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Tan-We / Tan-Wed: Welsh Earth / Death Lights?

Mighty_Emperor

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Pos. related to Will 'o' the Wisps and/or corpse candles:

forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5504
Link is obsolete. The current link is:
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/will-o-the-wisp.5504/


or earthlights:

Posted Nov 11.05


- Welsh Lights, Landings And Abductions -

In Welsh folklore there are examples of "tan-we", strange lights which would appear from the heavens and land near houses where people were doomed to die. So when some Welsh poachers saw what today we would call a UFO in Buckley, Flintshire in the 19th century, they were afraid it would bring ill fortune down upon them.

They were also afraid to talk about the sighting for fear of being imprisoned for trespassing. But sons and nephews of the witnesses told the story to Buckley historian, the late James Bentley, who preserved this fascinating account for us.

Mr Bentley learnt that a serious dispute over pay at a Buckley colliery in the 1880s had led to the coal miners going on strike. They were forced to poach to feed their families.

Unfortunately, all the land thereabouts belonged to the mine owners, making the enterprise a very risky affair.

One dark, moonless night, five companions crept down to the fields south of the town and set their traps and released a ferret.

"Everywhere was pitch black and deathly silent," recounted Mr Bentley. "Suddenly a feeling of electrical tension seemed to descend upon their crouching figures. They had the feeling of being observed.

"Glancing up, they all saw a large, purplish-red luminous ball hovering above them. Silently it descended into a field adjacent. Petrified, they cowered down into the hedgerow and covered their heads with nets.

"Then they sensed a lessening of tension and heard a slight swishing sound. One of them cautiously opened his eyes and peered over the bank. A swirling ball of smoke, with small tongues of flame issuing from the base, was lifting off the ground." The men ran home in alarm and vowed each other to secrecy. The following evening one brave soul returned to collect the gear they had left behind in their panic.

"Peering into the nearby field, where the object had appeared," recorded Mr Bentley.. "He saw a large brown ring - it was scorched grass.."

This Victorian close encounter is a rare example of a UFO sighting from the pre-flying saucer days and as such is extremely valuable.

farshores.org/ufo0519c.htm
Link is dead (site defunct). The MIA webpage can be accessed via the Wayback Machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080511171511/https://farshores.org/ufo0519c.htm


Although they are clearly looking at the account from such an angle it doesn't really sound like a flying saucer.

Just thought I'd throw it in.
 
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greets

interesting story Emps.

er UFO covers anything unknown doesn't have to be a flying saucer

we had a spate of reports of luminous / (plasma?) balls in mid and west wales in the mid 1990's - nothing since.

saw two of them myself - suspect they were of human origin though as they were being followed by a hercules plane.
 
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