Between January and Easter 1917, in Jyrinvaara, North Karelia, currently in Russia but in Finnish territory at that time, Anni Lattu reported quite an unusual experience to the local folks.
It was first reported in writing in the local newspaper Kurkijokelainen, mainly read by people of the small community of Kurkijoki, in the form of a short article signed Latomäen Aino, in issue 23 for June 9, 1978.
The article told that before Finland declared its independence, i.e. in 1917, Anni Lattu, a widow which had exceeded the ripe age, lived in her small house with Jyrinvaara, approximately 6 kilometers in the west of the church of Kurkijoki. She had disappeared during several days, and the villagers had thought that she had gone to visit to her daughter.
But when she was back, she had an astonishing story to tell: a large apparatus, like a big washing basin, had landed close to her house, and by a ladder, small creatures came down. Although she did not want to go with them, she was taken on board by force, and they traveled very quickly, "everything" was shown to her and there were "many wonders."
The machine shone inside, and did not make "any noise as in the train".
Anni Lattu told she was taken along above the world and even between stars, and somehow, she could understand the language of the small beings.
She often repeated her story in the area, but people had thought that she must have been hallucinating from fever because her house was cold, or maybe she had just dreamed. Anni Lattu however did not agree with these explanations.
Because of this article, one of the investigators of UFO Research Finland, Mauritz Hietamäki, located and interviewed under anonymity a lady born in 1910, who was a young girl and one of the neighbors of Anni Lattu when the event took place.
This lady, Mrs. N.N., told him that during the years that followed Anni Lattu's experience, she had often talked about the matter in Mrs N.N.'s house, thus, Mrs. NN. could remember details.
It appeared that Anni Lattu was born in 1873 and had died in 1930, that she was not a widow, even if it is probable that she lived alone. In fact, her husband Juho deceased 11 years after her. Mrs. N.N. remembered that Anni Lattu was always alone when she visited the other villagers, and that this is the reason that she was thought to be a widow. Anni Lattu lived in a small house on the Eastern shore of the lake Kankaanlampi, in the village of Alho.
The event had taken place according to Mrs. N.N. between January and Easter in 1917. Anni Lattu was doing her daily work, when an apparatus that she described as being in the shape of a washing basin - these had then and there the shape of large soup plates - landed on the road in front of her home.
The apparatus had ladders, by which Anni was taken on board against her will. Inside the apparatus were many small men, who moved quickly. Anni Lattu never spoke about their clothing, and it seems that she had no idea what were these small men were.
As the religious believers people of the village thought that the little men were Anni Lattu called them so afterwards.
|
|
[Ref. hv1:] HEIKKI VIRTANEN:
|
3 FINLANDFIRST KNOWN ABDUCTION CASE IN FINLAND? By Heikki Virtanen Date: Between January and Easter 1917 Time: Several days Place: Jyrinvaara, 6 km west of the town of Kurkijoki, Northern Karelia, Soviet Union (formerly Finland) Witness: Anni Lattu Nature of sighting: A possible CE-IV (abduction case) This case was first mentioned in the newspaper Kurkijokelainen, which is mainly read by persons who formerly lived in the little community of Kurkijoki in Northern Karelia, nowadays in Soviet territory. The newspaper understandably contains a lot of memories of life in Kurkijoki before the war (and during the war). One of these was a short article written by the signature "Latomäen Aino", in no. 23 (9 June 1978) of Kurkijokelainen. The signature tells a story from the time just before Finland declared independency, e.g. 1917. Anni, a widow, was living in her little house in Jyrinvaara, about 6 km to the west from the Kurkijoki church. She disappeared for some days, and the villagers thought she had gone to visit her daughter. But when she came back, she had an amazing story to tell. A large machine, like a big washbasin, had landed beside her house and from it, small creatures, which Anni later called devils, came down by the ladder. Somehow she could understand a little of their language. She was not willing to follow them, but she was taken aboard by force, and they traveled very fast, everything (in the world?) was shown to her and there was a lot of wonder. The machine was shining inside and made no noise as in the train. Anni told that the devil flew her over the world and even between the stars. Anni retold her story many times, also in our place, but everybody said that she had a fever and hallucinated or just dreamed, but Anni did not agree. She was then already past the middle-age. The signature wonders if the machine was a UFO and the devils could have been humanoids; or did Anni only have a fever, after all? Further investigations Because of this article, one of the investigators in The UFO Research of Finland, Mauritz Hietamäki, detected and interviewed Mrs. NN. (born 1910), who was a little girl and one of Anni's neighbors when the event took place. During the years that followed Anni's experience, she had often told about it in NN.'s home, so Mrs. NN. could remember the details. Anni's full name was Anni Lattu (1873-1930) and she was not a widow, even if it is probable that she lived alone. Actually, her husband Juho died 11 years later than herself. Mrs. NN. recollected that Anni was always alone when visiting the other villagers, so it was quite natural that NN. as a little girl took her for a widow. She lived in a little house on the eastern shore of the Kankaanlampi Lake, in the village of Alho. The event took place, according to Mrs. NN., between January and Easter in 1917. Anni was doing her everyday work, when the machine, which she described as washbasin-shaped (the usual washbasin in those days was like a big soup plate). It had ladders, by which Anni was taken aboard against her will. Inside the craft, there were a lot of small men, who were moving quickly. Anni never spoke of their clothes, and it sees that she did not have any ideas of what the small men were. As the religious people in the village thought they were devils, Anni accepted this |
|
4 and began to call them devils afterwards. Mrs. NN. comprehended from Anni's story that there had been a leader with which Anni communicated, perhaps by telepathy. Anni had been several days inside the craft; they had cruised around the world and near the stars. Anni was also asked to stay, but she did not want to. Inside the craft there had been conveniently warm and the seats were comfortable. Finally, Anni was brought back to the same place as she was taken from, i.e. from the road outside her house. The other villagers thought that Anni had had a fever (her house was very cold during the winter) and her experience only fever dreams. Anni never accepted this, and it seems she spoke of it quite often, because she could not understand who the small men were. |
|
[Ref. al1:] ALFREDO LISSONI:
The author indicates that a Finnish housewife living in Jyrinvaara, in Karelia, Anni Lattu, in the first months of 1917, was said to have been forced to enter a strange discoidal flying machine, in which were many little people who seemed to move very quickly. The woman told that she had been abducted by devils and, understandably, she was called crazy.
[Ref. al2:] ALFREDO LISSONI:
The author discusses "UFO secrecies of the Vatican", of diabolical appearances, comments that events of the UFO type were sometimes interpreted as diabolic because of the context of the time, when there was not yet any notion of UFOs.
As an example, he indicates that in 1917 in Jirinvaara in Karelia, a Finnish lady of the name of Anni Lattu disappeared mysteriously from her house, between the Epiphany and Easter. Her absence lasted many days, and was noticed by many people of the area.
When she surfaced again, she told that she had seen a flying machine similar "to a washing basin"; which had landed in front of her house, and small creatures came out, "devils", and she said they abducted her by force on board the disc. The strange flying machine started without making noise, carrying Anni Lattu in space for a few days.
Lissoni affirms that needless to add, because of the incredible story, her listeners thought she was crazy.
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Karkiyeki, Karelia, Russia in 1917 at an unknown time, Enni Lettu observed a saucer shaped object that landed near her house. After a short while something resembling a staircase protruded from the object, and small humanoid shapes descended to the ground. The beings apparently approached the frightened witness and insisted in taking her along, and she was taken to their ship. The object flew for several hours and throughout the journey she was engaged in telepathic communication with a being she thought to be the leader of the others, before being returned to Earth. After her abduction Enni became a famous soothsayer in the area.
Albert Rosales indicates that the source is Paul Stonehill, The Soviet UFO Files.
[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website says that early in 1917, in Jyrinvaara, Finland, "An abduction of a witness was reported. Abduction by aliens was reported."
The source is indicated as Hall, Richard H., From Airships to Arnold: A Preliminary Catalogue of UFO Reports in the Early 20th Century (1900-1946), UFO Research Coalition, Fairfax, 2000, ISBN:1-928957-01-3.
[Ref. js1:] JEAN SIDER:
The French author indicates that in 1917 at an unknown date, in Karkiyeki, Karelia, Russia, the young Enni Lettu witnessed the landing of an object in the shape of a saucer very close to her home.
After a while, something which resembled a staircase emerged from the object and small humanoid beings came onto the ground, approached the frightened Enni, and grabbed her against her will to take her along on board the apparatus.
The object went in the air again for several hours and during all this time, the one of the occupants who seemed to be the chief engaged in telepathic communications with the girl.
Then, she was brought back to her familiar environment.
After her "abduction", Enni Lettu became a famous psychic in the area.
Jean Sider indicates that the source is Albert Rosales, according to Paul Stonehill, The Soviet UFO Files.
He comments on that while Paul Stonehill is a researcher of good value, he does not find that this Russian testimony is of good value, and that the word "saucer" indicates that Enni Lettu told about her experience probably after 1947.
This is a quite extraordinary case.
Indeed, there are a number of stories of flying saucers and occupants dated before 1947. In most cases, the stories are just dated before 1947, but the reports actually surfaced after 1947 or later, and thus, it can be argued that the pre-1947 story was invented, inspired by the popular topic of flying saucers and occupants after 1947.
This is what Jean Sider thought, but in this case, for once, it appears that it is false, and that this is a rare case in which a quite typical close encounter of the third kind, with a flying saucer, little occupants, and even a trip on board the saucer, was actually reported way before 1947.
Anni Lettu did not use the word saucer. She described the craft as having the shape of a large washing basin, which had the shape of soup plates then in the area. The word saucer must have been used by Paul Stonehill, it is used by Albert Rosales who indicates his source was Paul Stonehill. This was a mistake. Ufologists, authors of UFO books, should never put their own vocabulary in witness' mouths.
Obviously, if Anni Lettu had used the words such as "flying saucers", and interpreted her experience as post-1947 "contactees" did, Jean Sider would have been right. But she did not. She did not know what the craft was, she did not know who the occupants were, she obviously was unable to understand much of what happened, and simply used the interpretations of the time given by local folks: not aliens for space, but "devils". This alone shows that the case is definitely not "inspired" by post-1947 saucer lore.
But there is more to it. It is obvious, thanks to the Finnish investigator, that Anni Lettu did not report after 1947, but told her story around after the experience, to the local people, decades before 1947.
This makes the case an extraordinary case. No "saucer lore" contamination can be put forth here.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None. | ||||||||
Extraterrestrial visitors.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2008 | Creation, [hk1], [al1], [al2], [ar1], [js1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2008 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | March 8, 2013 | Addition [ud1]. |
