Will be back soon…

Just a quick post as I know I have neglected Enigma Street lately

Have been a bit unwell but should be back blogging soon!

Windigo Psychosis

Weird Universe have brought to our attention a fascinating case of “Windigo Possession” from 19th Century Canada.

The poor woman involved begged to be killed, complaining that she was “bound to” eat her loved ones.

Ethno-historian Nathan Carlson has brought together a collection of Windigo cases from the period, suggesting that perceived or actual Windigo possession was a real phenomena.

Parallels can be found to the European werewolf panics (including the grim tale of Peter Stumpp.

If you like your werewolf tales to have a more scientific bent, you might be interested in these research papers

This case is especially interesting: not only does the poor patient have clinical lycanthropy but he is also afflicted with Cotard’s Syndrome (a nihilistic belief that he is, in fact, dead).

Below: a wood cut of Peter Stumpp’s execution.

Disappeared!

The ever entertaining Cracked.com has compiled a list of 5 People Who Just ****ing Disappeared (we are rated PG-13 here at Enigma Street)

Number 1 is aviatrix Amelia Earhart who went missing while attempting a groundbreaking round-the-world attempt. What happened to her? Well, there’s plenty of theories.

Did she just crash in the sea? Or did she as many believe end up stranded on a deserted island (over the years odd bits off kit and skeletons that might be hers have shown up on Nikumaroro/Gardner Island)?

But there are plenty of wilder claims:

Amelia was a spy.
Amelia was captured and executed by the Japanese at Saipan.
Amelia was a Tokyo Rose.

Whatever the truth let’s remember Ms Earhart as a pioneer – not as a missing person.

Fortean Advertising

Many thanks to Posthuman Blues for drawing my attention to this wonderful Thai commercial

Mind Control in Erinsborough

I don’t think I could have asked for a better story on my first day back than this from The Daily Grail

Is this why Neighbours makes me so mellow and relaxed?

Dublin’s Demon Dog (and a couple of other canine stories)

A demon dog haunts Dublin according to psychic investigator Martin Black. The demon dog moniker seems to be a bit of an exagerration on the part of the Dublin People newspaper.  It just seems to be a rather sad, ghost dog.

In Moscow people have every reason to fear dogs. The city is overrun with feral canines.

Interestingly, 10 years ago Russia’s wild dog population was involved in a strange story.  A little boy named Ivan Mishukov was apparently protected by a pack of dogs. Learn about Ivan and other feral children at FeralChildren.com.

Enigma Street is back!

Well, I’m back and eager to get back bringing you the best and most interesting stories on the strange and unusual. It will cover a range of topics. So whether you’re a hardened James Randi-loving sceptic, an orthodox Fortean or just enjoy a little bit of bizarre you should find something to interest you on Enigma Street.

So while I was laid up what did I miss? Here in the UK the biggest Fortean story was probably the UFO flap with multiple witnesses in different locations.

Meanwhile, in Russia a team from the Centre for Fortean Zoology are tracking the almasty (which I just realised I have been spelling wrong). Keep up to date at the expeditions blog.

Speaking of our Russian friends: I also missed the anniversary of one of my all time favourite Fortean events.  30th June was the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska explosion.

Oh, and some strange faceless people turned up in London. Sadly, not Autons promoting the series finale of Dr Who (Dr Who fever has gripped the nation).  They seem to be selling cars (Lotus to be precise).

Here they attend Kim Cattrall’s event at Harrods.

It’s good to be back!

Who killed Alexander the Great?

On June 11th, 323 BCE Alexander the Great died.

The cause of death?

Well, no one’s really sure. And today it remains one of history’s most enduring medical mysteries.

Learn more over at author Graham Phillips’ page.

The ghost of Marilyn Monroe (and dark conspiracies surrounding her death)

Today is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday.  Had she lived the tragic star would have been 82 today.

But some people claim that Marilyn still makes herself known in ghostly form.

And she remains a popular target for trance mediums.

Leave the poor woman alone!

Monroe died in 1962. The cause of death was “acute barbiturate poisoning” and it was ruled a suicide.

But dark rumours still surround Monroe’s death.  Some people believe she was actually murdered and the tragic star’s death is sometimes even linked to the alleged Kennedy assassination conspiracy.

Whatever the truth, lets remember her in her prime and anyone interested in the weird wide world would do well to remember the occasional truth in this quote from Ms Monroe herself:

“It’s all make believe, isn’t it?”

Talented Animals

I’ve already covered animals who paint. But today I want to talk about other extremely talented animals. And its all in honour of a border collie called Gin.

Any non-UK readers (and to be honest probably quite a few British readers) won’t have the faintest idea who Gin is.

Well, Gin (and owner Kate) are finalists in tomorrow’s Britain’s Got Talent. And if there is any justice in the world they will win the £10 000 prize money and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance*. So get voting!

But, my all time favourite talented animal was a horse named Clever Hans.

When talking and writing about Clever Hans the first thing animal behaviourists and historians will say is: “Oh, Clever Hans! He turned out not to be so clever after all”.

Read his story and decide if you think Clever Hans was clever or not.

Clever Hans was a popular attraction in Germany, where he appeared to be able to solve maths problems, read and generally demonstrate himself to be smarter than the average horse.

The psychologist Oskar Pfungst was unconvinced, and in his role as a 1900s James Randi he undertook a scientific investigation into Hans and his alleged intelligence.

He found no fraud. But Pfungst concluded that, far from performing these intellectual tasks himself, Hans was in fact responding to subconscious clues from the people around him.

This is the point where people say Hans wasn’t so clever. But I have to say I think he was robbed! He may not have been actually doing maths problems, but he was picking up on subtle clues. Similarly, Gin (much as I love him) is not actually dancing in time to the music – he’s picking up on clues from his owner (who seems a pretty good dancer herself).

Anyway, Pfungst’s research remains important today. Especially, in discussions of Facilitated Communication, a controversial technique sometimes used to communicate with severely disabled children.

*Although, personally, I also have a soft spot Bollywood-Michael Jackson Fusion Dance act Signature.