Bilk - no 077 - 1997 05

Magazine Overview

BILK Nr. 77, published bi-monthly by Ulrich Magin in Rastatt, Germany, for May 1997. The issue's primary focus is on "BEHEMOTH," exploring various large, mysterious, and often aquatic creatures and phenomena.

Behemoth

Amazon, Brazil Jeremy Wade discusses sightings of giant snakes in South America, noting that some resemble dinosaurs while others appear as UFOs or USOs, suggesting a typical shape-changing behavior for mythical water monsters.

Bibliography Loren Coleman's query about horned snake sightings surviving dinosaurs is mentioned. An award of one million Pounds for proof of Nessie's existence by PolyGram is noted. A theory suggests the Lake Pend Oreille monster in Oregon was a navy cover-up of secret submarine testing.

Loch Ness Reports from Craigdarroch House Hotel in Foyers indicate that in the summer of 1996, 16 guests saw an unexplained v-wake on the loch. In September 1996, brothers Joseph and Alistair MacLean from Bournemouth reported hearing a "whosshing" sound and seeing a "large black mass about 20 ft in length" with a flipper, described by their father as a "gigantic black snake moving through the water." On February 16, 1997, an English family observed an object move quickly through the water near Craigdarroch House Hotel, resembling a jet-ski with a white bow wave, which disappeared after two minutes. Rita Goold's sightings are mentioned, including a "headneck," but she admits to being fooled previously by a v-wake that turned out to be a boat with a man at the helm. Information is credited to Andreas Trottmann and the Loch Ness Newsclipping Service.

Leviathan

Sea Monsters in the Talmud The Talmud tract Baba Batra (73b-74a) lists tales of sea monsters. Rabba bar Chana recounts seeing a gigantic fish with a parasite in its nose; the dead fish was washed ashore, destroyed 60 cities, fed 60 cities, and its remains were salted by 60 cities. Its eyes produced 300 barrels of oil, and its bones were later sawed into logs to rebuild the destroyed cities. On another journey, Rabba bar Chana saw a fish with sand and grass on its back; the crew lit a fire on it, and when the back got too hot, the fish turned over, nearly drowning the crew. Rabba bar Chana also describes a journey where a ship traveled for three days and nights alongside a fish, moving in one direction while the ship traveled in another, with the ship being quicker than an arrow. Rab Aschi commented that it was a small marine fish with only two fins. This information is sourced from Günter Stemberger's "Der Talmud."

Godzilla Japanese movie producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, creator of Godzilla, died on April 2, 1997. The first Godzilla movie was released in 1954, and the last in 1995. The fire-spouting Godzilla evolved from a disastrous enemy to a friend of the Japanese in the final movie. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Marine Life

Whales According to German media reports, director Roland Emmerich is planning a remake of the first Godzilla movie. A biologist photographed a young right whale in Bristol Bay, Alaska, a species thought to be extinct for 150 years, with a total population in all seas calculated at several hundreds. Right whales have been protected by law since 1935. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Megamouth Shark A new megamouth shark, measuring 6ft 9in, was caught off Senegal on May 4, 1995. It is the first specimen from the Atlantic, though reports exist of one caught off Brazil. This is noted from Fortean Times.

Bibliography Fortean Times 97 reports news on the Mont St Michel dragon. A 23ft sea serpent, identified as an oarfish, was washed up at Coronado Beach, San Diego, California, in November 1997. This is from Fortean Times 97.

Whales (continued) A Dutch warship was damaged in the Gulf of Biscay when a whale attacked it, creating a 2m hole in its hull. Five sperm whales stranded at Puponga, Golden Bay, New Zealand, on February 24, 1997, marking the ninth stranding in that bay in a decade, though most were pilot whales. A 10m porpoise stranded at Big Pine Key, Florida, after being shot at five times. A 78-year-old Norwegian fisherman reported a 15m whale ramming his boat during a courtship ritual, initially mistaking it for a submarine. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Sharks A 7m basking shark stranded near Cancale, Brittany, during low tide. Firefighters kept it wet until it swam back to sea at high tide. Hardy Krüger Jr., son of a German film star, was attacked by a white shark at Dangerous Point, South Africa, while filming, which is suggested to be more for promotion than a real event. This is reported by Bild.

Cryptology

Thylacine According to Bild, villagers in the Indonesia-occupied part of New Guinea have discovered a living thylacine, a species thought to be extinct for 50 years and native to Tasmania. Zoologists are en route to confirm the discovery. The article suggests that if true, many thylacine sightings from the Australian mainland should be reconsidered.

Letter

In response to a previous issue (Bilk 74), Carlos Bonet Betoret writes to defend his theory that a "crocodile man" from Lake Tanganika is a giant otter, referred to as 'mamba-mutu'. He explains that his friend Jodisi Kirunga provided information before his death in November 1994. Betoret plans to contact National Geographic to organize an expedition, possibly in the year 2000, to research this unknown species of giant otter. He requests that his letter be published and that the mockery of his theory cease, apologizing for his own tendency to be "over-the-top sometime."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores unexplained phenomena, cryptids, and unusual natural occurrences, often drawing from folklore, ancient texts, and contemporary reports. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting various accounts and theories without necessarily endorsing them, while also encouraging serious scientific criticism. The inclusion of a letter defending a fringe theory suggests a willingness to engage with diverse perspectives within the ufology and cryptozoology communities.