Folklore Frontiers - No 052

Magazine Overview

Title: Fortean Times
Issue: 203
Date: November 2005
Publisher: John Brown
Price: £3.60

This issue of Fortean Times, dated November 2005, is a miscellany of fortean topics, folklore, and general strangeness, featuring a cover story on Nelson and the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar, alongside articles on UFOs, railways, and book reviews.

Featured Articles and Sections

Tattoo Blunders: A brief anecdote from tattoo artist Chris Nunez about unusual tattoo requests, including one for crop circles, and his personal line about avoiding genital tattoos.

Katrina Confusion: Peter Preston comments on the media's and officials' tendency to exaggerate during Hurricane Katrina, leading to misinformation and delayed relief efforts. He stresses the importance of methodical reporting over sensationalism.

Box Tunnel: Rory Lushman's work on the Box Hill Tunnel and the Strategic Steam Reserve (SSR) is mentioned. The SSR myth posits that steam locomotives were hidden for use in a nuclear holocaust, but research suggests no evidence of such a fleet exists, with only a single narrow-gauge shunter found in a radiation-proof bunker.

Fur Bikini: Photographer Terry O'Neill recalls shooting Raquel Welch on the set of 'One Million Years BC', noting her later feelings of being 'crucified' by the bikini pictures.

Ghostwriting: An insight into ghostwriting from Tim Adams' article in The Observer, detailing the arduous process of writing a 70,000-word book for a prolific cricketer, only to be asked for an additional 30,000 words.

Really Wild: A British Waterways survey recorded 3,700 sightings of 60 species, including seals, dolphins, porpoises, a small crocodile, mink, terrapins, and Chinese mitten crabs. Articles also discuss invasive species like mink, American signal crayfish, coypu, and zander.

Peasant Plucker: Amelia Hill's piece on Sir Benjamin Slade highlights the historical 'peasant plucker' custom, where the lord of the manor had the right to spend the night before a peasant girl's wedding with her, a tradition Slade claims continued in his village until 1911.

Worlds in Collision: A letter by Eric Crew discusses Immanuel Velikovsky and the idea of planets colliding, contrasting it with a modern scientific claim that baby planets bang into each other during solar system formation.

Great Balls of Fire: Research in a lab has successfully created ball lightning by heating a solid object with a microwave oven, confirming it originates from hot spots in the ground caused by normal lightning.

Simons Says: Paul Simons' 'Weather Eye' column in The Times occasionally covers fortean topics, including mirages (fata morgana), the Grey Man of Ben MacDhui, aerial phenomena, and British mistrust of the metric system.

Own Goals: An essay by Ian Buruma discusses the link between sexual inadequacy and terrorism, referencing a myth about Dutch football players losing the 1974 World Cup final due to 'local floozies'.

Sinister Synchroncity: A Radio 2 programme review details a man who, after wishing a colleague gone, later read of the death of a retired high-court judge with the same name, raising questions of coincidence.

Book Reviews:

• Crossing the Line: Trespassing on railway weirdness by Paul Screeton: A miscellany of forteana, folklore, and strangeness related to railways, published by Heart of Albion Press.
• The Enchanted Land by Janet & Colin Bord: A revised edition focusing on Britain's natural landscape features, including sacred water features, chalk hill figures, coastal areas, and associated folklore.
• Taliesin's Travels: A Demi-God at Large by Michael Dames: Explores the Welsh legend of Taliesin, weaving together mortal and supernatural elements, and ancient myths with contemporary relevance.
• Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist by John Michell: A collection of essays from 'The Oldie' covering a wide range of topics, often challenging the status quo, with a focus on spirituality, tradition, and critique of modern society.

Magazines Section: Reviews of various publications:

• Magonia: Covers UFO narratives, fairytale motifs, Satanic panics, and book reviews.
• Magonia Supplement: Discusses Grays' digestive systems, abduction narratives, and UFO mythology.
• Northern Earth: Features articles on West Yorkshire's hidden history, folklore, and archaeological findings.
• Fortean Times (current issue): Highlights articles on Nelson, UFOs, utility suppliers baffled by phenomena, cosmology, environmental alarmism, human evolution, the Rendlesham Forest case, mysterious apports, and horse manure predictions.
• Touchstone: Newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, focusing on religious buildings and ley hunting.
• Amskaya: Newsletter of the STAR Fellowship, discussing UFO contactees, past life claims, and UFO sightings.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores the unusual, unexplained, and fringe aspects of reality, often referred to as 'forteana'. There is a strong interest in folklore, mythology, and historical mysteries, particularly those related to the British Isles. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, presenting various theories and accounts without necessarily endorsing them, often encouraging readers to form their own conclusions. There is a critical perspective on sensationalism and misinformation, as seen in the Katrina article, and a respect for historical traditions and alternative viewpoints, as evidenced by the coverage of John Michell's work and the various book and magazine reviews.