Folklore Frontiers - No 039

Magazine Overview

Title: Folklore Frontiers
Issue: No. 39
Date: May 2001
Publisher: Paul Screeton

Folklore Frontiers is an independent magazine dedicated to exploring diverse aspects of folklore, including urban and rural belief tales, ancient and modern traditions, and contemporary culture. This issue, No. 39, dated May 2001, is edited and published by Paul Screeton from Hartlepool.

The Diary

The diary section opens with a discussion of the 'monkey-hanging legend' in Hartlepool, noting its mixed impact on tourism. A recent holiday programme featured the town positively, highlighting its quay, museum, and marina, but the mascot of the local football club, 'H'Angus' (Stuart Drummond), allegedly simulated sex during a half-time event, causing controversy. The legend is compared to that of Boddam, where a pub was renamed 'The Noose and Monkey'.

The diary also touches upon the closure of 'The Ley Hunter' magazine, edited by Paul Screeton, citing difficulties with its owners. A new theory from academic Gillian Bentley is presented, suggesting that women's breasts stick out to allow babies to breathe, rather than for titillation, due to human flat faces.

Pop Culture and Folklore

The magazine features an article titled 'Navel manouvres: Britney Spears, blonde icon' by Paul Screeton. It discusses how Encyclopedia Britannica has embraced pop culture, with Britney Spears being a highly searched term. The article quotes an Encyclopedia Britannica spokeswoman defending their inclusion of contemporary events and personalities. The piece also mentions an anecdote about a boy in Tasmania pulling out his teeth for a Britney Spears CD and touches upon Prince William's reaction to Spears' media appearances, including rumors of breast implants.

Urban Legends and Anecdotes

Several sections delve into urban legends and anecdotal stories:

• Car lads hoard pants: A humorous account of salesmen stealing women's knickers to hang on a 'Trophy Tree' as a measure of sauciness.
• Baby intercoms: A brief mention of urban myths surrounding baby intercoms, with a story about a couple whose friends left after a dinner party.
• E-MAIL OF THE WEEK: A collection of humorous 'definitions' sent in by a reader, covering a wide range of topics from pain to unemployment.
• Why Women Are Like Football Pitches: A humorous comparison using football terminology to describe women and relationships.
• Beer mat as veal: A recurring urban legend about a chef in Paris serving a beer mat as veal, reported by various tabloids.
• Harold Wilson's broadcast statement: A mention of his 1967 devaluation statement and the disappearance of beer mats related to it.
• Jim Gardener and crisps: The story of a lab technician who invented a beef and mustard flavour crisps but was not credited, and who later sought revenge by making his boss's car smell unpleasant.

Folklore of the Settle-Carlisle Line

Paul Screeton contributes an article on the folklore surrounding the Settle to Carlisle railway line. It recounts tales such as a woman using empty bottles on her garden wall as targets for train crews, and the dramatic rescue of the line from closure. The article details the Ribblehead viaduct and its associated folklore, including stories about strong winds and a track ganger's cap being blown off and landing back on his head. It also mentions the 'Garsdale turntable' legend, where a locomotive was reputedly spun by the wind for hours.

Newslines and Briefs

A section titled 'Newslines' covers various short news items and anecdotes:

• Victor Meldrew's death: Tributes were laid at the spot where the character died in the BBC series 'One Foot in the Grave'.
• Underneath the Arches: Investigations into viaducts to find evidence of folklore about horses and carts falling into them during construction.
• Once and Future Parrot: An anecdote from John Simpson about a parrot in Beirut that mimicked incoming shells.
• Long Live the King: An offer of £10,000 for a live interview with Elvis, with theories about his whereabouts.
• Pantomime Time: A story about the theatre manager announcing the death of 'Old Mother Riley' and the audience's disbelief.
• Experienced: Bill Gates' museum honouring Jimi Hendrix, including the FBI file on the song 'Louie Louie'.
• Blind Faith: An anecdote about Alan Clark being stopped for speeding and claiming he was blind due to his dark glasses.
• Number's Up: A debunked phone scam about telephone engineers asking users to dial 90.
• Warnings Rung In: A warning about a virus threatening mobile phones in Burma and a rumor about the Chernobyl virus in Lebanon.
• Greater Risk: Concerns about cordless telephones posing a health risk due to radiation.
• Gabby Hayes: A humorous anecdote about an MP leaving his mobile phone behind.
• Nazis Target Churches: Theft of church silver for demand from right-wing groups.
• Baby for Hire: A story about a fertility custom involving borrowing a friend's baby.
• Bufo Legoverus: A ritual involving touching a toad for fertility.
• The Scurra: Two anecdotes from 'The Mirror' about misinterpretations and urban myths.

Book Reviews

The magazine includes reviews of several books:

• The Temple at Jerusalem: A Revelation by John Michell: Discusses the city as a temple for three religions and Michell's theories on a 'messianic axis' and 'spirit path'.
• Ancient Energies of the Earth by David Cowan with Anne Silk: Reviews a book on dowsing and energy fields, noting its interesting narrative but skeptical conclusions.
• The Celtic Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford: Praises the book for its information on tree lore, including the ogham alphabet, healing properties, and mystical associations.
• Pumpsaint Zodiac by Ian Henning: Discusses a booklet on terrestrial zodiacs and earth mysteries.
• Shamanism and the Mystery Lines by Paul Devereux: The reviewer criticizes Devereux's 'exclusionist attitude' while acknowledging the book's interesting information on alignments and shamanic flight.

Magazines

Brief reviews of other magazines are included:

• Letters to Ambrose Merton: A folklore miscellany featuring articles on David Beckham, luck in football rituals, and more.
• Fortean Times: Reviews of issues covering topics like the Glozel mystery, Hitler's quack doctors, King Arthur, Dracula, crop circles, and UFOs.
• Magonia: Discusses an article on alien abduction and its social function.
• Northern UFO News: Mentions an editorial on objectivity in UFO research and crop circles.
• The Wisent: A small magazine focusing on European tradition, including articles on dancing, iconology, and witchcraft.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of Folklore Frontiers maintains its focus on the unusual, the anecdotal, and the folkloric, often with a humorous or skeptical undertone. The editor, Paul Screeton, appears to have a particular interest in urban legends, railway folklore, and esoteric subjects. The magazine seems to encourage critical thinking while also presenting intriguing stories and theories from various sources. There's a clear engagement with contemporary culture, as seen in the inclusion of Britney Spears, alongside traditional folklore and historical anecdotes. The editorial stance often balances presenting information with a degree of personal commentary and skepticism, particularly evident in the book reviews and the 'Newsline' sections.

This document comprises a single page from a publication, likely a magazine or newsletter, dated approximately late 1999 to early 2000, given the dates on some of the referenced articles and newsletters. The page is numbered '20' and contains a mix of news items, newsletter reviews, and a 'Stop Press' section. The primary focus appears to be on mysteries, ufology, archaeology, and folklore.

Newsletter Reviews

NORTHERN EARTH (Issue 85)

This issue of Northern Earth, priced at £6.50 for 4 issues, covers a range of topics. The cover headline highlights discussions on "Sacred space and spiritual dimension questioned," a "misrule holiday on April 1," "Mayburgh orientation," and the tradition of "climbing Rivington Pike as a Good Friday recent tradition." Other features include an archaeological round-up, book reviews, editor's musings, and letters.

AMSKAYA (Issues 45-48)

Amskaya, the newsletter of the STAR Fellowship, costs £2 for 4 issues and is edited by Jimmy Goddard. Goddard argues that other planets are inhabited by human-like space visitors and suggests that open communication, prevalent in the 1950s, was suppressed by a "shadowy group of Earth people," leading to abductees being less harassed and "real space people" withdrawing. Jimmy reproduces an account by Reinhold Schmidt of being invited aboard a spacecraft. He also reports seeing two personal cigar-shaped craft in 1999. Issue 46 details aerial cigar-shaped craft and includes a German boy's recollection of being contacted by a flying saucer in 1957. It also features a tribute to ufologist Philip Rodgers and an appeal for information about the Silpho Moor saucer. Issue 47 discusses Tony Wedd's 1970 talk on the Silpho Moor saucer and his "lost" manuscript. It questions whether the Tunguska explosion was the crash of an intergalactic spacecraft. Issue 48 mentions a TV programme about Desmond Leslie (co-author of "Flying Saucers Have Landed") and an alleged Venusian footprint, along with details about his actress wife Agnes Bemelle.

Student Enrollment in Flying Saucer Classes

A brief note highlights that students are enrolling for classes to study flying saucers and communicate with extraterrestrial visitors. Claude Dupier, a spokesman for a college in Lille, France, stated, "It is our most popular course. We have a two-year waiting list." (D Sport, 27/10/99).

Susan Clark's Topless Challenge

Another brief note mentions Susan Clark taking up a "Topless Challenge." The relevance to the magazine's themes is a tattoo of an "Adamski-style flying saucer" above her left breast. (D Sport, 24/11/98).

TOUCHSTONE

Touchstone, an irregular newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, shares the same address and price as Amskaya. Issue 54 describes the editor cycling, checking leys, and finding a museum "remarkably architecturally like a flying saucer." It also covers leys in Cambs and Hants. Issue 55 details Jimmy locating a ley from Buckingham Palace to Weybridge and includes a reprint of an article on the Monk's Ford ley in Somerset by Anthony Roberts.

MIDWESTERN EPIGRAPHIC JOURNAL

This journal costs $15 and is from Grove City, OH, U.S.A. Volume 12/13 includes a memorial to the late Don Cyr, with a tribute written by Paul Screeton shortly before his death.

References

The page lists several references, including a "Pub Spy" article from the Hartlepool Mail (6/1/01), an "employee's revenge" item from an April 1995 issue, and an article on "Settle-Carlisle line folklore" from The Labyrinth (issue 3, 2000).

STOP PRESS

Fortingall Yew

This section discusses the ancient Fortingall Yew tree, Europe's oldest living thing, which is still in good condition at an estimated 5,000 years old. Foresters have taken cuttings to grow new trees. The article also mentions the legend of Pontius Pilate being born at a Roman encampment in the area. However, it casts doubt on this, citing that the Roman occupation of Scotland did not begin until AD80, according to Prof Jill Harris of St Andrew's University. The journalist speculates that perhaps "Young Pilate was one of the boys who broke the famous yew's trunk."

Publication Details

The page is printed by Emjay Reprographics, located at 117 Harwill Crescent, Aspley, Nottingham, NG8 5LA.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this document are UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena, ancient mysteries, sacred sites, ley lines, and folklore. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting various newsletters and reports that explore these topics without necessarily endorsing all claims. There is a clear interest in historical accounts, personal testimonies, and archaeological connections to mysterious phenomena. The inclusion of diverse newsletters suggests an effort to cover a broad spectrum of related interests within the mystery and ufology community.