsbeengarbled?]
thoughtitwouldhappentome.” completeahouseholdchoreat Intheneighbouringvillage
SunitaDevilivesinaclose- around10pm.“Iwentoutsideto ofKharkharra,SundarDevi,
knitcommunityoftraders findherwhenshedidn’treturn 60,hadbeenbedriddensince
andfarmers.“Iwasaloneon formorethan30minutes,”he shewasattackedandshorn
thegroundfloorofthehouse, said.“Wefoundherunconscious on29July.“Iwasgoingto
andmydaughter-in-lawand inthebathroom.Herhairwas aneighbour’shousewhen
grandsonwereupstairswhen choppedandthrownonthe somebodytappedmyshoulder
S
S
RO theattackhappenedataround floor.”Ashacametoafteran frombehind,”shesaid.“When
N
MARTI 9:30pm,”shesays.Theysaw hourandtoldhimthatawoman Ilookedback,therewas
6
FT358
www.forteantimes.com
STRANGE DAYS
nobody.That’sthelastthingI womenarechoppingofftheir scaringher. SIDELINES...
remember.” ownhair.” TheDeputyCommissioner
Acatalsofeaturedinanother InAgracity,MunniDevisaid ofPolice,SurinderKumar,said
incident,reportedbythe shewenttosleepasusual,only theseincidentsshouldn’tbe
LIVINGSHIPWORMS
TimesofIndia.Sapna,20,from tofindherhairchoppedoffand lookedataswitchcraft.“The
thevillageofDeviLalNagar, herbraidneatlyplacednear teamischeckingtheCCTVs Scientistshaveforthefirsttime
claimedshewasasleepbeside herpillow.Neithershenorher installedinthearea,”hesaid. foundlivespecimensofagiant
herchildrenwhenshesawa husbandsleepingnexttoher “Infact,inoneoftheCCTV worm-likecreature,whichcan
catenterherroomintheearly hadheardanything.Atleast footages,threemencould reachupto5ft(1.5m)inlength.
Alivingshipwormhadnotbeen
hours.Thecattransformedinto 15incidentsofwomen’sbraids beseen.Wehavedeveloped
studieduntilthediscoveryoffive
awomanwhopouncedonher beingmysteriouslychoppedoff theirphotographs.Itmightbe
beneaththeseainthePhilip-
andcutherlocks. werereportedfromthevillages possiblethattheyaretargeting
pines.Despitethename,the
“Thesearebizarre oftheMewatregioninthe peoplesothattheycouldeasily
creatureismorecloselyrelatedto
cases,”saidGurgaonpolice secondhalfofJuly. robthem.Theywillbearrested
clamsandmussels.D.Telegraph,
spokespersonRavinderKumar. DelhiPolicereceivedthree soon.”
19April2017.
“Wehavefoundnocluesat reportsofmysterioushair- Some“miscreants”took
crimescenes,medicaltests cuttingwithin12hoursnear advantageofthepanic. TIMELESS
ofthevictimsshownothing Dwarka.Thefirstincident TwobrothersinAmbedkar
TheAustralianResearchCouncil
abnormal.Onlythevictimssay tookplacearound10amwhen Nagarconfessedtocutting
hasawarded£531,186oftaxpay-
thattheyhaveseenorfeltthe Munishwaslyinginbed. theirsister’shairwhileshe
ers’moneytoAssociateProfessor
presenceofattackers.Wewill “Munishcamebackhomeafter wassleeping.On2Augustin
KristieMiller–jointdirectorof
gettothebottomofthesecases, givingfoddertothecattle. Mutnai,avillagenearAgra, theUniversityofSydney’sCentre
butuntilthen,Iurgepeopleto Shecomplainedofaheadache around125miles(200km) forTime–toexploretheoriesof
notbelieveinrumours.” toherdaughter-in-law.While northofDelhi,MalaDevi(or timeinphysicsand“ourlived
Indeed,rumourswerenot shewaslyinginherbed,her Mandevi),a60-year-oldlow- experienceasagents”.TheARC
inshortsupply.Inonevillage, grandchildnoticedherhair castewoman,waslynchedby projectsummarystates:“There
anelderlymansaidthatan lyingontheground.Everybody amob,whichsuspectedherof isdisagreementaboutthenature
organisedgangwasinvolved. athomepanickedbecause being“aghostwhochopped oftime…andwhether,infact,
Anothersaidhebelievedthat noonesawanyonecuther offwomen’sbraids”aftershe itreallyexistsatall.”(Sydney)
‘tantriks’,orwitchdoctors,were locks,”saidVimalKumarfrom lostherwayandendedupin D.Telegraph,10June2017.
toblame.Otherstalkedabouta Chhawala.Thenintheevening, anupper-casteneighbourhood.
INSECTLODGERS
chotiwalidaayan(hair-snipping Sridevi,inhermid-40s,came Policeimmediatelylaunched
witch).Somefearedthatthe homeaftermilkinghercow, amanhuntfortwobrothers, NewYorkerCheriseMulzaccalled
haircouldbeusedtocastspells. complainingofaheadache. namedasManishandSong. inhelpaftershesawhoneydrip-
Othersaccusedthevictimsof Hersonspottedherhairon Yetanotherwomannearlymet pingdownherwalls.Abeekeeper
cuttingtheirownhairtoget theground.Thistookplacea thesamefateatthehandsofa found35,000beesinherceiling,
attention.RationalistSanal stone’sthrowfromthelocation mobinKhair,Aligarh,butwas whichhetookbacktohives.He
Edamarukuinsistedthese ofthemorningsnipping. rescuedbythepolice.Anand harvested70lb(32kg)ofhoney.
Metro,14July2017.
caseswereaclassicexample “Theseincidentsarebizarre Kumar,atopofficialinnorthern
of“masshysteria”,butReena asnoonecouldseetheperson UttarPradeshstate,saidvillage
TURKEYDEVOLVES
Devidisagreed.“Ispentyears cutwomen’shairlocks,”said committeeshadbeenordered
growingmyhairanditmademe Kumar.At10:30pm,awoman toquashrumoursaboutghosts Turkishchildrenwillnolongerbe
happy,”shesaid.“Nowthatit’s claimedwhensheshutthe orwitchesonhair-cutting taughtaboutevolutionatschool.
AlpaslanDurmus,theheadof
gone,youcan’tevenimaginemy doorsofherhouse,shefound rampages.Thefactthatnearly
curriculumfortheministryofedu-
pain.It’sridiculoustosaythat herbraidlyingonthefloor, allofficialsquotedinthenews
cation,saidthatDarwin’stheory
reportsarecalledKumaris
was“controversial”andwouldbe
withoutsignificance…probably.
removedfromlowerschoolpro-
Severalacademicsand
grammesby2019.UnderRecep
commentatorsdescribed
Erdogan,Islamismisspreading
theeventsasacaseofmass
throughTurkey’sonceproudly
hysteria,comparingthemto secularstate.D.Telegraph,24
thereportsof“monkeyman” June2017.
attacksinIndiain2001and
2002[FT148:8-9,149:7,163:7, SERIALCATKILLERS
S
GE 164:6-7].Long-termreaders
MA ThesmallseasideresortofSaint
GETTYI wbailrlbkenrso”watrheaat“clpahsasinctofomrtean sPoieurtrhe-wlaeMsteor,f9M0oknmtp(e5l5liemriinles)
VIA phenomenon,exemplifiedby southernFrance,wasonedge
S
ME thepigtailsnippingpanicthat aftermorethan200cats,both
TI
USTAN sbwyeCphtaCrhleisnaFoinrt1i8n7W6,idldeTscarleibnetsd psoentsedanindssidtreayasm,woenrteh.faRtoadlleynptosi-
D
HIN (1931).See“Hairtoday…” andbirdsalsodied,amidfears
/
WAL bySteveMoore[2003, childrenmightingestthepoison.
DEL FT177:42-46]. MeanwhileinCilgerran,Pembro-
HAN HindustanTimes,IndiaToday, keshire,threecatshadtoput
MYAK thehindubusinessline.com,30 downafteracutekidneyfailure
SAU July;news18.com,31July;BBC –asignofpoison–andupto17
othercatshadvanishedoverthe
ABOVE:PeopleinNewDelhiarehangingchillisandlemonsoutsidetheirdoorsand News,3Aug;[AP]D.Telegraph,
pastfewmonths.BBCNews,6
makinghandmarksonwallsforprotectionagainsttheghostlyhair-snippers. 4Aug2017.
June;D.Mirror,1July 2017.
7
FT358
www.forteantimes.com
STRANGE DAYS
SIDELINES... ASIAN ODDITIES
Fearandfainting,aswellasasurprise
reincarnation,inSouthEastAsia
LEGENDLIVES
Acrocodileisthoughttobeliving
inasuburbansewerinAustral-
ia’sNorthernTerritoryafteraman
spottedthepredatorattackinga
wheeliebinoutsidehishousein
Palmerston,nearDarwin.Police
arrivedtoseethecrocescaping
downastreetdrainpipe.Adelaide
Advertiser,25Jan2017.
CROCODILECHARMING
A41-year-oldmannamed
Syarifuddinwasbathingina
riverinBerau,EastKalimantan,
Indonesia,on18Julywhena7ft
(2m)crocodilesnatchedhimand
tookhimfurtherintotheriver. S
Thenextmorning,localvillagers UTER
askedforhelpfroma“crocodile /RE
G
rcihtuaarml,werh”e,rwehuopopnreafocrrmoceoddaile SAMRAN
appearedwithSyarifuddin’sbody G
N
initsmouth,leavingitnearthe PRI
riverbankbeforebeingchased ABOVE:KhimHangathomewiththehandsomecalfshebelievestobethereincarnationofherlatehusband.
away.Itisnotknownifthecroco-
dilewasthesameastheone
HUSBANDRETURNSASCALF inCanadiaIndustrialPark, MinistryofLabour’sNational
thathadkilledhim.BBCNews,
Cambodia’slatestsocialmedia Cambodia,on7August.“There SocialSecurityFund,said
21July;[UNI]24July2017.
sensationisafive-month-old wasnewsspreadingamongstthe incidentsoffaintinginfactories
THEFINEOFTHEBEAST calfbelievedbyavillagertobe workersthatoneofthemwas haddecreased,from1,800in
thereincarnationofherdead possessedbyaghostspiritand 2015to1,160lastyear,thanks
AmaninExeter,whothrewhis
husband.KhimHang,74,saidup wasyellingforchickentoeat,” toeducationprogrammeson
Jehovah’sWitnesswife’sBible
to100peopleadaywerevisiting saidgarmentunionleaderBun nutrition.KhmerTimes,8Aug
inagardenburnerlastNovem-
herhomeinnortheastKratie Van.“Thisinformationscared 2017.
ber,wasfined£666.Jason
provincetoseethecalfshesaid theotherworkersandthey
Mortimore,46,alsohitRachael
behavesinverysimilarwaysto startedtofaintonebyone.All •MeanwhileinThailand,16
withamagazine,ashefeared
herhusband,TolKhut,whodied ofthemweresentfortreatment schoolgirlsexperiencedchest
shewouldcancelChristmas.
D.Mirror,1June2017. morethanayearago.“Ibelieve ataprivateclinicnearthe tightness,palpitationsand
thatthecalfismyhusband garmentfactory.”MrVansaidit faintingwhilebeingvaccinated
RAVENOUS becausewhateverhedoes...is wasnotthefirsttimesuchfears againsthumanpapillomavirus
inexactlythesamewayasmy hadspreadamongstworkersat (HPV)atBanKrangSchoolin
FarmersacrossBritainhavere-
husbanddidwhenhewasalive,” theindustrialpark.“Atsome Phitsanulok’sMuangdistrict.
portedanalarmingriseinravens
shesaid.“Iwillkeephimand garmentfactoriesinCanadia NurseJaruneeNasornsaid11
killingnew-bornlambsbypecking
outtheireyesandtongues.Such takecareofhimformyentire IndustrialParkithappened ofthe16studentsaffectedhad
attacksarenotunheardofbe- life.” morethan10timesalready,” yettoreceivethevaccine.Her
causethebirdsareopportunistic Theyoungcowwasbornin hesaid.“Someworkerswere teamhadearliervaccinated
feeders,butexpertsarebaffled Marchandattractedastrong broughttoTakeoprovincetosee otherstudentswithoutany
bytheriseinlambattacks.Mail followingonsocialmedia.“I Khmermagicsorcerers.Inafew sideeffectsorproblems.Most
onSunday,14May2017. thoughtitwasquiteunusual cases,ownersoffactoriesbought ofthestudentsrecoveredafter
toseeacowgouptothehouse chickenstosacrificeatpagodas.” receivingfirstaid,butthreewere
likethis,”saidThachVin,32, Morethan1,000workersare takentohospital.Oneofthe
referringtoavideoshesaw employedatthefactory,which threewassaidtohavesuffered
onFacebookinwhichthecalf producesjacket,pants,dresses, anasthmaattack.
walkedupstairsintothefamily’s skirtsandpoloshirts.KimLy, ThegovernmentHPV
one-storeyhome.“SoIcame 35,oneofthosewhofainted, vaccinationprojectcoversabout
heretoseeitwithmyowneyes.” saidsomeworkersfaintedin 400,000schoolgirlsnationwide.
Whenitisinsidethewooden themorningandothersinthe Theprojectisintendedto
house,thecalfisfed,washed afternoon.“Ifeltpanickedand preventcervicalcancer,the
andputtobedwithafluffy suddenlyIfainted,butIstilldo secondmostcommoncauseof
pillowonceusedbyTolKhut.[R] notclearlyknowthereasonwhy,” deathbyillnessinThaiwomen.
20July2017. saidMsLy.“Now,anotherworker Thailandhasabout6,000new
whowasbroughtfortreatmentat casesofcervicalcancerreported
S CONTAGIOUSBEHAVIOUR theclinicisstillyellinglikeshe eachyearandthedeathrateis
S
RO Around35workersfaintedatthe ispossessed.”Amonthearlier, about3,000ayear.TheNation
N
MARTI NewOrientGarmentCompany CheavBunrith,directoratthe (Thailand),9Aug2017.
8
FT358
www.forteantimes.com