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| Woodcut by Hans Glaser from 1561 |
Anyone with an interest in Ufology alights on this case eventually. No one can claim 'Photoshopped' when dealing with a 16th Century woodcut, and the accompanying words from the 'Nuremberg Gazette' (an early broadsheet) lends credence to the idea that the citizens of Nuremberg witnessed some form of extraterrestrial event unfold in the sky above the town.
The date was the 4th of April 1561 and the good folks of Nuremberg Germany awoke to find what appeared to be an 'aerial battle' taking place. I'll let a contemporary account take up the rest of the story;
According to the Nuremberg Gazette, the "dreadful apparition" filled the morning sky with "cylindrical shapes from which emerged black, red, orange and blue-white spheres that darted about." Between the spheres, there were "crosses with the color of blood." This "frightful spectacle" was witnessed by "numerous men and women." Afterwards, a "black, spear-like object" appeared. The author of the Gazette warned "the God-fearing will by no means discard these signs, but will take it to heart as a warning of their merciful Annunciation with St. Emidius Father in heaven, will mend their lives and faithfully beg God, that he avert His wrath, including the well-deserved punishment, on us, so that we may, temporarily here and perpetually there, live as His children."
It seems the entire event began at dawn and lasted an hour. Dozens if not hundreds of orbs, crosses and tubes fought it out in the sky before one group flew off toward the sun and another crashed to the ground producing 'steam'. Now many centuries later what can we say about this most baffling event?
Nothing to my knowledge (with the exception of an incident in Basle Switzerland 5 years later - for which there is another commemorative woodcut), comes close to replicating what happened that day. Was this truly a battle between extraterrestrials? No known natural phenomena satisfactorily explains it. It ranks high as an all time classic 'Ufo sighting' and although the event was to take on religious/spiritual overtones the description for those of us who believe aliens traverse our skies is mind boggling.
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| The Nuremberg Gazette |
For those who can read old German I enclose a copy (above) of the original document 'The Gazette'. I have read just about everywhere I go on the internet that the woodcut and the written article were produced 5 years later in 1566. This is demonstrably untrue - The Central Library of Zurich lists both items as having been created in 1561 - the year of the event (see below). The woodcut was reproduced within the Broadsheet in 1561 meaning it couldn't have been created in 1566 (although this does not rule out a second one being crafted in later years). The print run of the woodcut and the Gazette appeared ten days later on the 14th of April.
It has been posited that what the townspeople may have been suffering from was Ergot poisoning (which causes hallucinations) but the effects were well known at the time and one can't help but feel they would have realised it afterward (in which case the woodcut may have been of a Baker hanging from a gallow's as ergot poisoning is caused by a fungal infestation on bread).
Useful or informative links;
UFO EVIDENCE
The Central Library of Zurich
The Effects of Ergot Poisoning
