Abacomancy
A means with which to predict the future through the use of various patterns of dust. This has been known in some practices to include the use of the ashes of the recently deceased.

ABC
Abbreviation for 'Alien Big Cats' , a population of large predatory cats such as Panthers and Puma's, that are thought to be living wild in countries other than those to which they are native.

Abductee
A person who is thought to have had 'Abduction' experiences. It is commonly thought that such experiences are the result of abduction by extraterrestrials. In some cases, an Abductee will be referred to as such due to numerous abductions. Some psychologists believe the phenomenon of Alien Abduction to be all in the mind - and not an actual physical experience. Alien abductees often undergo hypnotic regression in an attempt to resurface memories regarding the abduction experience. This can often help piece together a picture of what the individual went through, in an effort to understand both their own experiences, and the phenomenon as a whole.

Abduction
Phenomenon in which an individual is thought to have been 'abducted' by extra terrestrials and examined. There is considerable controversy regarding the whole abduction phenomenon - many psychologists now believe abduction is a psychological, rather than a physical experience. Those that have thought to have experienced an alien abduction, tend to have very similar stories to tell. Some of them claim to have been abducted from their own homes, some from their cars. Some abductees report seeing a UFO or even an alien entity before the abduction experience. In a lot of cases the abductee reports having been examined in some fashion by extra terrestrials, however this still remains a controversial issue. A lot of abductees only remember the experience after undergoing hypnotic regression, and many psychologists think that this may in itself surface memories that are not connected with a physical abduction. In other cases, the apparent presence of 'implants' seems to suggest otherwise. Some abduction experiences are similar to descriptions of being in the womb - one famous case involved a woman who claimed that during her experience, she was seated in a chair enveloped in a large structure that was filled with a clear fluid, while being fed a sweet tasting liquid through a tube in her mouth. It's a popular theory that abductions are actually memories of being in the womb. There are numerous organizations devoted to research into the subject, and some have come up with some interesting results, but nothing conclusive.

Abnuaaya
A word for the Alma, used in the western Caucausus region of Abkhazia. One example of an alleged Abnuaaya was a woman captured in the 1880's called Zana, who had unusual features and a full coat of hair from head to toe.

Abominable Snowman
Another name given to the legendary 'Yeti', a large ape-like creature rumored to live in areas of the Himalayas.

Achor
The Cyrenean word for Beelzebub, the famous demonic figure of Satan's right-hand, the 'Prince of the Devils'.

Acupressure
A Japanese variation of Acupuncture, that instead of penetrating the skin with needles, works by applying pressure to certain points on the body. It is commonly performed by applying pressure with the fingers, elbows, or knees.

Acupuncture
A form of alternative medicine that originated in China as far back as 2000BC. It is thought that there are some 2000 acupuncture points on the human body, and the method works by stimulating these points with solid, hair-thin needles. The treatment has become increasingly popular over the last few years, and is considered to be effective by many people. It is thought that acupuncture is able to treat conditions such as arthritis, neck/shoulder pains, circulatory disorders, allergies and indigestion, as well as many more.

Aeromancy
A means with which to predict the future through the specific and deliberate observation of the atmosphere. This can also include the study of storms, comets, clouds, winds and other natural phenomena.

Albasty
See Alma.

Alencon Spaceman
Name given to a strange entity witnessed by a crowd of people at around 5am on June 12th, 1790 in Alencon, France. It was said that at around that time a large metal sphere descended from the sky and crash landed into a nearby hillside. After a crowd had gathered, a 'hatch' slid open and a being emerged dressed in an odd tight fitting costume. It mumbled something in a strange language, before bolting off towards some nearby woods. Seconds later the sphere exploded, fragments of which were said to have 'sizzled' on the grass and melted. A wide search of the area yielded no further sign of the mysterious visitor.

Alien
In the context of the Paranormal, 'Alien' is a word that most commonly means the same as Extraterrestrial - it refers to something or someone that is from somewhere other than the Earth.

Alien Big Cats
Alien Big Cats are basically large predatory cats found in places where they shouldn't be. In this context, 'Alien' refers to these animals being found in Countries other than those to which they are native, rather than that they are extra terrestrial in origin. Such big cats range from Lynx's and Puma's to black Panthers, and in recent years sightings appear to be on the increase. There is now so much evidence to support the existence of these animals in Britain in particular, that it is impossible to dispute their presence there. It is thought that the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 is responsible, where owners of large cats were forced to release their animals into the wild because they could no longer afford the necessary license required to keep them. However, given the recent rise in sightings, along with the fact that large cats usually live for only 20 years or so, it appears that either this theory is wrong, or the cats have been breeding in the wild since that time.

Alma
A large humanoid ape-like creature that is said to live in the Caucasus mountains, in Kazakhstan, Asia. Unlike the Yeti and other ape-like creatures, the Alma supposedly resembles Neanderthals rather than apes. They have been reported for hundreds of years by people in the region, and are something of a legend to the local population. One of the most recent sightings of the Alma was in 1992 when some footprints were found in Mongolia. Earlier sightings included an incident In 1972 when a Russian doctor allegedly encountered a "family of Almas", although little further came of this report. In 1985 there was another similar report made by Maya
Bykova, who claimed to have witnessed an "unknown humanoid" in one Asian region. It's clear that there is some unidentified creature in these regions that has sparked such intrigue and legend.

Almasty
See Alma.

Ameranthropoides Loysi
Name assigned to the strange ape-like creature that was allegedly shot and then photographed by Swiss Geologist Francois De Loys' in 1920. The creature became known as 'De Loys Ape'

Animism
The belief that plants and other inanimate objects have Souls ( Derived from the Latin 'Animus' meaning 'Soul' ). It is an ancient belief that likely stemmed from the need for a way to determine what is alive and what isn't. An 'Animist' is someone who believes in the doctrine of Animism.

Annapurna Footprints
A series of unusual footprints that were photographed by Don Whillans in Annapurna. It has been suggested that the strange tracks were made by a creature known as the Yeti.

Anti-Gravity
Experimental science which causes an actual reduction in Gravity, usually involving the use of very high voltages. There have been several past experiments involving Anti-Gravity, such as those conducted by John Searle, who created a number of "Searle Discs" that could achieve considerable heights of 50 feet or more. T. Townsend Brown was also successful in creating an anti-gravity device by identifying the relationship between Gravity and high voltages. His work with Dr. P.A Biefield resulted in conclusions that later became known as the Biefield-Brown
Anti-Gravity Effect.

Antikythera Mechanism
A highly unusual artifact that was found by divers in 1900, off the coast of an island near Crete. It is now believed that the device was actually used for calculating the motions of stars and planets. The divers had been searching a shipwreck, and had found a number of marble and bronze statues before coming across a large piece of corroded bronze, found to contain a strange mechanism made up of a number of gears and wheels. After an X-ray had been performed on the object, it was found that the internal gearing was far more complex than first realized, consisting of a differential gearing system. After examining some writing found on the case, it was found that the strange device had been made in 80 BC. This was some one-and-a-half thousand years before mechanisms of such complexity had been invented.

Apparition
The visible, audible or physical manifestation of a Spirit. Indications of an Apparition range from strange smells and cold spots to the inexplicable movement of objects from one place to another, or the witnessing of a Spirit manifestation in visible form.

Area 51
Name given to part of a 'secret' military base in North America, also known as 'Dreamland'. The base is located 95 miles to the North of Las Vegas near dried up 'Groom Lake'. A popular conspiracy theory is that this base houses reverse-engineered Alien Technology or the product of various Black Projects. In the past the base was used as a testing ground for previously top secret military projects such as the U2, F117A and SR-71. However in recent years, incredibly unusual airborne craft have been sighted over the Area51 test ground "AreaS4", which seem to exceed our current technological capabilities.

Area S4
Part of the Area 51 facility in Nevada. It is thought that Area S4 is used to test flight experimental aircraft.

Ark of the Covenant
The golden chest in which were kept the tablets on which the laws of the ancient Israelites were inscribed. The Ark was constructed of Setim wood, and coated inside and out with pure gold. It's lid, the 'Propitiatory', similarly so. For many years the Ark was kept in the Temple of Solomon, until the fall of Jerusalem when Jeremiah was said to have hidden it in a cave until God could gather his people again. Despite considerable research into the final resting place of the Ark, to date nobody has succeeding in locating it.

Arnold, Kenneth
American pilot who reported the first modern sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects over the Cascade Mountains on June 24th, 1947. When later questioned about his experience, Arnold described the objects as moving 'like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water'. The journalist then coined the term Flying Saucer. Later in his book 'The Coming of the Saucers' Arnold explained that the objects he had seen were actually Boomerang shaped, and although they 'skipped like a saucer', they weren't actually saucer shaped.

Asteroid
One of a number of bodies, composed primarily of either rock or iron, that can be found mainly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids range in size from very small to up to over 1000km or more across. It is believed that the Asteroid belt comprises of the materials left over from planetary formation, where a planet was unable to form due to the disruptive gravitational effects of the planet Jupiter. Combined, the total mass of all the asteroids in the belt add up to less than that of our own Moon.

Aswang
A bloodthirsty creature of Pilipino legend, said to eat human flesh and inflict all manner of ailments on people. Tales of the Aswang seem to vary, ranging from a witch-like being to a shapeshifter that can appear in many different forms. Fortunately the creature has little standing in the scientific community, and is most likely a product of many generations of local stories and folklore.

Atlantean
An inhabitant of Atlantis.

Atlantis
One of the most intriguing mysteries of the ancient world was the alleged existence of a highly advanced civilization of people who lived on a continent known as "Atlantis". The Legend places Atlantis at almost 11,000 years into the past, yet the Antlanteans were said to have possessed technology that was far in advance of their time. The stories of this technology vary, but it was Plato himself who kept the whole idea alive - claiming that Atlantis did indeed exist. The original story of Atlantis is long and diverse, but it is said that Poseidon, God Of The Sea, created the island for his love, a mortal woman named Cleito. On the top of the hill in the center of the island a great temple was constructed to honor Poseidon, as well as a large golden statue of him riding a Chariot pulled by winged horses. The combined size of the Continent on which Atlantis became situated was particularly vast, and a great number of people came to live and work there. For many centuries the Atlanteans lived out there lives with peace and dignity, fulfilling their daily chores with contentment and determination. However, before too long greed and power began to overwhelm many of them, and Zeus decided to punish Atlantis. Soon afterwards the entire Continent was lost under the ocean, taking with it one of the world's most perplexing mysteries. Although no conclusive evidence has ever been found to support the existence of Atlantis, stories and historical records have been the source for many years of mystery and intrigue. Atlantis was said to have possessed technology such as spacecraft, powerful fuels and other devices which would look futuristic even by today's standards. Many believe that Atlantis was a colony of Alien beings from another world, while some think that the Atlanteans are still alive to this day, somewhere deep down beneath the waves. Whether we will ever discover the full secrets of Atlantis however, remains for the moment, unknown.

Automatic Writing
A method of Spirit communication, conventionally performed by a Medium, but can usually be attempted by just about anyone. The writer is typically unaware of what he/she is writing, and can produce pages of text that are thought to be the result of a Spirit communicating through that person. While many believe that this form of Spirit communication really does work, others remain skeptical, some even claiming that the writing could simply be originating from the writer's own subconscious.

Ball Lightning
A very rare and somewhat controversial phenomenon in which a small glowing sphere of light is witnessed, drifting through the air following a lightning strike. In most cases the ball lightning will last for only a minute or so before dissipating. There have been many accounts of ball lightning over the years. In one particularly notable case, a woman named Kitty Cox was out walking her dog in Scotland in 1966, when following a lightning strike she witnessed what she described as a 'luminous orange ball' drifting towards her. The ball went past her very rapidly, and was said to be 'hissing' with electrical charge. Some scientists believe that ball lightning is a sphere of plasma, and this seems to be the prevailing theory of the moment. Others however, remain skeptical.

Banshee
In Irish legend, a Banshee is a female spirit/fairy that wails to warn of a death. The word 'banshee' comes from the old Irish words 'ben', a woman, and 'side' a fairie, and means 'woman of the fairies'. The legend of the Banshees has been an integral part of Irish folklore for hundreds of years.

Beast of Bodmin Moor
Famous mystery animal that was first thought to be on the loose in the Cornwall area of Southern England in the early 1990's. Slain livestock and various sightings of Large Cats in the area led local officials to organize an investigation into the creature. It is thought that the Beast of Bodmin is an example of an Alien Big Cat, and is most likely to be a Puma. This was verified in 1997 when Puma prints were discovered in the area.

Beelzebub
One of the oldest and famous demonic figures, Beelzebub was considered to be Satan's right-hand, sometimes referred to as the 'Prince of Devils'. In Hebrew, the name Beelzebub means 'Lord of Flies'. It was said that he commanded disease, and would tempt men with pride.

Bekk-Bokk
One of the many regional names given to the Alma, a large ape-like creature thought to live in and around the Caucasus Mountains in Khazakhstan, Asia.

Bermuda Triangle
An area of the Atlantic Ocean in which mysterious phenomena and numerous inexplicable disappearances have occurred. The first documented voyage in the Bermuda Triangle was that of Christopher Columbus. His journals have helped to piece together his account of his voyages in that area. The first strange occurrence related to sightings of seaweed and birds, indicating that they were close to land. This turned into disappointment however, when even days later, they had still not reached land. Soon afterwards, Columbus reported that his Compass had been acting strangely, and that his crew had witnessed "dancing lights" on the horizon. He also wrote about seeing a large ball of light falling from the sky. In the last 100 years, the Bermuda Triangle has claimed other 1000 lives. Since Columbus, over 100 boats and planes have disappeared without a trace. No wreckage is ever found, not a single body is recovered, and no explanation seems to be enough to fully satisfy everyone.

Biefield-Brown Anti-Gravity Effect
While researching the effects of X-rays generated from a Coolidge tube, American physicist, T. Townsend Brown found a relationship between gravity and high voltage. Press reports state that a 2 foot diameter disc was made to fly around a central pole when tethered and excited with a potential of 50 KiloVolts. The disc circled the pole at almost 12 MPH. Later improvements using 3 foot discs driven by potentials of 150 KiloVolts and up yielded results so spectacular that the test results were classified. Working in conjunction with Dr. P.A. Biefield, Brown found that highly charged capacitors when properly suspended showed a tendency to move relative to the gravitational force. When the poles of a freely suspended charged capacitor were placed on a horizontal axis, a forward thrust would be produced which would move the capacitor in the direction of the positive pole. The direction of thrust would reverse in conjunction with a polarity change. This is the phenomenon known as the Biefield-Brown Effect. Anti-gravity was demonstrated by placing the capacitor on a beam balance and charging it. When the positive pole pointed upwards, the condenser would move to a point of equilibrium, when the positive pole was pointed downwards, the balance would show a downward deflection.

Big Bang
A theory that attempts to explain how the Universe came into being. It states that in the very beginning, all the matter in the universe was condensed into an absolutely minute area of space. At a specific time in history ( some 13 - 20 Billion years ago ), the density of matter became at last greater than that of the surrounding radiation, thus resulting in the beginning of the universe's expansion. Even so, the galaxies did not begin to form from the Hydrogen and Helium clouds until over two billion years later.

Bigfoot
A large, ape-like creature that is famously believed to exist in parts of North America. The word 'Bigfoot' is also now widely used as a term to describe other examples of mystery primates worldwide, such as the Yeti or Alma. The Bigfoot phenomenon is one of the most well known in the world today, with many Bigfoot research organizations recording scores of sightings on an annual basis. There are numerous pieces of inconclusive evidence such as footprints, videos and photographs, but to date no single piece of evidence has been able to lead investigators to a universal conclusion on whether the creature exists or not. In 1967, two men, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, filmed footage of what looked like a tall ape-like humanoid walking across dried up Bluff Creek. It is thought that the video was hoaxed, however there still remains some doubt over this. The creature in the film is very convincing, and although it doesn't confirm the existence of Bigfoot, it gives a tantalizing glimpse as to what the creature might be like if it were ever found to be a genuine animal.

Black Hole
Black Hole formation begins when a SuperGiant star dies and its core ends up collapsing in on itself. A Black Hole is created when the gravitational pull of this mass is so big, that the escape velocity is greater than that of light itself - thus nothing, not even light can escape from it. Therefore a black hole is genuinely "black" and can only be detected through the observation of the effects that it's gravitational force has on other nearby masses. Anything that is drawn up by the black hole will need to provide a speed greater than that of light to escape, which at the moment is regarded as impossible. See also - Super Massive Black Hole

Boardman and Tasker Tracks
The 'Boardman and Tasker Tracks' are alleged Yeti footprints left following an encounter reported by two mountaineers in the Himalayas. They allegedly heard a large creature crash through their campsite at night, and found that their belongings had been scattered when they awoke the next day.

Borley Rectory
Known for it's reputation of being the most haunted house in England, Borley Rectory has been investigated by hundreds of researchers and experts over the years. The Rectory was built back in 1863 by Reverend Henry Bull, but was later destroyed by a large fire in February 1939. The house was located in Essex near the river Stour, and it was reported that a great deal of poltergeist and related phenomena did occur there even before anyone had moved in. In 1930, Reverend Lionel Foyster and his family moved there, but left only 5 years later after a staggering 2000 accounts of unexplained paranormal phenomena. From strange writing which appeared on a regular basis on the walls, to unusual apparitions and figures appearing to be moving through the gardens at night - the family were constantly plagued by these disturbing supernatural occurrences and events. The last people to live in Borley Rectory were Captain William Gregson and his family, and after the fire it was believed that the ghosts had actually moved across the road to the nearby Borley Church.

Brown Lady
Considered by some to prove once and for all that ghosts exist beyond reasonable doubt, The "Brown Lady" photograph is one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken. Seen in the photograph as floating effortlessly up a flight of stairs, The "Brown Lady" as it is referred to, has been sighted by dozens of people in Raynim Hall (Norfolk) as long ago as 1835. The ghost is allegedly that of a woman who used to live in Raynim hall before she died.

Brown Mountain Lights
A famous spectacle of strange lights that have been reported for over 800 years at Brown Mountain, a long low-lying ridge that is located on the border of Burke and Caldwell in North Carolina, USA. Most of the sightings of the Brown Mountain Lights describe them as being 'balls of illumination', moving in groups, in particular at the side of the ridge. They are often white, but have been seen to turn red, green, blue, yellow and other colors as well. On the whole the behavior of the lights is highly unpredictable. One theory, is that the lights are being caused by swamp gas released by dying plant and animal matter. Unfortunately this does not seem to apply to Brown Mountain, where no swampy areas exist, and any gas that is released quickly dissipates. Other theories put forward include Ball Lightning, electrically charged plasma and even UFO activity, but to date nobody has truly solved the mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights.

Candle Wick Effect
A known effect that is thought to explain Spontaneous Human Combustion cases in which the charred remains of the victim are found in an otherwise untouched room of their house. It is thought that a victim of apparent SHC may fall and become unconscious in the vicinity of a naked flame, such as a fireplace or candle. In certain circumstances once the victim's clothes had caught fire, the body and clothes of the victim would act as a sort of inside out candle, with the clothes acting as a wick, and the victim's own body fat acting as the candle wax. This would result in a fierce but localized fire that would burn the body of the victim over the course of several hours. It is now believed that this explains SHC cases such as that of Mary Reeser.

Chemtrails Conspiracy
A recently devised theory that claims that the trails of vapor coming out of the back of high altitude aircraft, is some sort of chemical spray that is being applied to the population without anyone knowing about it. Few who believe in this theory however can give any satisfactory explanation as to how or why such a project would ever be undertaken by world governments.

Chupacabra
An alleged predatorial creature in South America that is said to drink the blood of various farm animals, leaving corpses in the fields with incision wounds on their necks. The stories of this creature have become something of a legend in recent years, and there is now quite an interest worldwide. There have been expeditions aimed at finding evidence of the creature, but so far nothing conclusive has been found. Some people have claimed that they've seen the creature in remote areas, often in the act of attacking a farm animal. Some reports describe the beast as being like a large cat/dog, while other's have described it as being similar to the classic alien 'gray' appearance. It is often described as having 'spines' down it's back, but on the whole these reports vary. This makes it hard to believe in the validity of such claims. If each person is describing something different, it's difficult to tie these reports to the sightings of just a single animal. There have been many alleged reports of Chupacabras footprints, dung and even a corpse, but none have been sufficient to prove the beasts validity.

Clairaudience
Clairvoyance is French for 'Clear Hearing'. It is a word that refers to the ability to perceive sounds and voices that cannot be discerned through normal hearing. Many Mediums use Clairaudience when contacting the deceased, it can enable them to hear sounds and voices associated with a Spirit.

Clairaudient
A person claiming to have Clairaudience.

Clairsentience
The combination of Clairaudience and Clairvoyance. It can also include the ability to perceive emotions, taste and other physical sensations that cannot be discerned via the normal senses.

Clairsentient
A person claiming to have Clairsentience.

Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance is French for 'Clear Seeing'. It is a word that refers to the ability to perceive people and objects that cannot otherwise be discerned via the normal senses. Many mediums use Clairvoyance when contacting the deceased, it can enable them to visually perceive a Spirit.

Clairvoyant
A person who claims to have Clairvoyance.

   Close Encounters of the First Kind
According to the Hynek Classification System, a Close Encounter of the first kind defines a sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object, but with absolutely no interaction between the object and the witness or the environment.
   Close Encounters of the Second Kind
According to the Hynek Classification System, a Close Encounter of the second kind defines a sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object, where the object interacts in some way with the environment. This could include interference with electrical systems, to landing marks, burns and physically measurable effects to plants, trees, animals or people.
   Close Encounters of the Third Kind
According to the Hynek Classification System, a Close Encounter of the third kind defines a sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object, in which the alleged Alien occupants of the object have also been witnessed. The communication or interaction between the witness and the entities in question has also been included in this classification.

Coelacanth
Up until 1938, the Coelacanth was thought to be an extinct lobe-finned fish that died out some 350 million years ago, long before the Dinosaurs disappeared. Amazingly, in December 1938 Hendrick Goosen caught a live Coelacanth in the waters of the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. The discovery of living Coelacanths is used to demonstrate that there could be many more prehistoric species in the depths of the sea that we still consider to be long extinct.

Cottingly Fairies
One of the greatest hoaxes of the 20th Century, the Cottingley Fairies were the subject of a series of photographs taken by 16 year old Elsie Wright and her 9 year old cousin Francis Giffiths in the summer of 1917. The photos were of considerable interest at the time to Arthur Conan Doyle, who famously believed them to be genuine beyond doubt. The photographs were taken two months apart, at Cottingley beck, a small Brook near their home that they visited often. It was here that they claimed to have witnessed Fairies, especially Francis, who swore for the rest of her life that they had indeed seen them. When asked about why they went to the brook one day, that Francis described the Fairies that she had seen there, and Elsie backed her up. The photographs, they said, proved that there were fairies at Cottingley beck. It wasn't until many many years later that either of them admitted that the photographs were faked, although by this time it was doubtful that the photos were genuine anyway. It was not until 1983 that Elsie, then aged 83, finally admitted that the photographs had been faked. She claimed that they had been made with pictures cut out of Magazines, held up with hatpins. Francis however, still maintained that she had seen Fairies at Cottingley Beck, and that despite the fact that four of the photographs were indeed fake, the fifth was genuine.

Crop Circles
One of the most hotly debated unexplained phenomena of modern times is the strange appearance of crop circles in fields all over the world, but especially in some areas of southern England. There are a vast variety of different crop circles, some of them are very simple in design, while others are highly intricate. It is commonly thought that groups of people are responsible for creating the Circles, while some believe there to be a somewhat more otherwordly explanation.

Cryptid
Any unknown species of animal or creature that is not formally recognized by science, or included in international zoological catalogues. This can include any unknown species of fish, mammal, reptile or bird. A cryptid's existence is supported usually by witness reports, and inconclusive physical evidence.

Cryptozoologist
A person involved in the study of an unknown species of animal that has yet to be formally recognized by science, but is reported to exist. An individual involved in the field of Cryptozoology.

Cryptozoology
The study and research of new and undiscovered species of animal, that are reported to exist, but have yet to be substantiated. Such creatures range from new species of fish and undersea species, to modern Cryptids such as Bigfoot and the Chupacabra. Cryptozoology involves the study of any unknown species that are yet to be included in International Zoological Catalogues.

Crystal Skulls
A variety of crystal skulls have been discovered in parts of Mexico and Central America, most of them composed of clear rock quartz crystal. They have been found in a variety of sizes, and range in date from thousands of years to more recent contemporary versions. The exact purpose and origin of the skulls has yet to be determined, but it is thought that they would have had some religious significance to the people who created them, mainly because most of them have been found in tombs. At present around 50 such ancient Crystal Skulls have been found, and although a lot about them has been discovered, we have yet to solve the mystery as to exactly why they were created.

Cydonia Region
An area of Mars which generated much interest when it was photographed by NASA's Viking orbiter in 1976. The pictures appeared to show a number of peculiar anomalies, including a number of pyramid shaped objects on the surface and a large structure which resembled a humanoid face. In more recent years, newer NASA Mars orbiters have returned additional photographs of the region showing that the 'face' was nothing more than a natural rock formation, however the original pictures and the area itself are still under some considerable debate.

De Loys' Ape
A very controversial case in which a group of men on an expedition in Venezuela in 1920 lead by Swiss geologist Francois De Loys, shot and photographed an alleged humanoid ape-like creature. Francois and his team had set up camp near the Tarra river, following a journey in which a number of his men had perished. Without warning, they were suddenly attacked by two large humanoid ape creatures, that wielded branches and howled menacingly at the men. Shocked, the men opened fire on the creatures, killing one of them, and injuring the other, which disappeared back into the forest. Examining the body of the dead creature, Francois noted that it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Propping the corpse up on a crate with a stick, he photographed it, a picture that would become one of the most famous and controversial cryptozoology photographs ever. According to De Loys, the creature's body was skinned and cut up, in order for the skull to be preserved. All the remains allegedly went missing, however, and were never studied by any academic institution. In 1929, the photograph was published, and the creature assigned the name "Ameranthropoides loysi".

De Loys, Francois
Swiss Geologist who, in 1920, led an expedition in Venezuela, where he allegedly shot and photographed a strange ape-like creature that later became known as 'De Loys' Ape'

Divination
The art or practice of discovering future events or unknown things, through the use of tools such as Tarot Cards, Scrying Bowls/Mirrors, Crystal Balls, Divining Rod, Pendulums and other such items.

Divining Rod
A forked twig said to move when held over ground in which water, metal etc. is to be found. Usually done with a "Y" shaped twig, the individual dowsing will hold the stick by the forked end, and use the single end as a pointer. "Following" the rod will lead the dowser to the water/metal he is seeking, and vibrates when nearing the target in question.

Doerr, Vince
A Fire Chief who in 1997 took what would become a very well known photograph of an alleged Skunk Ape in Ochopee. Shortly before he saw the creature, a group of tourists had also reported seeing it on the outskirts of a swamp nearby. Despite the photographic evidence however, Doerr himself was never convinced. He believed that what he had photographed was someone messing around in an ape suit, and not a genuine animal at all.

Dogman
A legend in Michigan, USA, tells of this bizarre wolf-like creature that is said to appear in Northern Michigan on July 7th of the 7th year of each decade. It has been part of local folklore for years, however it is generally believed that the Dogman is nothing more than an urban myth.

Dover Demon
Name given to a bizarre 'creature' witnessed by several people in Dover, in April 1977. The first sighting occurred late one night as 3 17-year-olds drove home through the Boston suburbs of the Dover area. The driver, Bill Bartlett, reported seeing what at first he thought was a dog or cat, but a few seconds later saw to be a completely unearthly looking creature. In amazement, Bartlett watched the animal, which he reported had a large melon-shaped head with 2 very distinct red eyes. It's body was thin and spindly, and completely hairless. It had long, thin toes and fingers, and seemed to be using them to grasp onto the pavement. A few hours later, and over a mile away, John Baxter was walking home when he met the same creature walking along a path. The next day, Abby Brabham noted a similar looking creature on the side of the road as she drove past.

Dowsing
The ancient art of being able to locate things that are hidden underground, such as water or gold, through the use of a Divining Rod, often a Y Shaped stick, held at the forked end with the single end as a pointer. Dowsing is still used today in many countries, especially for the search for underground streams and other water sources. In the past, a Dowser would have been consulted before the construction of a building began, so that it could be known whether or not they were building on top of an underground stream.

Dowsing Rod
See Divining Rod.

Dreamland
A term often used to refer to the Area 51 facility in Nevada.

Earth
Our home, the place in the universe on which we live. Third planet from the Sun at a mean distance of 149 million km, the only place in the universe known to support life. The Earth is composed mainly of rock and metal, with a molten core. The atmosphere is oxygen rich, and the temperature on the planet is ideal for supporting life. Our planet has only one natural satellite, the Moon.

EBE
Abbreviation for 'Extraterrestrial Biological Entity'. It is commonly used when referring to 'Grays' and other alleged Alien life forms.

Eltanin Antenna
A mysterious structure that was discovered at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1964, by the NSF Polar Research Vessel Eltanin. The object was described as being a pole rising from the ocean floor with a series of twelve spokes radiating from it. Each spoke had a sphere shape on the end of it, and were at an angle of 15 degress from one another. The 'Eltanin Antenna' as it was called, is some 1000 miles south of Cape Horn. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the origins and purpose of the object. Some marine biologists think that it may be a type of life form, although no form of marine life is known to be of such a peculiar shape. Others have suggested that the object was intentionally put there, possibly by an ancient civilization, or even by beings from another world.

Encke's Comet
Famous comet that was first sighted by Parisian comet hunter Pierre Mechain on January 17th, 1786. The comet retraces almost exactly the same path across the sky at 10 year intervals, and was not seen again until 1795 by Caroline Herschel. This year (2003) it will be close enough once again to make it's 59th appearance, and remains one of the most well known and well documented comets in history.

Enfield Poltergeist
Regarded as one of the most spectacular poltergeist cases ever recorded, the Enfield Poltergeist case lasted from August 1977 to September 1978. During this time a woman and her four children who were living in a council house in Enfield, London, experienced almost ever single poltergeist phenomena ever identified. Over 1500 separate phenomena were recorded, from a mild beginning with just a few unexplained sounds, to alleged possession and other more disturbing occurrences. Attempts by researchers to prove once and for all the existence of such phenomena failed time after time to actually collect good solid evidence of the events in Enfield. In one instance, a toy brick was said to have materialized out of thin air, flew across the room and hit a photographer on the head. Many items were found to catch fire on their own accord, while metal items seemed to bend and twist out of shape. Most disturbing of all, was the apparent possession of 12 year old Janet, from which came a deep gruff voice on many occasions. Janet was also reported to have been constantly levitated out of bed at night by an unseen force, effectively trapping her on the ceiling in some cases. To this day the sheer length of time over which these phenomena occurred baffles researchers. This is considered to be a true "classic" poltergeist case.

Extraterrestrial
Word used to described anything that is from outside of the Earth.

Face on Mars
A 1,500 ft tall structure photographed in the Cydonia Region of Mars in 1976 by NASA's Viking Orbiter. The images showed a structure which resembled a humanoid face, as well as a number of pyramid shaped objects on the surface of the planet. In recent years newer NASA Orbiters have returned images showing the 'face on Mars' to be a natural rock formation - however many people remain unconvinced. Both the original pictures and the Cydonia Region itself are still under some considerable debate.

Faces of Belmez
A case that started in August 1971, when Maria Gomez Pereira discovered a strange expressionistic image of a man's face that had appeared on her kitchen floor. A few days later she had the floor ripped out and re-laid, only to find that the face reappeared in exactly the same place within a week. Before she got the chance to rip out the floor a second time, the slab was removed and preserved by local authorities. Investigations into the site on which the house was built, revealed that the site had once been a graveyard. It was decided that the floor of the house should be excavated to see what lay beneath. After digging down some nine feet, human remains were found, which were soon removed. It was decided that the excavation had been successful, and a new floor was soon installed. Bizarrely, after just two weeks, a variety of new faces had appeared on the new floor. Over the coming months, the Faces of Belmez attracted a huge amount of attention, but nobody was able to explain why the faces kept returning.

Feral Children
Children who have been nurtured in the wild by animals are known as 'Feral Children'. The term also refers to children who were raised in a non-human or sub-human environment, and therefore failed to learn how to communicate in a fully human manner. There have been over 40 well documented cases of feral children in the last few hundred years. The first really famous example, was 'Wild Peter', who was only 12 years old when he was captured in Hanover in 1724. He was described as being a 'naked, brownish, black-haired creature', and would climb trees and live off plants. He never mastered speech, and it took a long time for him to even attempt to eat anything other than plant material. He spent 68 years in society, but never managed to learn to say anything other than 'Peter' and 'King George.'

Flying Saucer
Another term meaning Unidentified Flying Object. The phrase was coined following an interview with American Pilot Kenneth Arnold, who reported the first modern sighting of a UFO in the Cascade Mountains in 1947.

Foo Fighters
Small luminous balls of light spotted on numerous occasions by pilots during the second world war. These strange colored balls of light were witnessed both over Europe and the Pacific, and are a prime example of the UFO phenomenon.

Forte, Charles
The first person to research and document reports of paranormal phenomena in a concise and coherent way. Charles Forte was born in 1874 and died in 1932. He spent much of his days in the New York City public library and British museum where he'd search through newspapers, magazines and other publications for reports of mysterious phenomena. Forte himself did not found any paranormal society, he was concerned that had he done so, he'd attract all manner of crack pots. It wasn't until after his death that the Fortean Society was founded, and much more recently, the 'Fortean Times' magazine.

Fortean, Forteana
Word meaning 'relating to paranormal phenomena'. It is named after Charles Forte, the man who first accomplished the documentation of paranormal occurances in a concise and coherent way.

Ghost
The disembodied Spirit of a deceased person or animal. Ghosts are mainly experienced in very old buildings, the scene of an unexpected death, Graveyards or other locations associated with the dead in some way. In most cases, Ghost reports include unexplained noises, cold spots, rappings, footsteps and other phenomena that cannot be otherwise explained. Some think that a Ghost purposely chooses to remain associated with a location after death, perhaps because that in life, that location had had some significance to that person. Some also believe that Ghosts persist because they are trapped between this world and the afterlife, or don't actually know that they are dead. Spiritualist Mediums are often consulted to try and communicate with a
Ghost at a Haunted location.

Globster
Name given to any beached animal carcass that cannot be readily identified. Such remains are often classed as Sea Monsters due to the fact that they cannot immediately be identified as any known species of animal.

Gray
The most commonly reported form of Alien entity. Grays are characterized by being small, thin beings, with large eyes and grayish/brown colored skin. They are hairless, and are reported on some occasions as wearing metallic skin-tight "space suits". There is no scientific evidence to support the existence of Grays, however that doesn't alter the fact that they are the most commonly accepted form of alien creature.

Griffiths, Francis
One of the two girls who in the summer of 1917 took photographs of what they claimed to be fairies at Cottingly Beck. The photographs became known as the Cottingly Fairies

Groom Lake
A dried up lake in Nevada that is also the location of the 'secret' Area 51 military base and Nellis Air Force Range.

Halloween
October 31st. Our modern celebration of Halloween actually comes from the ancient Celtic festival 'Samhain', meaning 'Summer's End'. The Irish English dictionary defines 'Samhain' as "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May." The end of summer was of particular significance to the Celts, since they were a pastoral people, and at that time their lives changed dramatically due to the onset of winter. Folk tradition tells of many different practices associated with Samhain, in particular divinations associated with marriage, involving the ducking for apples to decide who would be first to marry in the coming year. The practice of 'Trick or Treating' originally involved people imitating 'fairies' by going from house to house begging for treats. Practical jokes would be played on the owner of the house should the provision of treats be denied.

Highway of Death
One of the best recorded examples of strange phenomena concerning car crashes, occurred directly after the construction of a new motorway section in Germany in 1930. The section was a completely straight area of flat roadway, on the side of which was a small stone kilometer marker known as kilometer marker 239. During the first 12 months of the roadway's existence, over 100 cars crashed on the carriageway near the jinxed marker. An extreme example of this occurred on a very clear dry day in September 1930, when a total of 9 separate cars left the road right next to the accursed marker. It was only after the stone marker had been completely removed from the ground, and the area sprinkled with holy water did the accidents stop.

Hollow Moon
A theory that suggests that the moon is a large hollow sphere. Backed up by little evidence, but still regarded by some as a possibility, hollow moon theory originated during seismological tests on the moon following the Lunar landings. This occurred most notably in November 1969 after seismometers were set up on the moons surface by the astronauts of Apollo XII. When the Lunar module had taken off, heading back to earth the astronauts discarded the ascent stage of the lunar module, dropping it on the moons surface, smashing the craft and creating a tremor that was picked up by the seismometers and when the NASA scientists heard the data stream, they couldn't believe what they were hearing. The moon was ringing like a bell and continued to do so for around an hour. After they had had a chance to analyze the seismological information, NASA declared that the moon seemed to be a hollow sphere with a metallic layer around 34-40 meters deep.

Homeopathy
A centuries old form of medicine that is created by diluting a substance a huge number of times and then administering it to the patient. True homeopathic levels of dilution dilute the substance to such an extent that an equivalent level of dilution would be for 1 drop of the substance to be added to all the water in all the oceans on the planet. Homeopathics claim that with this level of dilution, the resulting medicine does actually work, curing a huge range of illnesses and conditions, that in many cases cannot be treated with conventional medicine. The trouble is, according to science, at such an extreme level of dilution, the resulting "medicine" will no longer contain even a single molecule of the original substance, therefore rendering it little more than plain water.

Human Magnetism
Phenomenon in which an individual can attach metal objects magnetically to their own skin. A recent event held in Bulgaria aimed to find out who was most 'magnetic', and managed to attract some 300 competitors who all shared this most peculiar affliction.

Hynek Classification System
A system commonly used to classify sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects. The system divides sightings up into three main categories, Close Encounters of the first, second and third kinds. See also: Close Encounters.

Incubus
According to Medieval theology, Incubus was a demon or Goblin, that upon taking on the form of a human male would attempt to have sex with women, usually while they were asleep. The female counterpart of Incubus was Succubus.

Jersey Devil
A creature with a considerable history which has been seen in the state of New Jersey. The legend itself dates back to 1735, when a woman in Leeds gave birth to what was considered to be a 'cursed' child, with the head of a horse, hooves, a snake's tail and wings. This entity came to be known as the 'Jersey Devil.' The most prominent series of sightings of the creature occurred in 1909, when over 100 people reported they'd seen it over a five day period. Hoof prints were also found stretching over a great distance in the snow, and the local fire department allegedly fired their hoses at it when they encountered the creature flying overhead. There is much debate over the authenticity of these reports, and some believe that the story was used as a way to sell property to developers at lower prices. Even so, sightings of the creature have been reported more recently. In 1993, a park ranger encountered the creature late at night. He took cover in his car as he observed what he described as a six feet tall dark figure with the head of a deer and two piercing red eyes.

Jupiter
Fifth planet from the Sun, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system at a mean distance of 778 million km from the Sun. It's volume is more than 1,400 times that of the Earth, but it's mass is only 318 times more. Jupiter is one of the four gas giants, along with Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, in that it is composed mostly of gas, and has no solid surface. Strong atmospheric currents give Jupiter a banded appearance, and some storms on the planet last for centuries, such as the Great Red Spot, one of Jupiter's most prominent features. To date there are known to be at least 28 moons orbiting the planet, the largest of which have also been studied in considerable detail - Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto.

Kap Dwa
'Kap Dwa' was allegedly a 12-foot tall two-headed giant, who lived in the 17th century, and was captured by Spanish sailors in 1673. It was said he had a pike driven through his heart after managing to kill four of his captors. Since then his stuffed body has been displayed at various sideshows in England from 1900 onwards, and in America since 1980.

Kappa
A Japanese mythological creature, that resembles a sprite or imp, that is said to enjoy playing pranks on humans. It is also said that the Kappa longs for human company and acceptance. In recent years the Kappa was the subject of a scam on a Japanese Television program called 'Denpa Shonen'. An actor dressed up as the creature lived for three months in a wilderness area around the city on Tono, scaring locals and causing considerable protests. After the scam was revealed, locals complained bitterly, claiming that the Kappa had seriously disrupted their lives.

Kaptar
One of the many regional names given to the Alma, a large ape-like creature thought to live in and around the Caucasus Mountains in Khazakhstan, Asia.

Lazar, Bob
A man who in 1989 came forward and claimed that he had been recruited by the US Military to work at the Area 51 facility in Nevada. Lazar gave descriptions of what he had witnessed while working there, including details of his alleged involvement with captured 'Alien' technology. It is thought by many that Lazar's story is nothing more than a work of creative fiction.

Legend of the Circle of 13 Skulls
A Native American legend that told of a collection of 13 Crystal Skulls that were said to hold the details of mankind's true purpose and destiny. A variety of Crystal Skulls have been discovered over the years, some dating back thousands of years. Despite efforts to combine 13 of these skulls in one place, no evidence of the knowledge said to be contained within them has ever been found.

Levitation
The act of being able to float in the air without support or without any apparent physical means. Levitation has been performed by Magicians for centuries as a magic trick, however genuine Levitation is also thought to be possible. Some believe that levitation can be put down to a form of Telekinesis. There have also been cases of alleged Levitation relating to hauntings, spirit possession and other Ghost related phenomena.

Ley Lines
Ley Lines are thought to be alignments of ancient and sacred sites, such as Stone Circles, churches, burial grounds and megaliths, and are considered to be sources of powerful earth energies. The points where Ley Lines cross are often found to be the subject of various Ghost phenomena, as well as sightings of UFOs and mysterious lights. It has been suggested that Spirits of the deceased draw energy from Ley Lines in order to help them manifest.

LITS
Abbreviation for 'lights in the sky'. It is the official term for anomalous luminous objects in the sky, mainly at night, that are unexplained. See also: Unidentified Flying Object.

Living Fossil
A term used to refer to a creature that is still alive today, but is or was thought to have become extinct. Maurice Burton wrote that "a living fossil is an organism that has survived beyond it's era". The most famous example of a Living Fossil is the Caolacanth, which was thought to have been extinct for millions of years until a live one was caught in the 1930's.

Loch Ness Monster
Famous creature thought to live in the depths of Britain's largest lake, Loch Ness, in Scotland. The most famous sightings and photographs of the creature indicate that it is a prehistoric Plesiosaur like animal, however this is now known to be impossible, since the Loch itself formed only as recent as the last ice age. There have been numerous studies into the existence of the creature, but to date no conclusive evidence has been found. Many scientists believe that the Loch would never be able to support a population of such large creatures, while others are of the impression that what people are seeing, are little more than logs, boat wakes and other mundane things. Sightings of the monster have dwindled in recent years, however tourism continues, with visitors arriving from all over the world to see if they can still catch a glimpse of this legendary cryptid.

Loveland Frog
A completely bizarre "creature" that was sighted several times over a long period of time by a number of different people in Loveland Ohio, from 1952 onwards. The creature was often witnessed in groups. The first person to witness this unlikely creature was driving along a country road in Loveland Ohio, when he noticed some odd looking animals at the side of the road. He pulled over to get a better look and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A number of strange amphibian-like creatures were moving along the side of the road. He claimed later that one of them "took out a wand like object and produced glowing sparks". A search of the area later revealed no signs of the creatures. Nothing was seen of the strange creatures for another 20 years, when in 1972 a policeman who was driving along that exact same road, spotted an odd beast crouched down at the side of the road. A few seconds later the frog-like creature stood up to reveal it's true size, and disappeared down an embankment towards a nearby river. 2 Weeks later on, and another similar animal was found by another policeman on the same road again. This time the policeman actually took a shot at the animal, but apparently missed as it scurried away into the undergrowth. Despite all these sightings, no physical evidence for the existence of the "Loveland Frogs" has ever been found.

Marfa Lights
Mysterious light phenomenon that has been witnessed in and around the Mitchell Flats, just outside of Marfa, West Texas. Descriptions of the phenomenon given by witnesses tend to vary, and range from small dancing lights in the sky to a single, stationary bright light that rapidly changes color. It has been suggested that the Marfa Lights are some form of UFO activity, however others are more skeptical, blaming swamp gas and other similarly mundane phenomena for their appearance.

Mars
Fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is the third smallest planet in the solar system, at a mean distance of 227 million km from the Sun. The Martian atmosphere is very thin, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon. The planet has two moons, Deimos and Phobos, which are thought to have been asteroids captured by the planet's gravity. Deimos is only 12km across, and Phobos is slightly larger, at 21km across. Mars has been the subject of a number of studies over the last few decades, and has been the destination of several spacecraft. The surface of the planet is covered with large scale features indicative of there having been water on it's surface at some point in the past. There is much debate over whether life could have existed on Mars, and whether it even exists there today. A number of spacecraft to be sent to the planet in the near future will hopefully be able to determine this once and for all.

Martian
According to science-fiction, a Martian is an inhabitant of Mars, an Alien entity related specifically to Mars and to nowhere else. Martians have been a popular subject for TV and Films for almost a century, and were the infamous invaders in H.G Wells "The War Of The Worlds". Martians are made out to be evil, monstrous beings with little in the way of good intentions. In reality, a "Martian" would likely be the term used to refer to humans living on Mars at some point in the future.

Medium
A term given to an individual who is capable of contacting the Spirits of the deceased. Some Mediums use mental techniques such as Clairvoyance and Clairaudience when contacting spirits. In addition a Medium can often have a 'Spirit Guide', an entity that stays with them and assists in contacting the deceased.

Meier, Billy
Eduard 'Billy' Meier is a Swiss man who claimed that in 1975 he began what would become several years of contact with apparent Extraterrestrials from the Pleiadies, which he named 'Pleiadians'. Over this time he produced 800 photographs and 3000 pages of written notes from the conversations he allegedly had with them. It is commonly believed that Billy Meier's story is a hoax.

Men In Black
A "group" of unusual agents that always appear dressed in black, and turn up in pairs following alien/UFO sightings to warn the witness to not reveal anything regarding his/her experiences. The Men in Black always arrive at the individual's home when he/she is alone, within a large black car, the number plate of which is often found to be invalid. The MIB themselves always appear totally expressionless and move jerkily and awkward. Many witnesses claim that the "visitors aren't human at all." One famous MIB encounter was that of Paul Miller.

Mercury
Nearest planet to the Sun, Mercury is a heavily cratered planet with a volume and mass of only 1/18th that of the Earth. It is situated 58 million km from the Sun, and orbits in a period of 88 days. The planet is considerably dense for it's size, and has a gravitational pull equal to approximately a third that of the Earth.

Mermaid
Mermaids have been the subject of tales and legends for centuries, and even in recent years, people have reported sightings of a creature that is essentially half human female, half fish, in the oceans around the world. Although most reports of Mermaids are either hoaxes or a case of misidentified marine animals, some cases remain baffling. A strange series of Mermaid sightings off the West coast of Scotland in 1814 is one such example. Despite this however, the 'mermaid' form is considered zoologically impossible, indicating that the legend of the Mermaid is most likely just that, a legend, and not a suggestion of any type of new marine species.

MIB
Abbreviation for Men In Black.

Miller, Paul
A man who in November 1961 had an encounter with two Men In Black. Paul Miller and three of his companions were returning home that evening when they saw what they described as being a "luminous silo" land in a nearby field. After disappearing and reappearing in front of them, the silo then seemed to open up and 2 humanoids emerged from within it. Panic-stricken, Miller aimed at the humanoids and fired his rifle, apparently injuring one of them. On their way home that evening, the 2 men experienced blackouts and appeared to lose 3 hours, an event which terrified them completely. The next morning however, when Miller reported to work that day, 3 men in black arrived. They claimed to be government officials, and went on to query him about the UFO incident, even though they couldn't possibly know about it. " They seemed to know everything about me; where I worked, my name, everything else" Miller reported. Not surprisingly, Miller didn't dare report this incident for several years following the MIB's visit

Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a popular paranormal investigation series in which a team consisting of presenter Yvette Fielding, investigator Phil Wyman and spiritualist medium Derek Acorah spend the night at various haunted locations across the UK to find evidence of ghosts. Now in it's third season, Most Haunted is one of Living TV's most popular shows, and certainly one of the most controversial.

Mulen
One of the many regional names given to the Alma, a large ape-like creature thought to live in and around the Caucasus Mountains in Khazakhstan, Asia.

Nellis Air Force Range
The military base of which Area 51 is allegedly a part. The United States Government has not yet officially acknowledged that Area 51 exists at the Nellis Air Force Range.

Neptune
Fourth largest planet, and one of the four gas giants in our solar system. At a mean distance of 4.5 billion km from the Sun, Neptune has a volume 72 times that of the Earth, and a mass that is 17 times greater than that of the Earth. It's atmosphere is made up mainly of hyrdrogen and helium, with a small percentage of methane which gives the planet its blue color. There are eight moons known to be in orbit around Neptune, the largest being Triton which is only slightly smaller than our own Moon.

Nostradamus
Born in France, 1503, Michel de Nostredame originally attended medical college and became a specialist in the Plague. It wasn't until he turned to writing in 1550 however, that Nostradamus began to make predictions about the future. He was twice married, and had a total of 8 children. Nostradamus wrote a vast number of predictions in total, ranging from weather and crop-prospects to war and major events. The technique he claimed to use to predict these events, was what he called 'comparative horoscopy', which involved looking at horoscopes and working out when major elements of past events would happen again. It is thought that only 5-10 percent of his predictions have been fulfilled with 100 percent certainty. Although many of his predictions have been apparently fulfilled, there is still the fact that a lot of them can be seen to mean a variety of things. Some took his prediction of 'hister' for example, to be evidence of a prediction of Adolph Hitler, when in fact 'hister' was a classical name for the river Danube. Other more recent predictions include one for 1999 that refers to 'a great king of terror'.

Old Yellow Top
Nickname given to a Bigfoot type animal sighted since the 1920's in Ontario, which was said to possess a coat of shaggy yellow hair.

Orb
A small sphere of light, often regarded as an indication of the presence of a spirit. Orbs commonly appear in pictures taken with a digital camera, but can also be seen with the naked eye. Many Paranormal investigators will try to capture evidence of Orbs at a location so as to indicate that some form of paranormal activity is present. There is still much debate on the subject of Orbs, many believe them to be little more then specks of dust, insects or other mundane objects, in particular those that appear on photographs. Those who believe Orbs have a greater significance however suggest that they are in fact evidence of a Spirit manifestation. Indeed, Orbs seem to be found quite often in locations thought to be haunted, however it is possible to create the effect in a photograph by throwing dust in front of the camera prior to taking the picture.

Ouija Board
A tool used to contact Spirits. A Ouija Board is a board or surface on which is inscribed or printed all the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 1-10, as well the words "yes", "no", and "goodbye". Participants will place their hand on a pointer object, often a glass, and contact from a Spirit is made by the movement of the pointer onto the letters and words printed on the board. It is usually customary to say 'goodbye' to the Spirit once the session is complete.

Paranormal
A general term which refers to anything that cannot be explained scientifically, i.e. that which can not be understood in terms of current scientific knowledge.

Phantom
Another word for Ghost. It is often used to describe something that is Ghostly, i.e. Phantom Drummer.

Phantom Drummer of Tidworth
An early Poltergeist case around 1666, that was recorded by the Reverend Joseph Glanvill, who lived in a house at the present site of the Zouch Manor in Wiltshire. Two girls were occupying a bedroom from which they could hear a "strange drumming". It was thought that the sound was coming from "behind the bolster", though some believed the girls themselves were the cause. They were later cleared of speculation however, and the Reverend noted that he could find no "trick, contrivance or common cause" to explain it.

Philadelphia Experiment
An alleged experiment that took place in Philadelphia in 1943. A Destroyer Class ship, the USS Eldbridge, was thought to have been the subject of a radical experiment involving force fields. Witnesses who were at the actual event reported that the experiment had succeeded in turning the ship completely invisible for a period of time. It was also reported that during this period the ship had actually physically teleported to Norfolk, Virginia, before returning to Philadelphia. During the experiment, it was said that some of the people on board the vessel exhibited strange phenomena. Many of the crew became ill and died shortly afterwards, some had become 'embedded' in the ship itself, while others were able to 'walk through walls'. To date the experiment has remained a very controversial story - if it were true, then it would mean that Teleportation technology was in the hands of the US Military as early as the 1940's.

Plain of Jars
A plateau in Northern Laos, Asia, on which can be found over one thousand mysterious stone jars, some of them weighing up to 6 tons. Having survived the 1960's 'secret war' with the USA, the Jars remain one of Asia's most significant archaeological wonders. It is believed that the Jars would have been used to contain the bodies of the deceased until decomposition, after which the remains would have been removed and buried or cremated. The practice of 'second burial' is still practiced to this day in the region.

Pleiadians
The Extraterrestrial race that Swiss man Billy Meier claimed he was in contact with starting back in 1975. Over the years Meier produced many photographs of apparent Pleidian craft. It is commonly believed that Meier's story is a hoax.

Pluto
Furthest known planet in our solar system, at a mean distance of 5.9 billion km from the Sun. It was discovered in 1905, and has never been visited by a spacecraft. It's orbit is highly eccentric, so much so that at times it is closer to the Sun than Neptune. Pluto is only known to have one moon, Charon.

Pullavar, Yogi
An Indian man who on 6th June 1936 was reported to have Levitated into the air for four minutes in front of a crowd of 150 witnesses. During his feat, Pullavar was said to have been in a deep trance like state, and once back on the ground his limbs were found to be locked in place and could not be unbent.

Pyrokinesis
Rare Psychic ability in which an individual is able to set fire to an object without touching or making any physical contact with it.

Rods
'Rods' are an anomaly that crop up on rare occasions in a photograph, usually taking the form of a long object with small bulges along one or both sides. Some people believe that Rods are a type of new life form, or are Alien in origin. Another common, though somewhat more plausible explanation, is that a 'Rod' is actually the product of an insect being caught in the photograph during mid flight. The wing beats of the insect account for the numerous bulges along the length of the rod, and the rod itself is created by the blurred insect as it moves across the picture.

S4
See Area S4 and Area 51

Samhain
The Ancient Celtic festival from which modern day Halloween celebrations are based. The Irish English dictionary defines 'Samhain' as "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May."

Saturn
Sixth planet from the Sun, Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system at a mean distance of 1.4 billion km from the Sun. It is one of the four gas giants, composed mainly of hydrogen, with no solid surface. Saturn also has a ring system which stretches to over 136,000km from the centre of the planet. The rings consist of rock, frozen gas and water ice. There are at least 30 moons orbiting Saturn, the 5 largest of which are Mimas, Enceladus,
Tethys, Dione, and Rhea.

Seance
A meeting in which a group of people attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the deceased. The word séance originates from the French séance, meaning sit, session. Those participating in the séance will conventionally either sit around a table or stand/sit in a circle, holding hands. The first recorded contact through a séance occurred in 1948, when Margaretta and Kate Fox allegedly managed to contact the spirit of Charles Haynes, who communicated through a series of rappings. To this day, many people still participate in séance's, believing that they are able to receive messages from the dead. Others however, remain skeptical.

SHC
Abbreviation for Spontaneous Human Combustion.

Shipton Yeti Tracks
Tracks alleged to be those of the Yeti, that were photographed by Eric Shipton during an expedition to the Himalayas in 1951. The tracks were 13" long by 13" wide.

Skunk Ape
A large ape-like creature sighted mainly in Florida, described as being covered in light brown hair, and attributed to emitting a putrid skunk-like odor, hence it's namesake. A witness of the creature's sudden appearance in the Florida Keys in 1977, stated that "It stunk awful, like a dog that hasn't been bathed in a year and suddenly gets rained on". The Skunk Ape has been sighted on and off since the 1970's, starting shortly after the famous Patterson Bigfoot footage was released. There have been numerous tales of it's appearance in recent years as well, however despite the DNA analysis of some apparent Skunk Ape hair samples and several controversial photographs, real conclusive evidence of the creature has still managed to elude the grasp of science.

Soul
See Spirit.

Spirit
It is a common belief that all living things have a Spirit or 'Soul', a sentient entity that although does not exist physically, is still self-aware and capable of perceiving it's surroundings. Many religions regard the Spirit as the very essence of a living being, and that it persists after death. Some also belief that the human body is simply a physical vessel that the Spirit interfaces with during the lifetime of the individual, and departs once the body has died.

Spontaneous Human Combustion
Phenomenon in which an individual is found, usually within their own homes, with their body almost completely burned away in a fierce fire that failed to set fire to anything else in the room. In some cases SHC also refers to an event in which an individual catches fire for no obvious reason, sometimes in full view of nearby witnesses. In the distant past Spontaneous Human Combustion was attributed to divine intervention - "By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed!" - one such reference to a victim of SHC. One more recent and well documented case was that of Mary Reeser. On the morning of July 2nd 1951, her charred remains were discovered. The floor on which the ashes lay had been burnt through, even though there were no signs of fire anywhere else in the house. Experts have puzzled over how this could have come about. Recent research has now pointed the finger at what is known as the Candle Wick Effect.

Storsjoodjuret
Famous Lake Monster, said to live in Sweden's lake Storsjon. The name Storsjoodjuret translates in Swedish to 'Great Monster of Storsjon'. The creature has been sighted since 1635, with descriptions varying from a 24-foot long 3-humped serpent to 9-foot in length with black, gray, red or yellow coloring. In recent years there have been several serious investigations into Storsjoodjuret, but nothing conclusive has been found.

Succubus
According to Medieval theology, Succubus was a demon or Goblin, that upon taking on the form of a human female would attempt to have sex with men, usually while they were asleep. The male counterpart of Succubus was Incubus.

Super Massive Black Hole
It is now believed that there is a Super Massive Black Hole in the centre of every Galaxy, including our own. It is thought that these Black Holes play a significant role in the formation of Galaxies.

Supernatural
Relating to anything which cannot be explained by natural laws. The term also refers to anything of a magical or occult nature.

Tazmanian Tiger
See Thylacine.

Telekinesis
The ability to move an object with thought or willpower alone, without the application of a physical force. Some believe that Telekinesis is created by higher levels of consciousness, and that it can not be created by 'wishing it' to happen on the physical level. The energy to move or bend an object is created by a person's thoughts created by their subconscious mind. Only a select few individuals seem to possess this remarkable ability. It is believed by some that Telekinesis was something prehistoric man used instinctively on a daily basis, and modern humans have simply "forgotten" how to use it. Others believe that it is a sign that humans are on the verge of a new level of consciousness.

Teleportation
Theoretical technology for relocating physical objects from one place to another instantly. Having been the subject of Science Fiction for decades, we are still a long way from being able to construct a working teleporter. A commonly discussed, though somewhat impractical theory for accomplishing teleportation, is that the complete atomic structure of the object to be teleported would be stored on a computer, and then transmitted to the destination computer, where the object would be re-assembled. This method would never work in reality, given the enormous amounts of computer storage and energy required to perform such a task. In addition, this would fail to teleport a living being, given that the reconstructed 'body' at the other end wouldn't be the person you started with. It is a lot more plausible that in the future, teleportation could be accomplished using warps in space and other exotic means of that nature. Recently some researchers have allegedly succeeded in teleporting a single atom, however this remains questionable. Even if it were true, we are still a long way off from being able to teleport any large physical object, and even further from being able to teleport a human being.

Teleporter
A device capable of Teleportation.

Tessie
A Lake Monster said to inhabit Lake Tahoe in California. Tessie is spoken of frequently in the legends of the local Washoe Indians, however no conclusive evidence of such a creature has ever been found.

Thylacine
The Thylacine or Tazmanian Tiger was a large carnivorous marsupial which is believed to have died out in the early 20th century. The Thylacine lived in the various regions of Australia, and ate kangaroos, birds and small rodents. Although no conclusive records of a living Thylacine have been made since its alleged extinction in the 1930's, there have been many sightings of what could possibly be Thylacines in recent years. Unfortunately it is still unconfirmed whether or not the Tazmanian Tiger has indeed survived, though many scientists remain optimistic that they have managed to cling on to live through the 20th century and beyond.

Time Travel
Theoretical means with which to travel through time to either the future or to the past. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity suggests that time slows down the nearer to the speed of light an object goes - therefore if an object was traveling at the speed of light itself ( 300,000,000 m/s ) then time would stop completely. From there, exceeding this speed would cause the whole process to go backwards, and in theory at least, you would actually be traveling backwards in time. Unfortunately it is thought impossible to reach the speed of light, generally due to the "infinite mass" brought on as a result of speeds comparable to that of light. Whether time travel will ever be a reality is very difficult to say, as there is no real guarantee that it is even possible at all. Some suggest that 'suspended animation' could be regarded as time travel into the future, but physical time travel into the past appears to be a lot less likely. However it remains to be seen whether or not we will ever possess the technology required to create a 'time machine' so to speak.

Titor, John
A man claiming to be a time traveling soldier from the year 2036. Titor claimed that he didn't care if nobody believed him, and that he was only interested in talking to people from this time period. Unsurprisingly, most people regard his story to be a hoax.

TLP
Abbreviation for Transient Lunar Phenomena.

Total Solar Eclipse
An event where the moon moves in front of the sun and completely obscures it for a short period of time. Astronomers in particular find these events highly interesting, as with the glare of the photosphere obscured, the outer layer of the sun, the Carona, can be viewed and studied. The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but by extraordinary coincidence, the sun is exactly 400 times further away as well. This results in a perfect solar eclipse - where the moon fits exactly over the sun. The fact that it fits so perfectly, is rather suspicious. The chances of the size of the moon and the distance from the sun being so exactly perfect for a solar eclipse, are extremely small. Isaac Asimov once commented on this saying "There is no astronomical reason why the moon and the sun should fit so well. It is the sheerest of coincidences, and only the Earth among all the planets is blessed in this fashion."

Trance
In general terms a trance is a hypnotic or cataleptic state, in which an individual remains awake but is mostly unaware of their surroundings. Hypnosis for example often induces a trance like state. Spiritualist mediums can also enter into a trance while attempting to contact the spirits of the deceased.

Transient Lunar Phenomena
Term that is used by astronomers to describe anything on the Lunar surface that is not supposed to be there according to our current understanding of the Moon. Perhaps the first example of TLP was recorded by William Herschel the Astronomer who discovered Uranus. On the 18th of August 1787, Herschel looked through his telescope and saw a glow on the dark half of the crescent moon that resembled "Slowly burning charcoal thinly covered with ashes" In the same year on the 12th of November, two other astronomers noticed bolts of lightning on the moon. About a year later on September 26th 1788, a German astronomer saw a white beam of light among the peaks of the lunar Alps (near to the crater Plato). In July 1821, Franz Gruithuisen, the creator of the meteoric impact theory of Lunar cratering, saw flashing points of light on the surface of the moon, however when he revealed he had discovered a lunar city he was ridiculed by his colleagues and he burned his notes.

UFO
Acronym for Unidentified Flying Object.
Unidentified Flying Object
Term used to refer to any airborne craft or object that cannot be readily identified. The first modern UFO sighting was that of pilot Kenneth Arnold in 1947. Since then there have been thousands of reports of UFOs from people all over the world. Some believe that UFOs contain extraterrestrial visitors, while others consider them to be secret aircraft that are being tested by the military. Most UFO sightings turn out to be of ordinary everyday things such as balloons, planes, helicopters and even birds, but there are always a small percentage that seem to defy explanation. The most common UFO descriptions include bright moving lights, disc shaped objects, long, cigar shaped objects and the controversial Rods phenomenon.

Uranus
Seventh planet from the Sun, and one of the four gas giants in our solar system. It was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel. Its atmosphere consists primarily of Hydrogen and Helium, and appears bluish with a greenish tinge. The volume of the planet is some 67 times greater than that of the Earth, and a mass that is 14.7 times greater. In 1977 it was discovered that like Saturn, Uranus has a ring system, which stretches 51,300km from the planet's centre. There are also 17 moons in orbit around Uranus, the two largest of which, Oberon and Titania, where discovered by Herschel in 1787.

Venus
Second nearest planet to the Sun, Venus is the third brightest object in the night sky at a mean distance of 108 million km from the Sun. The planet is covered in an extremely thick atmosphere consisting of mainly carbon dioxide, making observations of the planet's surface from Earth based telescopes hopeless. Almost all the information gathered about what lies below the atmosphere has been gained through the use of spacecraft. The pressure on the surface of Venus is almost 100 times that of the earth, and it's temperature varies little from a uniform 462 degrees celsius.

Voita
One of the many regional names given to the Alma, a large ape-like creature thought to live in and around the Caucasus Mountains in Khazakhstan, Asia.

Vortex
In paranormal terms, a 'vortex' is a manifestation of energy, often associated with ghosts and spirits. There are a lot of theories regarding the exact nature of this phenomenon, some believe a vortex to be a gateway to the spirit world, through which spirits can travel, while others class them alongside orbs, as manifestations of spirits. What are also referred to as vortices can sometimes appear as anomalous whirlwind-shaped objects on photographs taken in allegedly haunted locations.

Voynich Manuscript
A mysterious manuscript that in 1912, was purchased by a collector of rare books in Italy, Wilfred Voynich. Voynich was unable to decipher the language in the manuscript, and later took it back to America with him. The 'Voynich Manuscript' as it became known, consists of a total of 234 pages, and contains a large number of drawings, mostly of flowers. The book contained a variety of sections, including cosmology, biology, astronomy and pharmaceuticals. The manuscript changed hands many times, but despite much concerted effort, nobody has yet been able to decipher what the mysterious manuscript actually means.

Wild Peter
A Feral Child who was only 12 years old when he was captured in Hanover in 1724. He was described as being a 'naked, brownish, black-haired creature', and would climb trees and live off plants.

Winchester Mystery House
A famous 160-room Victorian mansion, that belonged to Sarah L. Winchester, the very wealthy widow of the man who originally invented the Winchester rifle. The construction of this amazing building was started in 1884, and continued on until her death some 38 years later. The building itself was an architectural marvel, with a number of oddities, including the famous 'stairs to the ceiling'. The house included a host of features, from a working sewer system, gas lights, modern heating, 47 fireplaces and a working elevator. Sarah Winchester was also said to have communicated with a number of Spirits that resided there.

Wright, Elsie
One of the two girls who in the summer of 1917 took photographs of what they claimed to be fairies at Cottingly Beck. The photographs became known as the Cottingly Fairies

Xing-Xing
A possible undiscovered species of Orangutan thought to live in southern China.

Yeti
The Yeti, or 'Abominable Snowman' is a tall ape-like creature that is rumored to be found in the Himalayan Mountains, and has been sighted in both Nepal and China, as well as by mountaineers and explorers around Mount Everest. It is described as being up to 10 feet in height, and as having feet that are twice the size of a man's. To the native people of Nepal, the Yeti is considered to be more of a Spiritual entity than a physical animal. Over the years a number of well known Mount Everest expeditions have returned reporting sightings of several such creatures, Colonel Howard-Bury and Major Alan Cameron both led expeditions that reported seeing the Yeti during their climbs in the 1920's. There have also been reports and photographs of alleged Yeti footprints that have been found over miles of open snow. It is believed that such footprints are the result of an effect known as freeze-thaw, where ordinary human prints are enlarged due to the constant melting and thawing caused by the rising and setting of the sun each day. See also : Boardman and Tasker Tracks , Shipton Yeti Tracks , Annapurna Tracks.

Zana
A woman who was captured in the 1880's in the western Caucausus region of Abkhazia. Referred to as an Abnuaaya, or Alma, she resembled a Neanderthal rather than a human, with unusual features and a full coat of hair from head to toe. She was also very powerful, and could easily outrun even horses, and swim across fast flowing rivers. While in captivity she gave birth to several children, who were also physically tougher than normal and dark skinned, but with no other apparent unusual characteristics.
Zanya
See Zana.
Zombie
The reanimated, soulless corpse of a deceased person, with no mind of it's own. In Haiti, a Voodoo priest is said to be responsible for raising the bodies of the dead in this way. In reality it is more likely that 'zombies' are actually still living, people who are given a powerful neurotoxin which renders the individual in a death-like state. Zombies are popular fictional creatures in horror books and movies, but it us unlikely that a genuine reanimated corpse could ever exist in reality.