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Case of Biesheim, in the 1800's:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1800-00-00-BIESHEIM-1

Summary:

In his 2012 book on UFOs in Alsace, in the chapter devoted to legends and celestial wonders from before the era of flying saucers in Alsace, Christian Valentin points out that there are stories of Alsatian folklore from the middle of the 19^th century collected and published by the folklorist Auguste Stoeber, about "phantom stagecoaches" and "flying coaches", with or without a coachman, with a few variations, in various places, including Biesheim.

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[Ref. cvn1:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:

In his first chapter devoted to legends and celestial wonders before the era of flying saucers in Alsace, Christian Valentin points out that there are stories of the Alsatian folklore from the middle of the 19^th century collected and published by the folklorist Auguste Stoeber, about "phantom stagecoaches" and "flying coaches", with or without coachman, with some variations, at Kirrwiller, Bouxwiller, Ribeauville, Grussenheim and Biesheim.

These coaches rise in the air and cause great fright to the passengers, and when they fail to jump before the coach gets too high, they find themselves, either in no time at their destination, or waking up hours later in an unknown and distant place.

He notices that these stories on the border between the world of the living and the imagination are often tinged with phantasmagoria and strange visions, that they are repeated from generation to generation. He remarks that it is tempting to draw a parallel between these accounts and the accounts of alien abductions, and "missing time", of modern times.

He wonders whether the "flying saucers" to come would not be a modern adaptation of a broader and more complex phenomenon, present in all eras, an opinion which will be developed at the end of the 1960s by Jacques Vallée in his book "Chronique des apparitions extraterrestres" ["Passport to Magonia"], Denoël 1972, which brought together popular beliefs from oral tradition and the phenomenon of flying saucers.

Discussion:

A number of ufologists have studied, in the USA then in France, such legends and tales, for various reasons:

• Some intended to show that flying saucers, Martians, extraterrestrials, UFOs, did not suddenly appear in 1947.
• The others intended to show that nonsense was already being told in ancient times, and that flying saucers, Martians, extraterrestrials, UFOs are only modern versions of these nonsense.
• For the American John Keel, flying saucers, Martians, extraterrestrials, UFOs, devils, "holy virgins", "Men in Black", ghosts, Yeti and others really exist and are an indication of what a certain "ultraterrestrial intelligence" from "another dimension" stages such things to manipulate humanity for a purpose yet to be explained. This thesis will inspire other ufologists, notably the French Jacques Vallée and Jean Sider - the latter suspecting however that the said "superior intelligence" would be extraterrestrial.

Why not?

Howeber it would still be necessary, for me in any case, that there be enough to estimate the credibility, the reliability and the strangeness of each "case."

Here we have hardly any strangeness: a coach, but it does not fly, and about which nothing abnormal is reported.

"Entities" that would be ordinary humans, the coach, the primary source says, is filled with "men and women." The strangeness boils down to them allegedly wearing "antique costumes".

This is of very low strangeness, since at that time already, one knew how to dress up. And given the level of historical culture in the villages then, "ancient costume" does not mean much, and should not be interpreted as, for example, authentic-looking Roman outfits.

Is the source reliable? Auguste Stoeber collected oral stories in the villages. Very generally his goal was not to evaluate their authenticity, they were popular tales, for him, nothing more. And nothing shows that for the people who had told him the story, it would have been anything more than folklore.

There is no date for the event, no names of witnesses, no detailed descriptions, etc. A modern UFO sighting of this caliber wouldn't get much glory.

I therefore think that this story does not support one or the other ufological thesis.

Evaluation:

Non UFO-related folklore.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

• [asr1] * "Die Sagen des Elsasses zum ersten Male getreu nach der Volksüberlieferung, den Chronien und anderen gedruckten und handschriftlichen Quellen gesammelt und erläutert", book by Auguste Stoeber, Scheitlin and Zellikofer publishers, page 268, 1852.
• [cvn1] * "Mythes et Réalités des Phénomènes Aériens Non Identifiés - Histoire des soucoupes volantes en Alsace jusqu'en 1980", book by Christian Valentin, Grimoires d'Alsace publishers, France, page 6, 2012.

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This page was last updated on February 25, 2023.