Bilk - no 076 - 1997 03

Magazine Overview

BILK Nr. 76, published bi-monthly by Ulrich Magin in Rastatt, Germany, covers the theme of "Behemoth" in its March 1997 issue. The magazine presents a collection of reports on alleged sightings of large, unidentified creatures, primarily aquatic, from various locations around the world.

BEHEMOTH

The main section details a competition launched by the movie company PolyGram, offering one million Pound for conclusive proof of the Loch Ness Monster's existence. The criteria include presenting the creature, showing physical proof, and having its existence confirmed by experts from the British Museum of Natural History or the Institute for Marine Biology. The competition was set to terminate on March 22, 1997, with a minimum creature length requirement of 5 meters (17 ft).

Several specific reports are listed:

• Loch Awe, Scotland: The book "Der Tempel und die Loge" mentions the "Beathach Mor," a serpentine creature with a horse's head and 12 scaly legs.
• Loch Lochy, Scotland: On September 13, 1996, several witnesses reported seeing three humps like an upturned boat on the loch, which then swam in circles and vanished.
• Argentina: Reports of monsters in Lake Lolog and Nahuel Huapi in January 1996 are referenced, with details found in INFO Journal 76.
• Rastatt, Germany: In 1914, a fisherman named Gustav Meisch caught a crocodile in the Rhine at Plittersdorf, speculated to be an escaped pet from a ship.

Bibliography: This section compiles news on recent Nessie sightings, referencing Andreas Trottmann's Loch Ness Newsclipping Service and Nessietter magazine. It also notes the discovery of dinosaurs in a 1976 US-Japanese movie "Der letzte Dinosaurier" screened on German TV and mentions the fantasy movie "Dragonheart" featuring a dragon. A sighting of a gigantic serpent in Maryland in the mid-19th century is discussed, with the theory it was a "multi-dimensional reptile." An "out-of-place lizard" (50 cm) reportedly caught in Barcelona, Spain, on July 15, 1995, is also mentioned.

ISIS

This section appears to cover paranormal and potentially extraterrestrial phenomena, often linked to water:

• Elster, Germany: According to Bernd Harder's book "Die übersinnlichen Phänomene im Test," the German magazine "TeleVision" featured an X-Files special. A reader named Heike Riegler reported being frightened by an "alien from the depths" while swimming in a gravel pit, suggesting a possible overlap between alien and waterman phenomena.
• German TV RTL2: The movie "Humanoids from the Deep" was screened on November 18, 1996. This film depicts mutations that are half fish, half man, attacking beach girls.
• Chupacabras: An article on the Chupacabras is referenced in INFO Journal 76.

LEVIATHAN

This section focuses on large marine or aquatic creatures:

• Beauly Firth, Scotland: In July 1971, twenty boys from Newcastle saw a "monster" in the Beauly Firth, described as a "black slimy object" that left a trail of foam. A week prior, a family had also reported seeing a monster off the Longman.
• Falmouth, Cornwall: In 1975, a strange beast washed ashore at Durgan Beach was later identified as a whale's skull. Jonathan Downes traced this case and presented it in Fortean Times 95, though the magazine reportedly misprinted the date as 1875.
• Rhode Island, USA: In June 1996, fishermen Gary Hall and JT Pinney caught a 4-meter dead sea serpent off Block Island. It was described as having a spine, a small head, and whiskers, with possible identities including shark, ray, or sturgeon.
• Grotte Chauvet, France: A ZDF TV documentary on February 5, 1997, broadcast a picture of a strange beast found in this cave, which was identified as a great auk.
• Review: A review of "Cadborosaurus" by LeBlond and Boustield is mentioned, referencing INFO Journal 76.

KRAKEN

This section discusses giant squids:

• New Zealand: The search for giant squids off New Zealand is ongoing. Reports mention carcasses up to 20 meters long washed ashore or found in whale stomachs. A Maori legend speaks of the Polynesian discoverer Kupe hunting a giant squid. Two teams of scientists are using high-tech cameras to search for these creatures near the South Island, employing methods like attaching cameras to sperm whales. Critics have raised concerns about animal misuse, though scientists claim the whales are minimally affected.

MARINE LIFE

• Whitehead Beach, Northern Queensland, Australia: A 27-year-old swimmer was attacked by a shark on January 25, 1997, sustaining multiple bites to his legs.

MARINE FORTEANA

• Deluge Myths: A theory by William Ryan and Walter Pittman suggests that deluge myths originate from a large flood caused by the Black Sea approximately 7500 years ago, when the Mediterranean Sea flowed into the Black Sea, which was previously a lake. This is referenced in Der Spiegel 1/1997.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY

• Val Ferret, Switzerland: The "beast of Val Ferret," responsible for sheep losses in the Swiss canton of Wallis, has been identified as a wolf. Genetic scientists from the University of Grenoble analyzed droppings and confirmed this identification.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of BILK revolve around cryptids, particularly aquatic monsters like the Loch Ness Monster and sea serpents, as well as other unexplained phenomena such as alleged alien encounters and strange beasts. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting on these phenomena, often citing various sources, news clippings, and scientific or pseudo-scientific investigations, without necessarily endorsing the claims but presenting them for reader consideration. There is a clear interest in documenting eyewitness accounts and ongoing searches for elusive creatures.