Fortean phenomena is strange, naturally occurring phenomena that science is yet to explain.
The term 'Fortean' comes from Charles Fort, a writer and researcher, who spent several decades in the early 1900's collecting and studying reports of events that lay beyond the accepted beliefs of the time.
The term 'Fortean' comes from Charles Fort, a writer and researcher, who spent several decades in the early 1900's collecting and studying reports of events that lay beyond the accepted beliefs of the time.
Charles Fort
Charles Fort. The term 'Fortean' comes from the name Charles Fort who was a American writer, researcher and journalist in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The term is used to refer to strange phenomena that has not been fully or satisfactory explained by science. It is events and happenings that fall beyond the scope of accepted belief.
It is quite a large umbrella term and many things fall under it – ghosts and hauntings, lights in the sky, anomalous creatures, psychic abilities, extreme archaeology, magic, strange natural weather phenomena and much, much more besides, including missing/disappearing people.
Charles Fort, for whom the term is coined, spent many decades in the early 1900's searching through old journals, newspapers, reports, magazines and other media for stories and reports of strange events. He then researched those findings further, and made case studies which he would collate and have published in books.
Fort never really attempted to prove the events he wrote about, but rather stated the facts as known on the matter. He once stated he never believed anything he wrote about, but that never stopped him being interested and still looking further.
It is quite a large umbrella term and many things fall under it – ghosts and hauntings, lights in the sky, anomalous creatures, psychic abilities, extreme archaeology, magic, strange natural weather phenomena and much, much more besides, including missing/disappearing people.
Charles Fort, for whom the term is coined, spent many decades in the early 1900's searching through old journals, newspapers, reports, magazines and other media for stories and reports of strange events. He then researched those findings further, and made case studies which he would collate and have published in books.
Fort never really attempted to prove the events he wrote about, but rather stated the facts as known on the matter. He once stated he never believed anything he wrote about, but that never stopped him being interested and still looking further.
Fort shortly before his death in 1932. He argued against scientific proof being a necessity when it came to acceptance and beliefs, as it was too narrow minded and the rigours of testing and following method left out the real wonders of our world.
Before Charles Fort died he had amassed quite a number of followers of his work, and without these early adopters of his work, the various paranormal fields and communities could be quite different. It is not entirely certain what Fort died from, as he did not trust medical science and doctors, and refused to seek medical help. He held out long enough to see an initial run of his famous (non-posthumous) book "Wild Talents".
Before Charles Fort died he had amassed quite a number of followers of his work, and without these early adopters of his work, the various paranormal fields and communities could be quite different. It is not entirely certain what Fort died from, as he did not trust medical science and doctors, and refused to seek medical help. He held out long enough to see an initial run of his famous (non-posthumous) book "Wild Talents".
Fortean Phenomena
Raining Fish. Today the term Fortean phenomena is still used, but less so than say the term 'paranormal'. The words are defined differently,but many aspects of both cross into the definitions of the other. Today the term Fortean is more commonly used to describe the aberrations of nature and the natural world, rather than hauntings and UFOs. Using the term in reference to such things is not wrong, it’s just the terminology has largely drifted away from such things in the mind of the many.
For many it is used to describe such events as:
Falling frogs and raining fish – at the time quite the mystery, but today many accept explanations that the fish, frogs and other animals/creatures have been plucked out of their habitats with freak weather events and deposited over nearby towns and cities.
For many it is used to describe such events as:
Falling frogs and raining fish – at the time quite the mystery, but today many accept explanations that the fish, frogs and other animals/creatures have been plucked out of their habitats with freak weather events and deposited over nearby towns and cities.
Living frog found in stone. Ball lightning – bright balls of light/energy that are associated with thunderstorms. They can vary in size and last quite a while longer than a typical flash of lightning. A very rare phenomena and not fully explained how it occurs naturally.
Archaeological finds that fall outside the realm of our common understandings, such as living frogs found trapped in stone, non-natural artefacts that are said to be aged in the billions of years old, advanced technologies for the times.
Spontaneous human combustion, the sudden eruption and burning of a human with no outside source of ignition.
Archaeological finds that fall outside the realm of our common understandings, such as living frogs found trapped in stone, non-natural artefacts that are said to be aged in the billions of years old, advanced technologies for the times.
Spontaneous human combustion, the sudden eruption and burning of a human with no outside source of ignition.
Remains of a Spontaneous combustion victim. Teleportation (a word said to have been coined by Charles Fort), the disappearance and reappearance of a human, animal or object. The object at times being geographically displaced when it reappears.
These and many other types of phenomena are not satisfactory explained by science to all, and in many cases not proven to even exist.
These and many other types of phenomena are not satisfactory explained by science to all, and in many cases not proven to even exist.
Ashley Hall 2013
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