Progressive psychologist Carl Jung did not deny the existence of unidentified flying objects. He believed anomalous sightings in the sky were actually hallucinations that foreshadowed perceived great changes in the near future, good and bad. Folklore would seem to agree with him. Internationally, balls of plasma light under the title of ignis fatuus ("fools fire"), will-o'-the-wisp, corpse candles, corpse fire, hobby lanterns, spooklights, ghost lights, cemetery lights, etc. seem in some instances to indicate precognition of the part of the percipient. The lights are classified as pizoelectricity and are due to ribbons of crystal placed under seismic stress. Regardless of the origin, they are frequently spotted in remote family cemeteries and inevitably foretell the approaching death of a family member. It would appear that not all of these aerial apparitions are as compact and simple as balls of light, however. Two famous “creatures” from different American states have also been observed preceding some collective disaster.
The Jersey Devil
For over 200 years, people near the Pine Barrens in Southern New Jersey have occasionally seen a strange flying creature. Over 2000 witnesses have described the so-called “Jersey Devil” as a flying man-like creature with a horse-like head, tail and hooves. Local legend tells that the “demon” was the thirteenth child of Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point, New Jersey. Shortly after giving birth to the hideous infant, it flew up out of the chimney and has been haunting the barrens ever since.
The apparition has been mentioned in written record since early as 1735, however Commodore Stephen Decatur reported one of the first modern-day sightings sometime between 1816 and 1820. At the time, he was a Naval Commissioner who tested weapons for the armed forces. While testing cannons at Hanover Iron Works, he saw the creature in the sky. Since then, many creditable witnesses have reported sightings, including police officers and ministers. Stranger still, throughout the years odd hoof prints have been found across the terrain. Between January 16 and 22, 1909, there were frequent sightings of the apparition. Nelson Evans and his wife allegedly saw it outside their window around 2:30 AM. Their description led to an artistic rendition of the creature that seems to have cemented its form.
Researchers have noted that it often appears as a “harbinger of war.” It was supposedly seen before the start of the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I. In 1939, before the start of World War II, separate citizens of Mount Holly independently reported hearing hoof-life footfalls on their roofs. It was again spotted on December 7, 1941, foreshadowing the bombing at Pearl Harbor. It was also reported to have been sighted before the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
Mothman
“Mothman” was the title given to the apparition that plagued Point Pleasant, West Virginia between November 1966 and December 1967. Witnesses described it was a very tall, human-like being with large reflective eyes and moth-like wings. It was first spotted on the night of November 15, 1966 by two young married couples, David and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette. They were parked at the West Virginia Ordnance Works, an abandoned World War II TNT factory. The group hurried into town and reported the incident to the authorities. The next night, townspeople surrounded the old plant, searching for the winged creature. Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wamsley and Marcella Bennett were visiting Ralph Thomas nearby, and as they walked back to their car, “Mothman” rose from the tall grass. Everyone scurried back inside. Over the next year, more people would have the misfortune of encountering this otherworldly apparition. For instance, on November 24, four people saw Mothman flying in the sky near the old plant. The next day, Thomas Ury claims Mothman followed his car along Route 62.
Over time, sightings became less frequent and ceased completely after the collapse of the Silver Bridge, spanning the Ohio River, on December 15, 1967. A total of 46 people died in the tragedy. Townsfolk then begin to wonder if perhaps Mothman was trying desperately to warn them about the event.
Misidentification
Skeptics site that both the Jersey Devil and the Mothman were nothing more than misidentified Sandhill Cranes which can grow to 6-feet tall and have a wingspan of 10-feet. Certainly, a face-to-face encounter with the huge bird would startle most people. In spite of skeptical analysis, do flying apparitions somehow predict great changes, just like Carl Jung asserted?
