1999 00 00 Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies - Alien Abductions A Return to the Medieval- Enns

Magazine Overview

Title: Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies
Issue: Volume 1999, Issue 18
Publication Date: 1999
Publisher: The Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress)
Document Type: Magazine Issue

Alien Abductions: A Return to the Medieval

This article, authored by Anthony Enns, explores the striking parallels between contemporary alien abduction narratives and historical accounts of supernatural encounters, particularly those found in medieval folklore and demonology. Enns posits that these modern abduction stories may not be literal accounts of extraterrestrial encounters but rather psychological phenomena, cultural archetypes, or expressions of repressed desires, mirroring ancient beliefs.

The Return of the Repressed: Alien Sex and its Pagan Predecessors

The article begins by referencing the widely known Barney and Betty Hill abduction case in 1961, characterized by a time loss, a disk-shaped object, and a detailed account of medical examinations by "short beings" under hypnosis. However, Enns points out that an earlier reported abduction occurred in Brazil in 1957, involving farmer Antonio Villas Boas, who claimed to have been forced into intercourse with an alien woman. While Boas' story is less frequently cited and its sexual element is more explicit than typical abduction narratives, both cases share a common theme of bodily manipulation and violation, often with sexual undertones.

Enns discusses how the recurring details in abductee testimonies are interpreted differently by believers and critics. Believers see them as evidence of truth, while critics suggest abductees appropriate media imagery to explain dreams or hallucinations. Folklore scholar Joyce Bynum believes that abductees may adopt extraterrestrial explanations to articulate inexplicable experiences. The article also explores pagan mythology as a potential source for abduction narratives, drawing parallels between Boas' account and the myth of the succubus, a female demon who seduces men. The similarities between abduction narratives and pagan myths are used by critics to question the validity of abductions, while abductees interpret them as evidence of long-term alien visitations, citing historical woodcuts as potential UFO sightings.

Novelist Whitley Strieber suggests that modern concepts of alien visitors are closer to reality than ancient ones, believing that our cultural expectations shape our understanding. Bynum's theory of transmission explains the widespread knowledge of abduction stories through popular media, similar to folk tales spread via oral transmission. However, this theory doesn't fully account for the structural similarities between folk tales and modern abduction narratives, separated by centuries. The article presents two main explanations for these phenomena: either actual alien invasion for procreation or a widespread psychological phenomenon. Carl Sagan suggests the latter, linking alien breeding paranoia to the tension between sexual freedom and repression, and the prevalence of accounts of childhood sexual abuse.

Visitations on the Body: Demon Organs and Anal Probes

Thomas Bullard's 1989 study comparing abduction narratives to folk tales found eight common episodes: capture, examination, conference, tour, otherworldly journey, theophany, return, and aftermath. Abductees, like figures in initiations, often report apocalyptic visions and messages. Bynum notes the religious element in abduction narratives, where abductees may feel chosen to deliver messages.

The structural and visual details of folk tales and abduction narratives are remarkably similar. The case of Anne Jeffries in 1645, who reported being assaulted by "little men" and taken to a "castle in the air," is cited as an example. Her account of paralysis, molestation, and recurring visitations echoes abduction experiences. More disturbing similarities include the aliens' use of long needles for insertion into the body, akin to the description of an incubus' penis as long and metallic. The collection of eggs and semen for insemination, and the creation of hybrid species, are also mentioned, with Thomas Aquinas documenting that "devils do indeed collect human semen." The concept of an incubus mating with women and stealing babies produced from such unions is also paralleled by abductees claiming to have given birth to human/alien hybrid children who were then taken.

Abductees often insist their experiences were more real than dreams, similar to how incubus visitations were described as having "daylight vividness." A common feature is the feeling of paralysis and the inability to scream, which modern critics attribute to sleep paralysis. However, historical accounts from J. Bond and Richard Bovet describe similar paralysis and helplessness associated with nightmares and succubi encounters.

The debate on how spirits or demons copulate with humans in the Middle Ages is discussed, with Sinistrari suggesting demons assume human bodies. This is contrasted with modern abduction theories where aliens are believed to exist in alternate dimensions, lacking physical bodies, a concept also explored by Whitley Strieber. John Mack, a proponent of abduction validity, theorizes that aliens are non-corporeal consciousnesses.

Similarities extend to the method of investigation: both pagan myths and abduction narratives find evidence in physical marks on the body. Medieval women explained burns and marks as evidence of demonic visitations, while abductees like Leah Haley found numerous strange marks, injection sites, and scars, interpreted by researchers like Ronald K. Siegel as manifestations of the limbic system rather than external events.

Revelations of Divine Intercourse: The Schreber Case

The article delves into the case of Daniel Paul Schreber (1842-1911), a judge who suffered severe mental illness, analyzed by Freud. Schreber believed he was chosen by God, that his physician was persecuting him, and that he was transforming into a woman to unite with God and produce a new mankind. Freud interpreted Schreber's delusions as a manifestation of repressed homosexual desire and castration anxiety, where the "father-substitute" (God/Flechsig) represented his father. This projection of unacceptable internal desires onto the environment is a key aspect of paranoia, characterized by sexual conflict, fear, and a need for causality.

Schreber's experience of physical sensations, like the "compression-of-the-chest-miracle," is linked to the "heavy weight on the chest" described in incubi attacks. The recurring image of the vampire in Schreber's narrative is also connected to his nocturnal emissions and homosexual urges, suggesting a symbolic submission to the male. The article notes that the theft of bodily fluid and anal probes in abduction narratives echo these themes.

Freud's “Demonological Neurosis”: The Haizmann Case

Freud's analysis of Christoph Haizmann, a 17th-century painter, is examined. Haizmann confessed to making a pact with the Devil, which Freud interpreted as a "father-substitute" to cope with the grief of his father's death and repressed homosexual urges. Haizmann's neurosis included a transformation into a woman, with the nine-year pact symbolizing pregnancy. Haizmann's paintings of the Devil, which gradually develop female characteristics, are seen as a projection of his femininity and tender feelings towards his mother, stemming from a fear of castration and a desire for his father.

Similar to Schreber, Haizmann's split of the father into God and Devil reflects a fundamental ambivalence in primitive relations. Both cases show a focus on interpreting messages manifest in the body and share undertones of vampirism, with the pact written in blood symbolizing an exchange of bodily fluids.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of the Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies revolve around the intersection of cultural beliefs, psychology, and unexplained phenomena. The central argument is that modern alien abduction narratives, while seemingly novel, draw heavily from ancient myths, folklore, and psychological processes. The journal appears to adopt a critical yet open-minded stance, exploring these phenomena through scholarly analysis rather than outright dismissal or endorsement of literal interpretations. The editorial stance leans towards understanding abduction experiences as complex psychological and cultural constructs, deeply rooted in human history and the subconscious, rather than solely as factual accounts of extraterrestrial contact. The emphasis is on how cultural frameworks shape the interpretation of experiences, whether they are attributed to demons, aliens, or internal psychological states.

This issue, identified by Roman numeral 'V' and featuring content related to the "Strieber Case," delves into the complex interplay between alien abduction narratives, mythology, and psychological interpretation. The cover imagery and accompanying text present historical depictions of the Devil, specifically in relation to Christoph Haizmann, setting a tone that bridges historical accounts of supernatural encounters with modern UFO phenomena.

The Strieber Case: From Mortal Terror to Spiritual Love

The central focus of this section is the work of Whitley Strieber, described as perhaps the world's most famous alien abductee. The analysis highlights how Strieber's narrative diverges from typical abduction accounts by the absence of sexual molestation, anal probes, and semen theft, and notably, by his expressed desire for a relationship with his alien abductors, contrasting with the usual depiction of hostility. Strieber's first book, *Communion* (1986), details his gradual realization of alien kidnappings beginning in childhood. His second book, *Transformation* (1988), explores the aliens' motivations and his evolving attitude towards them. Initially marked by horror, helplessness, and paranoia, Strieber's perspective shifted towards a desire for connection, believing the aliens imparted wisdom and knowledge. He famously wrote, "I loved them, wanted them, needed them, chose them, and called them... I was responsible for the visitor experience becoming a part of my life... I felt loved and cherished by something huge and warm" (140). A pivotal moment involved his journal entry expressing a mixture of thrill, fear, and a desire for the aliens' presence, culminating in the discovery of their function: "Their function is in some way to make us evolve" (138). This evolutionary process, as described by Strieber, involves discarding the physical body for pure consciousness.

Parallels with Schreber and Psychoanalytic Interpretations

Strieber's desire for a relationship with aliens is likened to Daniel Paul Schreber's desire for a direct relationship with God, both characterized by a blend of reverence and rebelliousness. The comparison extends to numerous details, including Strieber's mention of a device used by aliens to extract the soul, possibly employing high-intensity magnetic fields, which is seen as analogous to Schreber's concept of "soul murder." Both individuals also report prohibitions: Schreber believed God forbade masturbation, while Strieber claims alien voices told him not to eat sweets. Furthermore, both had strained relationships with their deceased fathers. A striking similarity is found in their experiences of out-of-body encounters. Strieber describes an "explosive sexual reaction" during an out-of-body experience, connecting it to death and a glimpse "between the worlds of the living and the dead" (202). This experience is framed as a sexual ecstasy, a transgression of boundaries between the physical and non-physical, and the living and the dead. This evolutionary stage is paralleled with Schreber's transformation into a woman, and Strieber's description of sexually-nondescript aliens possessing a feminine aura. The experience of being pulled out of one's body is also likened to castration, giving the title *Transformation* an unintended significance, suggesting a delusion of transformation into a woman rather than a post-human state.

A more disturbing parallel is their mutual vision of the apocalypse. Strieber, in *Communion*, warns of humanity destroying itself due to damage to the ozone layer. In *Transformation*, he receives a vivid vision of the moon exploding and its fragments destroying Earth, which he interprets as precognition. This apocalyptic vision is linked to libido, similar to Schreber's "destruction of the world" as a projection of internal, pathological change caused by detachment of libido. Strieber's moon explosion is seen as a manifestation of his internal transformation into a feminine alien, possibly linked to a "testicular explosion" and the detachment of his homosexual urges. Both Strieber and Schreber view their transformations as key to humanity's salvation: Strieber sees it as evolutionary advancement, while Schreber believes it is the possibility of producing offspring with God.

Freud and the Haizmann Case

Considering Freud's analysis of the Haizmann case, the text suggests that Haizmann's experiences could also be interpreted as a projection of his own femininity onto the father figure.

A Return to the Medieval: Enjoying Your Projection

This section discusses the popularity of abduction narratives, noting how Disney promoted alien abductions with a television special and a Tomorrowland exhibit. The phenomenon's widespread nature is illustrated by Michael Bershad's complaint that one now needs "alien babies" to gain attention for abduction stories. The Roper poll indicates that two percent of Americans are regularly abducted. Carl Sagan's explanation of this as an "epidemic of hallucinations" is presented, but the text argues that these hallucinations, or projections of repressed desires, are common and have historical roots. For believers, these are real experiences signifying either the end of mankind or its next evolutionary stage. For critics, they are manifestations of the limbic system or attempts to explain inexplicable bodily experiences.

The true phenomenon, the text argues, lies not in the abductees' stories but in their interpretation. While contemporary research treats abduction narratives as real, historical approaches, like those applied to Schreber's *Memoirs*, would have analyzed them for hidden meanings. Freud's distinction between modern and medieval approaches to neurosis is invoked: medieval times accepted projections of repressed wishes (demons) into the external world, a practice seen as revived today through therapy, support groups, and repressed memory techniques. The text concludes that a contemporary abductee is unlikely to be diagnosed with latent homosexual urges, just as Freud would have unlikely diagnosed a patient as abducted by aliens. The mythology of witchcraft and demonology, once reinterpreted through psychoanalysis, is now being rewritten through the lens of alien abduction narratives.

Works Cited

The issue concludes with a "Works Cited" section, listing various books and articles referenced, including works by Joyce Bynum, Sigmund Freud, William G. Niederland, A. J. S. Rayl, Rossell Hope Robbins, Carl Sagan, Whitley Strieber, David H. Thurn, and Karl Vick.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the psychological interpretation of paranormal experiences, the comparison of modern UFO abduction narratives with historical accounts of demonology and witchcraft, and the exploration of the subconscious through psychoanalytic frameworks. The editorial stance appears to be one that critically examines abduction narratives, suggesting they may be modern manifestations of ancient psychological and mythological patterns, rather than purely literal extraterrestrial encounters. There is a strong emphasis on psychoanalytic theory, particularly Freudian concepts, to understand the underlying motivations and symbolic meanings within these narratives. The issue also highlights the blurring lines between science fiction, psychological delusion, and spiritual belief.