The creatures behind repeated sightings of the fabled Loch Ness Monster may be giant eels, according to scientists.

Researchers from New Zealand have tried to catalogue all living species in the loch by extracting DNA from water samples.

Following analysis, the scientists have ruled out the presence of large animals said to be behind reports of a monster.

No evidence of a prehistoric marine reptile called a plesiosaur or a large fish such as a sturgeon were found.

Catfish and suggestions that a wandering Greenland shark were behind the sightings were also discounted.

The aim of the research was not to find Nessie, but to improve knowledge of what plants and animals live in Loch Ness.

European eels are among the creatures in the loch, and whose DNA was picked up by the new research.

Juvenile eels, known as elvers, arrive in Scottish rivers and lochs after migrating more than 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from the Sargasso Sea near the Bahamas, where the animals spawn and lay eggs.

Prof Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from New Zealand's University of Otago. said: "People love a mystery, we've used science to add another chapter to Loch Ness' mystique.

"We can't find any evidence of a creature that's remotely related to that in our environmental-DNA sequence data. So, sorry, I don't think the plesiosaur idea holds up based on the data that we have obtained."

He added: "So there's no shark DNA in Loch Ness based on our sampling. There is also no catfish DNA in Loch Ness based on our sampling. We can't find any evidence of sturgeon either,

"There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found at pretty much every location sampled - there are a lot of them. So - are they giant eels?

"Well, our data doesn't reveal their size, but the sheer quantity of the material says that we can't discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness. Therefore we can't discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel."

Stories of large eels form part of Highland story telling as well as newspaper reports. Loch Ness researchers recount tales by locals of 10ft plus eels being caught in the loch when eel fishing was more popular. Focusing on written evidence for large eels in that region of Scotland produced some items of interest. These accounts are taken from local papers:

Inverness Advertiser, 11th November 1851: An enormous eel of 7 feet length, 3 feet 4 inches in girth and 70 lbs in weight was found on the beach of Newton in Aird.

Inverness Journal, 29th January 1813: An eel of 5ft 9in was caught at the pier of Clachnaharry. Two eels of similar dimensions had also been caught in the Medway River.

So large eels have been caught in this region but obviously not as big as required for Nessie. Stories such as the giant eel-like creature found in the Corpach lock at the other end of the Caledonian Canal in 1900 and various other apocryphal tales are tantalising but do not really progress us in the hunt for giant eels.

DNA from humans, dogs, sheep, cattle, deer, badgers, rabbits, voles and birds were also identified by the researchers.

Steve Feltham, who is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for the longest continuous monster hunting vigil of Loch Ness, is not convinced the scientists have yet identified the creature behind the sightings.

Mr Feltham, who made childhood visits to the Highlands and moved from Dorset almost 30 years ago to look for Nessie, said the research had not ruled out other animals such as seals being mistaken for the monster.

The presence of eels in the the loch was no big surprise, he added.

He added: "A 12-year-old boy could tell you there are eels in Loch Ness. I caught eels in the loch when I was a 12-year-old boy."

Gary Campbell, keeper of a register of Nessie sightings, receives on average 10 reports a year of something unexplained being spotted in the loch's waters.

He welcomed the latest research and hoped more scientists will examine what lives in Loch Ness.

Mr Campbell said tourism that has developed around the story of the monster would be unaffected by the new study. He said: "The Loch Ness Monster has evolved into a world-wide icon."

Chris Taylor, of VisitScotland, said he expected the myth of the monster would continue to bring tourists to the loch.

He said: "This scientific investigation, led by Professor Gemmell, into the inhabitants of one of Scotland's largest lochs has once again shone a spotlight on the Highlands.

"Its findings will provide further insight into what lies beneath but questions still remain, and visitors will, no doubt, continue to be drawn to the loch to seek the answers for themselves."

Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine said the new study had provided researchers with a new list of species to compare against records going back 40 years.

Source: BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145

The Singular Fortean Society was contacted recently by a man who said that he and his wife were driving home earlier last month when they encountered a bizarre creature crossing the road just outside of Rockton, Illinois.

According to his testimony:

    "My wife and I were driving home the evening of August 8th, 2019. It was a little past 11:00 pm. We were on South Bluff road, heading north, having just turned off of Prairie Hill Rd near the bridge. As we turned the corner, she first spotted "it" on the right side of the road, nearest the river. She spotted eyes reflecting light, and assumed it was a normal animal (opossum or raccoon). I saw movement and said "deer", as whatever it had longer front legs, like a tall dog. Then, as it crossed the road in front of us, we realized it was not a deer. Or any other easily recognized animal. I have grown up in rural areas, and am well acquainted with various rural creatures. This was not a coyote or fox. It has a rounded head and a flat face, no snout or muzzle. It had no obvious ears, or they were very tight against it's head. Dark brown in color, almost muddy red in the car headlights. Long, slim tail that curled under as it loped across the road. It moved in a way that could only be compared to an ape or bear's style of movement, as if all fours was faster but not completely necessary. My wife and I thought it moved like a gibbon. It left a bizarre impression on us both, as we can't settle on a creature that we believe it could be."

The chimeric creature described is eerily similar to something reportedly seen by a wife and her husband near Beloit, Wisconsin in 2013. That sighting took place only eight miles north of this one.

According to the wife’s testimony regarding the 2013 encounter:

    "It moved like a cat, graceful with a long flicky tail. It didn't look like a cat though, except for the head. It was dark, but not black, brindled, dark browns with some black. The fur was short like a dog with some glossiness to it. Its head was massive and triangle shaped, the eyes were large and green. The head looked so robust, like you could hit it with a bat and it would break the bat. It was flat like a cats, no snout like a dog or bear. Its chest was also triangle shaped and really muscular with legs that came down like a bulldogs. The back end was a smaller triangle with legs that came off like a German Shepard. This thing was big and solid muscle. I think the top of its head would of came to my chin, so about four-foot. The tail was about the same length as the body.

"This was what was confusing, it moved like a cat, but didn't look like one," the earlier witness explained. "The whole time I had the feeling it knew we were watching and found the situation amusing. Also the longer you watched it the harder it became to see it. Like its edges were blurring. It got to about 30 feet from the road and lied down, in a ‘C’ shape, just like a cat. It was staring at us and I was staring at it. But the longer I looked at it, it almost seemed to become pixelated."

The more recent witness described a similar feeling of high strangeness during his encounter.

"There was definitely a sense of oddity, even now my head is trying to wriggle up a fit as to what it was. The whole incident lasted only a second or two," he said. "Amusingly, I live within five minutes of the first sighting."

He added that he has had some experience with the unknown previous to the sighting, but none since—although his encounter with the phantom chimera did happen very recently.

"I actually have been quite interested in the grand 'fortean unknown' for a long time. I've been part of a few 'haunt hunts', present at a seance or two. I've been to Bachelor's Grove, Gettysburg and the grave of Inez Clark. Since [this sighting]? Not really. Been fairly quiet," he said.

The witness also shared a news article he had found from early July of 2019 in which a mountain lion was reportedly seen near Beloit by Orfordville resident Luke Reints. Interestingly, when interviewed by local news, Reints never described a mountain lion; he said only that he had seen an animal resting underneath a bridge along the Rock River.

"I saw something out of the corner of my eye," he said. "It was kind of moving a little bit. I got the chills right away. I just started backing up all the way to my truck."

By the time Reints returned to the scene with a police officer, the animal was gone.

* Be sure to check out all of Tobias Wayland's excellent articles at his website: www.singularfortean.com

Source: Singular Fortean
https://www.singularfortean.com/news/2019/8/28/nighttime-encounter-with-beloits
-phantom-chimera-marks-second-sighting-report-of-creature-since-2013

At a time when we need a real life “superhero” the most, we may have found one in the person of a Tenafly, New Jersey, gentleman who has dedicated himself to promoting some mighty hardcore beliefs in the supernatural and in the reality of parallel worlds that seemingly stretch back into infinity. Our hero has also been known to perform feats of strength and agility as well as demonstrating the power of mind over matter. In photos, he looks extremely well-muscled, a living example of the strongman ideal.

Over the years, Timothy Green Beckley, founder and CEO of the publishing house Global Communications, has assembled a crack team of writers. One of the more recent additions to Beckley’s stable is paranormal experiencer and researcher Hercules Invictus, described above. True to his adopted name, Hercules is a follower of the ancient Greek gods of Olympus, who he believes are present here in the current age, concealing themselves behind masks more suited to our modern times.

Hercules is a major contributor to a new book from Global Communications called “Ashtar’s The Space Brothers Speak: Transmissions From The Solar Council,” in which benevolent aliens explain their love for their “Chosen Ones” from among humanity and their promise to remove their own before the calamities of the apocalypse wipe out mankind completely. People seeking hope and deliverance from the Space Brothers should consider the book a “must-read.”   


For Hercules, belief in and contact with the gods began in his childhood.

Proudly, he says, “I am Greek and have recently begun the sixth decade of my current sojourn on Gaia. I was born into a culture that believed in the paranormal and I have had paranormal experiences since a very early age. The earliest paranormal memories that I can recall were from my crib. Aside from the continued presence of my physical family, I remember perceiving spirits, both human and nonhuman.”

Hercules recalls three specific childhood experiences, portions of which he says were temporarily traumatic at the time.

“The first was when I initially encountered my Bear Totem,” he said. “He is a fierce Spirit Animal that has protected me and guided me throughout much of my life, especially the first half. But when he first appeared in the waking world, I was terrified and cried out in terror. He quickly faded into the Dream Realm, where we slowly became friends.

“The second was when the Shadow People,” Hercules continued, “who have interacted with my father’s side of the family for generations and were very much a part of my early childhood, invited me to return with them to their world. I would have gone with them willingly, as they were my friends and playmates. Fortunately, a powerful Olympian presence intervened and informed me that, had I gone with them, I would have died in this world and would have been stuck in theirs.”

The third experience happened while on a trip to the beach.

“I fell face down into the water,” he said, “and was immediately transported into a strange undersea world full of frightening and fanciful creatures that I much later learned about in my mythic and folkloric studies. I felt like I belonged there and the sudden transition back to this world caused the trauma. My vocabulary was very limited at that time and years passed before I could share this experience.”

The childhood experiences were the beginning of a lifetime of devotion to the paranormal as filtered through a heartfelt belief in the gods of Olympus.


“The gods of Olympus,” Hercules affirmed, “are my ancestral deities and my affinity with them has been a constant throughout my life. Olympus provides me with a meaningful context for my life experiences and a transcendental purpose that resonates powerfully, thrills me and excites me.”

The Olympians have always been active in our world, he says, and are still interacting with us today.

“They can be contacted in a variety of ways and will sometimes initiate contact in the physical world,” he explained. “I myself have met several Olympians in the flesh and have spoken to them through their chosen vehicles or oracles. They also communicate through divination, visions, dreams, synchronicities and symbolism.”

None of which, Hercules cautions, means that he worships the gods of Olympus.

“Though some moderns worship the Olympians,” he said, “I personally do not. I honor them and endeavor to demonstrate that they are real and care about humanity through my actions in their name. The Olympians have never requested worship from me, nor do I encourage it for others.”

Furthermore, there is no one true path or one true practice that leads to Olympian attunement or enlightenment. Hercules instead believes in something he calls “Olympian Pluralism,” meaning there are many routes to the ultimate truth.     

“Morals differ from place to place and from time to time,” he added. “The Ancients, enlightened as they were in many ways, embraced many practices, like animal sacrifice, and institutions, like slavery, that we currently find extremely objectionable.”

As he was growing up, Hercules’ parents would half-jokingly say that he belonged to Olympus and would return there after he died. His dedication to all things Olympian was cemented by a visionary experience in his childhood.

“When I was very young,” he recounted, “a vision was implanted in my mind. I dubbed it my ‘Primal Vision,’ and can experience it instantly and vividly whenever I close my eyes. I have shared it openly throughout my life.

“I glimpse the top of a mountain, shrouded in mist,” he begins. “Hovering on high, I can discern the ruins of an ancient acropolis in the timeless twilight. I wait alone, formless in the silence. In time, a lone figure, powerfully built and clad in the skin of a lion, makes his way towards the abandoned temple of ‘The Highest.’ His hair and beard are still mostly brown, though streaked with white and gray.

“In his right hand, he wields a knobby club studded with bronze. My consciousness enters this figure and henceforth I see through his eyes. I know that I am now Hercules, son of Zeus and progenitor of my line.

“Entering the fallen structure, I move through it unerringly until I reach a rectangular stone table, a long-neglected altar to the Olympians. Upon the altar is an antique horn, ‘from a heavenly bull,’ I tell myself. I then realize that I have been here many times before and I know exactly what I must do. The horn is of monstrous size and etched with arcane glyphs. Some of the etchings are inlaid with silver. I put down the club, cautiously lift the artifact to my lips, then blow into the smaller end with all my strength.

“The bellowing call echoes through the firmaments. With the Horn of Summoning still in hand, I exit the temple and peer purposely into the murky skies, near where I myself once hovered. I can detect faint presences, spirits that have answered my summons who will help me in carrying out my Olympian Mission. Some take of form, while others remain formless. But this I know: all who have responded will assist me in some unique and important way.”

And with that realization, the vision begins to fade. Hercules is blessed with a brief glimpse of the ruins restored to their former glory. The sky is blue and clear, and there are mythic beings engaged in joyous activity, Hercules himself among them.

“I realize that this is Mount Olympus,” he said, “my eternal point of origin and return, my Heaven and my soul’s true home. As to my name, there is a term Greek, ‘En Onomati Theou, which roughly means ‘In the Name of God.’ I dedicate myself completely to this particular Olympian, in all his guises, and I identify him as my Operant Archetype, Divine Pattern and Highest Self. Every action I undertake is thus a prayer and offering in his name.”

Hercules further explained that his given name does not translate directly into English, but means something like “Dedicated to the Queen of Heaven.” That queen’s name in ancient times was Hera, and Hercules literally means “Dedicated to Hera” or “the Glory of Hera.”

“Though I have been called by many names throughout my life,” he said, “Hercules was always my default name and is now my legal name. I grew up during the Sword and Sandal era and loved the Hercules movies and cartoon. I’ve dressed up as the cinematic Hercules throughout my life and continue to do so, even now. I could never imagine, nor have I ever wanted, to be anything other than Hercules.”


The Olympians still speak to us, as they always have.

“It has been my experience that the Olympians, who have assumed many guises in many cultures,” Hercules said, “will communicate with you through the masks that you’re most comfortable with. For many years, I played hide and seek with the gods as I explored the spirituality of different cultures through study and immersion. I would eventually find the same familiar faces behind the diverse cultural disguises.

“I believe that the Olympians spoke to the early contactees,” he went on, “and speak with folks still as the denizens of other planets in our solar system and beyond it. And they are telling the truth. Astro-Mythology has been a viable vehicle of communication since the days of Babylon.”

Hercules made reference to a book published by Timothy Green Beckley called “Space Gods Speak,” which is a curious and underappreciated work that is nevertheless greatly valued by those who recognize what it is and can figure out how to use it.

The late female contactee “Tuella” was an important part of “Space Gods Speak.” She established the Ashtar Command, a group of devotees dedicated to understanding the cosmic message delivered by the Space Brothers and to preparing for the eventual apocalyptic transition to a new and better world – the same paradise that Hercules called Mount Olympus when he saw it in his vision.

“I never knew Tuella personally,” Hercules said, “but I had a close friend who was part of Tuella’s Ashtar Command group for many years and frequently interacted with her. As Tuella was falsely rumored to have channeled ‘Space Gods Speak,’ and later Tim Beckley identified the tome as ‘An Ashtar Command Book,’ I wished to learn more. So I reached out, but Tuella had passed and my friend’s spiritual journey had long since take her elsewhere. Though I’ve interacted with more than a handful of Ashtar Command groups since the 1990s, nothing ever clicked.

“I have been a huge fan of Tim Beckley and his band of paranormal researchers for a big chunk of my life. I crossed paths with Tim back in the days when John Keel was hosting the Fortean Society in New York City. I reconnected with Tim when he was making low-budget horror movies. I sporadically stayed in touch during the intervening years. I am greatly honored to be in his company as a fellow adventurer and chronicler. This is a dream come true for me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share the details of my journey.”


According to Hercules, it can be summed up this way:

“My current understanding is that the Olympians have guided many cultures and are known by many names. They care for their people, shape their destinies, and guide their evolution. Some of us are Vehicles or Vessels – embodied reflections of Olympus’ Light, the Dream Selves of the Gods or their projections into this world.

“We have chosen to drink from the Waters of Forgetfulness, and enter the Dream of Mortality in order to assist in the Great Awakening on Gaia. Our purpose is to transcend and unravel the conditioning of our culture and awaken to our true Olympian nature, assuming our rightful place as co-creators of Elysium. Awake or asleep, we serve the purposes of Olympus.

“I am personally tasked with locating and liberating incarnate Olympians ensnared by the Dream of Mortality and reminding them of their Olympian mission. Mindful that archetypal Olympian patterns have been programmed into the human psyche, I believe in assisting all people on Gaia with actualizing their maximal potential. My efforts, whether couched in the language of myth or not, support all of humanity’s efforts to transcend this world and venture forth into the great beyond, be those efforts metaphysical, mechanical or even imaginal.

“All of my Labors in this lifetime celebrate the Hero’s Journey in myth, legend, spirituality, popular culture and in daily life. I firmly believe that the human spirit is essentially heroic and is always seeking ways to express its innate nobility and greatness. And that a life, fully lived, dedicated to actualizing the Highest we can conceive, is the noblest expression of human existence.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hercules Invictus is a Lemnian Greek, a proud descendant of Argonauts and Amazons. He is openly Olympian in his spirituality and worldview, dedicated to living the Mythic Life and has been exploring the fringes of our reality throughout his entire earthly sojourn. For over four decades he has been sharing his Olympian Odyssey with others.

Having relocated the heart of his Temenos to Northeastern New Jersey and the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, he is now establishing his unique niche locally and contributing to his community’s overall quality of life. Hercules is also recruiting Argonauts to help him usher in a new Age of Heroes.

Hercules currently hosts The Elysium Project, Pride of Olympus and Voice of Olympus e-radio shows on the Spiritual Unity Radio Network. He writes for The Magic Happens, Paranormal Magazine and Paranoia Magazine, has published two e-books on Kindle, Olympian Ice and The Antediluvial Scrolls, and has been contributing regularly to Timothy Beckley’s anthologies.

Hercules founded or co-founded Mount Olympus LLP, Olympian Heroic Path, Olympian Shamanic Path, Cosmic Olympianism, Mythic Atlantis, Living Theurgy, the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Regional Folklore Society of Northeastern PA and the Center for the Study of Living Myth in New Jersey. He also spearheaded many of the real-world Age of Heroes initiatives and the fictive Mythic Adventure tales.

For more information, please Friend him on Facebook or visit his website: http://www.herculesinvictus.net

Source: Spectral Vision
https://spectralvision.wordpress.com/2019/09/02/hercules-and-the-space-gods-and
-their-relationship-to-ufos-today/

- GETTING HOT IN HERE DEPARTMENT -

Mystery Fires In West Monroe, Louisiana
By Paul Cropper

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- I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT DEPARTMENT -

Telepathy and Community

- UFOS OF THE STARS DEPARTMENT -

Jo Wood Suggests She's an Alien After UFO Sighting