Sassisk

“… doe vuur n joar of wat teruw he’w nog wa iets zeen, ik zei, dat har wat met veur te maakn. De vrouw en ik hebt heb zeen, ne grote ballon, ne grote veurbal as t ware, zo opkomn, God, zeg he, mien zuster hef t zölfde zeen, zeg he, ik zeg, hoe kan dat, ja zeen zuster was n paar joar ölder as he en dee har tzölfde zeen en hij was in hoes kömn loopn, o God o God, doar bie oons oons boavn de put was ineens nen grootn bal veur opkömn en doe is he noar boavn hengoan, ie wet wa, dat kort d’rop oe vare stöarvn is, joa, zeg he, ik heb t nooit per slot van könn achterhaaln. le hebt hem met oe beedn zeen, zeg he, ik zej, joa, absoluut, ik zej, ik vertel oe gen lögns.”

Kollektsy Engelbertink, 12. map, 21. vortelling

Vöär lüde dee neet allennig disse blog leasen, mor ouk süms kykt når myn andre publikåtsys (lykas up Neerlandistiek en in de Bodbreef), weyten dat ik disse ard vortellingen al een mål eyrder analyseard hev. Vöär my was et dodestyds een heyl ny gegeaven: vüerbollen dee med de doud van doon hebbed. Mor wirklik ny is et eyglyks neet, as wy eys een mål torüchkykt.

Vöärig mål hebt wy seen ho as de glöynige of vüerman sik een katolisk weasen is. Neet dat hee oft når de mis geit, mor in dat hee so brandt dår hee vanuut et vagevüer kummen is. Hee is een brandende seal. En now kümt wy up etsülvde idea an. In middeleywen kinden teologen disse bollen van vüer of licht ouk al. In dee tyd werden dee döär lucht vlygende bollen ouk al döär lüde seen. En, lykas de vüerman, waren disse bollen ouk untsnappete sealen uut et vagevüer. Döär vöär höär to bidden, kun men disse weasens når et himmelryk helpen (Strieber en Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 278). Et givt doch eyn perbleam: wårum brandt disse sealen al, as see heyldaal noch neet in et vagevüer bünt? Bünt dee neet pas krekt uut tyd kummen?

Now bünt der noch wat andre vortellingen uut desülvde umråd, Twente (see hyr en hyr). Lichtbollen wurden ofter seen, in andre landen, mor ouk in Sassiske umråden, lykas Stadskanaal in et Grönnegsk-Drentske pålgebeed (kyk een mål in Meder, In Graancirkelen: een etnologisch onderzoek naar verhalen uit de grenswetenschap (2009)). See wurdt düs een sood seen. En wat now so intressant is: ouk in weatenskoplike kreanken wurdt et normåler derum to snakken. De antropoloug Escolar givt een heyl vorslag van wat as hee seen hev in Argentinien (“Boundaries of Anthropology: Empirics and Ontological Relativism in a Field Experience with Anomalous Luminous Entities in Argentina” (2012)). Sülvs eyn van de antropologiske groutheyden, Evans-Pritchard, skreav der um. Hee sag, up een åvend, een licht når et huus van een olde man vlegen. In de morgen skean et to, dat disse olde man uut de tyd kummen was (Escolar, “Boundaries of Anthropology” (2012), p. 37).

Now gåt wy een mål når Nourd-Amerika, dår dit een vorskynsel is up alle wyde enden van de wearld (dår ik geyn hellige en geldwulvige Amerikaanske advokaten antrekken wil, sel ik disse vortelling sülv nåvortellen). De oldste söyn van et desbetreffende echtpaar, Frankie, is vöär een week torüch uut de tyd kummen by een auto-ungelük. Up en åvend düt de hund skyr unrüstig. Glövend dat hund når buten müt, düt de vrouw vöärdöär oapen. Skeit der upeyns een groute vüerbol vurd döär lucht hin! Noch geyn minuut låter steit et jungste söynke beneden, en rupt uut: “lüddeke blåuwe mannekes bünt myn kamer inkoamen, en see haren Frankie by höär, en hee see dat ik ju vortellen mus dat alles goud med hum is.” (Strieber en Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 74).

Hyr hebt wy een idea dår ik eyrstens altyd an denken mus: disse vüerballen bünt UFOs, en disse blåuwe mannekes bünt blåuwe butenaerdsen, dee oft beskreaven wurden as kobold- of trol-like weasens. Mor wårum hebt see dan een doud kind by höär? Is der een link tüsken butenaerdsen en douden? Of gå ik to vlot, en moten wy us eyrst bevrågen: is der een link tüsken UFOs en lichtbollen? Bünt disse blåuwe trollen doch butenaerdsen? Is der eyglyks sülvs mor een link tüsken UFOs en butenaerdsen?! Jeff Kripal, een religyweatenskopper uut Nourd-Amerika, stelt dat wy us een bült meyr vöärsicht nöydig hebt, dår wy in et undersök når disse såken neet to vlot unse konklusys ferdig hebben. Hee beskrivt et as et afvalbak-perbleam: der bünt een heyle bült glyke fenomeanen, lykas technologiske UFOs, andre UAPs (undefinieerde luchtfenomenen), kidnapping döär butenaerdsen of bouvennatuurlike weasens, lichtbollen, en sükse såken meyr, dee doch wirklik höär eygen fenomeanen bünt (Strieber en Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 9-10). Wy mut düs med vöärsicht disse såken undersöken. En wat as der dan van wår is, tja, dat is pas echt nå swår vöärsichtig undersök to seggen.

English

“… about a year ago we saw something, I said, which had to do with fire. My wife and I have seen it, a big balloon, a big ball of fire as it were, it arose. ‘God,’ he said, ‘my sister saw the same thing,’ he said. I said: ‘How is that possible?’ You know, his sister is a couple of years older than he is, and she saw the same thing. He entered the house, ‘Oh God, oh God, suddenly a big ball of fire appeared above our well, and it flew upwards!’ You know that shortly afterwards your dad passed away. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I’ve never been able to explain it. You have both seen it,’ he said. I said: ‘Yeah, absolutely,’ I said, ‘I’m not lying to you.’”

Collection Engelbertink, 12^th folder, 21^st story

For those people who do not only read this blog, but also take an occasional gander at some of my other publications (like on Neerlandistiek and in the magazine Bodbreef), know that I have analysed this type of story before. It was something completely new to me at the time: orbs of fire that are associated with death. But it ain’t really new after all once we start looking back.

Last time we saw how the glowing one or fireman is a Catholic creature. Not that he attends Mass a lot, but rather because he burns because he came out of Purgatory. And here we have the same idea. In Medieval times, theologians were aware of these orbs of fire or light. In those times people also witnesses them flying through the sky. And, just like the fireman, these orbs were also considered to be escaped souls from Purgatory. By praying for them, one can help these creatures enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Strieber en Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 278). There is still a problem: why do these souls burn already, when they haven’t been in Purgatory yet? Didn’t they just pass away recently?

There are some more stories from that same area, Twente (see here and here). Orbs of light are seen more often, in other countries, but also in Saxon areas, like Stadskanaal in the Groningen-Drenthe border area (see Meder, In Graancirkelen: een etnologisch onderzoek naar verhalen uit de grenswetenschap (2009)). In short: they are seen a lot. And now what is interesting: even in scientific circles it is becoming more normalised to speak up about it. The anthropologist Escolar provides us with a complete report on his experiences in Argentina (“Boundaries of Anthropology: Empirics and Ontological Relativism in a Field Experience with Anomalous Luminous Entities in Argentina” (2012)). Even one of anthropology’s biggest stars, Evans-Pritchard, wrote about it. He saw, on a night, a light flying towards the house of an old man. In the morning, it becomes apparent that this old man has passed away (Escolar, “Boundaries of Anthropology” (2012), p. 37).

Now we will move to North America, since this is a phenomenon found in all kinds of corners of the world (because I don’t want to attract any angry and greedy American lawyers, I will recount this story myself). The oldest boy of the couple in question, Frankie, has died a week ago in a car crash. On a night the dog is mighty finicky. Thinking that the dog has to go out, the woman opens the front door. Suddenly a ball of fire shoots through the sky! Not a minute later their youngest son stands downstairs, exclaiming: “Little blue men came into my room and they had Frankie [his older brother] with them and he said to tell you he was OK.” (Strieber en Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 74).

Here we see something that is always my first association: these orbs of fire are UFOs, and these blue men are blue aliens, who are often described as kobold- or troll-like creatures. But why is there a dead kid in their midst? Is there a connection between aliens and dead people? Or am I drawing conclusions too quickly, and do we have to question first: is there a link between UFOs and orbs of light? Are these blue trolls even aliens? Is there actually even a link between UFOs and aliens?! Jeff Kripal, a scholar of religion from North America, has determined that we need to be way more careful, so that we don’t draw our conclusions in the investigation of these things too quickly. He describes it as the wastebasket-problem: there are a lot of similar phenomena, like technological UFOs, other UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), kidnapping by extra-terrestrials or supernatural creatures, orbs of light, and other similar phenomena, that are actually their own separate phenomena (Strieber and Kripal, The Super Natural: Why the Unexplained is Real (2016), p. 9-10). So we need to be careful when investigating these phenomena. And whatever the truth behind it all is, well, we can only say anything about that after really careful examination.

Spookplåtkepråt

Um et måken van de foto

Spooky Spectral Speculations

About the making of the picture

“…doar bie oons oons boavn de put was ineens nen grootn bal veur opkömn…”

Wår kun ik eyn püt in us nåberskup vinden? As ik up Google kyk, dan was dår geyn püt to vinden in heyle umråd. Dår sat ik my doch eaven in de pypsak, töt ik myn kinder vråged har. Eyn van myn wichter see teagen my dat der um hörn hin, dår höär vründ wount, eyn nüvere püt is! De kat van et huus was vründlik genug eaven in vensterbank sik daal to setten, dår ik et plåtke klår maken kun.

“…suddenly a big ball of fire appeared above our well…”

Where to find a well in the neighbourhood? A search an google maps did not provide any well at all. I was a bit in a pickle, until I asked my daughters. One of them told me that around the corner of our house, where her friend lives, one can find a nice old well! The house cat was so kind to sit in the window sill, so that I could finish the picture.