88.
1092, Drutsk and Polotsk, Ukraine
First reference to the Devil’s Hunt
A common theme in ancient folklore refers to mysterious sounds in the sky reminding terrified people of the passage of dozens of men on horseback riding at full speed, with their dogs and servants, leaving enormous destruction behind. In this particular account the phenomenon first appeared in Drutsk, as a great sign “like a very large circle in the middle of the sky.” That summer the weather was very dry, with numerous forest fires and many deaths. In Polotsk people heard great noises in the night, seemingly of devils galloping along the streets. Later they manifested during the day on horseback, but the only visible part was the hooves of their horses.
Another version of the text (Radziwill’s) suggests that “the people of Polotsk are devoured by the dead,” showing ambiguity between the deceased and demons. It is related in the Povest’ vremennykh let, usually referred as the Nestor’s Chronicle or Chronicle of Bygone Years. The following text was extracted by Yannis Deliyannis from the Laurentian codex which includes the oldest version of the Povest’ vremmenykh let. Apart from the manifestation of demons in the streets of Polotsk, the reference to the appearance of a ‘great circle’ in the sky is of particular interest.
Fig. 7: An illumination from the Radziwill Chronicle.
The text reads: “Year 6600 (note: since the creation of the world in 5500 BC) This year there was a very peculiar prodigy in Polotsk. At night, a great noise was heard in the street: demons ran like men and if someone went out of his house, he was hurt right away by an invisible demon with a deadly wound. No one dared to leave his house. Then the demons manifested themselves on horses in plain day: they could not be seen themselves but only the hooves of their horses. They also hurt people in Polotsk and in the neighbourhood. So it was said: “There are ghosts killing citizens in Polotsk”. These apparitions began in Droutchesk. Around this time a sign appeared in the heavens. A great circle was seen in the middle of the sky.”
Source: Claude Lecouteux, Chasses fantastiques et cohortes de la nuit au Moyen Age (Paris: Imago, 1999), 31-32, quoting La Chronique des Temps Passés. See also, in Russian, (Povest’ vremennykh let) as published in CCCP, 1926-1928.
89.
July 1096, Japan, exact location unknown
A necklace of ten lights in the sky
Ten flying objects combined to form a necklace in the sky in the northwest. In the absence of an original quote, it is impossible to analyze this event further.
Source: Takao Ikeda, Nihon nu ufo (Tokyo: Tairiku shobo, 1974).
90.
Circa 15 September 1098, Antioch, Turkey
Scintillating globe
In the Historia Francorum qui Ceperint Jerusalem of Raymond d’Aguiliers, Count of Toulouse, we read that during the First Crusade: “very many things were revealed to us through our brethren; and we beheld a marvelous sign in the sky. For during the night there stood over the city a very large star, which, after a short time, divided into three parts and fell in the camp of the Turks.”
Alfred of Aachen writes: “In the silence of the night, when benevolent sleep restores men’s strength, all Christians on guard duty were struck by a marvelous sight in the sky. It seemed that all the stars were concentrated in a dense group, in a space the size of about three arpents, fiery and bright as coals in a furnace, and gathered as a globe, scintillating. And after burning for a long time, they thinned out and formed the likeness of a crown, exactly above the city; and after remaining for a long time gathered in a circle without separating, they broke the chain at a point on that circle, and all followed the same path.”
Source: August C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants (Princeton, 1921); Albert d’Aix, Alberti Aquensis Historia Hierosolymitana in Recueil des Historiens des Croisades. Historiens Occidentaux. RHC. OCC0 Tome IV, 265-715. Translation by Yannis Deliyannis.
91.
Circa 1100, Germany
Prodigies herald the coming Crusade
“The signs in the sun and the wonders which appeared, both in the air and on the earth, aroused many who had previously been indifferent…A few years ago a priest of honorable reputation, by the name of Suigger, about the ninth hour of the day beheld two knights, who met one another in the air and fought long, until one, who carried a great cross with which he struck the other, finally overcame his enemy…Some who were watching horses in the fields reported that they had seen the image of a city in the air and had observed how various troops from different directions, both on horseback and on foot, were hastening thither.
“Many, moreover, displayed, either on their clothing, or upon their forehead, or elsewhere on their body, the sign of the cross, which had been divinely imprinted, and they believed themselves on this account to have been destined to the service of God.”
Source: Ekkehard of Aurach. On the Opening of the First Crusade (1101).
92.
11 February 1110, Pechorsky Monastery, Russia
A fiery pillar
There was an omen in the Pechorsky monastery: “On February 11th there appeared a fiery pillar that reached from the ground to the sky, and lightning lit all earth, and thunder rattled at the first hour of night, and everyone saw it. The pillar first stood over the stone trapeznitsa (monastery dining room), blocking the sight of the cross, and, after a short while, moved to the church and stood over Feodosiev’s (Theodosius) tomb; it then went to the top of the church, turning its face to the east, and afterwards made itself invisible.” The record reads: “It wasn’t an usual fiery column, but the apparition of an angel, because angels often appeared as a fiery column or a flame.”
Source: Nestor, Russian Primary Chronicle (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1930), 296-297. The date is sometimes given as 1111.
93.
1130, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia
Flying “serpent” in the sky
“A sign (or “a monster”) resembling a flying serpent” is said to have flown over Bohemia, and was recorded by two separate historians. This could have been a natural phenomenon.
Source: Czech magazine Vecerni Praha, quoted in The Washington Post, August 2, 1967. The original sources are Canonici Wissegradensis Continuatio Cosmae, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH) SS 9, 136 and Annales Gradicences in MGH SS 17, 650.
94.
12 August 1133, Japan, exact location unknown
Close encounter
A large silvery object is reported to have come down close to the ground. We have failed to locate an actual quote, so we give this case with reservations.
Source: Morihiro Saito, Nihon-Tenmonshiriyou, chapter 7.
95.
1142, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia: Flying “dragon”
Similar to the case from 1130, a phenomenon described as a “flying dragon” flew over Bohemia.
Source: Czech magazine Vecerni Praha, quoted in The Washington Post, August 2, 1967. Original: Monachi Sazavensis, cont. Cosmae (a. 932-1162), in MGH SS 9, 159.
96.
1155, Rome, Italy
Three lights and a cross in the sky
During the coronation of Federico (Frederick) Barbarossa by Pope Eugene III “there appeared in the sky three lights, and a cross formed by stars.”
Source: B. Capone, “Luci dallo Spazio” in Il Giornale dei Misteri, Dec. 1972, which gives the year as 1152. While Barbarossa was declared king of the Holy Roman Empire in that year, the coronation did not actually take place until 1155 because of widespread unrest within the lands he supposedly controlled, and the disloyalty of his rival Henry the Lion. We hope that future researchers will be able to trace a more precise reference.
97.
1161, Thann, Alsace, France
Three lights in the sky
Three lights or luminous objects were observed by the Lord of Engelburg over the village of Thann, in Alsace, in 1161. A servant of Ubald, bishop of Ombrie, had stolen a relic from the Saint’s body, hidin
g it in his walking stick, which he planted in the ground next to a pine tree. Three aerial lights were seen coming over the top of the tree. The next morning the servant found his stick immobilized and was unable to pick it up. This impressed people so much that they built a chapel to commemorate the ‘miracle.’
Each year in Thann, on the 30th of June, three fir-trees (in reference to the three lights) are cremated in front of the main church in celebration of this foundation legend. The celebration is known as the “crémation des trois sapins” and still occurs today.
Source: Johannes Andreas Schenck, Sanctus Theobaldus (Freiburg, 1628).
98.
25 December 1167, England, location unknown
Two objects
Two “stars” appear on Christmas Day. The actual quote is from Nicholas Trivetus (Annales): “At the watch night (vigilia) of the Lord’s Nativity, two fiery stars appeared in the western sky. One was large, the other small. At first, they appeared joined together. Afterwards, they were for a long time separated distinctly.” It is probable, but not certain, that the sighting was made in England.
Source: Nicholas Trivetus (1258-1328), Annales sex regum Angliae. Trivetus was not contemporary with the event, so he must have copied it from an older chronicle.
99.
1169, China, location unknown
Wheels fall off as two dragons fly away
In the history of the Song Dynasty it is written that in the fifth year of the K’ien Tao (now known as Qiandao) era, which corresponds with 1169 AD, dragons were seen battling in the sky during a thunderstorm:
“Two dragons fled and pearls like carriage wheels fell down on the ground, where herds’ boys found them.”
Source: Dr. M. W. De Visser, The Dragon in China and Japan (Amsterdam: Johannes Müller, 1913), 48. Visser quotes from “the Wu ki.”
100.
1171, Teruel, Aragon, Spain
The King observes a mystery
Alfonso II and his men observed a wandering bull and a mysterious, star-like luminous object hovering above. As described in a current historical brochure about the town, “Tradition says that in the XII century, during the Reconquest of Spain, King Alfonso II, after taking several important positions, continued along the banks of the River Martin and upon reaching what is now Teruel, he split his army up, leaving part of his warriors in the Cella Plains with orders to remain on the defensive, and he then proceeded to confront the rebels in the mountains of Prades. This is the point where history and legend blend together. The warriors disobeyed the king’s orders and ran after a bull that was being followed by a star from heaven because they had seen it in premonitory dreams: a sign, according to them, which marked the place where a new town was to be established. In this way they took the fortress of Teruel planting their banner in the conquered fortress.”
This fact is still represented today on the shield of Teruel, with a bull and a star above it.
Source: Javier Sierra and Jesus Callejo, La España Extraña (Madrid: Ediciones EDAF, 1997), 122-4.
101.
18 June 1178, Canterbury, England: cosmic catastrophe
Gervase of Canterbury wrote that about an hour after sunset five witnesses watched as the upper horn of the bright new moon suddenly split in two. From the midpoint of this division a flaming torch sprang up, spewing out fire, hot coals and sparks. The moon “writhed [and] throbbed like a wounded snake.” This happened a dozen times or more, “turning the moon blackish along its whole length.”
When a geologist suggested in 1976 that Gervase’s account referred to the meteor impact that created the 22 kilometer lunar crater called Giordano Bruno, the theory was widely accepted. However, as reported in several scientific journals in 2001, new calculations show that such an event would have resulted in a fierce, week-long meteor storm on Earth with 100 million of tons of ejecta raining down on our planet. Of course, this did not take place in the twelfth century AD, or archives all over the world would have recorded it! This begs the question “What did Gervase’s contemporaries really see?” Did they observe the dramatic entrance of a comet into the Earth’s atmosphere – or something even stranger? Were they even looking at the moon?
Source: University of Arizona news release dated 19 April 2001. The BBC website posted a report on May 1st, 2001: “Historic lunar impact questioned” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1304985.stm).
102.
27 October 1180, Kii Sanchi, Nara, Japan
Glowing vessel
A glowing “earthenware vessel” (a saucer?) maneuvers in the sky between the mountains of Kyushu, flies off to the northeast towards Mount Fukuhara. It changes course abruptly, turns south and disappears with a luminous trail.
Source: Sobeps (Société Belge pour l’Etude des Phénomènes Spatiaux), Inforespace 23; Brothers III, 1 (1964).
103.
1182, Friesland, Holland
Four suns, armed men in the sky
The Chronicler Winsemius (1622) reports, in his Croniek van Vriesland that four Suns and a score of armed men were seen in the sky and a bloody rain fell.
Source: M.D. Teenstra, Volksverhalen en Legenden van vroegere en latere dagen (Geertsema: Groningen, 1843), 117.
104.
1185, Mount Nyoigadake, Japan
A luminous wheel enters the sea
First there were red beams behind the mountain, and then an object like a luminous wheel flew over, and entered the sea. The witnesses were fishermen.
Source: Brothers Magazine III, 1, 1964.
105.
9 August 1189, Dunstaple, Bedfordshire, England
Marvelous vision
Numerous amazed observers see the sky “open up” as a huge cross hovers till midnight.
The British monastic chronicler William of Newburgh (1136-1198) noted the sightings of several prodigies in the sky in his Historia rerum anglicarum, a philosophical commentary dealing with his own times. In chapter four of Book VI, we read:
“Nor ought I to pass over in silence a most amazing and fearful prodigy, which about this time was seen in England by many, who to this day are witnesses of it to those who did not see it. There is upon the public road which goes to London a town, by no means insignificant, called Dunstaple.
“There, as certain persons happened to be looking up at the sky in the afternoon, they saw in the clear atmosphere the form of the banner of the Lord, conspicuous by its milky whiteness, and joined to it the figure of a man crucified, such as is painted in the church in remembrance of the passion of the Lord, and for the devotion of the faithful (…)
“When this fearful sight had thus been visible for some time, and the countenances and minds of those who were curiously watching it were kept in suspense, the form of the cross was seen to recede from the person who seemed affixed to it, so that an intermediate space of air could be observed between them; and soon afterwards this marvelous vision disappeared; but the effect remained, after the cause of this prodigy was removed.”
Other sources: the case is also mentioned by writers Thomas Wykes (with a date of 1191), Wilhelmus Parvus, and Walther of Hermingford (the latter two give a year of 1189).
106.
June 1193, London, England
Bright white ball of light, hovering
“On the 7th of the Ides of June, at 6 o’Clock, a thick black Cloud rose in the Air, the Sun shining clear all round about. In the middle of the Cloud was an Opening, out of which proceeded a bright Whiteness, which hung in a Ball under the black Cloud over the Side of the Thames, and the Bishop of Norwich’s Palace.”
Source: Thomas Short, A general chronological history of the air, weather, seasons, meteors, &c. in sundry places and different times (1749).
107.
Late December 1200, Yorkshire, England
Five Moons in formation
“In the third year of John, King of England, there were seen in Yorkshire five Moons; one in the East, the second in the West, the third in the North, the fourth in the Sou
th, and the fifth (as it were) set in the midst of the other, having many Blazing Stars about it, and went five or six times encompassing the other, as it were the space of one hour, and shortly after vanished away.”
Source: William Knight, “Mementos to the World, or, An historical collection of divers wonderful comets and prodigious signs in heaven...” (printed by T. Haly, for T. Passinger, London, 1681).
Note: King John reigned from April 6, 1199 until his death in 1216. The third year of his reign would therefore correspond with 1202 AD. However, another writer, Roger de Hoveden, states it occurred “a little before the Nativity of the Lord,” 1200. As Hoveden himself died in 1201, we think the sighting probably took place in King John’s second year of reign.
108.
14 September 1224, Mount Alverne, Italy
Mystical light, visitation
Brother Leo saw a ball of light suspended above St. Francis of Assisi while he conversed with an invisible being. “He heard voices which made questions and answers; and he remarked that Francis, who was prostrate, often repeated these words: ‘Who are you, o my God? And my dear Lord? And who am I? a worm, and Thy unworthy servant.’ He also saw him put his hand out three times into his bosom, and each time stretch it out to the flame. The light disappeared, the conversation ceased.”
This kind of narrative bridges the gap between lights and objects that fly through the atmosphere, reports of luminous orbs at ground level and “earth lights” over special spots. Here we have a ball of light (observed by an external witness) over a man who appears in communication with it, hence the relevance to our study.
Source: Father Candide Chalippe, The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi (Teddington: Echo Library, 2007), 191-2.
109.
3 May 1232, Caravaca, Spain
Lights, and an “angel” brings a cross
Wonders in the Sky Page 9
