"Have You Found Reports Of Victorian UFO Occupants?" Topic

The fascination with humanoid aliens goes a lot further into the past than the crash-test dummies of the 50s.

Here is a funny tale of God-fearing 19th century humanoid aliens that landed an "airship", reported as an actual event:

"A number of strange people emerged from the car, which was closely curtained with a substance that fairly glistened in the sunshine that temporarily burst through the obscuring clouds, and all going to the big, flowing spring, knelt by it in a supplicating attitude and so remained for a minute or more. Mr. Stephenson says that while this was going on he sat quietly within speaking distance, and when the strange visitors arose to their feet and he supposed their devotional excercises were over, he asked if he might be permitted to inquire who they were, and what their mission? He said that instantly a visard was lifted by one of the company and the benign face of a lady showed from underneath and said in German: "Haben sie Beten?" (did you pray?") and instantly all were aboard, the airship rose, circled about for a minute or more, and was gone in a westerly direction."
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More reports of humanoid travelers:

"During this same month (April 1897), in Missouri, on a lonely road near Springfield, a traveling salesman named William Hopkins was driving his wagon when he suddenly saw an airship on the ground -- and two nude aliens! Hopkins lovingly described the nude female alien, saying she was "dressed in nature's garb." He described the male as a super-Grecian Adonis.
Hopkins later wrote a letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wherein he mentions having kissed both of the alien's hands. Apparently, the three tried to communicate with one another. According to Hopkins, they were partially successful."
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More strange stuff (warning: background victorian music):

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Who knew, right? Too much absinthe you think? :)

QUESTION:

Have you guys found any actual 19th century reports (not works by Verne, Wells, etc.) describing UFO OCCUPANTS, either humanoid or non-humanoid?

Dan
TMP link

I had a friend who was interested in those stories… IIRC he had a whole book about them… something he showed me with news clippings and drawings.
He won't have anything to do with me anymore (something to do with a woman and some Nazi memorabilia), otherwise I'd try to get some info out of him.

rking.vinu.edu/airship.htm

Don't leave Vincennes, Indiana out of the airship phenomena!

Another report of occupants, this one from 1897:

"the men's horses suddenly refused to continue.

Looking into the darkness, the two officers
quickly saw the reason why. People could be
seen moving around with lights. Drawing
their weapons, they approached to
investigate.

Demanding that the mysterious people
identify themselves, the two lawmen were
startled when a man with a beard
approached holding a lantern and
announced that he and two companions
were traveling the country in an "airship."

He showed them his unusual craft. They
reported it to be cigar shaped and about 60
feet long. The mysterious man tried to coax
them aboard the craft, but they refused to go."

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Dan

List from NICAP:

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Most are just reported sightings of the vessels and not the occupants.

I think that the 2002 movie Signs may have touched on the reason behind all these theories:

Merrill: Morgan, this crop stuff is just about a bunch of nerds who never had a girlfriend their whole lives. They're like thirty now. They make up secret codes and analyze Greek mythology and make secret societies where other guys who never had girlfriends can join in. They do stupid crap like this to feel special. It's a scam. Nerds were doin' it twenty five years ago and new nerds are doing it again.
Graham Hess: Its just static, Morgan. Frequency.
[Weird noises come from the baby monitor]
Morgan: It's a code.
Bo: Why can't they get girlfriends?
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Dan

Dan

When evaluating news items from the 1800's it's important to keep in mind that some of the earliest 'science fiction' writers wrote their stories as hoaxes; fiction submitted as actual news stories. See, for example, Poe.

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But of course that doesn't make the stories any less interesting to those of us who are into VSF!

LOL.

Exactly right. We need more excuses to sculpt, collect and game! I'm definitely all for that.

Dan

My Dear Sir,

I beg leave to humbly propose that veracity is indeed extramural,

With my sincere contrafibularities,

Yours, etc..

Interesting stuff, CC

what about this one?
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As I recall, "Victorian" aliens in the best verified original stories were pretty pedestrian by today's standards (one must recall that since the UFO phenomenon got "big" back in the second half of the 20th century, a number of stories such as the Roswell incident have gotten embellished in the retelling). "Phantom airship" crews that I recall closely resembled humans in funny clothes (or sometimes funny only by today's standards, not for the times).

For gaming purposes, one might be tempted to simply use some fairly toned-down fantasy figures along with the Victorian era historicals to stage skirmishes between phantom airship cattle rustlers and woman-folk molesters. One must also recall that almost throughout the history, UFO folklore has always made the aliens to be "not too far ahead of us" so the difference in tech levels shouldn't be enormous. Which is of course good for actually playing a skirmish, tho it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense otherwise.

There have been accounts of the "modern" black triangle dating back to the 1800s, so it's by no means a new phenomenon. However it does have an X-Files slant to it for Victorian gaming. Perhaps you could run two campaigns, one in the 1800s, one in the 21st century with aspects of the modern game being based on what happens in the past.

As for "not too far ahead of us," the UFO "aerial battle" of Nuremburg was certainly mind-boggling to 16th century observers, whereas we would instantly classify it today as a "dogfight" and "not too far ahead of us." Somebody from the 22nd century might see this "battle" differently.

I'll have to ask for a citation on the black triangle as I can't immediately recall what incident you are refering to.

As for the Nuremberg "UFO battle", it is rather difficult to asses what actually occured back in 1561 and how it actually ties up to the Glazer woodcut made in 1566. This is, I would say, one of those less well verified original stories. But much beloved of the UFO crowd of course, not only because it's rather impossible to explain after all these centuries.

Re-read the Book of Ezechiel, the Mahâbhârata… and Charles Fort's Book of the Damned.

I don't think VonDänikenian intepretations of mythological stories provide much source material for Victorian scifi tho. Fort might but it's pretty boring to wade through his lists of uncorroborated anecdotes.

Rains of frogs or 'blood' don't lend easily themselves to thrilling games, it's true.
Now, if ET and UFO were watched some 2500 years ago and in the 1950, why not in the between?
Now, as I remember, some (late) 19th C. Unidentified Flying Contraptions looked suspiciously like extrapolation of contemporary machines / vehicles.

abdul666lw 08 Apr 2011 7:17 a.m. PST:

Rains of frogs or 'blood' don't lend easily themselves to thrilling games, it's true.

RPGs yes, wargames not so much. Unless one wants to use a frog/fish/gelid-blob rain as "environmental hazard" (cf. hard rain).

Now, if ET and UFO were watched some 2500 years ago and in the 1950, why not in the between?

If.

Now, as I remember, some (late) 19th C. Unidentified Flying Contraptions looked suspiciously like extrapolation of contemporary machines / vehicles.

Indeed, contemporary being late 19th century in this case, for the majority of the incidents where I've actually seen something at least passing for the earliest/original text regarding the sighting.

Guys,

This is a cute compilation:

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Still not much about the occupants of the different craft. Still looking though.

I wonder how many of those reports were read by HG Wells himself.

Dan
PS. More on Aurora:
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