Wonders in the Sky

by Jacques Vallee

  Source: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae, VIII, ch. 14; Lycosthenes, Julii Obsequentis Prodigiorum Liber…per Conradum Lycosthenem Rubeaquensem integrati suae restitutus (Basel, 1552).

  40.

  507, Poitiers, France

  King Clovis guided by a light in the sky

  A peculiar phenomenon took place when French king Clovis defeated the Visigoths, killing their king Alaric II, and taking over their French lands, including Aquitaine.

  “The decisive moments were wasted in idle deliberation. The Goths too hastily abandoned, perhaps, an advantageous post; and the opportunity of a secure retreat was lost by their slow and disorderly motions.

  Fig. 5: An interpretation of the sighting by Clovis

  “After Clovis had passed the ford, as it is still named, of the Hart, he advanced with bold and hasty steps to prevent the escape of the enemy. His nocturnal march was directed by a flaming meteor, suspended in the air above the cathedral of Poitiers; and this signal, which might be previously concerted with the orthodox successor of St. Hilary, was compared to the column of fire that guided the Israelites in the desert.”

  Shortly thereafter Clovis moved the Frankish capital to Paris.

  Source: Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: T. Cadell (1837), 594.

  41.

  Circa 540, Rome, Italy: A spark grows into a disk

  “Often a little spark has seemed to come down from the sky to the Earth; then, having grown into a kind of orb like the Moon, it has been seen as disc-like. This very thing recently happened and foretold a danger of seditions and misfortunes beyond measure.”

  Source: John Lydus, On Portents, 6. Quoted in “The Roman Fireball of 76 BC” by Richard B. Stothers, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, New York. The Observatory 107 (1987): 211.

  42.

  540, Monte Cassino, Italy: A Fiery Globe

  At dawn, Saint Benedict of Nursia observed a glittering light that became a fiery globe. He had time to call a second witness:

  “The man of God, Benedict, being diligent in watching, rose early up before the time of matins (his monks being yet at rest) and came to the window of his chamber, where he offered up his prayers to almighty God. Standing there, all on a sudden in the dead of the night, as he looked forth, he saw a light, which banished away the darkness of the night, and glittered with such brightness, that the light which did shine in the midst of darkness was far more clear than the light of the day.

  “Upon this sight a marvelous strange thing followed, for, as himself did afterward report, the whole world gathered as it were together under one beam of the sun was presented before his eyes, and while the venerable father stood attentively beholding the brightness of that glittering light, he saw the soul of Germanus, Bishop of Capua, in a fiery globe to be carried up by Angels into heaven.

  “Then desirous to have some witness of this so notable a miracle, he called with a very loud voice Servandus the Deacon twice or thrice by his name, who, troubled at such an unusual crying out of the man of God, went up in all haste, and looking forth saw not anything else, but a little remnant of the light, but wondering at so great a miracle, the man of God told him all in order what he had seen, and sending by and by to the town of Cassino, he commanded the religious man Theoprobus to dispatch one that night to the city of Capua, to learn what was become of Germanus their Bishop: which being done, the messenger found that reverent Prelate had departed this life, and enquiring curiously the time, he understood that he died at that very instant, in which the man of God beheld him ascending up to heaven.”

  Researcher Yannis Deliyannis, who located this case, adds: “The account of the vision of Saint Benedict of Nursia is interesting enough in its description. While needing to be cautious, we cannot rule out completely the idea that it was eventually based on a (more or less) factual event which was, later on or by extrapolation, given a mystical signification.”

  Source: Dialogues of Gregory the Great, book II, chap. xxxv. Sancti Gregorii Papae Dialogorum Libri IV, as published in Migne’s Patrologia Latina, Vol. 77.

  43.

  November 596, Nara prefecture, West Japan

  Descending canopy

  An object like a canopy or lotus flower descends and appears suspended above the Houryuji temple. It changes color and shape.

  Source: Fusouriyatuki Vol. 3 (Buddhist history), quoted in: Takao Ikeda, Nihon nu ufo (Tokyo: Tairiki shobo, 1974). We have not seen the book and give references from it with reservations.

  44.

  9 June 597, Ireland: An immense pillar of fire

  “Another vision also given at the same hour under a different form was related to me, Adomnan, who was a young man at the time, by one of those who had seen it, and who solemnly assured me of its truth…He said:

  “‘On that night when St. Columba, by a happy and blessed death, passed from earth to heaven, while I and others with me were engaged in fishing in the valley of the river Fend, which abounds in fish, we saw the whole vault of heaven become suddenly illuminated. Struck by the suddenness of the miracle, we raised our eyes and looked towards the east, when, lo! there appeared something like an immense pillar of fire, which seemed to us, as it ascended upwards at that midnight, to illuminate the whole earth like the summer sun at noon; and after that column penetrated the heavens darkness followed, as if the sun had just set.

  “‘And not only did we, together in the same place, observe with intense surprise the brightness of this remarkable luminous pillar, but many other fishermen also, who were engaged in fishing here and there in different deep pools along the same river, were greatly terrified, as they afterwards related to us, by an appearance of the same kind.’”

  Source: William Reeves, ed. Life of Saint Columba, founder of Hy. Written by Adamnan, Ninth Abbott of that Monastery (Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, 1874).

  45.

  May 655, Katuragi Mountain near Nara, W. Japan

  Dragon rider

  A man who rides a Dragon is seen in the sky. The figure is said to look “like a Chinese man.” We have no other data about this curious description, so our first inclination is to reject it. We mention it here in the hope to stimulate more research into ancient sources in Asia.

  Source: Takao Ikeda, Nihon nu ufo (Tokyo: Tairiki shobo, 1974). The author quotes Fusouriyatuki, vol. 3 (Buddhist history).

  46.

  664, Kent, England

  Pillar of light, splendid globe

  “In the dead of night there appeared from God a glittering pillar of light shining over the hall of the king’s [Ecgbert I, king of Kent] palace, which by its unwonted illumination aroused many of the king’s household; and they in their great astonishment uttering loud cries, the king was awakened, and, ignorant of what had occurred, arose from his bed, and set out to go to the hymns of matins while it was yet night. On leaving the house, he saw a globe of extraordinary splendor burning with a white flame, the origin of which proceeded from the aforesaid wonderful seat of light. […]”

  Source: Symeon of Durham, Opera et Collectanea, Vol. 1 (Durham: Andrews and Co., 1868).

  47.

  6 September 670, Nara Prefecture, Western Japan

  Flying umbrella

  A cloud like an umbrella appeared, accompanied with a strange sound, over the Nara prefecture.

  This does not provide enough information to understand the full circumstances of the phenomenon. Although meteors have been known to emit sounds, they are not described in terms of “clouds with the shape of an umbrella.” Therefore the phenomenon has to remain unidentified, at least until a detailed reference is provided in the course of future research.

  Source: Takao Ikeda, Nihon nu ufo (Tokyo: Tairiku shobo, 1974). The author quotes from the Teiohennenki.

  48.

  675, Berecingum Convent, near London, England

  Circling light

  A large light came down over praying nuns At Berecingum (Barking) convent, circled the
ir location, and flew up. The description suggests that the light came from a well-defined object:

  “For one night, after matins had been sung, and those handmaids of Christ had gone out of their chapel to the tombs of the brothers who had departed this life before them, and were singing the customary songs of praise to the Lord, on a sudden a light from heaven, like a great sheet, came down upon them all, and struck them with such amazement, that, in consternation, they even left off singing their hymn.

  “But that resplendent light, in comparison wherewith the sun at noon-day might seem dark, soon after, rising from that place, removed to the south side of the monastery, that is, to the westward of the chapel, and having continued there some time, and rested upon those parts, in the sight of them all withdrew itself again to heaven, leaving no doubt in the minds of all, but that the same light, which was to lead or to receive the souls of those handmaids of Christ into Heaven, also showed the place in which their bodies were to rest and await the day of the resurrection.” We note that, although the “great sheet” of light could have been caused by a meteor, the later behavior of the phenomenon (rising and circling) seems to exclude this explanation.

  Source: J. A. Giles, D.C.L., ed. The Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England, Book IV, ch. VII (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1867).

  49.

  21 November 684, Japan, location unknown

  Seven drifting stars

  At dusk, seven stars are said to have “drifted together” to the north-east, after which they sank below the horizon. The information is too sketchy to reach any conclusion regarding the nature of the unusual “drifting stars.”

  Source: W. Raymond Drake, Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient East (New York: Signet, 1968), 106. The original source has not emerged.

  50.

  Circa May 698, Ireland, location unknown

  Three flying shields

  A passage extracted from a 17th century transcription of an older but undated manuscript offers another example of the use of the term ‘shield’ in connection with a phenomenon in the sky. As noted by researcher Yannis Deliyannis, “it is interesting and unusual in medieval records. It is reminiscent of course of the ‘clipei’ of the authors of the Roman period.”

  The text reads: “Three shields were seen in the heavens, as it were warring from the east to the west, after the manner of undulating waves on a very calm night, being that of the Ascension of the Lord. The first was snowy, the second fiery, the third bloody; which prefigured, as is thought, three succeeding evils: for in the same year the herds of cows throughout Ireland were nearly destroyed, and not only in Ireland, but also throughout the whole of Europe.”

  Fig. 6: Annals of Ireland

  Source: Annals of Ireland, three fragments copied from ancient sources by Dubhaltach Mac Firbisigh, trans. John O’Donovan (Dublin: Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society, 1860). The date would have been 40 days following that year’s celebration of Easter.

  51.

  June 741, Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey

  Hovering crescents and fire

  In the reign of Constantine, Copronymus, son of Leo, Emperor of Byzantium, three columns of fire and flame appeared in the sky during the month of June. The same phenomenon was also seen in the month of September: “There appeared a thing, also in 735 AD, like a half-moon, in the northern quadrant of the sky, and little by little, over a rather long time, it passed to the southern quarter, and then returned to the north, and finally descended under the Earth.” (i.e., presumably dropped down below the horizon).

  Source: Jean-Baptiste Chabot, Chronique de Michel le Syrien, patriarche jacobite d’Antioche 1166-1199 (Paris, 1899-1910).

  52.

  749, Ulster, Ireland

  Aerial ships, seen along with their crews

  The 15th century Annals of Ulster, which cover the period AD 431 to AD 1540, state that “Ships, with their crews, were seen in the air above Cluain Moccu.”

  Source: The Annals of Ulster (Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html)

  53.

  Circa 760, France: Abductions and aerial ships

  During the reign of Pépin le Bref (715-768) many extraordinary phenomena are said to have appeared in the French skies. The air was filled with human figures, ships with sails and battling armies. Several individuals stated they had been abducted by aerial beings.

  A contemporary source has never been found and there is a strong suspicion that it originated with the Comte De Gabalis (1670), by Abbé N. de Montfaucon de Villars.

  Source: Jules Garinet, Histoire de la Magie en France (Paris, 1818).

  54.

  776, Syburg Castle, Germany

  Two flying objects stop a war

  In 776 the Saxons rebelled against Charlemagne and attacked the castle of Syburg with continued lack of success, finally deciding to storm the castle. They reportedly “saw the likeness of two shields red with flame wheeling over the church. When the heathens outside saw this miracle, they were at once thrown into confusion and started fleeing to their camp in terror. Since all of them were panic-stricken, one man stampeded the next and was killed in return, because those who looked back out of fear impaled themselves on the lances carried on the shoulders of those who fled before them. Some dealt each other aimless blows and thus suffered divine retribution.”

  Source: Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard’s Histories, trans. Bernhard Walter Scholz (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1970), 53, 55.

  55.

  811, Near Aachen on Via Aquisgrana, Germany

  Great flaming globe

  Emperor Charlemagne sees a great flaming globe descending from east to west and is thrown from his horse. Although the horse may have been frightened by an especially bright meteor, the situation suggests either that the object was close to the emperor’s party, or that the meteor was very spectacular indeed: “One day in his last campaign into Saxony against Godfred, King of the Danes, Charles himself saw a ball of fire fall suddenly from the heavens with a great light, just as he was leaving camp before sunrise to set out on the march. It rushed across the clear sky from right to left, and everybody was wondering what was the meaning of the sign, when the horse which he was riding gave a sudden plunge, head foremost, and fell, and threw him to the ground so heavily that his cloak buckle was broken and his sword belt shattered; and after his servants had hastened to him and relieved him of his arms, he could not rise without their assistance. He happened to have a javelin in his hand when he was thrown, and this was struck from his grasp with such force that it was found lying at a distance of twenty feet or more from the spot.”

  Source: Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne, trans. Samuel Epes Turner (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880).

  56.

  813, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

  Mysterious star

  One night, a hermit named Pelayo heard music in a wood and saw a peculiar shining star above Mount Libredon, a former Celtic sacred site. Because of this sighting the place was called, in Latin, “Campus Stellae,” field of the star, a name that was later turned into Compostela.

  A modern brochure adds: “Bishop Teodomiro, who received notice of that event, instituted an investigation, and so the tomb of the Apostle was discovered. King Alphonse II declared Saint James the patron of his empire and had built a chapel at that place (…) More and more pilgrims followed the way of Santiago, the ‘Path of Saint James,’ and the original chapel soon became the cathedral of the new settlement, Santiago de Compostela.”

  Source: Santiago, History and Legends

  (http://www.red2000.com/spain/santiago/history.html).

  To the best of our knowledge, the story first appeared in the Concordia de Antealtares, a text dated from 1077.

  57.

  814, China, exact location unknown

  Stars emerge from an object

  A luminous object rises, lights up the ground. Many small “stars” emerg
e from it.

  Source: Biot, Catalogue des étoiles filantes en Chine (1846), op. cit.

  58.

  Circa 815, Lyons, France

  Saint Agobard and the abductees from Magonia

  Saint Agobard was born about 769 in Languedoc, came to Lyons at age 20, was ordained in 804 and succeeded Archbishop Leidrade when the latter retired in 814.

  Archbishop Agobard was an enlightened, intelligent man who took an active role in the political debates of his time: he became involved on Lothaire’s side in his fight against his father and even wrote a book supporting him. This cost him his position when Louis the Pious came to power, but he was reinstated two years later, in 837. He died in 840.

  A serious philosopher and early-day “rationalist,” Agobard left no less than 22 books, including several treatises against superstitions and heretical beliefs, along with political pamphlets and volumes of poetry. The anonymous French translator of his work (actually Antoine Péricaud, Sr.) entitled De Grandine et Tonitruis or “About Hail and Thunder” notes in his introduction:

  “All of his writings, whose style is consistently correct and often elegant, deserve the honor of being translated, for they make known to us the mores and customs of the first half of the ninth century, better than those of any other writer of the time. In particular one must acknowledge that he fought the prejudices and superstitions of his time more strongly and with a higher sense of reason than anyone else. It is against one of these prejudices that he compiled “About Hail and Thunder”.

  The book was first partially translated from the Latin as a piece published in L’Annuaire de Lyon for 1837. The translation was then revised and reprinted as an essay, with very limited distribution, in 1841 (Lyon: Imprimerie de Dumoulin, Ronet et Sibuet, Quai St. Antoine). It is this volume we have studied in the Lyons municipal library.