Bilk - no 056 - 1993 11

Magazine Overview

This document is BILK #56, dated November 1993. The publication is based in Germany, with the editor's address provided as Hohenheimer Straße 60, D-73770 Denkendorf, Germany, and a new address to be effective from January 1st, 1994. The old address is Stuhlbruderhofstr. 4, D-67112 Mutterstadt. Subscription rates are 15 DM for Europe and 20 DM for the rest of the world for 6 issues (1 year).

BEHEMOTH

The "BEHEMOTH" section focuses on various reports and sightings related to large, unidentified creatures and phenomena.

Loch Ness

Andreas Trottmann contributed several clippings concerning Loch Ness. Two articles from the Inverness Courier discuss tourism: one highlights a letter from Hugh T Grant questioning the lack of signage at Lochend, and another from Donald W Skinner criticizes parking fees at Urquhart Castle. An anonymous letter describes an incident where a "water shier" frightened a swan. The author expresses a desire to preserve the natural beauty of Loch Ness, acknowledging its importance for local income. Mentions are also made of a MacInness report in the Daily Express and Daily Mail, and a bungee jump event.

Lake Bassenthwaite

Reports indicate that the owners of the Armanthwaite Hotel on Lake Bassenthwaite are offering a reward of 10,000 pounds and a weeklong holiday for anyone who can capture "Bassie," a lake monster, on film. This lake is described as 4 miles long and up to 25 yards deep in the English Lake District.

Shanxi, China

An AP report cited in the Bangor Daily News details the discovery of the oldest known pictoral depiction of a dragon in cliff paintings in Shanxi province, China. The image, dated 10,000 years old, is accompanied by depictions of a female deer with a young deer and a creature with fish-like features and deer horns. The site also yielded 1,000 stone tools. The author notes that archaeological news from China often serves a propaganda function.

Bibliography

This section compiles various intriguing news items:

• Betting on the Unlikely: A report in Die Rheinpfalz mentions the British fondness for betting on unusual events, including the possibility of UFOs or Nessie being proven real. Graham Sharpe of William Hill stated, "Our company would be in dire straits indeed if a ufo with Nessie as pilot appeared!"
• Loch Ness Expedition: A Loch Ness expedition took place in the summer of 1992, as reported in Tauchen (Sept 1992).
• Lambert Wilson Hoax: Lambert Wilson's claim to have invented Nessie in 1938 was reportedly taken seriously, as noted in Tauchen (Oct 1992).
• Killer Pike: A pike in a Dutch gravel pit near Meppel reportedly attacked and ate a bull terrier, according to Tauchen (July 1992).
• Nessie Sighting: Nessletter 114 (Aug 1993) documented a new Nessie sighting, with Edna MacInnes suggesting that Rip Hepple may have mistaken a man in a small boat for the monster's neck.

ISIS

This subsection explores the possibility of the merman being a shaman.

• San Rock-Art: San rock-art from southern Africa near Ezeljagdspoort depicts beings with human-like bodies, long fin-like hands, and fish tails. David Lewis-Williams, Thomas A Dowson, and Janette Deacon suggest these represent shamans in flight, with the "fish tails" being swallow tails. Paul Devereux notes traditions of the "subterranean and subaquatic journey" of shamans, prompting the question of whether the tail symbolizes both. The author speculates if the Sumerian deity Ea (Oannes) might have had a swallow's tail, later misinterpreted as a fish-man.

KRAKEN

"Beast" by Peter Benchley

The author reviews Peter Benchley's book "Beast," calling it a crude imitation of "Jaws." The book mentions a giant squid attack on a ship in 1941, which the author suggests might be based on a real incident.

Giant Octopus of Florida

Michel Raynal sent clippings about a supposed giant octopus in Florida. The BBC Wildlife (August 1993) reported on the 1897 Florida carcass and a second find in May 1988 on a Bermuda Beach of a "large, grey, shapeless mass of tissue." Tests by several institutes have not provided conclusive evidence, though a shark is being ruled out. Michel Raynal and Michel Dethier co-authored an article on this case.

MARINE LIFE

This section covers various incidents involving marine animals.

• Shark Attack, Hongkong: Reported in Stuttgarter Zeitung (June 14).
• Florida Shark Attack: Melissa Rodriguez, 12, was wounded by a shark at Daytona Beach, Florida. Surgeons saved her leg and life (USA Today, July 10).
• Barracuda Attack: A barracuda caught by Nadine Vloer, 40, off the Florida Keys, leaped into the boat and bit her hand and hip (BILD, July 13; USA Today, July 13).
• Alligator Attack: A 10-year-old boy was killed by an alligator in the Loxahatchee River, Florida. The last alligator attack in Florida was five years prior, when a 4-year-old girl was killed (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 21).
• Coelacanth: A coelacanth was caught at Quelimare, Mozambique (Tauchen, April 1992).
• Shark Attack on Diver: A shark attacked a diver off Honshu, Japan (Tauchen, Sept 1992).
• Piranha Catch: An unspecified report mentions someone catching a live piranha in Germany.
• Whale Stranding: A school of whales stranded on the German coast in August (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).

DINOSAURS

The prevalence of dinosaur-related media is linked to the movie "Jurassic Park."

• "Killer-Dinosaur": University of Chicago researchers have identified a 400-pound dinosaur as the ancestor of T-Rex (Berliner Zeitung, Nov 26, 1992).
• Fossil Discoveries in China: Fossile dinosaur bones, 170-180 million years old, were found in a mountain slope in Sichuan province. The region is known for dinosaur remains, and these new finds are from a sauropod group member (Rheinpfalz, Dec 15, 1992).
• Fossil Dinosaur Egg: A fossil dinosaur egg with an embryo was analyzed using x-ray technology at Lawrence-Livermore-Labs in California. The egg originates from south China, and there are 500 known eggs, 100 of which contain embryos (Sonntag Aktuell, June 6, 1993).
• "Jurassic Park" Success: The movie "Jurassic Park" was running in 3,000 US theaters and had earned 50 million dollars shortly after its premiere (Blick, Switzerland, June 12, 1993).
• Dino Eggs from China: Reports in the Rheinpfalz (July 3, 1993) state that over 10,000 dino eggs have been found in 14 Chinese provinces, with the first find in 1974.
• T-Rex Bones and DNA: Scientists found red blood corpuscles in T-Rex bones in Montana, hoping to isolate its DNA to compare with birds, potentially shedding light on whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded. This could also impact the Loch Ness debate, suggesting a warm-blooded, bird-like dinosaur as a possible explanation for sightings.
• Dino Egg Auction: Ten dino eggs from China were auctioned at Bonhams in London, expected to sell for 22,000 pounds Sterling (Rheinpfalz, Aug 21, 1993).
• Massive Dino Egg Find: Stuttgart papers and the Rheinpfalz reported a sensational find of several thousand dino eggs from China in the first week of October.

ARCHAEOLOGY

This section highlights recent archaeological discoveries.

• Phoenician Ship: A 2,500-year-old Phoenician ship, considered the best preserved to date, was excavated in Marseille (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Aug 18).
• WWI Submarine: A WWI German submarine was discovered buried in a dune near Istanbul (Sonntag Aktuell, Sept 9). The unusual location was later explained by coastal evolution over 80 years.
• Coastal Erosion: England is losing an average of 2 meters of coastline per year at Hull and Scarborough (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, July 22).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of BILK demonstrates a consistent interest in cryptids, unexplained phenomena, and historical mysteries, particularly those related to the "Behemoth" and "Kraken" categories. The publication appears to be a compilation of news clippings and reader contributions, with a focus on reports from various international sources. The editorial stance seems to be one of presenting information and encouraging further investigation, as evidenced by the detailed citations and the speculative nature of some discussions, such as the link between shamans and merman figures, or the potential for dinosaur DNA to inform the Loch Ness debate. There is a clear emphasis on reporting on unusual animal sightings, ancient artifacts, and paleontological discoveries, often with a critical eye towards sensationalism or propaganda, as noted in the context of Chinese archaeological news.