Catching Up!

Well, after nearly a week of chasing mysterious beasts in the woods of Wisconsin, and then lecturing in Angel Fire, New Mexico over the weekend on such creatures as the Chupacabra, Bigfoot, lake-monsters, werewolves and much more, I finally made it home - the only hitch being a flat car-battery when I got back to DFW Airport; which wasn't much fun at midnight last night!!

Anyway, enough of that. Here's a few things that you may have missed over the last few days:

1. From The Anomalist:
Cryptoelephants Cryptomundo. Loren Coleman reviews the new book, Guide Des Animaux Caches, by the French author Philippe Coudray who theorizes in his writing that an unfossilized tusk discovered in Ethiopia in 1904 may indicate some prehistoric elephant ancestors could still be roaming the most out-of-the-way areas of the Dark Continent. Coleman reviews more of Coudray's depictions of cryptids in Guides Des Animaux Caches. With many images in both reviews. Elsewhere, reports of a curious arrangement between the British Natural History museum and a British betting agency make news in Loch Ness Monster Curious Museum Bookie Arrangement. Meanwhile, another cryptid is featured in the report Mongolian Death Worm Hunters Return With Film but no Creature.

2. Also from The Anomalist:
Full Screen of KY Bigfoot/Crow Blogsquatcher. A recent trailcam picture believed to show something that resembled a Bigfoot in a Kentucky man's garden has been analyzed. Here are some comparison photos that show what really visited the Kentucky garden. Meanwhile, a search for cryptids is about to get underway in Sumatra, and there's a video interview with one ot the mission's key members in Interview with Richard Freeman on the Eve of the Expedition.

3. Yep, another from The Anomalist:
Where the BHMs (Big Hairy Monsters) Are Rutland Herald. Perhaps it's because Vermont is one of the oldest states in the US, but whatever the reason, there's no doubting the state has a unique collection of monster sightings. Here Daniel Barlow reviews Joseph Citro's The Vermont Monster Guide. Key quote: "What about the bats with human faces sighted outside Rutland? How about the pet-eating Pigman of Northfield? Or the cats with freakiishly long legs that roam the dumpsters in Burlington?" With images and a long listing of monsters to be found in Citro's new book.

Cryptozoo Museum Opens In Downtown Portland Cryptomundo. It has taken six years, but as of November 1, 2009, the International Cryptozoology Museum will open to the public in a permanent space in downtown Portland, Maine. The museum will be sharing the space with Green Hand Books, owned by Michelle Souliere, an anomalist and editor of the Strange Maine Newsletter. Loren Coleman provides details of what the museum will exhibit and explains the “Fayette coincidence” of its location.

GOING OFFLINE

I'll be offline from now and until Tuesday 15 September.

From tomorrow - and for 4 days - I'll be deep in the woods of Wisconsin, and on the trail of a certain diabolical cryptid.

Then, right after that I'll be on my way to Angel Fire, New Mexico, where I'll be speaking at the 2009 Paranormal Symposium.

The subject of my lecture: my various investigations of - and expeditions to seek out - the Chupacabras of Puerto Rico; Bigfoot in the thick woods of East Texas; werewolves in both the UK and the US; and much more.

If you can get along, say hello! It promises to be a cool weekend!

From The Anomalist

The Anomalist highlights what's afoot in cryptozoology on the Labor Day Weekend:

The Official Gralien Report Top Ten Scariest Monsters The Gralien Report. Micah Hanks, inspired by the recent reader-selected Haunted America Tours Top Ten Cryptids list, puts together his own list, focusing on the lesser-known monsters that haven't garnered the "love" the Haunted America Tours monsters have collected. Only one "conventional" monster makes Hanks' list. As for the others, how many do you recognize? Meanwhile, a monster from the Indian sub-continent, Tibet and Southeast Asia gets mention in Dale Drinnon: The Buru; and recent commentary by Michel Meurger draws a response in Richard Freeman: Multi Heads Don't Make a Myth.

In Print: Nessie

Check out my review of a new, non-fiction book on the Loch Ness Monster - at my Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com.

Top 10 Monsters

Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper highlights 10 must-see monsters...

Lions in Britain

Merrily Harpur has an interesting new article online at the Fortean Times website. The subject-matter: apparent sightings of lions in Britain! Here's the link; however, you may have to sign-up with the website to read the article.

Nessie in Print

So, what's all this about? You'll find out in a few days...!

Werewolves - A Field Guide

On its way to me right now is a review-copy of Dr. Bob Curran's new book: Werewolves - A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes, and Man-Beasts.

I'll be reviewing the book right here as soon as I have read it. In the meantime, however - and specifically thanks to Lori at Warwick Associates, and the good people at Career Press and New Page Books - here's an excellent new article from the author himself on the subject of those diabolical creatures of the night...


Werewolves -
Everything You Need to Know…
By Dr. Bob Curran

Since earliest times, legends of were-creatures – humans who could alternate between their own and animal shape – have formed a significant part of our folklore and mythology. One of the best known of such beings is, arguably, the werewolf. Indeed, it has appeared in medieval legends, in fairy tales and latterly in books and films. It is arguably the wolf which has dominated the stories and perceptions of the werefolk.

The wolf has been Mankind’s oldest adversary. It was with wolves that our early ancestors competed for food and it was against the rivalry of the wolf that they hunted. Arguably, Man has always feared the creature and yet he has always admired its hunting prowess, strength and swiftness. They also may have envied its hunting prowess and the ease with which it caught its prey, much more skilfully perhaps than the shambling hominids who were our forebears.

In a world were good hunting was essential for survival of both the individual and the community, they wished they could be like it. And so the desire probably took on a form of reality. Our ancestors began to look for ways in which they could supernaturally be the animal (and not just wolves, but other animals they admire – the bull, the horse etc.) and so acquire these skills. At first, it may have been no more than pretending to be these creatures – dressing in skins, adopting certain postures – but in a world which was filled with spirits and supernatural forces, an element of possession by the animal spirit soon became paramount.

Shamans and perhaps hunters themselves were "taken over" by the wolf spirit and began to exhibit lupine behaviour and possibly perceived lupine attributes. The idea of the man-wolf had already taken root in the developing human mind.

That idea persisted down the ages but as civilisations began to consolidate and develop it became less to do with hunting and more to do with prowess – physical, sexual – and ferocity. It appeared as the attribute of a warrior in battle, a man who created terror amongst his enemies. The idea of the wolf-warrior appears in a number of ancient cultures, particularly Viking, were certain warriors donned both wolf and bear skins in order to emphasise their fierceness and skill in warfare. These were the berserkers who, through the medium of their animal pelt garments seemed to acquire certain strengths and skills which seemed to make them invulnerable in any conflict. Ancient heroes amongst other races – for example the Celts – had similar attributes which might be attributed to their contact with animals such as wolves.

Allied to this was a fascination with travellers’ tails. Although travel was perhaps more frequent than we suspect in these early times, it was only certain people who in fact, journeyed any distance. They returned with wonderful tales of countries which they had seen and explored and of the wonderful beings that they had seen there. These stories, tall as they were, were readily accepted as fact in places like Christian Europe and it was readily believed that astonishing races lived in other lands – men who looked curious and who behaved in a curious fashion. Amongst these descriptions was that of a dog-headed race of men who lived somewhere in the East – some of whom were primitive and others who were relatively advanced. Stories of the "dog-heads" readily fell into the perceptions of the man-wolf in popular imagination and it was thought that if these people mated amongst human kind they might produce offspring who could alternate shape at will.

There was one other element in the cultural and imaginative mix concerning werewolves– cannibalism. It has been suggested that cannibalism was probably much more widespread in earlier societies than we care to acknowledge, particularly in remote areas of the developing world. In remote areas during harsh seasons, poverty-stricken individuals may well have resorted to eating each other in order to survive. From time to time tales of cannibals surfaced into mainstream folklore – the tale of Sawney Bean, "the Man-Eater of Midlothian" in Scotland for instance during the 14th or 15th centuries (it is not clear however, that Bean existed in the way that the legends say that he did). The idea of individuals using their fellow humans for food and even hunting them down, held overtones of the wild wolves of the forest and, as some of these individuals lived in remote areas, the connection seemed all the more obvious. It was not hard then to imagine that the human predators transformed themselves into their animal counterparts, perhaps by diabolical means.

As Christianity began to assert itself in the West, the idea of the man-wolf took on a slightly different aspect. Now this creature was the agent of the Devil and it was the Enemy of All Mankind who gave him or her their powers. The victim of the werewolf then became the Godly or the innocent – the old woman living alone or the small child. These themes were central to many of the werewolf trials, particularly in France in the 16th century – Giles Garnier, the Hermit of Dole, the Werewolves of Poligny, Jacques Roulet. Some of these alleged occurrences were brought about by the Devil, others were accidental in which the moon (a pagan symbol) played a part.

And so it has continued down to the present – the idea of the man-wolf (a figure from many cultures) appearing in literature and film. Although it has perhaps never enjoyed as much fame as the vampire or Frankenstein, the prowling beast still lurks somewhere in the depths of the human psyche, a potent reminder perhaps that we are not as cultured or civilised as we often profess to be.

Dr. Bob Curran is the author of the new book Werewolves- A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes, and Man-Beasts released in September, 2009 by New Page Books (ISBN 978-1-60163-089-6).

The Mass Mystery Weekend

For those of you who may want to attend, I'll be speaking at the annual Monster Mash at the Boston-based "Mass Mystery Weekend" on the night of Saturday, October 17. The subject of my lecture: my various trips to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras.

I'll be showing lots of never-before-seen imagery of witnesses, locations and more, and discussing the highlights of my expeditions.

On the same evening, Loren Coleman will be speaking on the Abominable Snowman and Tom Slick; so a monstrous time should be had by all!

Also: for those into UFOs, on the previous night I'll be lecturing on the crashed UFO controversy at the UFO Show - which is the first-part of the weekend-long Monster Mash (and at which good friend Peter Robbins will also be speaking - on the Rendlesham Forest UFO event of December 1980).

Hope to see you there!

Seeking the Orang-Pendek

This just in from good friend Richard Freeman at the CFZ in England:

"After two previous expeditions to the Indonesian island of Sumatra on the track of the upright walking ape know as orang-pendek (short man) the CFZ will be returning for a third expedition beginning on September the 13th.

"Adam Davis, Dr Chris Clark, Dave Archer and myself will be spending two weeks in the jungle in search of the orang-pendek. Past expeditions have concentrated on Gunung Tuju (the lake of seven peaks) in Kerinchi National Park. This time the better part of the expedition will be spent with the Kubu people in the lowland jungles. Back in 2004 Chris and I spent a day with these people and Nylam their chief.

"The Kubu are the original inhabitants of Sumatra. The modern Indonesians arrived relatively recently from Malaya. They are far taller and more slender than the average Sumatran. They have oriental features but the men have curly hair almost like Africans. Until recently the Kubu live totally wild in the jungle. Now they have houses but still spend months on end in the deep rain forest.

"Nylam told us of his own encounter with an orang-pendek a few years back. He and his warriors had also seen ten meter long serpents that they described as having horns like an ox!We will be working with the Kubu to search for orang-pendek and the horned serpents (the Kubu call them Nagas).

"Apparently there have been a number of sightings of the short man in the area recently. We intend to make our HQ in the ‘garden’, a semi cultivated are that abuts the true jungle. We hope to record some of their culture and folklore as next to nothing has been written on Kubu beliefs. Towards the end of the trip we will return to Gunung Tuju were the creature has also been seen recently.

"They say threes the charm and third time lucky so keep your fingers crossed!"

A Fortean Anniversary

Good friend Micah Hanks has a new post on the so-called "Texas Chupacabras" (or, hairless canids) that makes for interesting reading. As Micah says:

"I found this interesting bit of synchronicity today: reports coming out of Texas are describing what is being dubbed a 'Chupacabra', now in the possession of a San Antonio area Taxidermist named Jerry Ayers. 'It got into his cousin’s barn and they thought maybe it was a rodent tearing stuff up, and they no idea since they’ve never seen it,' said Ayers. 'He got out some poison and this is what they got the next day.' Kold News 13 reported on the story earlier today (September 1st)…

"…which marks the anniversary of another Chupacabra discovery in nearby Cuerto, Texas, dating back to 2007. Fox News reported on the find in an article titled 'Texas Woman Claims to Have Found Mythical ‘Chupacabra' on the same date two years ago. Although both critters are likely coyotes or foxes suffering from mange, it is strange synchronicity nonetheless that the two reports would both appear at the same time of year, right down to the exact date. Does this indicate any sort of trend about weather, habitat, feeding habits, etc that might indicate what causes these creatures to appear at specific times? Or, in the likely case that it is a known animal suffering from effects of a skin condition, does this provide insight into a cause for the ailment?"

Micah continues right here...

Hairy Monsters

When the hunter becomes the hunted...werewolf style...

Ewe Must Be Joking!

You know I like to highlight the sightings of the many and varied weird beasts seen in the vicinity of England's Cannock Chase woods, but this new story - from a locale on the fringes of the Chase - takes the "weird animal" angle to whole new levels!!!

Brad Steiger's Real Vampires

Legendary author Brad Steiger has a new book out right now titled Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside.

My copy arrived in the mail today; and a full-length review will appear right here just as soon as I have digested its blood-soaked pages (okay, I have to confess they aren't really blood-soaked; I just want to try and build up the atmosphere!).

When Brad was in the planning stages of the book, he asked me if I would be interested in submitting some material for the book.

Well, as someone who has been a big fan of Brad's work since my early teens, my answer was, of course: "Yes!"

And, so, that's precisely what I did.

In my 6-page article/contribution, titled Welcome to Blood Island, I focused my attention on my various expeditions to the island of Puerto Rico, in search of the island's most legendary blood-sucker: the diabolical and infamous Chupacabras.

The illustrated article details some of the highlights of my trips to Puerto Rico; a wealth of startling eye-witness testimony relative to the beast and its violent attacks; and much more.

As my paper also reveals, not all vampires look like Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, or the many and varied other bygone vampires of yesteryear. Nor do they all resemble the pale-skinned and black-garbed Marilyn Manson-style creatures of the night, with which today's world of Hollywood is seemingly so obsessed.

No: some of them are even more horrific - and top of the list (in my view, at least) is that glowing eyed, razor-clawed, blood-drinking predator, the Chupacabras.

For anyone and everyone interested in vampires of all manner, description and style, Brad's new book is not to be missed!

More on the Man-Monkey

Over at my Man-Beast UK blog, you can find a new posting on my research into that most notorious of all British-Bigfoot-type entities: the Man-Monkey of Ranton.

Mysterious Roars

Neil Arnold tells the strange tale of the "Disembodied Roar..."

Monsters of the Anomalist Style

From The Anomalist:

Mystery Photo: A Thunderbird? Cryptomundo. When we received a remarkable photograph of a possible Thunderbird on Friday, we passed it on to Loren Coleman to investigate. There is no doubt that the image is real; it is not a hoax. But the question is: is it really a Thunderbird or something else?

Does a Prehistoric Monster Haunt the Hawkesbury River? Daily Telegraph. Australian cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy says he recently saw a giant 12 meter, long necked creature surface in Sydney's Hawkesbury River. He believes it is a plesiosaur from the Jurassic period. Gilroy found accounts of the creature dating back to pre-colonial times, with stories told of children being attacked by the "moolyewonk."

Yeti Stalks Bikini-Clad Student Cryptomundo. A video of a teenage girl walking in a stream in the Tatra Mountains of Poland reveals what some say is a Yeti in the undergrowth on the other side of the riverbank. Yeti hunters have been flocking to the area after reported sightings and Polish Yeti Footage emerged last week.

Ape Men - Soviet Style

My new book Science Fiction Secrets: From Government Files and the Paranormal, is now available.

If you're in the US, you can buy the book at Amazon right here;

if you're in the UK here's the relevant connection;

and if you're in Canada, here's the link you'll need.

Much of the book is focused upon the UFO controversy; however, as you'll see from the publisher's (Anomalist Books) blurb below, it does contain a chapter on one particular issue of truly cryptozoological proportions: namely, that relating to the strange story of Josef Stalin's ape-men...


ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR A HIGH STRANGENESS STEW

Mix two parts science fiction with one part high-level government secrecy. Add a liberal helping of the paranormal.

Then let Nick Redfern heat and serve.

The result is far, far stranger than anything that you could ever begin to imagine.

SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS presents some mind-bending answers to a number of highly intriguing and thought-provoking questions, including:

• Did the U.S. Government secretly assist Steven Spielberg in the production of his groundbreaking science fiction movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial?
• Why were special agents of the FBI so deeply interested in the life, career, and activities of science fiction author Philip K. Dick (of Blade Runner fame)?
• How did The X-Files spin-off series The Lone Gunmen anticipate months in advance the terrible tragedy of 9-11?
• Why was the top brass of the U.S. Air Force so secretly interested in, and concerned by, the UFO-related tales of a relatively anonymous 1950s science fiction movie-maker who died in poverty in the early 1980s?
• Did a nightmarish scenario presented in one of H.G. Wells' novels prompt Soviet Premier Josef Stalin to clandestinely embark upon a secret and diabolical experiment designed to create a super race of monstrous, half-human half-ape soldiers?
• Has the military managed to successfully perfect human teleportation of the type that was most graphically and famously shown in Star Trek and The Fly?

Returned!

Well, after several more days in good old England, where I was speaking at the Weird 09 conference (on the history of the Men in Black), I'm once again home (for a while, at least!). And it's time, of course, to update you on what's afoot.

Over the course of today, I'll be posting a few things that will catch up on what's afoot in cryptozoology.

GOING OFFLINE

I'll be offline from now and until next Tuesday.